Bari Food Cart Pdx — Restaurant in Portland

I panzerotti di Walter Ferrante sono tanto delizioso! (Hope I got that right. 2+ years of Duolingo has yielded an imperfect, but gradually improving understanding of Italian, which Mr. Ferrante himself speaks beautifully, while welcoming my clumsy efforts 😂)

A perfect oasis, of Southern Italian (specifically Barese-inflected) food culture, right here in Southeast Portland! If I lived a bit closer to the Carts on Foster, I'd have a hard time not stopping by the this place practically every day. Which would be problematic because I am moderately allergic to wheat--note: there are as yet no gluten-free panzerotti options; also, while one could, theoretically, ask for one of them to be prepared senza formaggio (cheese-free), be aware that it can't be made vegan; Mr. Ferrante noted that his dough contains some milk. (I'd thought to get one for my vegan daughter, and appreciated Mr. Ferrante's being upfront about why that wouldn't work.)

But! A little wheat every now and then is something I can rationalize for time to time, on the reasoning that these extraordinarily tasty panzerotti exist. (Still get a mild inflammatory reaction but for me--thankfully I don't have a more serious issue like celiac--it is...

I love the food here: the panzerotti are piping hot and delicious, filled with all sorts of delicious flavors. I particularly love the one with tuna and capers. But don't overlook the rest of the menu! The cannoli are delicate, fresh, and incredibly well-balanced and flavorful.

But as with all the best small businesses, the heart of the experience is the owner. Walter is charming, welcoming, enthusiastic, kind, and generous (One of the times I visited he surprised me by upgrading my order to a large for free. I'd only visited once before, so I was hardly someone he'd recognize- he just was being nice!) Also, he clearly loves sharing this piece of his culture with Portland, and it's fun to support someone who has both passion and craft.

Thanks, Walter!...

After my experience with JJs BBQ (check out my other review) in the piedmont food carts I decided to give them a chance. After dropping 25, figured I could drop another 12 on food that looked hot from the steam coming off of the calzones they were serving. Ring up wait 6 minutes, get my food and break open the calzone. Hollow with unmelted parmasean and cheap pizza sausage, as a cook I know parmasean doesnt melt totally but it literally looked like ceasar salad cheese. Took a bite, luke warm. After forcing myself to throw up JJs bbq here's hoping the processed ingredients won't make me sick because I was done...