Garden State

I ventured back to the Mississippi Marketplace food pod a couple days ago because it was Garden State’s last weekend before shutting down for the winter. It would also be owner Kevin Sandri’s final weekend before moving on to new endeavors.
I just had to get the meatball sub and arancine, since I saw such rave reviews on both.
I started with the arancine. A well-​seasoned, thin fried layer surrounded perfectly cooked risotto. Every ounce of the arancine had incredible flavor. The saffron provided a heavenly floral experience and did not overwhelm the other ingredients. Squeezing the lemon on the arancine cut through the richness and enhanced everything. Just blown away here.
Then, when I didn’t think life could get better, it did. The meatball sub never stood a chance from the minute I started eating. I personally cannot recall having a better meatball sandwich. The seasoning on the meatballs was spot-​on. The simple addition of marinara, melted mozzarella, and Parmesan is just comfort food for me, plain and simple. The bread stayed firm to hold everything in place, but a soft bundle of awesomeness when eating the sandwich. I think the only thing that would have made this better: I shoulda asked for more meatballs. I woulda paid more money just to get a large container of meatballs, marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
It’s honestly a bittersweet moment for me. On the one hand, I feel privileged to have enjoyed three of Kevin’s top-​selling menu items (the third being the Chickpea Sandwich). On the other hand, it does pain me that this food cart gem is taking a hiatus this winter. I wish Kevin the best of luck in his future endeavors, and I’ll be waiting for Garden State’s re-​opening.

Would come back just for the chickpea fries & friendly service!
The chickpea fries were light, crispy and non-​greasy, while being one of the most flavorful tastes of fried falafel batter I’ve enjoyed since moving to Portland.
This will be first on my list for my next visit.

Two words: chickpea fries.
We drove from Seattle to Portland on a Saturday morning and hit a total of 10 pods in one day. So we were being pretty selective about what we bought because we aren’t the vomit-​y types.
My partner suggested that we try the chickpea fries. Really? Chickpea fries? How good could those be?
As it turns out, the chickpea fries were tied for my favorite item I tried while podhopping. It’s impossible to express just how delicious they are, but imagine fried and seasoned sticks of falafel batter after it has been chilled and cut into strips.
If you try nothing else at this pod, try the chickpea fries. (However, I don’t recommend limiting yourself to just these fries here. So much good stuff at this pod.)

You want to know how I feel about Garden State? Sure you do you’re reading this.
I feel like Garden State charged me $ 9 for a burger and it wasn’t even good. And a $ 9 food item from a cart is something that I can’t even fathom, I mean there weren’t even fries with this burger. AND it still wasn’t good. Dry and a little flavorless (even with the pancetta). It was a meh burger. Disappointing even, because the burger craving was there. And the day hadn’t started off well. And I was all ready for a little bit of meat (awww yeah) to brighten it up. And, ya know, it didn’t. So, damn you Garden State.
The girls that were working were nice, so there’s something. And I’ll probably be back. To try the meatball hero that I clearly should have gotten the first time.

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very experienced when it comes to meatball sandwiches. I do, however, know that I like them. I mean, who wouldn’t? You got meat, cheese, and marinara sauce… yum! I actually thought that the meatball subs from a franchise called S*bway tasted good. That is, until I tried Garden State.
It’s a cold Sunday afternoon and I’m bored outta my head so I browse through Unilocal to see what was good. It sucks that I’m all the way in Beaverton because all the good eats are either downtown or in the N/​NE neighborhoods. So, I throw on my gear and head up to MIssissippi to try this place out. The whole layout of this food cart pod is great! You’ve got about 7 or 8 carts all varying in the type of foods they serve. There’s a covered eating area with tons of tables, and there’s also an ATM. Ample street parking can be found around the area.
I ordered the much buzzed about Meatball Hero. This was a pretty hefty sub and was about 8″ or so long (that’s what she said). First bite and I was hooked! The meatballs were huge and delicious. The sauce was great but the cheese is the one who won me over. This thing had that stretchy cheese stretch. You know, the one that stretches for inches (again, that’s what she said) and ends up slapping you on the chin (that’s what she said — LOL). I couldn’t get enough of this hero ’til the very last bite. The only thing I wish they had added to this sub would be maybe some jalepenos? I think that would’ve been the icing on the cake.
Garden State is a great eat! It’s unfortunate that I live so far out of the way, otherwise I’d be eating the Hero at least a few times a week. Well, I guess it’s fortunate I live so far away then? =/

The burger was so good I wet myself. Hmm… correction, that was the juicy burger dripping down my chin onto my lap.
I am shocked that out of 43 reviews, not one Unilocaler has talked about the burger until now. OMFG, Garden State makes a burger as divine as any 5-​star steakhouse red meat sandwich. Garden State describes it as «Highland Oak beef, provolone piccante, red onions in thyme vinegar, chili aioli on a brioche bun.» It was so much more.
As I dived in for a bite, my sinuses were rushed with the buttery and eggy aroma from the brioche. At this point, the burger had the looks and smells, but did it have the taste? Yes! The beef was perfectly seasoned with salt. The provolone piccante added a punch of pepper and spice. The red onions nicely balanced the burger with subtly acidity. The brioche bun did not fall apart half way through my burger ecstasy. It is without hesitation that I declare each bite was utterly perfect.
I speak on behalf of Sellwood’s belly and myself that Garden State will be greatly missed as it migrates North to join its sister cart at the Mississippi/​Skidmore location.

The owner contacted me after my previous «meh» review so I decided to give Garden State another go (on my own dime).
Tried the chickpea sandwich and it was bland and boring — again. I understand that chickpeas aren’t meant to be a flavor bomb, but there needs to be something added to give them a little oomph. Jeez, even a sprinkle of salt would work wonders.
I can tell from reviews that Garden State can be transcendent but producing a great product requires consistency, not the occasional flush of brilliance.

What happened to the chickpea sandwich I used to know and love? And what the hell is this lukewarm hockey puck in the middle of my sandwich?

I’m typically open to having my mind blown, and it’s been a pretty regular occurrence recently. My latest example: the idea that the Willamette Week (in the post-​David Walker era) could print something useful. Mind blown. Thanks to Danni D’s diligent dispatch on the talk threads this week, Nick Zukin’s thorough study of the best burgers in this city was thrust to my attention.
And then I saw that I hadn’t experienced a single one of the top ten. Mind blown again. Kablooshkabloosh!
But most mind-​blowing of all was that although I had eaten at Garden State half a dozen times, I didn’t even realize they had a burger (number 9 on Zuke’s list) on the menu. So enamored was I about the other menu items, the meatball and chickpea sandwiches in particular, when I saw their name on the list I thought, «They have a burger?» Apparently so, and for only $ 2 more than I’m usually willing to spend on lunch.
Now, I’ve been disappointed that some other good burgers in town have a tendency to be overpowered, instead of accentuated, by the other toppings (I’m talkin about you, Slow Burger. I still love ya, though). Not a problem at Garden State. The relatively diminutive 6 oz patty at Garden State is like Sean Astin’s character in «Rudy» — humble, hard-​working, dedicated, with a heart of gold — while the thin, crispy pancetta, the red leaf lettuce, the spicy aioli, and the light but still cohesive bun, form the rest of the Fighting Irish, all shouting «Bur-​GER! Bur-​GER! Bur-​GER!» as they carry it into your mouth. You never saw a patty so proud.
I found myself savoring each bite, and at the end I didn’t want it to be over. And, it being a mere 6 oz patty, the epilogue doesn’t feature gut bombing or food coma-​ing.
I look forward to trying some of the other burgers on the wweek list, but for the foreseeable future I’m gonna go on chanting, «Garden STATE! Garden STATE! Garden STATE!»

Pssst… hey.
hey you.
Yes. you.
come here. Listen up.
…
MEATBALL SUB.
No no no no no no no no no NO.
seriously.
shhhh.
shut up. just listen to me.
MEATBALL SUB.
I don’t care what you are doing right now. I don’t care how important you think it is. STOP.
STOP EVERYTHING.
MEATBALL SUB.
i promise.
You NEED it.

Solid 5 stars. YUMMERS!
Two of us split a famous meatball hero and a fritelle plate.
The sandwich did not disappoint — the meatballs were delish, tender, topped w/​just the right amount– not too much– tomato sauce and the bread was firm enough to hold up to a saucy meatball! but not so firm as to hurt your jaw when you tried to eat it.
The Fritelle plate means «fabulous fried things»! Arancine — fried risotto balls stuffed w/​chard and cheese!!! Special! Unique! Delish!
served with Small potato dumplings and chickpea fries!!! and a spicy aioli.
I will be back!

The only time I was ever in Sellwood when only the original cart existed was when it was closed due to the new one being prepped. I finally got to have one of their praised meatball heroes today and it was pretty awesome. I’m used to soggy bread and watery sauce (thank you Subway and work cafeterias!) but this sandwich had neither. Well-​seasoned meatballs, thick sauce and cheese. The bread was nice and flaky; would have been a shame for it to get soggy, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
I also had a bite of my girlfriend’s chickpea sandwich and it was good, too. I’ll probably get one of those next time, though there were other sandwiches on the menu that looked worth my while. However, they were out of a lot of those. Ah well.

Second verse, same as the first.
Last year I started making the trek to the Sellwood carts after hearing pretty universal high praise for Garden State’s Chickpea Sandwich. Then I decided I needed to branch out and try something else on their menu and developed an equal affection for the Meatball Hero. Somehow it manages to be light and zesty as well as immensely satisfying.
So I’ve been anxiously awaiting the opening of this second location at one of my favorite cart pods on Mississippi. This cart lacks a little of the original cart’s flair (love the Eat! sign and shiny siding in Sellwood), but their food has lost none of the flavor. The only difficulty for me is deciding between my two favorite items… eeney meeny miney moe!

Hot Damn!
This is the latest and greatest in the Cart Pod known as Mississippi/​Prost Pod. It is spic ‘n span brand new and today I had my first but not last Chick Pea Sandwich, so good, and Risotto Rice Balls, so good good.
I’m quite sure it is the new baby sister (or brother) to the cart in Sellwood, which will now be known as Garden State South.
Thank You God for this Wonderful Food which I will eat again & again. Next… Meatball sandwich!
Enjoy!

It’s kind of odd, but I’ve had a hard time writing up a review for Garden State and I’m not entirely sure why.
I have ample Bön Jovi, Sopranos, Toxic Waste and Jersey Girl references I could easily throw together for a review, but none seem to fit quite right. The muse of debauchery is always present and appealing, but I’m not sure depraved insinuations would really work here. And besides, do I really want to have to explain to Little O someday why daddy has such a fascination with hooker taints, lap dances and cocaine?
Certainly, there must be some creative angle I could take. There has to be some unique approach, or outlandish perspective for this review that I’m missing.
At the very least something to critique or make fun of…
The food? Well, it was truly fantastic. My meatball hero was incredible… simple, to the point and filling. 4 large meatballs, marinara sauce and mozzarella on a toasted hoagie. Throw in a side of chickpea fries and you have a meal that not only satisfies, but also puts you into a food coma for the remainder of the day. Plus, the ingredients are local and fresh.
Service? Friendly and engaging. Kevin is truly an artist with his offerings and his passion for what he does is evident in every bite.
Location? Right down the street from work. It really doesn’t get any better, although this could put a serious dent in my after lunch work performance as well as add a few extra pounds on my rapidly expanding gut.
So I guess there really is no angle, funny antidote or debase references that can do justice to Garden State and the fantastic food they are serving here in Sellwood. The simple fact is this is the best cart food in Portland. Hands down.

This Sellwood cart (and soon to be Mississippi cart) is the place to eat! While they do serve the meat, I arrived determined to try the chickpea patty sandwich that I read so much about and that turned out to be the cart’s entry in the Good Morning America cart food contest.
Hell yeah!
I wouldn’t say a vegetarian was born, but I don’t feel like I missed out on anything by ordering veggie. This sandwich has it going on in style: carrot slaw is sweet, aioli is garlicky, chickpea patties (two!) are crunchy delicious, delicata squash is a delicious surprise, and the ciabatta is soft and massive. What a great lunch!
Did I mention that I drove all the way up from Wilsonville to enjoy it? Worth every mile.

Garden State is a little silver food cart that sits quietly down in Sellwood on 13^th and dispenses what is, in my opinion, some of the best food coming from a cart here in Portland. The theme of the food is Sicilian Street food meets New Jersey guy (or at least, in my mind, that’s how it plays out). Something tells me that this cart should have its own personal Bön Jovi soundtrack, but maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, the food here is ultra bomb. The chickpea (recently featured in Sunset magazine) is a huge highlight. It’s a patty made from chickpeas (garbonzo beans, in common parlance) formed into a square and then lightly fried. It sits on a soft ciabatta roll garnished with lettuce, grated carrot and aioli (and maybe some other stuff too, I don’t know). It’s simply divine, and incredibly hearty. I would consider this to be one of the sinature dishes.
Alongside this masterpiece sits the porchetta sandwich, which consists of a slow-​cooked, marinated pork on a ciabatta served alongside some pickled hot peppers. It is my no means a light meal, and the generous portion of the pork itself is only outweighed by the larger-​than-​life flavor of the marinade itself. The sandwich a complete mess to eat, and requires a good couple of hours of digestion. Cubicle-​dwellers beware the food coma.
Besides these two dandies (and some other sandwiches), Garden State offers up some fun Sicilian street food treats like fried chickpea fries (another incarnation of the chickpea patty from the above-​referenced sandwich), Arancini, which are little fried risotto balls with a daily special filling, and these little kale-​and-​batter fritters. I personally go for the Arancini, as I love fried rice balls things (always have).
Toss in a cold San Pellegrino Aranciata and a sunny picnic table, and one starts to think that Garden State stands for a state of nirvana (rather than a state of Jersey).
Seriously, it’s worth the trip from wherever you live to come down and check out the amazingness that’s happening in Sellwood.
PS: Some claim that the meatball sandwich here is the best in Portland. I humbly and respectfully disagree. That said, it’s still a pretty solid meatball sandwich.

I don’t know why I never learn to order the famous dishes at these popular carts. The ones that make the cover of magazines. The ones mentioned in every review. No, no… for some reason, I gravitate toward the specials. This has worked out well for me on a few occasions, but been disastrous on others.
Garden State is a way popular cart with a lot of cred. It’s been in numerous magazines, newspapers, online food blogs as one of the top carts in town. The cart itself is adorable, a cornerstone at the small pod in Sellwood across from the library. They’ve got their Sunset magazine write-​up proudly displayed. Did I get the famous chickpea sandwich? No, I did not. My mistake.
My Eggplant Parmesan sub wasn’t great. Pluses: it was huge, the tomato sauce was delicious, and the torn, fresh basil leaves were a nice touch in a sandwich. On the flip side: they took overcooking eggplant to new heights and the cheese was weird. A good amount of food for $ 6, and don’t get me wrong, I devoured the whole thing, but it just wasn’t quite there.
The saving grace of the meal were the other two snacks we tried — the Arancine ($ 1) and chickpea fries ($ 2). Hot damn, new favorite snacks. One dollar gets you a hot little saffron risotto ball with a seasonal filling, yesterday was eggplant/​mozzarella. Ohhhh, the joys of biting into that thing were plenty. Couple of those plus a salad ($ 3-​$ 5) would be a great lunch. Ditto on the fries, which are best eaten piping hot out of the fryer as the texture goes downhill a bit as they cool down. And don’t be shy squeezing every last drop of lemon juice from the accompanying wedge on each and every one. That little bit of tart really rounds out the spices in the fries.
I will definitely be back and try the chickpea sandwich everyone raves about. The fried green tomato sounded pretty excellent as well…

So this update is long over due… I’ve returned well over twenty five times since my first visit. I’ve brought friends, family, even my dog. I’ve tried literally everything, somethings twice. I even moved to Sellwood to be closer (although in truth I could fill a whole review about why I love my current hood… there’s another update that needs to be written).
The menu shifts with the seasons, but no matter what, Kevin just kills it when it comes to making great street food. Currently it’s the literally oozing with flavor Porchetta that I’m stuck on. «Carlton Farms pork slow-​roasted with onion, fennel, garlic and herbs, on baguette» I’ve eaten Salumi’s good iteration of this, but here it’s truly great.
Love the Chickpea sandwich, «Crisp fried garbanzo cake, local greens, lemon aioli, grilled summer squash on a ciabatta roll»
Have yet to try the «Grilled Salmon» might have to rectify that very soon. Easily done now that they are open 7 days a week!
Of course every other time I stop by here. I get an Arancine and a Meatball Hero. I’ve had Bunk’s and while their’s might be neat and covered with melted cheese, I’d choose the moist crumbly texture and wonderful beefy flavor of the meatballs and marinara at Garden State any day.
As good as the food is, there’s more to this cart. It’s not just another place to eat, it’s a fixture in our little community and Kevin and crew do a awesome job keeping that neighborhood vibe.
If you love carts this one’s a must… and while you’re in the area (why not make a day of it) get some wine at Vino, gifts at Tilde, etc…
Insider tip: Follow @GardenStateChef on twitter to get real time updates on specials like «Salt Cod Fritters» or just to interact with one really cool dude.

I didn’t even know this place existed! It took my cousin from Windsor, CA to send me an article from Sunset Magazine about the top food carts in Portland for me to figure this out. I know, real quick — the speed with which I «get things» is not to be messed with!
The meatball sandwich was worth the 41 cents, or whatever it costs to send things these days, for me to get that article. The sandwich was all of $ 6… I ordered, walked over to the library to return my book, came back and voila — meatball sandwich in hand. It was full of sauce and cheese, making it nice and juicy. I am looking forward to checking out the chickpea sandwich that was also mentioned as a goodie in the article. I will probably head here more often during the summer since there is a little bit of outdoor seating alongside the cart.
The guy cooking/​serving the food was friendly enough too… so what could be wrong about any of this? Nothing, I say… nothing at all.