May 16th, 2011 The People's Pig

The People’s Pig

Southwest Alder Street, Portland, OR

(503) 347-2357

http://site.thepeoplespig.com/

Mon-Fri 11 AM – 3 PM

May 16^th, 2011

I made my way downtown, yet again with my friend Erik, where we met up with our friends and fellow cooks, Jen & Alex. I had told them I was going to be going to The People’s Pig for lunch and they wanted to be apart of this particular leg of the tour.  I’m never one to turn down company when getting a sando so the more the merrier.   

A little background on the cart that is The People’s Pig. The owner/operator, Cliff Allen, uses locally raised pig from a spot called Square Peg Farms.  The pigs from this farm are absolutely delicious.  He breaks down the animal right there in the cart and then gets it rolling for the week’s service.  I believe he’s going through a whole pig a week.  Because of this notion he only really sells two to three different kinds of sando a day. I fully endorse this method of running a cart since he uses all local ingredients and stays as seasonal as he possibly can.  Since he’s just a cart open Monday thru Friday it would make the idea of all this much more manageable.

The four of us converged just in front of the cart where we all were happy to see each other and chit chat for a minute before putting in our orders. Alex used to work with the Cliff so they were saying hello and catching up as well.  I was happy to see a line forming rapidly behind us as we made our decisions. Today there were only two choices on the menu: Porchetta with Arugula and lemon Or Braised Pork with Red Leaf lettuce, Sheep’s Milk Cheese, & Rhubarb Pickles on a Poppy seed Bun.  I went with the latter.  We waited outside looking at the other carts and the local patrons they attracted.  It’s so interesting to really step back and watch these scenes.

We received our sandos, thanked Cliff, and made our way down to Bryant Square to have a seat and enjoy our lunch. There we found a Violinist who was entertaining the crowd with some mood music as well as several other colorful individuals who contribute to the local crazies I hold so dear to my heart if anything because of the stories they provide me with.  We all enjoyed the sights and sounds of the square while we ate and talked about upcoming events we all had planed.  We devoured our sandos with smiles and pleased palettes. I was especially enjoying the Rhubarb and Sheep's Milk Cheese flavor combination with the full flavor of the pig. Fantastic.  Afterwards, full and needing some walking time to work off the flavorful sando, we all went our separate ways.  It was an excellent lunch break. 

Rating:

Bread:

The bread was a poppy seed bun that was griddled so it had a crispy/crunch to it that added a really nice texture to the overall sando. The only downside I encountered was that the bottom slice of the bun was kind of sogged out by some of the filling.

4/5

Filling:

This sando had Red Leaf Lettuce, Sheep’s Milk Cheese, Braised Pork and Rhubarb Pickles.  The flavors were big and complimented each other quite well.  I was impressed by amount of meat and goodies on the sando making it quite the meal.  The mass amount of liquid from the Rhubarb Pickles was the culprit in the sogging of the bread though.

4/5

Price:

It was $8 for a sando and with the amount/quality of food you receive I’d say this is the best deal you can find.

5/5

Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:

Cliff was be taking the orders and making your sandos.  He’s a nice guy who seems to honestly care about what his customers are eating these days and it shows. There were no real options as far as sides went and there were a few bottled soda options. 

4/5

Over all Rating: 17/20 points

Repeat Visit?

Yes.  I can’t wait to go back and try the Porchetta sando.