Things are always changing with Portland’s food carts. New
pod in suburban Sunnyside… pod to close due to downtown construction. I can’t
keep up!
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| Follow da signs! |
But one bit of news intrigued me. A “sammich” shop in Ashland
was kicking off their new Portland food cart concept… Pastrami Zombie. And I
was invited to the event in NE Portland. It was a very Portlandia type affair.
Chalk signs led us to the back yard of a stately craftsman style home. The
smell of barbque permeated the growing gardens. Families sat around tasting
sandwiches and voting on the bread that Pastrami Zombie should adopt for their
Portland venue. After all, one must source locally!
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| It was a Portlandia type party in a NE neighborhood |
Not spotting Carrie or Fred in the crowd I turned to the
star… a huge brined brisket being carved for sandwiches, hot off the grill. A
rye bread was chosen from the six different loaves and the Russian dressing was
drizzled on. Next came the Pastrami, lots of it. Topped with creamy slaw. This
was a favorite down south in Ashland. It’s their Chicago style pastrami (house
brined with Washington Double R Ranch
beef) on light rye, served hot with Swiss cheese and their house slaw.
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| The star of the show |
I added a bit of salad as a side and dove in to the warm
sandwich. It was amazingly tender and the slaw added a creamy goodness. Of
course, since we were sampling I chose another. This one was on the marble rye.
Amazing!
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| After just one sample, I was addicted! |
I chatted with Melissa McMillin the owner and founder of
Sammich in Ashland. She and her chefs create Chicago style sandwiches in
Ashland receiving rave reviews.
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| Chicagoan Melissa McMillin is the mastermind |
Her plan, and it's in the works, is to have a food truck to
test the waters here in Portland and, after tasting the pastrami sandwich, I
can’t wait. The truck should be ready this summer and the location(s) will be
announced.
Hey Melissa… how about checking out the mobile restaurant
scene in Vancouver. The ‘Couve needs a little pastrami love too!
As Ashland residents, Sammich is our go to spot for lunch and sometimes dinner too. We are so happy that they are expanding to Portland. Melissa, her crew and the food is top notch.
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