Should you be enjoying a tasty adult beverage late in the evening during a festive weekend on NE Alberta, should you be looking to get some good food after imbibing, an empanada or sandwich from the Imp And Nada food cart could be just the ticket.

The Imp and Nada food cart

Derek Clark brought this classic Argentinian street food to Portland in September of 2013. He grew to love empanada while living and teaching English in Buenos Aries, Argentina. The empanadas at The Imp and Nada are wrapped in cart-made pastry dough and filled with such things as meat, veggies, and even fruit.

Some of the empanadas served at The Imp and Nada food cart

The Imp and Nada food cart inhabits a rather specialized niche in Portland’s food cart community. The Imp and Nada is ‘open late.’ That means you will find The Imp and Nada serving their empanadas not during the lunch hour but from the early evening till well past midnight.

the apple empanada served at The Imp and Nada food cart

Those carts that are ‘open late’ serve patrons who are looking for a quick yet filling meal after attending events that run till late in the evening or the local bars have closed. The Imp and Nada stays open till three A.M. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you’ll find Derek serving till one A.M.

Some of the empanadas served at The Imp and Nada food cart

Derek offers a number of varieties of empanadas at The Imp and Nada. A few of the most popular are; The Classic (beef, onion, hard-boiled egg, green olives and raisins), The Buff Chick (buffalo chicken tossed with Frank’s RedHot wing sauce, bacon, red bell peppers, cheddar cheese) and The Caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil). And yes, they do serve dessert empanadas as well.

Some of the sandwiches served at The Imp and Nada food cart

Derek also serves two hefty sandwiches. The Lomito Completo (steak, eggs, ham, cheddar cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, garlic aioli, Chimichuri sauce) and his version of the Milanesa (breaded fried chicken, ham, lettuce, onions, feta cheese, tomato sauce and garlic aioli).

Some of the sandwiches served at The Imp and Nada food cart

So, should you find yourself searching for filling food just past midnight up on NE Alberta at the intersection with NE 15th, stop by the Imp and Nada and see if their empanadas don’t just do the trick.

Listen now as Steven Shomler and Ken Wilson talk with Derek Clark of the Imp and Nada food cart about hand-held pastries filled with delicious things.

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