Breakfast is that meal. The meal that starts your day and can set your mood for the rest of day. Breakfast done right instills in you the needed power to conquer the world. Breakfast done wrong will bring out the troll that lives under the bridge. One of the very best places to acquire your world-conquering power is The Egg Carton food cart.

The creation of Sarah and Tim Arkwright, The Egg Carton offers a tantalizing twist on what is considered to be breakfast. Taking what at first glance appear to be regular ol’ breakfast items, The Egg Carton recombines and redefines the ingredients of the traditional breakfast. The result is a breakfast experience unlike anything in Portland.

The Eggs Benedict and the Belmont Sandwich from The Egg Carton food cart

In fact, Sarah’s food is so good it garnered a chapter in the book, “Portland Food Cart Stories,” and won her an appearance on the popular Food Network show “Chopped.” While the public recognition has brought The Egg Carton much deserved notoriety, it is the outstanding food that keeps the customers coming back. As Sarah and Tim will tell you, both the quality and consistency of good food well sold are the avenues to success as a food cart.

One of The Egg Carton’s most popular dishes is the FoPo Christo. Named to honor the locals of the Foster-Powell neighborhood and the Monte Christo sandwich á la Disneyland’s Blue Bayou restaurant, the FoPo Christo is “a mishmash of everything you want for breakfast in a giant messy sandwich.” Bacon, Otto’s Canadian bacon, cheddar cheese, sweet and spicy mustard, and Sarah’s homemade strawberry jam between slices of French Toast.

The Eggs Benedict from The Egg Carton food cart

Another favorite is the Eggs Benedict. Served over an English muffin or Sarah’s cart-made biscuits, with a poached egg, Canadian bacon, and The Egg Carton’s very own lemony Hollandaise sauce, it is a meal that must be tried to understand the flavor experience that comes with this delectable dish.

The biscuits are a force unto themselves. If you’re not ordering within an hour of The Egg Carton’s opening, your chances of enjoying some of the biscuits is very small. Especially on the weekends. Due in part to the Eggs Benedict and the biscuits and gravy, another reason that the biscuits are in high demand is the Belmont sandwich.

The Belmont Sandwich from The Egg Carton food cart

The Belmont Sandwich is made with cart-made raspberry-habanero jam, Otto’s Canadian bacon, a fried egg, goat cheese, and arugula served within a split biscuit. While the Belmont is relatively new to the menu, it has proven to be in such demand that it is now a permanent part of the breakfast regimen at The Egg Carton.

A possible future for The Egg Carton may include a café where the biscuits will last all day. Sarah and Tim are exploring the idea with the proviso that they are able to establish a brick-and-mortar version of their restaurant in the local neighborhood they love. The Egg Carton makes its home at the Carts On Foster food cart pod. The pod is located at SE 52nd and Foster. Their hours are 9 AM till 2 PM Thursday through Monday.

Listen now as Steven Shomler and Ken Wilson talk with Sarah and Tim Arkwright of The Egg Carton food cart.

 

PRP