Simply Sandwiches

Having just returned from a trip to Texas, I hoped to have a few awesome barbecue sandwiches to write about. A classic chopped beef brisket, a smoked sausage – these are the things I crave when I return to my homeland. But this trip involved attending a wedding, which involved lots of scheduled meals, none of which, sadly, involved barbecue. Next time, I tell myself, I’ll be sure to hit up the Salt Lick and Stubbs and Kreuz Market, because the sting of regret is strong.

However, my trip wasn’t entirely fruitless. A few days after leaving Texas, I found myself in Portland, Oregon. Specifically, I found myself in a parking lot whose borders were crowded with street food vendors. This wasn’t a special street fair or festival, this was an every day street food paradise, and apparently the city is loaded with similar parking lots. I thought New York had a respectable number of tasty food trucks and carts; I was wrong. Portland is outdoing us by leaps and bounds. This one corner alone had Thai, Vietnamese, BBQ, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Cajun, pizza…and Czech. Of course I had to try Tabor, the Czech cart (SW 5th St. & Stark St.), especially when I noticed its signature item: the Schnitzelwich.

The Schnitzelwich ($6) features a pork or chicken cutlet, deep fried, on a ciabatta roll from a local bakery, topped with lettuce, sauteed onion and both a red pepper spread and a generous smattering of horseradish sauce. Though the two sauces are intensely flavorful, the real burden of the sandwich rests on the meat – if the schnitzel were tough or the breading soggy, it just wouldn’t be worth eating. But Tabor fries each cutlet to order, and the result is a schnitzel that is fresh and crispy, perfectly balancing out the sauces. I wish I’d had room for their other offerings – goulash, dumplings, and a fried cheese sandwich – but the Schnitzelwich was a perfect midday meal, enjoyed in the company of other happy food stand patrons.

Freshly fried schnitzel with memorable sauces puts this sandwich high in both strategy and execution.

Did I mention that Tabor is adorable?

Eating on the street:

See the crispy fried goodness: