Best Thing I Ever Ate: PBJ Edition

I hope you’re not thinking that I am exaggerating about my editions of “Best Thing I Ever Ate“, but for real, PBJ’s is the best peanut butter jelly sandwich place EVER and I don’t even like PBJ!  This spot is really something special.  Keena, one of the owners, immediately greeted us and made us feel like we were her best friends, which by the time we left, we might have been!  She was a bundle of happiness and warmth on an otherwise gray and drizzly Portland day.  Shane, the other owner assembled our sandwiches with love and handed them to Keena who grilled them to perfection.  They make their own peanut and almond butters and I think everything else is locally sourced.

I had The Joy (challah bread, dark chocolate spread, coconut filling, almond butter) and my friends had Cynthia (challah bread, raspberry jam, nutella, peanut butter) and Hot Hood (challah bread, black cherry jam, jalapeno, apple wood smoked bacon, peanut butter).  Mine was like a melted almond joy bar, hence the name, in between delicious challah bread.  It was so good that I lost the inability to speak for several minutes.  It was really sweet, so I only ate half, but it is perfect for sharing, which I did.  I didn’t like Cynthia as much, but my friend who ordered it loved it so much he licked the wrapper and almost didn’t save me a bite to taste!  The Hot Hood was really good.  The bacon was super crispy, which was the perfect texture in the sandwich and the jalapenos provided the kick to really put the sandwich over the edge.

I couldn’t eat these every day, but PBJ’s is definitely a must visit food truck in Portland.  I actually think that Keena and Shane should start talking to restaurant owners who could serve mini PBJ’s for appetizers or dessert.  Who knows, maybe you’ll see a PBJ on a menu near you soon!

Best Thing I Ever Ate: Gnocchi Edition

Operation SMF continues.  I just had the best gnocchi I’ve ever eaten in my entire life at the Built to Grill food truck.  This little unassuming box of gnocchi costs a mere $6 and is an explosion of incredible flavors perfectly balanced to complement delicious fluffy gnocchi.  The sauce has tons of garlic, tomatoes, basil, and sundried tomatoes, which I really think are what puts this gnocchi over the edge.  If you’re in Portland or anywhere close by, you have GOT to check out this gnocchi.  We also had the pasta pomodoro, which I thought was fine, but nothing that made me weak in the knees like the gnocchi, which almost made me weep tears of joy … almost.