Juicy Lucy's Ellusive Food Truck Breaks My Heart to Pieces

AWWW; Yea, no kidding. After a brief but passionate affair with this food truck last summer, it was suddenly gone from my life. No text message, no email, nothing. Juicy Lucy Truck, I though we had something special. I was prepared to devote my mouth to you. Regardless of your callous termination of our intimate relationship, I still want to shout from the mountaintops what an amazing burger you were.

BURGER; Classic Minneapolis Juicy Lucys call for a beef patty stuffed with molten cheese, preferably American, with cheddar an acceptable alternative. What set this charming food truck apart from it's mid-west counterpart was the tender, pillow talk details, such as zucchini pickles and a sweet homemade 1000 Island dressing that took the idea of mixing relish, ketchup and mayonnaise to an almost erotic level. A little yelping proved my point, with not one rating under 4 stars. Most reviewers not only wrote long, overly personal reviews but also gave Juicy Lucy a 5 star rating.

FRIES; Did they serve fries?? I will never know!!

SERVICE; It's either one dude in a truck or two dudes in a truck. But they're gone now (le sigh)

WHERE; My dreams, now and forever.

Violetta Forevah

FOREVAH IS A LONG TIME; Yea, no duh, but I have yet to be done wrong by either Violetta's roaming food cart, "Etta" or their location in Directors Park in SW Portland. It's a beautiful example of Portland local flavors, served in a great casual setting.

BURGER; Beautiful. Violetta's catchy slogan reads "fast-slow-food" (cleverly worded in the shape of the recycling insignia), and though the "fast" part might be a little presumptuous, they really deliver on the "slow" and the "food". But wait, I don't mean you'll be waiting forevah, or that these burgers are pedestrian enough to be referred to simply as food. I mean that this burger is well crafted with fabulous local ingredients, carefully prepared to showcase their respective freshness.

FRIES; Both sweet potato and traditional. And they're great. Waffle fries covered in gorgonzola cheese is a favorite, but they are serious business, so don't go in thinking it's a one man job. It's at least a two person ordeal, but it will bring you two together, so go for it.

SERVICE; Walk up to the counter and be served efficiently and with a huge smile. Grab your own water and/or craft beer bottle and if you're at the Director's Park Location you can either post up in the spare dining room or stretch out on the patio beneath the rainbow of soft neon that illuminates the concrete park below. Or if you opt for the truck version, grab a local soda-pop, pull up some curb/picnic table/park bench and tuck in.

WHERE; 877 sw taylor at sw park, Portland www.violettapdx.com