River’s Place is a misnomer for the food cart pod on Purcell Boulevard across from Costco. There is no river there. While there may not be a river view, it is a lovely grass area surrounded by tons of flowers. I watched a swallowtail butterfly and a hummingbird partaking in the sweet nectar. A large indoor bar opens one wall for visitors to buy beer and wine. Five food trucks encircle the eating area: Nik’Snacks, Hogan’s Hoagies, Blumas Chicken and Waffles, Sopa and Sunny’s Carrello. Some of the food here is so good that I’m hard-pressed to keep myself from going there daily.

Hogan’s Hoagies

What do you get when you let a culinary trained chef loose on Hoagie submarine sandwiches? A sub that is so good I couldn’t put it down even though I had other food to try. A knowledgeable chef can balance flavors in a way that satisfies every taste bud. While these are regular hoagie sandwiches with meat, cheese and veggies on a bun, they taste like so much more.

After chef/owner Jason Hogan attended the Central Oregon Culinary Institute, he ran a bistro cart for five years. As he’s always loved sandwiches, he set out to create the best sandwiches possible. He has succeeded. The secret seems to be a combination of homemade sauces. The Murray sandwich that I ordered had garlic mayo and his special sub sauce. The pesto-like Hogan’s Sub Sauce is made with capers, olives, roasted chili, garlic, lemon, basil, parsley, cilantro and olive oil.

The menu includes a choice of sandwiches with single meats — ham, roasted beef, roasted turkey — as well as grilled cheese, tempeh, or fried eggs. The Murray is a combination of ham, turkey, Genoa salami and roast beef. Hogan’s preparation begins by grilling onions and placing the meat atop the onions. The edges of the roast beef became crispy and a little sweet from the onions. He then adds the provolone and smoked Gouda cheeses to melt over the meats. The Big Ed’s Po’Boy roll is toasted on the grill to which he adds shredded lettuce and banana peppers tossed lightly in Italian vinaigrette. The onions, meat and cheese are then piled on top of the fresh veggies. It’s served (and best eaten) warm. While Hogan does serve potato chips, there are trucks on either side of him where you can get great French fries and other sides.

Nik’Snacks

Indeed the french fries from Nik’Snacks were the star of this food truck. Large, long, fresh-cut, skin-on potatoes are fried to a crispy outside and are tender within. You can choose to top it with bacon chunks, cheese and chili. I opted for bacon and cheese. It tasted decadent, like a crispy, loaded baked potato.

Other “snacks” from Nik’Snacks include a bratwurst, hot dog, Brussels sprouts and mac and cheese. I tried all three slider variations — a burger, pulled pork and a Sloppy Joe for $4 each. My favorite was the pulled pork with blue cheese coleslaw. The sweet barbecue pork was moist and played against the cool, creamy blue cheese. The Angus beef burger was thin, overcooked and very dry, perhaps it was overcooked through bad timing on the grill.

Blumas Chicken and Waffles

Blumas’ reputation for tasty chicken and waffles preceded my visit. For the most part, I had to agree. It’s been less than two years since chef/owner Cliff Abrahams arrived in Bend from Austin, Texas. Still, he has been able to open two carts — the other cart is Abe Capana’s Detroit Pan Pizza at the Warming Hut in the Old Mill District.

I had to try the chicken and waffles. The signature fried chicken is fried in peanut oil and left in just a little longer than other recipes. This makes the breaded exterior crunchy and an excellent contrast to the moist chicken inside. It comes with a hot honey sauce that is mildly spicy and sweet. Adding to the sweet side of this savory, spicy, sweet dish, are Belgian waffle quarters with some added secret sweetness, served with a maple syrup blend.

The RP Farm Burger is extraordinary. Bacon is ground in the patty along with the beef. Every bite has smoky bacon-y goodness. Cheddar cheese is melted on the meat then topped with very fresh tomato, lettuce, mayo and crispy fried onions. The onions are lightly coated in buttermilk then fried to add flavor without the heaviness of most onion rings. It was hard to put down.

Sunny’s Carrello

Sunny’s is the newcomer to River’s Place, having moved from the west side a couple of months ago. Started by Amy Wright of Sunny’s Yoga Kitchen, Sunny’s Carrello is Italian for “Sunny’s Cart.” As I’m a fan of Sunny’s Yoga Kitchen, I was happy to see that Wright is applying her creativity to Italian recipes.

I started with a great blend of flavors in the Radicchio and Arugula Salad. While radicchio can be bitter, fried capers and Oregon hazelnuts brought a salty and sweet balance. Onions, basil, red onions and Rogue River Blue Cheese added depth to the flavors. It was lightly dressed with my choice of Caesar dressing.

From the first bite of the Alfredo and Tagliatelle pasta, it clearly had a distinct taste. This was no simple creamy sauce, chicken and pasta plate. Italian sausage with fennel, red chili flakes and nutmeg add dimension to the housemade tagliatelle pasta. The tender white meat of chicken pulled apart with my fork. It was the kind of dish that grew on me. The more I ate, the more I wanted.

For a bit more protein, I opted for a side of two meatballs in marinara sauce. Both the meatballs and the tagliatelle were topped with a pile of light, fluffy grated Parmesan cheese. The cheese balanced the dense ground pork, pork sausage and High Desert beef meatballs.

Sopa

Who says that a Mexican food cart has to serve only tacos and food from south of the border? Chef/owner Cristhofer Plascencia explained his menu to me, telling me that he loves Asian food as well. So when I saw that a grilled tuna Asian salad on the menu, I had to give it a try. “I was using the tuna in tacos, so I decided to offer the salad and poke too,” Plascencia told me.

The salad contained fried wonton strips, avocado slices and lots of sesame seared rare Yellowfin tuna. I found it to be a little dry but was pleased when I got extra Asian sesame seed dressing on the side.

On the Mexican side of the menu, I tried a carne asada burrito. Flavorful, tender beef, pinto beans, moist rice and cheese inside a fresh flour tortilla are the basic ingredients. Diners can add a variety of vegetables like tomatoes and peppers.

River’s Place offers a variety of types of food to satisfy a whole family. Choose what you want, then relax in the Adirondack chairs and hopefully catch sight of a hummingbird flitting by.