Crème de La Crème

As their facebook page states, they are no longer operating in Portland. So this listing is outdated…

I’m really sad to see Crème de la Crème go. Now I’m just filled with regret from not visiting them more before they left.
The only thing I have had there is the french dip. The roast beef was cooked beautifully. The au jus was good enough to drink on its own. The bread was crispy. The side salad was light and refreshing. I wish i would have tired more of their menu while I could.
Now that corner of Good Food Here is filled with more seating. And I am seeing some new carts pop up there (I’m sure has nothing to do with Crème de la Crème packing up shop). All of this, I suppose is good. Just not as good as that french dip!
Good luck in Seattle.

Although «merely» a food cart, this was my favorite place in Portland for Croque Monsieur/​Madame and Escargots. For me, the Croques had a perfectly-​tasting blend of gruyère cheese and bechamel sauce on oven-​crispy rustic bread that was not as pungent as the Croque I tried at Ken’s Artisan Bakery. The Escargots were served in delicious and fragrant sauce made of European shallot butter and Pinot Grigio white wine, that I almost always wiped clean with the warm bread. I was told that the meaty Escargots are from Eiffel Tower branded cans, distributed in France and originated in Indonesia.
Sad to see the cart leave for Seattle, and further disappointed to hear that the new managers plan to change the menu and sell tacos!!!

I ordered their Croque Monsieur ($ 7): broiled Gruyère and bechamel atop a rustic ham sandwich, served with organic tossed greens.
I patiently waited the 8 – 10 minutes for this order. It’s a more time-​consuming dish than the other items on the menu. But it was worth the wait. There’s just something to broiled cheese that is so comforting, so blissful, that everything around you may just go black. It’s just you and the food having that intimate moment. Yeah, that was the case with the Croque Monsieur here. It’s been a few days since I had the sandwich, yet I still hear the awesome crunch of that bread in my head (don’t worry, I don’t hear voices or anything). A bit of stone ground mustard in between gave the sandwich an extra tangy dimension. Unfortunately, the greens were way overdressed. They were just so saturated with oil and vinegar that I largely bypassed that portion of the meal.
Extremely high marks for the sandwich and friendly service, with a slight deduction for the overdressed salad. Still a very good score overall!

mmmm… french food in a cool vintage school bus… totally Ohlala!!!
Met my sweetie here for lunch last week… always wanted to try this place, but it’s always a Sunday when we make it over here, so finally a weekday we could make it over… we were so glad we did.
We started with the french onion soup, oh so good! then we had the Croque Madam… awesome as well, but only one egg on one half, we would have liked to see two eggs on such a large sandwich, but it was still really good! I loved how they had the history of the bus written on the side for all to read, that was cool!

Can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this enticing little bus yet. The couple who run this place are super sweet, friendly and passionate about their dishes. I love the grapefruit zest they adorn the side salads with, what a refreshing treat. The Croque Madame and Monsieur can be had with tomato instead of the meat, which adds just the right complement to the veggie versions, and I personally witnessed the owner checking in with her fresh fruit vendor neighbor to source a fresh tomato for me on a recent visit.
The dessert I tried was a deliciously sandy (in the good way) lemon lavender tart that was just the right size to finish my meal in petite form, tho they sometimes have larger. I also tried the Butter & Brie on a baguette that was simple yet divine considering the lovingly made bread upon which it was created, I need to ask who bakes these for them (or if they do them themselves) because it was such a unique version of the familiar baguette that was super toasty and you can tell it was worked and kneeded extensively by examining the strata of the crust. It has a slight crackery outer millimeter or so of crust with a supple and chewy interior, just flawless and something we don’t see much in everyday bakery breads.
While I tend to eat here during the rainier days when my guts says «Give me cheese» I will recommend them to anyone, anytime. Do it!!!

Had the escargot and ham/​Gruyère sandwich. Perfect. The escargot were tender, not chewy at all, perfectly cooked and the sauce was wonderful for me to dab into with their crunchy, tasty warm bread. Service was friendly and she gives you a time estimate to the minute. (nice to guage my time on a cold rainy day standing outside) So many choices at this food pod, but Crème de la Crème is one of the best there. Fiercely, delightfully authentic.

It was my first visit here and I really couldn’t decide what I wanted because everything sounded so good! I finally decided on the Croque Monsieur. Possibly just because I wanted an excuse to say «monsieur». Either way…
Definitely one of the better food carts that I’ve been to! Top notch gourmet food! The sandwich itself was tasty and the service from (whom I can only assume as) the owner was superb! Every sandwich came with a side salad, but I’m a weirdo who can’t eat leafy greens so she was kind enough to substitute a small bit of those yummy beets in its place. mmmmm I LOVE beets and these were so good!
I will definitely be visiting this cart for lunch again in the future because there are other things on the menu that sound equally as tasty!

Visited this food cart… er…bus today for the first time. The Unilocal ratings hold up — we were not disappointed.
I ordered the french dip (medium rare beef with fresh horseradish) — it was incredibly tasty. The french onion soup served as the au jus — I was sure to upgrade to the full size so that I had enough to slurp down afterward. Accompanying the sandwich was a healthy portion of greens tossed with vinaigrette and onions.
My wife ordered the croquet monsieur. Cheesy, hammy love. Incredible.
The service was friendly and quick. It was freezing today when we visited, but lo and behold, there were two propane heaters right in front of this place.
I would put this in my top 5 food carts in Portland. Keep your eyes peeled, this colorful blue bus is at the back of this pod. Be sure to make the trip up Belmont to visit Crème de la Crème!

There was a time in my life when the school bus was a symbol of great adventure. I always lived within walking distance of school, but on those rare days when I climbed aboard a school bus, it could only mean one thing… FIELD TRIP! The science museum. The aquarium. Faneuil Hall. Canobie Lake Park. The school bus brought excitement.
Turns out, at SE 43^rd and Belmont, it still does. While this particular bus is parked semi-​permanently, and you don’t really get to climb aboard, it still serves up excitement, mainly in the form of its particularly delicious French dip sandwich. The sandwich is piled with thinly-​cut, well-​seasoned beef. The roll is toasted. The beef broth is positively divine. This is the only French dip where I actually drink the broth when I’m done with the sandwich. It takes about 6 minutes from ordering to eating. And it comes with a nice little side salad with a fresh vinaigrette. Turns out, their dipping broth, or «au jus» if you’re feeling particularly Francophile, also doubles as their French onion soup menu item. So really, one French dip sandwich order gives you the equivalent of a sandwich, salad, and soup combo. C’est magnifique!

Possibly the best cart in the «Good Food Here» pod. Like most pods, they don’t boast the most menu items, but each one is very specialized and extremely on point. The last time I went the owner went on about how the toasting time on the Croquet Monsieur has to be dialed in perfectly or the sandwich is pretty much no longer worth eating. I like that that much attention is payed to each item.
The cart itself is a converted bus, painted up with quite the color scheme. it also boasts it’s own covered ordering and seating (very useful the last time I went).
The only issue I’ve ran into is they seem to be randomly closed at times. It actually took my third visit to the pod before I lucked on a time it was open. With the current winter setting in, I’m sure their hours will be even harder to make it over during. However, I can’t imagine anything better to pick me up on a cold day than their French Onion soup.
Recommended:
–Croquet Monsieur (Egg optional, didn’t add too much IMO)
–Beet Salad
–French Onion soup

I eat at this pod 2, maybe 3 times a week, but I very rarely make it all the way to the French bus. I finally convinced myself to go back this week (having been there only once before), and I’m certainly glad I did. I had the Croquet Monsieur, and it was super tasty. Awesome meat and cheese combo, great flavor. The side salad was plentiful and pretty tasty, though I do kinda wish that there was a little more to it than just mixed greens, some onion pieces, and vinaigrette.
Everyone who works there is really friendly, and they give you a good estimate of how long it’ll take for your food to be ready. It’s a really cute spot in the back of the pod, with the bus and the canopy and the little tables. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Perhaps my favorite cart in the Good Food Here pod.
I read in other reviews that the French Dip was fantastic, and that is definitely the case; it’s the best one that I have had. Not only is the roast beef tasty, the bread just chewy enough and soaky enough for the jus, but the jus itself is made from their French onion soup which lends it a great rich flavor.
I just wish they weren’t randomly closed so often!

i just had lunch there and it was so awesome my head nearly popped. i had the french onion soup which was just yummy. i’m not even wild about onions, or at least not wild enough to eat a whole soup bowl full of them, but this was amazing. they didn’t do the melted cheese on top. instead i got a toast with some kind of amazing guyere or creamy nice cheese on it. and there was more creamy nice cheese in the soup. and i got the roast beef, french dip w/​hoarse radish and more creamy nice cheese. i will totally go there again.
and the guy who makes the food is cute and charming. i also liked the blue bus and the classy little tables under the canopy.
you should go. you’ll love it.

Amazing array of food options at the Belmont pod. It’s cool that there’s plenty of off-​street parking. Today was my first visit. You know that’s what I realize I miss most about Portland when I am in Seattle — food carts and the variety they provide.
So this afternoon, I tried out Crème de La Crème. I knew the French Dip was the bomb per Don B’s review, so I thought I would be «adventurous» and try something else — the Croquet Monsieur with salad greens.
This sandwich is described as Black Forest Ham with gruyère cheese and then even more Gruyère cheese. Except, if you order it with an egg ($ 1 extra), then the sandwich becomes the «Croquet Madame».
The lady at the window said that they were going on vacation soon so their beverage selection was limited, but I was very satisfied with my choice of the San Pelligrino Aranciata (a carbonated tangy orange drink).
As I waited for my sandwich to be prepared, I perused a «Saveur» magazine they had in a stack of magazines on a rack. It was an old issue but really went to town in an interesting way with hamburgers as the topic. I think I want to subscribe to Saveur.
After about ten minutes, the lady brought me my sandwich and greens. The sandwich was very attractive, toasted perfectly and just lightly dusted with parsley. The cheese was on both the inside and outside of the sandwich. In other words, you eat it with a knife and fork.
I love Gruyère cheese, so I would deem this a very good sandwich. However, I thought the poupon mustard spread on the bottom layer of the sandwich was somewhat in excess, overwhelming the other flavors.
The greens were outstanding, with a light and tasty vinegarette dressing. I saw a couple other people order the greens as an entrée.
Oh, the egg I ordered. When I first got my sandwich, I assumed the egg was going to be inside the sandwich but I couldn’t find it after peeling back the bread. The lady must have been watching me because she called out from the bus to tell me that my egg would be arriving in just a moment.
Sure enough, the guy that was working in there brought out to my picnic table a simple over-​easy egg on a plate. But it was delicious!
+1 that they use compostable plates and silverware.

Sacre bleu! C’est le merde!
Vraiment!
C’été sandwich si bonne qu’elle mérite un examen en français.
Je viens d’avoir le sandwich meilleurs dip-​français, je n’ai jamais eu de toute ma vie! Je vous merde pas. Bianca de crème de la crème servie une combinaison parfaite de la baguette, de la viande délicatement rôti, jus d’oignon et faits maison. Il fondu dans ma bouche. Dès la première bouchée de la baguette molle feuilletée plongé dans le complexe, profondément jus aromatisés, à le morceau final j’ai consommé avec tant d’empressement, ce sandwich a été littéralement déplacer. J’étais sans voix. Le jus d’oignon est si bon je l’ai fini avec une cuillère. Le raifort lumière at-​elle ajouté lui a donné un peu de piquant, mais pas autant que d’accabler le boeuf salé et les saveurs du jus.
Ce sandwich glorieuse était accompagné d’une salade de légumes frais mélangés avec une vinaigrette délicieuse. Je l’avais substituer une partie de la salade pour une salade de pommes de terre avec du vinaigre savoureuse vinaigrette. Pour $ 7 ou $ 8 (je né suis pas sûr du prix — J’ai ajouté sur certains brie pour $ 1) il a été un enfer d’un accord. Ce fut littéralement mieux que tout Dip français que j’ai jamais eu.
Je né peux pas attendre pour revenir en arrière et essayer le croque-​monsieur. Il semble incroyable. Croyez-​moi, ce sera bientôt.
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I just had the best French dip sandwich I’ve ever had in my entire life! I shit you not. Bianca from Crème de la Crème served up a combination of the perfect baguette, delicately roasted beef, and house-​made onion jus. It melted in my mouth. From the first bite of the soft flaky baguette dipped in the complex, deeply-​flavored jus, to the final morsel I so eagerly consumed, this sandwich was literally moving. I was speechless. The onion jus was so good I finished it with a spoon. The light horseradish she added gave it a bit of a zing, but not so much as to overwhelm the savory beef and jus flavors.
This glorious sandwich was accompanied by a salad of mixed fresh greens with a delicious vinaigrette. I had her substitute part of the salad for some potato salad with a tasty vinegar dressing. For $ 7 or $ 8 (I’m not sure of the price — I added on some brie for $ 1) it was one hell of a deal. This was literally better than any French Dip I’ve ever had.
I can’t wait to go back and try the Croque-​monsieur. It looks incredible. Trust me, it will be soon.
(thanks to Google Translation for the help on that Francais)

I was craving a French Dip and I got a wonderful one!
The Belmont pod was fairly new when I visited Crème de la Crème, and I walked right up to the best looking cart there. The chef/​owner lady was super nice and was very excited to be there, a personality that I think helps the food taste better (as it makes me more enthusiastic to eat the food). Anyhow, I looked at that menu and easily spotted two or three things I would love to go back and order, but as stated earlier — I wanted a French Dip.
It was lovely. There was a lot of meat in it, but not overdone. The bread was just the right kind of toasty and that was probably my favorite part about it. The au-​jus dip itself was magical. The whole thing worked like a melody in my mouth!
I can’t wait to get back and order some escargot!

I joined Unilocal just to write this review about the best cart in Portland. I have been craving escargot ever since I heard about this cart. I finally managed to stop by while I was out running errands and I was not disappointed.
Let’s start with the location – right at 43^rd and Belmont, parking lot next to carts (I felt a little guilty because it is biking distance from my house), adorable picnic tables in the sunshine with umbrellas. And Crème de la Crème is the cutest cart in the lot, a brightly colored vintage school bus.
The escargots were awesome and plentiful. They were served in a cup, just soaking up the butter juices, and there must have been at least a dozen. The bread was crispy on the outside and perfectly soft for dipping on the inside. I finished it with a piece of the lavender infused lemon tart which was wonderfully refreshing after the rich escargot. The crust was flaky and the lemon was subtle. I was just stopping by for a snack, but I saw quite a few french dip sandwiches walk by and they looked wonderful.
I can’t wait to go back for a full meal. Yum!

The 1961 school bus, painted red, blue, & yellow is an eye-​catching draw & the food is delicious! Bianca, one of the owners, is so friendly you want to sample all her wares! The bus used to be parked literally a few feet from our house. Then they moved to Belmont in the new Real Good Food Pod & this is just the ticket Crème de la Crème needs to get more traffic!
I’ve tried the Croque Monsieur (authentic & tasty) and The Big Man opted for a French Dip. We both enjoyed the potato salad — me, more so. Not a mayo fan — and this is much more vinaigrette-​based, with fresh tarragon. I have my eye on the onion tart for my next visit. The beet salad looks incredibly fresh, so on the next hot day, I’ll be ordering that, too. This cart is destined for success — it offers originality, great food at sweet prices, and a lovely proprietress!

I admit I only came here because it’s a blue school bus. They used to be on Hawthorne and now reside on the cart pod on Belmont.
Their menu is extremely limited. I had the Croque Monsieur with tomato instead of ham. That seems to be the most substantial thing on the menu. I also had the beet salad. It was very tasty (a little watery-​they should invest in a salad spinner) but the beets looked sooo fresh and were delicious. I think it was the best thing I had. I also had the escargot. I wasn’t blown away but didn’t feel I had misspent my $ 6.
Not the most authentic French place-​but then I only came here because it was a bus.

Goodness me, outstanding food in the best cart-​pod in PDX: parking, tables, nice landscaping (I like the hazel shell mulch especially).
But back to the food: french onion soup — not too salty (I think they make their own stock); beet salad — good, but I wish they had more beets (like the yellow ones) and less lettuce; potato salad — vinegar dressing instead of mayo (yay); and the snails were like little, cooked oysters (YAY). The baguette was outstanding, especially soaked in butter and garlic (what isn’t, really?)
Good food, flat out. Terrific value for the price. Great location.

I love the dichotomy of Food Cart and French Food. And it plays well!
The old bus is really cute and so is the girl in it! The food was excellent and the seating area is nice and comfortable. It’s off an alley set back from the street, so the noise is diminished and there is room to sit in the shade or the sun without being in the foot traffic. I envisioned a cheese plate and a book in a Parisian back alley.
I had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich — but it was French, so it was Gruyère and some kind of good ham, and served with a delicious salad (the good kind with dark greens and vinaigrette). It was excellent and return-​worthy (especially at $ 7). I’m interested in the escargot and the fancy cheese plates next time.
The cart is off the street on the North side off an alley, so you have to look for it if you are driving. I pulled in and parked my scooter no problem. You’ll feel like you discovered a hidden gem when you do.
Highlights: good food, great presentation, sweet owner, comfortable seating, low prices