Garcelon’s soup & grilled cheese

Two words: Crab Chowder.
One of the best chowders I’ve ever had, I wanted something warm and this was the ticket. I was feeling a bit under the weather after being stuck in a car for at least 20 hours over the past 2 days. Will be back for more whenever I wind up in Portland to pair up with the other good food Garcelon’s neighbors serve up.

I’m a regular customer for a reason — the soups are always outstanding and the grilled cheese is expertly prepared. I have my favorite soups, but James occasionally suggests that I sample something new; he’s got my tastes pegged well enough that his suggestion usually becomes a new favorite. If you appreciate a chef who chooses his ingredients with care, subtly balances his recipes, and always takes care of his customers, Garcelon’s will win your loyalty too!

Tonight, for dinner, I had a fantastic cream of chicken soup and a Reuben. It was amazing. I sampled all of the wonderful soups that Garcelons had to offer before hand they were all wonderful and I really look forward to going back and having the carrot ginger soup. The service was great, given with a smile.

Nearly flavourless grilled cheese with tuna. I think it was literally just tuna and mayo with no herbs. ‘lemonade’ that’s just water with a little lemon juice in it. And the dude had the cheek to ask me if I have celiac’s disease when I ordered it on Udi’s bread! Spend your money somewhere else.
Edited to add: I was contacted by the owner and offered my money back but honestly, his tone deaf response and defensiveness mean that I won’t be going back for it. I felt interrogated and rudely asked about Celiac’s disease when I ordered the sandwich. I also felt that I was somehow asking for too much in the way that he responded «okaaaayyy.» when I placed the order, so when he told me that if I’d wanted a more flavorful sandwich, I should have added more items, I thought that was a bit rich!
And I stand by my comments about the ‘lemonade’. If it’s really lemon water, call it that. Customers are expecting a certain flavour when you call it lemonade and you just feel ripped off, not that you made a healthy choice.

Gluten free bread! Disappointing grilled cheese though, for the price I thought there would be more slices of turkey and Swiss. It was also a little bland wish they had some mustard available.
The cream of mushroom soup didn’t have very many mushrooms, and it wasn’t very flavorful.
They accept credit cards.

I am so sorry to submit this review. The gal that was working this weekend needs to go. The soup was cold. We waited 10 minutes for her to return to the shack to tell her. She was ‚” like OK What ever”. Nuked it up more. She could care less… we told another couple not to waste their time… pumpkin soup was bland at best… frozen.

Jalapeño grilled cheese, yes. Spicy crab chowder, OMG please. Crusty guy behind the counter not up for chit chat? Hell yea! I will be back.

Every time, and I mean EVERY TIME, I have ever eaten something James Garcelon has cooked or baked, it has been most creative and an extraordinarily delicious, mouth watering event. Anyone having the good grace to be near his culinary creations are so lucky! So lucky indeed! Fortunato Portland! He is the most amazing chef I have ever met!

Split Pea? Nailed it.
Usually I stray away from grilled cheese due to greasy… Well, greasy everything. The «Fire in the Hole» (add tomato) that I decided on was not greasy at all and had a great crisp to the bread. Garcelon says it’s the panini press. Apparently that’s the way to go because now I’m sitting here and all I can think about is whether or not to get another grilled cheese…
Nice work. I can’t wait to taste the other soups in the rotation.

hmmmm let’s see: the tomato soup was watery. VERY watery. The highly-​touted and much-​ballyhooed spicy crab chowder was rich but surprisingly bland. THIS is the people’s choice #1 soup, per the man in the cart? Really? I’ll grant that it came to life w/​some generous spritzes of Dave’s insanity habanero sauce (personal stash, not available @ the cart — – at least, not the days I was ordering there). But you could certainly say the same about many stock soups, incl. those found in Safeway’s deli, or the likes of Boyd’s. Or Campbell’s. Or Progresso. Wicked spice accoutrements are considered rarely a bad thing, in these here parts…
On yet another occasion I tried the cream of mushroom @ Garcelon’s, being a firm believer that this particular soup is such an important stock of so very many recipes— including many that don’t wind up being soup at all (Momma’s ever-​blessed tuna casserole comes to mind). I’ve had significantly more memorable, rich, creamy, and tasty cream o’ championes soup in certaiin hospital cafeterias. Let that salient fact soak in a little bit.
Garcelon’s, when I spend nearly $ 5 less the tip for a bowl of soup, I have realistic yet elevated expectations. Your servers were pleasant and johnny-​on-​the-​spot. When I had to wait for what seemed to me like a surprising amount of time for a bowl of soup or two, the expectations couldn’t help being elevated even a bit more. sorry, that’s just how it goes. You all weren’t by any means terrible, but considering the lofty hype coming into (and back to) your cart, well, what’s to say? Does the term «cognitive dissonance» mean anything???

Exactly what I needed! Chicken noodle soup and a grilled sharp cheddar cheese on sourdough on a cold day! Friendly owner seems to care deeply about his products and quality. Bonus: science Friday netted me some lemonade on the house. I will definitely be going back. Ps gluten free bread available since my wife does not do gluten.

Fine, Mr. Garcelon, I concede. Your spicy crab chowder is the best iteration of corn chowder I’ve probably had… ever. Fresh corn, flavorful base, a good kick… how could I resist? Plus a fresh, doughy breadstick? That’s the way to seal the deal.
A bowl is pretty filling and – with its richness in flavor and cost effectiveness – you can easily make a wonderful and affrodable meal out of this delicious soup.
Pro-​tip: Apparently there’s a secret menu if you «Like» them up on Facebook. Not much of a secret though now, oops…

James Garcelon is the chef and owner. I found him to be both easygoing and serious, if that’s possible. He seems like a relaxed dude, but when it comes to food, it’s all business. The passion is there. I still remember how he mentioned how no more than three ingredients should ever go into a grilled cheese — otherwise all those items tend to clash and you really start to get those diminishing returns on flavors. Good rule of thumb, and one that I honestly never paid attention to beforehand.
James makes his soups fresh every morning. He usually has up to five different soups. His top seller is most likely the Cream of Tomato Basil. After all, what soup goes better with grilled cheese?
Since I’m the ultimate spice seeker, I opted for the «Fire in the Hole» combo ($ 6.50). The sandwich contains pepperjack and grilled jalapenos on your choice of bread (I went with wheat). I of course went with the cream of tomato basil soup. Aside from wheat, you could get white, marbled rye, sourdough, multigrain, or gluten-​free bread.
A huge fan here. For me, I love that James uses a panini press. It’s an even, thin layer of butter on the outside, enough to get that browned appearance and toasty crunch, but assuring the sandwiches will not be greasy to the touch. Furthermore… dude, the panini press leaves such a cool impression on the sandwich.
Great melted pepperjack and properly grilled jalapenos. For my taste buds, it’s extremely mild stuff, but I’m sure you know my spice tolerance by now. James even offered a small «shot» of sriracha in a tiny cup. You bet your last cent I accepted it. I’m sure you can get it as part of the grilled cheese itself if you ask.
The tomato soup was a huge winner. Smooth consistency, full of tomato flavor. Most importantly, it’s an awesome hot soup for those chilly days.
James has even sold some Spicy Crab Chowder, and I’m also a fan of that. Excellent consistency. A hint of spice, but you’ll still be able to fully appreciate the crab. Hey, there are times when full-​on heat has to stay neutralized.
Each combo comes with some fresh lemon-​limeade. That too is squeezed fresh each day. It’s on the watery side for me, but at least it’s not a super-​tart drink.
James said the top-​selling sandwiches so far are the Hippie Chick (smoked turkey, pesto, and provolone on multigrain) and The Boss (sharp cheddar, pepperjack, and bacon in between both cheeses). Both sound absolutely amazing. If not spicy food, I got a thing for pesto and bacon. *insert Homer Simpson seduced by foodporn look*
You can make your own grilled cheese as well. Price starts at $ 3.50, with add-​ons usually about a buck more apiece. Being the glutton that I am, I tallied up what it would be to get a sandwich with everything in it (likely driving James off the proverbial deep end). Comes to $ 16.50 for one gluttonbomb.
Anyway, I urge people to seriously try this cart out. Kids and adults are sure to love the food here!

I had the spicy crab chowder and pumpkin soup today and both were tasty.
I’m used to overly salted chowders, Garcelon’s was perfect, not too salty, but not at all bland. My boyfriend was sad all I could offer him was a few spoonfuls by the time I got home. The bowls are reasonable at $ 3.50.
The owner is very warm and friendly.

The Spicy Crab Chowder was fantastic! It was creamy, corny, crabby, and delicious. The CBT sandwich was excellent. Grilled to perfection, the combination of Cheddar, Bacon, and Tomato flavors meshed beautifully.
There was a bit of a wait — it was busy during the Grand Opening, but it was worth it! The complimentary limeade was a nice touch, and it kept us refreshed while our meals were prepared.
I wish I worked nearby so I could go there more often! I can’t wait to go back and try the other menu items — they all sound great: such as the Cheese, Avocado, and Pesto sandwich!

The offset for Portland’s weather is a hot bowl of soup and a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich! Bulls eye, Garcelon’s.

When you want good homemade comfort food and only a great bowl of soup and a gooey cheese sandwich will do, come here. Choose a simple combination of cheese and local bread (gluten free, too) to go with your soup, or try one of the yummy specials with extra fixin’s…either way your sammy will arrive crispy on the outside and gooeylicious on the inside, thanks to the marvel of their panini presses. The soups (three a day) are outstanding: tomato/​basil, SW corn chowder, split pea with ham and many more… made from local ingredients daily and done just right. My favorite so far is the Spicy Crab Chowder, which we brought home for dinner last night. Exquisite! (But go early for that one because he ALWAYS runs out fast!)
Also, the pod he’s in, Rose City Food Park, is a really cool space with tons of parking, easy access off Sandy Blvd with a traffic signal, and covered seating. There’s an ATM too, but he takes Visa & MC.

I love Garcelon’s and I’m so excited they are in the neighborhood. The Fire in the Whole Grilled Cheese (pepper jack and roasted jalepenos) with the tomato soup is perfect on a fall day. I just wish they were open on Saturday’s too!

I loved the tomato soup and cheesy bread sticks. Was perfect to take home to the family for dinner.
Edit: I’ve been back recently and they’ve got an amazing Spicy Crab Chowder available on most Fridays. And if they’re available, grab a bag of the sriracha-​roasted sunflower seeds — insanely addictive.