Redditors Petition to Bring Back Time-Consuming (but Tasty) Braciola to PDX Food Cart

Say what you will about the rabbit hole that is Reddit, but users can wield tremendous power. Case in point: bringing the braciola back to North Portland's Gabagool food cart.

There are hundreds of "subreddits" on the site, including one for people who like to take pictures of their food. So cart owner and Redditor Ryan Sherman decided to post his own picture last week, choosing a luscious-looking shot of his braciola, almost glowing with heavenly deliciousness. It was upvoted so many times it made the front page.

"I really just wanted to post a picture of my food. I didn't expect it to get as popular as it did," says Sherman.

The string of comments, which ranged from X-rated to requests for food cart advice, included many from Portland Redditors who were making plans to hit the N. Mississippi cart the very next day. Trouble is, the braciola is a special and wasn't on the menu. "If I knew it would get that popular I would have posted something that was on the menu," he says.

At the Redditors' demand, Sherman promised to bring the braciola back. And, as of yesterday, he made good on his promise.

"It's pork shoulder, sliced and pounded thin, and stuffed with proscuitto, fresh mozzarella, breadcrumbs and parsley. Then it's rolled and tied, seared and then finished in the oven. It's served over homemade tagliatelle with tomato sauce. It's really a lot of work to make. We don't do it very often." And during the lean months of winter, it's even more of a rare occurrence.

Sherman says the braciola will be on the menu at least until Sunday, and maybe into next week. "I made a lot."

Furthering the good news, Sherman has applied for a liquor license and will start serving beer and wine by the glass and half-bottle splits starting in January. "We'll have a few local and a few Italian wines," he says. "We're working with a local wine distributor and we'll change it up a lot." As for beer, he's planning to have one Italian brew, such as Peroni, as well as options from nearby Bridgeport and Stormbreaker.