Tierra del Sol (restaurant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tierra del Sol |
|
---|---|
The food cart at Portland Mercado, 2022
|
|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 2015 |
Current owner(s) | Amalia Sierra |
Chef | Amalia Sierra |
Food type | Oaxacan |
Street address |
|
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Country | United States |
Tierra del Sol is a Oaxacan restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon. Chef-owner Amalia Sierra began operating the business from a food cart at Portland Mercado in 2015. A second location opened in the Montavilla neighborhood in 2020.
Description
Tierra del Sol serves Oaxacan cuisine from a food cart at Portland Mercado, located on Foster Road in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood. The menu has included enchiladas de amarillo, moles (including amarillo, coloradito, and pipián varieties), picaditas, tetelas, tacos, tlayudas, handmade tortillas, rice, and aguas frescas.
The mole amarillo, described by Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden as "mild but nuanced, thanks to the addition of hierba santa", has chayote, masa dumplings, and stewed chicken. The mole pipián is green and has jalapeños, pumpkin seeds, and tomatillos. Tierra del Sol uses seeds supplied by the chef's sister in Oaxaca.
The restaurant uses Portland-based Three Sisters Nixtamal for the blue corn tacos; meatless taco varieties include cactus, mushroom, and vegetable stew, with avocado, cilantro, onions, and pico de gallo as toppings. The tlayuda has avocado slices, a black bean spread, cabbage, cilantro, onion, queso Oaxaca, and queso fresco. Suzette Smith of the Portland Mercury said the tlayuda is "massive and comes in a pizza box, along with a suggestion to split it between two".
History
Tierra del Sol's chef is Amalia Sierra, a former social worker who opened her first cart at the Portland Mercado in 2015. In 2020, a second location opened with a similar menu at Rocket Empire Machine, a food hall in the northeast Portland part of the Montavilla neighborhood.