Why: Pimento Cheese Kitchen is heading into its second month of operation. Owner-operator Mary Kleeman left years in the corporate world behind to pursue a dream of owning her own restaurant. Kleeman determined that a food cart suited her criteria to bring Southern comfort food to people, so she purchased and decked out a food-fitted trailer in snazzy red and orange, and created an exclusive menu that would make people want to come back for more.
What I Tried: I settled on the Tomato Greens sandwich, and my dining companion had the Georgia Peach sandwich. Sandwiches come with potato chips and homemade pickle spears.
Both sandwiches were made on fresh, airy ciabatta bread. The Tomato Greens sandwich combines a generous portion of pimento cheese with pan-seared bacon and Brussels sprouts, which is then topped with sweet tomato jam. This sandwich is a cheese-filled, rich experience. Neither the bacon nor the sprouts are lost in the flavor of the cheese, and the jam brings a nice, sweet finish to each bite.
The Georgia Peach sandwich, likewise, has a generous amount of pimento cheese in it, which is combined with thin-sliced ham that is topped with homemade peach jalape?o jam. It is, as my dining companion put it, “amazing.” Neither of us thought the sandwiches would be as filling as they were, so do not let the size of them fool you. They are, as we found, quite messy to eat, so do not forget to grab a fork, or you will likely find yourself licking the foil wrapper not wanting any of the deliciousness to go to waste.
The chips are a bag variety and the homemade pickle spears are very tasty and pair well with the rich experience of the sandwiches.
Menu Selections: Sandwiches include a Classic, which is a grilled pimento cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread; a Southern Comfort, which includes thin sliced apples and chopped pecans with pimento cheese; a Jalapeño Popper, the spicy one of the bunch, made with fire roasted jalapeños and crispy bacon with pimento cheese; as well as the Georgia Peach and the Tomato Greens. Two entrees that include fried chicken are available, too. Other options are gluten-free bread, a side of pimento cheese, and smoked bacon. Expect that the menu will change slightly as time proves customer favorites.
Other Observations: The Pimento Cheese Kitchen is another outstanding addition to Clark County’s growing and diverse mobile food options. Sandwiches are assembled, grilled and served piping hot. If you want a delicious, exclusive sandwich, give Pimento Cheese Kitchen a try. You may find this comfort food of the American South is just what you have been looking for.
Cost: Sandwiches cost $6 and $8. A side of pimento cheese costs $8, a side of bacon is $1, and the gluten-free bread option is an additional $2. Entrees are $10.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at every location.
Where: Various, Tuesdays: Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard and 177th Avenue at the Marriott TownePlace Suites parking lot. Thursdays: Broadway and Ninth Street at Bank of America, Vancouver. Two additional locations in downtown Vancouver are pending approval.
Contact: 360-521-1992 or pimentocheesekitchen.com. Check Pimento Cheese Kitchen on Facebook to view the current menu, as well as Twitter and Instagram for additional updates and communication.
Health Score: Pimento Cheese Kitchen received a score of 0. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428
