Tierra del Sol (restaurant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tierra del Sol |
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The food cart at Portland Mercado, 2022
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2015 |
| Current owner(s) | Amalia Sierra |
| Chef | Amalia Sierra |
| Food type | Oaxacan |
| Street address |
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| City | Portland |
| County | Multnomah |
| State | Oregon |
| Country | United States |
Tierra del Sol is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that serves delicious Oaxacan food. Oaxaca is a state in Mexico known for its rich food traditions. The restaurant has two locations. The chef and owner, Amalia Sierra, started the business from a food cart at Portland Mercado in 2015. Later, in 2020, a second location opened in the Montavilla neighborhood.
What's on the Menu?
Tierra del Sol offers many traditional Oaxacan dishes. You can find them at their food cart at Portland Mercado. This market is located on Foster Road in the Mt. Scott-Arleta area.
Some popular items on their menu include:
- Enchiladas de Amarillo: These are tortillas filled with chicken and covered in a special yellow sauce.
- Moles: Mole is a rich, flavorful sauce. Tierra del Sol makes different kinds, like amarillo (yellow), coloradito (reddish), and pipián (green).
- Picaditas and Tetelas: These are traditional corn-based dishes.
- Tacos: They use special blue corn tortillas.
- Tlayudas: A large, crispy tortilla topped with many ingredients.
- Handmade Tortillas: Freshly made corn tortillas.
- Agua Frescas: Refreshing drinks made from fruits, flowers, or seeds.
About the Moles
The mole amarillo is a mild but tasty yellow sauce. It gets its unique flavor from a herb called hierba santa. This mole also has chayote (a type of squash), masa dumplings (small dough balls), and stewed chicken.
The mole pipián is a green sauce. It is made with jalapeños, pumpkin seeds, and tomatillos. Tierra del Sol uses special seeds for their moles. These seeds are sent directly from the chef's sister in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Tasty Tacos and Tlayudas
For their blue corn tacos, Tierra del Sol uses tortillas from Three Sisters Nixtamal, a company in Portland. They have many meatless taco options. You can choose fillings like cactus, mushrooms, or vegetable stew. Tacos are topped with fresh avocado, cilantro, onions, and pico de gallo (a fresh salsa).
The tlayuda is a very large, crispy tortilla. It is topped with avocado slices, a black bean spread, cabbage, cilantro, onion, and two types of cheese: queso Oaxaca and queso fresco. A writer from the Portland Mercury newspaper said the tlayuda is "massive." It even comes in a pizza box! They suggest sharing it with a friend because it's so big.
Restaurant History
The chef behind Tierra del Sol is Amalia Sierra. Before opening her restaurant, she worked as a social worker. She started her first food cart at the Portland Mercado in 2015.
In 2020, Tierra del Sol opened a second location. This new spot is inside Rocket Empire Machine, which is a food hall in the northeast Portland area of the Montavilla neighborhood. This second location offers a menu similar to the original food cart.
