Mother Goose Bakery

Looking for a place for a quick breakfast on this side of town? Best breakfast sandwiches ever, really homemade flaky biscuits.

If you’ve never been to the Cartlandia food cart pod, the odds of finding Mother Goose Bakery are already stacked against you, I’m afraid. You’ll be too tempted to give other carts a try before you even get to this one, as it is not within your immediate eyesight upon initial post-​parking observation. Be patient, though, and keep walking… A little more… a little more… I’m not sure why they decided on such an obscure placement, but that is largely irrelevant, because the food here is well worth the visit. I have to admit that I’ve never had the sausage-​biscuits-​and-​gravy combo before (give me some slack, I’m still familiarising myself with all the permutations of your fine American cuisine), but this turned out to be a very good introductory point. Gravy was very filling and texture-​rich, while biscuits were tender and sufficiently buttery.
I also tried the mighty breakfast sando (a scrambled egg and red pepper concoction embedded in-​between a biscuit-​derived bun), which was very substantial and very well-​executed, although I do agree with the previous reviewer on the lack of some kind of a protein component. There was something missing. No, don’t get me wrong, each individual ingredient was great, but the cumulative combination tasted somewhat incomplete for reasons I’m not linguistically-​equipped-​enough to describe. Maybe some spiciness would’ve added a missing kick? Maybe… Oh, who am I kidding… I’ll be blunt — there was a noticeable shortage of something meaty. There, I said it.
The owners were about to place a huge tray of cinnamon rolls into the oven, so I didn’t have a chance to try them due to the lack of time, but those humongous rolls certainly looked very attractive in their uncooked state.
Also, do try their $ 1 energy balls! They rock. And don’t let the looks deceive you, as I was sceptical at first too. My subjective culinary autopsy skills aren’t up to snuff to be able to deconstruct all the ingredients in The Balls, but the owner mentioned carrots, sunflower seeds, something chocolate-​y and several other ingredients that I can’t recall now. Just get them, ok?
This cart exemplifies comfort food at its finest and I’m definitely coming back, provided that my frequently malfunctioning mental compass would be up to the challenge of locating this place again on the ever-​expanding map of Cartlandia.
Next time I’m definitely trying those head-​sized cookies they proudly have on display.

Currently, Mother Goose Bakery is located at the Cartlandia food pod, with its roots in Estacada. They open in the mornings, with their nephews working Pi Woodfired Pizza out of the same cart in the afternoons.
At the time of my first visit, Mother Goose was located in the very back of the Cartlandia lot. Frankly, I can’t recall too many other carts being there. The last one back there, to my knowledge, was a BBQ cart that unfortunately closed before I could try the food. While it may be a good spot to get the attention of bikers who pass through on the bike trail, others may not find the cart if they come in through SE 82^nd Ave. Luckily, I saw a sign for Mother Goose Bakery closer to the front of the pod and found their cart.
(NOTE: Now they’re even more secluded in the back left side of the lot, behind The Gyro Spot and Pupuseria la Migulena)
Much of the food at Mother Goose is laid out under glass or plastic domes for all to see, including cakes, cookies, and larger-​than-​normal cinnamon rolls. I’d guess the cinnamon rolls were close to a pound each.
I got a chance to sample all three cookie choices: peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip ($ 2 per cookie). Oatmeal raisin was the winner for me, especially when warmed up. For me, I think all the flavors just come alive on a warm cookie. The chocolate chip cookies use semi-​sweet chocolate morsels.
The biscuits and gravy ($ 4) is a nice breakfast dish. A great, creamy sausage gravy.
But for me, the savory star was the biscuit sandwich ($ 3). It gave me a chance to try the buttermilk biscuit by itself, and it’s just one of the lightest biscuits anyone will ever have. There’s a layer of quiche in there that has an array of bell peppers. I think it would be awesome to have an option to add more meat, such as ham, bacon, or sausage.
You can bet the cinnamon roll is on my list to try. How I had the willpower to not eat the tray is beyond comprehension.
If Greg’s there, you may see him strumming his 12-​string guitar with a fork instead of a guitar pick. Yeah, that’s intentional — and also genius.
I look forward to returning and trying more items!