Battle of the cheesesteaks!

As the year is coming to an end, and my remaining days at work even more quickly, I've spent much of the week enjoying my go-to favorite offerings from the trucks, even when I had holiday parties to attend where food was being served.  This included stops at Red Hook, Dorothy Moon, Hula Girl, Goode's, and BBQ Bus at Uncurbed, plus I'll be trying to make it to Far East Taco Grill before I'm done for the year midday Wednesday.  But today, in addition to my 1-day tardy hook-up with my jerk chicken cheesesteak from Goode's, I decided to battle it against the new cheesesteak offerings coming from Korean truck, AZN Eats.  I mean, if it's not going to be Philly style, why shouldn't a Caribbean cheesesteak be matched against a Korean one...? %-)  Goode's is tough to beat, although AZN was a formidable competitor, allowing for a rating bump from 3 to 3.5 honks in the updated review:

AZN Eats (@azneats on Twitter) -- UPDATE (16Dec): A few weeks ago AZN Eats announced they were going to start serving cheesesteaks using the beef options on their menu and I thought, "Now there's an idea!"  How can you go wrong with long marinated beef making out with some cheese wrapped in a sub roll?  And AZN Eats didn't.  Exactly what you'd expect, with Kalbi being served for $8 and bulgogi for $7, with provolone and cabbage, although I asked for no cabbage.  I doused it with the "AZN Spicy Sauce" then thoroughly enjoyed the fusion offering.  Other than the fact there was too much roll (see the pic,) the sandwich is enough to elevate AZN from 3 to 3.5 honks.

In cart news if you missed it earlier this week, District Taco announced they are opening a second brick and mortar in the first few months of 2012, this time in Metro Center, so District Taco will finally be in the District.

BTW -- It was awesome to see EVERY SINGLE SPACE at Farragut Square occupied by a food truck today.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Lasagna Plus...?

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what to say about the new lasagna truck which started almost two weeks ago but doesn't yet have a twitter account.  Ironically most of us first learned of this truck from Brian at Basil Thyme.  Both trucks serve basically the same thing for the same price -- several varieties of lasagna for $8 on their own, or $10 as a meal which comes with a drink & dessert.  The differences in the meal?  Brian has fresh desserts and a nice "garlic crouton" on the salad (think a thick slice of french bread with garlic seasoning with a slight toast on it) whereas the new guy serves a single serving pre-pack of Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies and gives two thin mass produced breadsticks.

Now, for the differences in the lasagna... recall I actually really like Basil Thyme's lasagna but am totally put off by Brian's obsession with "we serve in less than 60 seconds and others don't" attitude because (1) for the most part the "others don't" sentiment isn't true, and (2) how hard is it to serve a slice of lasagna from a tray made earlier in the day?  Anyway, Lasagna Plus' serving (which arrived in less than 30 seconds, btw) wasn't as light as Basil Thyme's.  The sheets of pasta were probably fresh but weren't as perfectly delicate and/or were slightly overcooked.  While the lasagna could have used more seasoning and fresh flavors, overall it still tasted reasonably good.  I swear, despite what I'm about to say!  However there was something going on with the cheese I can't put my finger quite on, thus, why I'm perplexed about what to think about it.  It wasn't bad; it was just odd.  I hesitate to toss in a word like "gummy" because of the connotation, but the texture in my mouth was kind of that.  And not every bite either.  Maybe it was just too much cheese in certain spots among the layers and they congealed when it cooled down.  I really don't know.  3 honks is a reasonable score until I can figure this out....

Uncurbed, but not unfortunate

In fact I was quite fortunate to be invited to the opening night of Uncurbed DC.  We were early to arrive, and sadly early to leave with a long drive ahead of us, but I was so pleased to have participated at all.  Tadd & Che transformed an upstairs apartment in Georgetown into their own mini-restaurant with personal touches, including a fully decorated Christmas tree next to a fireplace.

Small tables in a number of rooms were covered with paper and stocked with #3, #5, and #24 sauces along with plastic-ware and napkins.  In addition, over the last few days they were able to get permission to serve alcohol, so several beer & wine selections were available to wash down the mouthwatering Q.  While Tadd worked the truck and general goings-on outside, Che played the very gracious host inside.  (Although I can't say which locale was warmer because inside the house was pretty freakin' chilly, despite a couple of small space heaters -- it is an old, vacant townhouse in Georgetown, afterall.  Insulation and caulk easily were more of an afterthought, back in the day...)

I suspect most of the festivities (or enjoyable havoc?) caused by the invitee-only guest list might have occurred after our departure as I saw a number of posts from other truckers come in throughout the evening, particularly if DCSlices was tending bar.  Here.  Here.  Here.  And here.  Plus I know others were there quietly showing some support as well:

I can't say how excited I am for BBQ Bus to be blazing the way for the next gen of pop-up dining experiences.  Even according to the invite, as far as anyone knows, this was the first such event in the country.  Who says DC doesn't have a serious food scene?  Bleh!

Rain & Protesters

Persistent rain and pesky Occupy protesters clogging downtown kept a whole lot of trucks off the road today so the options seemed quite few going in to my lunchtime.  Luckily I was running late because a (relatively) late tweet from Dorothy Moon had me out the door in a split second.  Fourth day out and already running pretty efficiently.  Their Facebook page advertises a pretty extensive burger menu so I don't know if it is because they are so new and are just trying to feel things out, or if maybe the rain, and therefore lighter demand, caused a stunted menu but the offerings were pretty simple: $6 for a single, $7 for a double.  You could select as many toppings as you wanted for the inclusive price, including bacon, 3 kinds of cheese, an egg, several sauces & condiments, plus a bunch of vegetables.  The review and photo are published under 4 honks:

Dorothy Moon's Gourmet Burgers (@DorothyMoon1 on Twitter) -- Nearly two months ago I mused, for a town that LOVES its burgers, we didn't have a truck serving up any.  Alas, that is no more because we now have exactly that: an amazing burger truck!  Cooked to order, reasonably priced, and good service, particularly for a group who's only been serving for 4 days.  They'll put whatever they've got on the truck on your 1/4# (pre-cook weight) burger with soft bun, and the selection is pretty decent, although they will only cook it medium-well; I asked for mid-rare.  All was fine though ... the burger was perfectly juicy despite being only slightly pink.  I may have said this before and even meant it, but I had to have broken a new record with exactly how quickly I inhaled my double burger it was so good.  Provided the all-around quality stays high, Dorothy Moon will quickly have a large and loyal following, however at some point the menu will probably need to expand past simply a single and a double.

BTW -- Sorry for the quality of the photos.  For some reason my iPhone has been having issues with the camera for the last few days.

My office's holiday party is coming up, and I think I might have convinced the organizer to get the food from trucks.  If we can work out the logistics, I'll start reaching out tomorrow to some folks about options.  I've managed to convince a bunch of folks in the office truck food is great, but I want to get them all anxious to try the constantly evolving menu roaming the city each day.

If only the guys from BBQ Bus would switch teams

...then I could marry one, have his adorable babies, and always be well fed!  OK, well not really but you all know by now about my love affair with BBQ Bus.  (Besides the fact I'm a girl, they probably wouldn't want me anyway since I had Che and Tadd confused for one another.  Sorry guys for the prior confusion, but Che was always responding to my tweets and blog posts, yet Tadd was at the window knowing everything about them.)  :-o

Anyway, free lunch was being offered at work today as a part of a conference I'm participating in, but the Guinness beef stew with fire-roasted corn was calling my name 5 blocks (sans umbrella) through the rain.  It was obviously cooked low and slow because any alcohol taste of the beer was totally gone leaving just a rich and creamy medley with tomatoes and onions.  Piled on white basmati rice with a generic roll on the side, I did find it was better with hot sauce when I got back to work.  Had I known while I was still at the truck, I would have doused it with some #24 sauce which I snuck a taste of while I was waiting.  Believe the advertisement of "tangy with a KICK"; it would have been a perfect accompaniment for a little extra punch.  Then there was the fire-roasted corn, which needed no improvement at all.

I took a photo to include but it came out particularly poorly.  As a perfect winter-warmer, I'm sure I'll have another chance soon to snap another.  You guys have really elevated yourselves to truly be one of my favorite DC food trucks.  Until next time.... 

For the rest of the dish on BBQ Bus, don't forget to check out the first blog post here.

The worst yet

I am a genuine lover of food trucks and generally try to give the benefit of the doubt, particularly in scoring.  Today's review will follow suit with a generous score of 1 honk for DC Shawarma.  And it's really too bad because I was looking forward to it, even mentioning on the 18th of November I was considering a long trek just to try it as I love shawarma.  See the review and another photo in the first post:

DC Shawarma (@dcshawarma on Twitter) -- Normally I'm willing to give any truck a second try, but unless something substantially changes, I won't even take that chance on one of the newer trucks roaming the streets of DC.  DC Shawarma serves exactly what you'd think, chicken or beef+lamb shawarma's and falafels, all either over rice as a platter or in a pita.  I ordered the chicken sandwich; I can't even say "I had the chicken sandwich" because after 2 bites, it was in the trash.  It was terribly dry to the point it was chalky tasting.  The not-totally-burned pieces were equally dehydrated, and the rest of the accompaniments ("salad", tahini, garlic sauce) didn't help either.  1/2 honk awarded for the garlic sauce and 1/2 for putting themselves out there at all, for that alone takes some guts.

I normally take my photos before digging in to my meal, but after I doing so in this case, I took another to illustrate what I am trying to say:

It can't be because the chicken was sitting on the grill all day because we were there at about 11:25.  It could be they're serving meat from another day, although I would find that pretty hard to believe.  I just can't come up with an explanation about how perfectly good chicken got so overdone.

Kimchi BBQ Taco was back at Farragut today too, and I found the menu so intriguing the other day, I went back to try something else.  This time I got a K-Town hot dog.  The following update is appended to the original review with an additional photo:

Kimchi BBQ Taco UPDATE (1Dec): Only a few days out, but still in desperate need of organization and another set of hands.  A K-Town hot dog took 20 minutes at 11:40am with only one other order placed ahead of mine.  Call it a Korean chili dog or something... this was pretty good.  Bulgogi and a choice of kimchi topped a Nathan's Famous hot dog in a toasted sub roll.  I got some gochujang to spice it up, (BIG YAY for getting some out there!) but forgot to top it by the time I got back to the office and inhaled the dog.  Next time I'll choose a different kimchi because the "sweet-n-spicy radish kimchi," which looked like a spiced up version of (one of my faves) pickled carrot & daikon, doesn't really come together like it should.  Sticking at 3.5 honks, but will start heading down if service (time) doesn't improve.

Only 11 more days of work in 2011, and with some holiday parties mixed in, I feel the year closing quickly for me and my truck friends.  See y'all next week!

Am I Kraving Kabob?

Apparently today I was craving steak & cheese from Kraving Kabob, although it's quite possible something else would have been a better choice.  Good news and not so good news in the review (with pic) posted under 3 honks in the first post:

Kraving Kabob (@kravingkabob on Twitter) -- I get that I probably didn't order the right thing for a truck whose specialty is middle eastern food like kabobs, falafel, gyro, souvlaki, etc. by getting a steak & cheese, and next time I'll try something different, but it's what I was in the mood for today.  (They also serve fish & chips.  The owner said they get fresh fish from the Maine Avenue market and marinate it 24 hours.  Nice!  However, it was tilapia again, and you know how I feel about that.  Personally, I'd happily pay more for better fish.)  First of all, I like they are early, like WAY early, because I'm starving by 10 o'clock usually.  Food is cooked to order, and the steak used in my sub looked fresh, not like frozen "Steak'Um" when it was tossed on the griddle.  All good.  There was nobody around when I placed my order of "steak & cheese with easy onions only, plus fries" they started cooking right away.  I went on to make a point of "no lettuce, tomato, or anything else, please" and then proceeded across the square to get some food from a couple other trucks while I waited the 5 minutes I was told the food would take.  Upon return there was still nobody there and I was simply handed a bag of food as I headed back to my office to eat.  Perfectly convenient; no problem.  Then I open my order and it's got loads of lettuce, tomatoes, a mayo-based sauce, and a dash of green sauce.  Grrr!  There wasn't anyone there, so one would think they could focus on getting the only order at the time correct.  OK.  I'm fully aware I'm dwelling on this story excessively, so I apologize, but I was pretty annoyed.  From what I could taste of the green herb-based sauce, I would totally order it on purpose again, and maybe even get extra to dip my fries in... fries which need a hole poked in the top of the container after they're cooked so they don't steam and get soggy.  Anyway, three honks for the food overall. 

I think I might be cranky today.  :-/  For real though, I will look forward to going back to try something else next time they come around.

Another new truck. More Korean food.

"Rain, rain, go away.  Come again another day..." so I can stay dry while heading out to look for food from a truck.  The rainy day, combined with what seems like a whole lotta trucks in the shop, made for a light selection of trucks out and about today.  Luckily, Kimchi BBQ Taco had quietly pulled in to Farragut Square for a soft opening.  The attractive truck is serving the widest variety of Korean food to date from a truck in DC:

I'm trying to decide between 3 & 3.5 honks, but will be generous on their first day out.  Plus, if Yellow Vendor, AZNeats, and this guy were lined up in front of me, Kimchi BBQ wins, so I suppose it makes sense to drop them in at 3.5 honks in the review (with pic) in the first post:

Kimchi BBQ Taco (@KimchiBBQ on Twitter) -- First meal on their first day and pretty decent... It took forever, although they weren't really ready yet to take orders (at 11:53!) and ordering was challenged by the horrendously loud noises the various power generating devices created.  (A regular portable generator sitting outside, the running truck, plus something else involved with their propane tank under the truck I think.)  BUT, the food worked.  For $8, I got a bulgogi box (Kogi) which came with a scoop of white rice, a salad, and a choice of two dumplings.  The meat was flavorful and well trimmed. Meanwhile, the pre-packaged pork dumpling was substantially better than the kimchi one though both were in desperate need of some sort of sauce.  Then, like AZNeats, they only had sriracha.  No gochujang, which continues to be a bummer when Korean trucks don't have any on board.  However, a notable highlight was the salad dressing.  It's a traditional Asian-style miso dressing done quite well.  There are plenty of other interesting options available on the menu, so I'll be back to check them out soon; hopefully whatever I order will come with a salad so I can get some more of that delicious dressing.

Grateful & Content

During the short week last week, I visited four of my 4-honkers to enjoy some of my favorite truck foods in a week dedicated to giving thanks: Hula Girl, Pi, Fojol of Merlindia, and Far East Taco Grill.  In addition, I was able to finally make it to PORC on Monday for a couple of side dishes for sampling.  My first review with photos for PORC has been included in the first post under 3.5 honks, with photos:

PORC (@porcmobile on Twitter) -- After a long wait, I finally visited PORC for a couple of sides to my Hula Girl steak sandwich during Thanksgiving week.  When I head to a lunch spot on any given day, it is not unusual for me to grab food from several trucks so I can bring some chow home for snaking.  If it is a new-to-me truck, I'll usually sample everything while it's hot/fresh, and then pack up the rest for later.  So on this day, I ordered some mac & cheese along with some spicy 3-bean chili with hatch chile-chicken sausage from Simply Sausage.  The first thing I noticed was neither selection was particularly (temperature) hot, both being lukewarm at best in the time it took to walk from Farragut Square to my office a block and a half away; note this has not been a problem in the course of my daily visit(s) to the trucks.  The mac & cheese was enjoyable ... obviously freshly made without too much cheese to weigh it down, although in my opinion the cracked black pepper was substantially in excess.  Next up, the chili, and they weren't joking when they bill it as "spicy".  Served with sour cream and shredded cheese, it really needed to be warmer.  But EUREKA!  I got the ticket!  I brought it home and had the container over two sittings over the Thanksgiving break.  Scrape the huge dollop of sour cream and cheese off the top, scoop out some chili, heat it up, and re-top with sour+cheese.  YUMMY!  Nice (spicy) heat.  Kick ass sausage.  Satisfying beans.  Perfect for a chilly day.  (Pun intended.)  ;-)  Totally worth 3.5 honks.  One last comment on this chili to the guy serving it up on the truck: provided the chili is actually temperature-hot, top with the cheese first, rather than the sour cream, so it's ooey-gooey melty.  Thank you.

The other thing I sampled last week was the Haupia from Hula Girl, a coconut pudding topped with toasted coconut and macadamias.  I love, love, love coconut, but this didn't work for me.  The texture probably was exactly what it is supposed to be, but just wasn't my thing.

Sorry for the delinquent post.  Thinking about what's for lunch today now....

Mess #1 and Mess #2

So many choices to choose from at today's Farragut Friday, although I nearly made the trek over to Franklin to get a taste of the new Shawarma truck and to pick-up some bacon BBQ meatloaf for the weekend.  Instead, I stuck around my local spot to once again try Far East Taco Grill and to finally try Carnivore BBQ.

While I was away I noticed FETG was serving up tacos "dirty style" but then just as quickly stopped serving them because of the time it took to make them.  Since service can sometimes be slow there anyway, that was probably a good idea, although they really should figure out a way to expedite because, if you haven't had it yet, y'all are missing out on a treat.  I arrived very early for lunch today, and without a crowd they were willing to hook me up for an extra $2 total for all 3 tacos.  What is dirty style?  They take your complete order per taco, slaw, sauce(s) and all, and grill it an extra minute or two with cheese for an ooey-gooey mess.

The owner asked me to let him know what I thought, so here it is: flavor is great, although I would leave the slaw off the grill and top the tacos after if for no other reason is it keeps some of the crunch.  Plus, I think most of the cilantro is lost being served like this, so either use more, or keep that for post-grilling too.  But, you're still serving up some of the best tacos in town!  (After my experience this week, Chupacabra is the only taco competition, but they're obviously serving up something different than you guys.)  An update and a photo of my dirty style tacos have been appended to the prior review, still under 4 honks:

Far East Taco Grill (@FarEastTG on Twitter) -- When I first saw the menu for Far East a few weeks ago, my immediate reaction was "wow, that's exactly what TaKorean serves," but I also was plainly aware of the (now) hoards of halal/kabob trucks roaming DC's streets which all seem to survive, so maybe not such a big deal.  It took a very long time to get served, and when I got my order it was wrong.  But after I finally dug in, I was quite content: marinated & grilled chicken and beef, with a choice of 4 slaw options, options for chopped onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a lime crema, plus a choice of 4 additional sauces.  THAT is what gets 'em to 4 honks!  Besides the proteins being juicy and flavorful, the sauces rock, even including the lime crema!  I particularly enjoyed the pineapple sauce although I wish there was also a spicy pineapple sauce to choose from, or at least if I could have sriracha AND pineapple rather than one or the other.  (I'll ask next time.)  Even the kimchi slaw option is better here than TaKorean in my opinion.  3 tacos for $8 is a buck cheaper, but was the starting price when the blue guy started out too, so I wouldn't be surprised if that changed.  Really nice job guys.  Giving you the benefit of doubt that it was one of your first couple of days and service will improve, so 4 honks!  UPDATE (18Nov):  It's been a little while.  There is now a pork option and the pineapple sauce is gone having been replaced by some sort of sesame sauce.  Total bummer, because that pineapple sauce was da bomb.  (I didn't try the new sauce.)  If you have an opportunity to hit this truck when there's no line, fork over an extra $2 and ask for your tacos "dirty style" -- don't ask, just do.  I promise you'll love it, but for real, they won't do it for you if there's a line.

Next stop, Carnivore BBQ.  Now I know there is always a HUGE line for this truck, but after my first experience, I'm guessing it's because they serve arguably the best deal in terms of pounds of food per dollar.  I ordered the pork and got an enormous tray filled with a split roll "stuffed" with pulled pork, 3 sauces, and slaw; I can't even call it a sandwich... My unfortunate review is posted under 2.5 honks, along with a picture:

Carnivore BBQ (@carnbbq on Twitter) -- You'll definitely get a lot of food for your dollar at Carnivore BBQ, but will you enjoy it?  For me, not so much.  I found the pork both dry and excessively fatty, as hard as that is to do.  When I was asked about what sauce(s) I wanted, there were plenty to choose from, so I just asked for it to be spicy which ended up meaning 3 sauces topped the meat.  Maybe a mistake was made since the bottles weren't marked but one of them was cloyingly sweet with some strange tang.  The slaw was ok, although it didn't have a particularly "bright" color you'd like to hope for in a fresh slaw.  I'm sorry, but I won't be rushing back.

Talking about balancing the scores

Yesterday I mentioned if the only thing I ate from Chupacabre was the turkey taco, they'd be at 4 honks, but I wanted to balance my rating based on all the selections from the menu I had an opportunity to try.  So, to be fair, similarly, if the jerk chicken cheesesteak is the only thing I'd ever had from Goode's Mobile Kitchen, they'd totally be at 4 honks too.  That cheesesteak is to die for.  Just sayin'....

Kaiser Soze

Finally back from vacation and I stumbled upon the new truck Chupacabra at Farragut today, while I had totally been planning on grabbing a BB from Fojol of Benethopia.  WOW!  I was giggling I was so satisfied after enjoying one of my selections, and when a co-worker came in to my office to discuss a problem, all I could say was "Chupacabra".  She said "Huh?" and I repeated "Chupacabra" for a couple of go-rounds.  (I'm really not joking, and afterwards I thought the exchange reminded of a scene from Usual Suspects...)  Plus, I know I'm sounding like a broken record again, but kudos to the owner who was warm and engaging.  The review and photos have been added to the first blog entry under 3.5 honks:

Chupacabra Taqueria (@chupacabraDC on Twitter) -- A kick-ass logo to go with a (mostly) kick-ass new truck!  Serving a variety of both classic and not-so-classic tacos, I ordered 3 with an order of posole soup on the side for a nice warm up on a rainy day.  First up, the traditional "Al Pastor" with pork & grilled pineapple.  The tortilla made this next to impossible to eat for it fell apart with the first bite, but the flavor was authentic ... just like I got from a street vendor last time I was in Mexico.  Next, the pot roast taco, and while this one was also quite difficult to eat, it almost wasn't worth the effort.  I LOVE pot roast, but I think it may just not work in a taco -- it was too soft, too wet, and needed more flavor.  Then the heaven's parted as I dug in to my final selection, dubbed the chupagobbler.  It was a whole, perfect Thanksgiving meal in a couple of bites, which surprisingly didn't fall apart like the others.  Roasted turkey, cumin gravy, garden sage stuffing, and a cranberry pineapple compote.  OMG!  Had I gotten only these tacos, we'd be at 4 honks, however I feel I've got to average my total experience out.  The soup had rice instead of hominy due to a delivery problem, explained upon ordering.  Although it wasn't particularly (temperature) hot, the flavor was nice, and the avocado added a perfect creaminess.  When the hominy is added, I imagine I'll be dining on the posole frequently as the winter goes on.  Everything was served with cilantro and finely chopped onions along with shaved radish, which is a nice change from the more conventional shredded cabbage.  They also offer a salsa bar with a variety of fresh selections to doctor up your order.

Just before leaving for this last trip, I was able to try Kabob Bites again, but didn't have the time to update the post.  Unfortunately KB remains at 2.5 honks with a photo added and a couple of comments about the buttered chicken.  Bottom line is it is tough to compete with the buttered chicken from Fojol.

Red Hook Lobster Trucks

I guess my review of RHLP doesn't say much, although I hope you can get the excitement from the "short n' sweet" nature of the post.  It is soooo good.  Really.  But I wanted to expand a bit after having lunch there again today.  My parents are both from Maine, thus I've spent more than my fair share of time there throughout my life visiting family and what-not.  As all good down-easters (and offspring) know, the BEST lobsters are the small ones because they are sweeter.  Yes, I know when you go to a fancy steakhouse, they highlight the grand size of the crustaceans, but you should be asking for the SMALL ones!  But don't worry, with the legal minimum size for fishermen to keep what's caught, even the smallest is about a pound.

With that "lobster-math" in mind, the rolls Red Hook serves have at least a lobster and a half of meat on each.  So now that you know smaller is sweeter, hopefully you can imagine how awesome the treats from this truck really are....  Better yet, you'll also figure out the $15 price tag is actually quite fairly priced.  (How much is lobster per pound in the grocery store which you then you still have to pull all apart and prepare perfectly...??)

Still Love Hula!

Hula Girl made it back to Farragut today.  Hip-hip-hooray!  I've been pretty vocal with thoughts on this truck, so I am pleased to say today went off without a single hitch.  Fair is fair.  They were on time.  My order was correct.  Makala was charming (although that has never been a concern ... she's been a sweetheart with every visit.)  The truck seemed to be all repaired and working properly.  NOM NOM NOM!  Please come back soon.

Back from Sin City

...and quenched my truck-withdrawl with visits to two new (to DC) trucks, Rolls on Rolls and Suburban Bros.  WELCOME!!  I know sometimes I sounds like a broken record about how nice some people are, but I do want to make a point mention some of the warm personalities I meet, and the folks on both of these trucks are obviously happy doing what they are doing, so kudos to them!  It is always such a pleasure to patronize people you don't feel like you're bothering when placing an order or especially making a small extra request.  Anyway, the reviews for both formerly Montgomery County trucks are below, and are including with pics in the first blog post, both under 3 honks:

Rolls on Rolls (@RollsOnRolls on Twitter) -- Serving "Kathi Rolls", purportedly the street food from from Delhi and Calcutta, they are flatbread sandwiches rolled up.  (Think Sauca or a gyro in the thickness of the bread, and a giant, not-fried taquito in "configuration".)  Kathi rolls are offered with chicken, vegetables, paneer, or channa and come with cabbage, carrots, and chutneys.  You have options for mild, medium, or spicy, the heat by which is created by the selection of chutney's offered.  For example, I ordered my chicken masala roll spicy, which meant it came with all three chutneys: tamarind, cilantro-mint, and spicy; so if I were guessing, I'd think ordering a roll mild would arrive with only the cilantro-mint.  In any event, the flavors were all quite lovely, although overall I found the package to be pretty dry.  Like a lot of Indian food, chicken masala is usually cooked in a sauce, so I'd love it if there were more of that sauce to compensate.  If not, more chutney would go a long way.

Suburban Bros (@SubBros1 on Twitter) -- Yet another transplant from Montgomery County to the District, and like all the other MOCO truck operators I've met after opting to move locales, the guys running the truck were a super-nice bunch.  The problem is, they are serving Potbelly on wheels, and frankly I think that works better in Montgomery County where most places don't have a Potbelly (or 3 as in my case) within a 2 block walk.  Don't get me wrong, my sandwich was fine, but even adjusting for sales tax which I'd be charged at Potbelly, I got one of the least expensive menu items, and it was still $1 more and a 4 blocks further away.  (It's a good thing it was a nice day....)  Except for maybe the novelty of a truck, they'll do better in areas where Potbelly isn't quite so prevalent, which isn't the immediate downtown office areas because there are as many Potbelly storefronts as Starbucks.

And, a shout out to BBQ Bus for getting in the holiday spirit.  I'm diggin' the get-up!

So I am watching Eat Street...

...and am wondering why we (DC) don't have an amazing burger truck? Everyone else does, and we seem to be a mecca for burgers lately. How come??? Just musing...I will be on my way now.

Goode Surfside

Two trucks today, Goode's Mobile Kitchen (again, yes, I know...) and Surfside Truck's debut at Farragut.  Nothing to update at Goode's in the review other than a better picture of the chicken cheese steak, although I did find the $.50 charge to use credit off-putting.  No other truck charges for credit, or they take cash only.  Especially when the charge from Square (for example) is $.22-.27 on Goode's average order, how come $.50?  I still like these guys -- they are pleasant and give samples, and although it takes forever, clearly I'm enjoying it because I've been several times recently.  I've stopped going to Basil Thyme because I think Brian's attitude needs adjusting, so I'd reconsider the substantial up-charge on the credit payments.  (Not that losing my personal business will cause a big fall in the numbers, it is the principle of it.)  :-/

Second stop, although first to eat, was the super speedy service from Surfside Truck.  The two entree menu options were chicken tacos or fish tacos made with tilapia, plus there was chicken tortilla soup.  While I LOVE fish tacos, after last week's well-repeated story on WTOP about how bad tilapia is for you, I opted for the chicken.  Both selections were $9 with a side of rice and beans.  I was all ready to slot Surfside in at 3.5 honks, until I got to the rice and beans.  Review with a picture has been included in the updated first post under 3 honks:

Surfside (@surfsidetruckdc on Twitter) -- Two entree menu options were chicken tacos or tilapia fish tacos, plus there was chicken tortilla soup.  Both taco plates, served with guac, lime crema, and pico de gallo, were $9 with a side of rice and beans.  I opted for the chicken where I received two tacos with a disproportionately large filling of delicious chicken, making them very difficult to eat; one more taco with the same amount of total filling(s) spread among three instead of two would have made more sense.  Not being one to particularly mind getting my hands dirty, the mess was fine and Surfside was headed to 3.5 honks, that was until I tried the rice and beans.  TOTALLY inedible.  There is something to be said for a little al dente or having a little bite, but both the rice and the beans were horribly undercooked.  Personally, I could have used some hot sauce for flavor as well, although honestly I can't remember if there was any available on the serving counter.  If not, it would be welcomed.

Bummed I'll be missing Truckapalooza tomorrow because I'm off, but everyone should check out the party over on the campus of GWU.  Then headed to Vegas next week where I have learned there are a healthy number of trucks to stalk....  Laterz!

Happy Farragut Friday

I am scheduled to work only every other Friday, and some of my working Friday's get disrupted but other events (including a good day for any possible liquid lunch) so I don't often get to experience the joy and convenience of Farragut Friday.  However today I hit 3 trucks, with thoughts to head back later for a 4th to get some ice cream from Sinplicity.  (Have I mentioned they have the best ice cream ever?!?!?)

With that, I tried AZN Eats for the first time.  First post updated with a 3 honk review (and pic): 

AZN Eats (@azneats on Twitter) -- If you've ever read this blog before, you know meat which is too fatty irks me.  So what do I do?  I go an order the Kalbi from AZN Eats containing short ribs, one of the fattiest cuts of beef I can think of.  Based on tweets and such from other folks, it seemed like the most popular thing to get.  It was quite palatable and not at all as fatty as I expected, although I did pull much (of what was there) off.  The kalbi was served on a generous bed rice which had almost a creamy-ness to it, and I know that sounds wrong or that it could have been overcooked, but it was pleasant.  I did not care at all for the vegetables and didn't quite understand the side of regular sliced pickles offered on the side.  Lastly I was disappointed they didn't have gochujang...only sriracha. 

Then I headed over to DC Slices to see if they had any sweet potato tots; I'd been trying for months to hit the truck when they were on board, but every time I found myself SOL.  Alas, NOT TODAY!  And with that, they get the bump to 3.5 honks with a slightly updated review (and pic).

Last stop was to grab a turtle cheesecake to bring home for the long weekend from That Cheesecake Truck.  

One truck I didn't hit today, but wish congrats on earning permits, popped their DC cherry at Farragut today too:

Maui Wowi

There was a sign on the side of the truck with a Nathan's hot dog logo, but the menu (which didn't appear to me to list any sort of dog) looked to be shaved ice, smoothies, and coffee drinks.  I did digg the palapa hood over the serving window.  Nice touch!

Yesterday I did make it back to Goode's Mobile Kitchen.  In addition to the jerk chicken, I put a combo together with the curry chicken.  ($15?!??!)  Flavor was still satisfying, but for both myself and my friend who joined me and just had curry, a "scoop" of curry was substantially smaller than a "scoop" of jerk.

Have a good long weekend everybody.  Only 3 days next week then off traveling to a conference the week after.  Does Vegas have any food trucks???  (Thinking I'll have to research....)

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Truckeroo for October just announced as October 28.  Don't forget Truckapalooza at GWU on October 14 too!  (Grrrr ... both Friday's I'll be off.) 

Why did I wait so long?

...Maybe it is the heavy focus on vegetable-based dishes that kept me away from Fojol Brothers of Benethiopia do long.  Or the fact that my prior experiences with injera were unfavorable.  But today I finally visited for a dingo bite and fell in love.  Injera is still "eh" in my book, but totally appropriate to scoff down some beef berbere on my way back down I Street.  I didn't even make it 1/2 way to 18th Street before my little "amuse bouche" was gone, and was instantly wishing I had gotten a whole order.  Review:

Fojol Bros of Benethopia (@fojolbros on Twitter) -- Totally unexpected debut at 4 honks after finally trying Fojol's famous Beef Berbere, but if I measure how much I am craving another serving many hours after trying it, it must be a winner!  Cubed beef with a nice heat in a rich sauce served with injera.  After waiting so long to try it, I'll be back for an Ethiopian "BB" the very next time they come around because I will be thinking about it for that long.  I have no doubt.  Only complaint would be the injera was actually cold... chilled even.  Room temp or slightly warm would have been better because with the first couple of bites, it made the beef even "feel" cool when I ate it.

I got only the dingo bite because I saw a new (albeit pretty ugly) truck lurking, and figured it was small enough to (finally!) sample with a full-sized serving of something else from another truck.  

So, along came Blue Nine with non-curry/sauced-type Indian food.  Review and pic under three honks: 

Blue Nine (Not yet on Twitter) -- Another discovery by stumbling upon a foreign truck during a Farrugut lunch run, serving lamb kabobs, biryani, and a gyro-looking "handheld" of some sort.  I ordered the lamb which had nice flavor, but was quite dry and didn't look anything like the picture on the side of the truck showing large pieces of grilled lamb; my order of more gyro-sized bits of lamb was spooned from a tray with a lid and definitely didn't seem grilled.  The rice I quite enjoyed though...well seasoned and not dry at all. $7. It's his second day; I'll go back when he's had a chance to work out some kinks.

Terrible news yesterday about Sabor'a Street, but a new 4-honker to take its place today.  Heading off on vacation tomorrow, but may try to hit a few Florida trucks while I'm there.  Field trip!!!   Later folks...  Enjoy Truckeroo on Friday.  Go get a $5 1/4 rack of ribs from Che @ BBQ Bus.  Add some extra #5 sauce.  You won't be sorry!

Revisiting Tasty Kabob & Yellow Vendor

The only reason Tasty Kabob didn't drop to 2.5 honks with today's visit is because the gyro meat is still quite good and I don't want to base these reviews only on my most recent experience.  Having said that, I won't be rushing back, even though I know these guys are wicked popular.  It definitely isn't worth the extra $1-2 over what the other halal/kabob trucks charge for (mostly) the same thing.  Updated review with a picture is included under 3 honks in the first post:

Tasty Kabob (@tastykabob on Twitter) -- I prefer the chicken from some of the other halal/gyro/kabob trucks, but the lamb is best from this one.  The meatballs are fine, moist although not much flavor without being well sauced, and the chick peas need help.  It's nice they use romaine in the salad rather than the iceberg most of the other halal/kabob trucks seem to use.  Asking for "extra spicy" doesn't seem to result in a meal with a whole lot of heat.  The white sauce is more "dill-y" than others.  (Not a complaint, just an observation.)  Prices seem to have gone up by $1 as popularity for this (family of 3 trucks in DC and a few carts in VA) has increased.  

I also made it back to Yellow Vendor yesterday.  I didn't get sick and the meat was somewhat less fatty than the last couple of visits, so those are improvements.  But the meat was still a little dry, which frankly I'm amazed by since it was swimming in hot sauce.  Moved the review to 2.5 honks.

"Where's the beef?"

Now that school is back in session, trucks are starting to return regularly to GWU, which was convenient for me today with only one truck tweeting they'd be at Farrugut today, so I thought I'd take a jaunt in a different direction. First review for Capitol Greenz posted in the first post (with pic) and pasted below:

CapitolGreenz (@capitolgreenz on Twitter) -- I'm trying to decide between 2.5 & 3 honks, but will give it 3 because the food was good and I think we need a truck serving panini's. But, can I have some meat please? I ordered a roast beef & cheddar panini with grilled onions & horseradish. The flavor was great, especially the grilled onions which were not too overpowering. However the sandwich only had a slice and a half of roast beef total. I also put a knife through it so it would be easier to eat, and was a little surprised that the sandwich came whole. Salads & sandwiches are $7 each, plus they had a couple of soups, including today a black bean (hot) and gazpacho (cold).

Late Snack Report

Yesterday between my friend and me, we hit 6 trucks at Franklin Square yesterday.  For my 3, in addition to the Far East Taco Grill for my actual lunch reviewed yesterday, I collected a Pollock to take away with me from The Rolling Ficelle for a late day "snack", along with some ribs for weekend noshing from BBQ Bus.  The Pollock was good, but I think I have an idea to make it better.  The idea and updated review is posted below, still under 3 honks:

The Rolling Ficelle (@TheFicelle on Twitter) -- Long, thin sandwiches served/prepared "French-style".  Fairly priced at $7 each.  I had the roast beef which was nice.  It was weird though: I asked first if they put together the sandwiches on the spot or if they were pre-"stacked".  They said fresh, so I then asked for no red onions, and they looked at me like I was green while stating "there aren't any."  For a sandwich posted as "thinly shaved, medium-rare roast beef with aged provolone cheese, red onion, and crushed cherry red pepper relish, draped with a light horseradish aioli", it didn't have red onion or the relish, but DID have lettuce.  So just note you might not get what you're expecting, but will probably be close (if my experience is any indication.)  UPDATE (16Sept): Stopped by to pick-up an afternoon/evening snack in a Pollock.  They are billing this pulled pork & swiss cheese sandwich as a monthly special at the moment, although I expect it to stick around longer than that.  In addition to the pork, it sports an onion-jalapeno relish plus a lemon-garlic aioli, and is topped with cilantro.  I requested provolone instead of the swiss and found the package was quite enjoyable but thought it could use more of a crunch.  Then it came to me ... Take this exact sandwich and add some pickled veggies of some sort and make it a play on a banh mi!  With Phonomenon and Rebel Heroes both out of business, the only close to banh mi's from a truck around here are the turkey banh mi from El Floridano and the sandwich option from Hula Girl.  Keep or lose the cheese for I'm not sure it matters as a "play on".  Call it the "đồ chua ficelle", Vietnamese for 'pickle'.  I'd be first in line to try that!

Competition for TaKorean Opened Today: Far East Taco Grill

And Far East Taco Grill is throwin' it down!  Slow and partially disorganized, but they've just started so hopefully they'll learn quickly.  But, you know me, I'm not shy about sharing my opinion, and with that, I think these guys have it well over TaKorean for taste.  4 honk review included in original post: 

Far East Taco Grill (@FarEastTG on Twitter) -- When I first saw the menu for Far East a few weeks ago, my immediate reaction was "wow, that's exactly what TaKorean serves," but I also was plainly aware of the (now) hoards of halal/kabob trucks roaming DC's streets which all seem to survive, so maybe not such a big deal.  It took a very long time to get served, and when I got my order it was wrong.  But after I finally dug in, I was quite content: marinated & grilled chicken and beef, with a choice of 4 slaw options, options for chopped onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a lime crema, plus a choice of 4 additional sauces.  THAT is what gets 'em to 4 honks!  Besides the proteins being juicy and flavorful, the sauces rock, even including the lime crema!  I particularly enjoyed the pineapple sauce although I wish there was also a spicy pineapple sauce to choose from, or at least if I could have sriracha AND pineapple rather than one or the other.  (I'll ask next time.)  Even the kimchi slaw option is better here than TaKorean in my opinion.  3 tacos for $8 is a buck cheaper, but was the starting price when the blue guy started out too, so I wouldn't be surprised if that changed.  Really nice job guys.  Giving you the benefit of doubt that it was one of your first couple of days and service will improve, so 4 honks!

I also stopped at The Rolling Ficelle to check out the Pollock special sandwich today.  Will be chowing down on that later in the day and will update posts accordingly.  Plus made a quick stop to visit Che and grab some ribs for the weekend at BBQ Bus; no need to update that post -- I'm happy to be torturing the people in the office with the AMAZING aroma.  "Too bad for you guys!  You should join me to the trucks more often." ;-)

Who's been to Smith Meadows Grill truck in Arlington?  A friend hit me up on Facebook with a scathing review today, and I'm curious what others think...?

Anyway, Happy Weekend, folks!  Off tomorrow.

P.S. -- Does anyone know what the silver truck on the NE corner of Farrugut Square was today?  I passed by Farrugut walking down I Street but was in a hurry, so didn't make it close enough to check it out.

Graduation from MOCO to DC

Welcome Tops Truck!  Soft opening at Farrugut Square today was a surprise.  There was a hint of being in DC, but I'm not sure anyone got it with a tweet this morning which said "headed to metro station for lunch today".  Apparently that was intended to mean Metro Center, but when they couldn't find parking, they headed off to Farrugut Square.  (No surprise they couldn't find anything at Metro Center.  Not sure if it was because the TV crew was going to be filming the Dangerously Delicious Pie truck today, but it sure felt like a whole lotta trucks were planning on heading that way when I saw the tweets stream in this morning.)  Luckily, they pulled up just as I was crossing 17th Street.

Tops had previously only been operating in Montgomery County, and I think the two quite likable truck operators will find some differences as they get going in DC.  For a simple example, the quantity (up to 60+ any given day) and quality of food bring produced from trucks in the District really is quite astonishing.  I mean, look at how many trucks have risen to "4 honk" status, and a whole bunch just behind at "3.5 honks"... So, while the chili-cheese dog I ordered was tasty, other than the "So Good" there isn't much original about the menu.  Details about my dog are noted in my 2.5 honk review:

Tops American Food Company (@topstrucks on Twitter) -- I want to like this truck so much.  The proprietors are sweet as sugar and don't want to discourage them with a 2.5 honk rating.  However as I noted in my blog post, I think they will find competition here quite different so I'm hoping constructive feedback will help.  Therefore to note before anything else, my chili-cheese dog was good.  It was a Nathan's Famous dog topped with a moderately spicy, award-winning homemade chili, and shredded yellow cheese on a standard sub roll for $4.  Ok, I get that a large sub roll like that can "hold" more chili, but the dog was swimming in way too much bread, which didn't excite in the first place.  My suggestion would be to find some nice local baker for a less generic bread option, and that dog could rock the house.  My other issue is the relatively uninteresting menu, not totally dissimilar than what one can get from one of those nasty carts which have been around for a hundred years and a day.  The "So Good" sounds exactly that, so good, but it's something you've got to be in the mood for.  Make the terrific chili the star of the menu.  How about adding some nachos?  (Get your tortilla chips from District Taco!)  Or chili mac?  Maybe even try a chili dog pizza -- you definitely can't get that off a truck around here!  I will definitely look forward to this truck maturing because I think that chili gives it some distinct possibilities to grow-up quickly.

Sorry guys, but hopefully you like one of my ideas.  I'd really like to try a higher-end variation of that pizza.  :-)

In other news, I was finally able to try Orange Cow yesterday, so look for that update, along with a minor update to Fojol of Merilindia's review highlighting the profile they're getting on Cooking Network's Eat Street.  Plus, we learned yesterday Bada Bing will be serving up cheese steaks and spiedies in Washington soon; I'm totally looking forward to that heart attack!  (Seriously!!!)

The highly anticipated return of Hula to Farrugut

As many folks have noticed, Hula Girl truck hasn't been around to Farrugut for a while. While Farrugut is a very popular stop of just about every other truck, by my count I think this was only the third visit since premiering in July, and the second service never actually happened due to an accident just as they were about to open. We've been wondering what Hula has against us (more on that later) but alas, she finally returned for a soggy Farrugut Friday.

Let me start by saying I really, really like this truck, so much that I've been among the first few folks in line with each of the three visits. However, there are issues. I don't know if they are not prepping enough in whatever commercial kitchen they are using or something else is going on, but it takes forever for the window to open, more than I've noticed from any other truck. I think some combo of more prep elsewhere and/or arriving earlier would greatly benefit Hula so they can open the window closer to the (average) 11:30am the other trucks usually adhere to. This issue was evident for each of the three visits I've been present for. And waiting 30 minutes in a steady rain was not so enjoyable today, plus a good 4-5 minutes for my food after ordering.

Next. I think this truck must be cursed. Farrugut visit #1: flat tire & blown generator. Farrugut visit #2: "surfer boy" suffered a fall resulting in mega-stitches in his face seconds before the window was to open. (Sorry, btw! Looked today like you are feeling better, so I'm glad about that.) Farrugut visit #3: delayed by a day because the truck was in an accident. Plus the power seems to only stay on for a couple of minutes at a time. (Multiple visits!) It's only been about 6 weeks since Hula started trolling the DC streets, but the very cute truck is starting to look pretty beat up ... The door meant to cover the serving window is missing, as is the "trim cover" to one of the speakers, and at one point the cover for the generator door was also missing but may have been replaced by now. (Didn't look this time.) I don't know if other spots around the city carry better juju for Makala, but could this be why Farrugut gets so little Hula love...? :-/

Now, the good stuff. The food is delicious. High quality. Ample portions. Sort of a "mix & match" type creative menu which I definitely enjoy. It isn't huge, but it would be easy to get something different each time with 5 or 6 visits. Plus, the people are very nice. I hope they decide to come back more frequently than they've been coming this way.

Despite issues, it stays at 4 honks for the food with the updated review below:

Hula Girl Truck (@hulagirltruck on Twitter) -- Second in line for the premiere at Farrugut Square and I was not disappointed. I did have a couple of issues, but the flavor of the sandwich truly made up for any detractions. I ordered the teriyaki skirt steak sandwich. The steak was VERY generous (2 small steaks on one serving) and perfectly flavorful, without being salty as teriyaki can be. Toppings were equally generous and well seasoned, especially the carrot+daikon slaw. So, what were my issues? The bread is advertised as "crunchy ciabatta". It was not crunchy by any stretch of the imagination and there actually was too much crumb. (AKA the bread-y part.) The second issue was about the steak itself; while it was PERFECTLY cooked to a medium rare, skirt steaks and other similar cuts with that type of marbling are important to eat against the grain so as not to be chewy. Unless the steaks are aligned properly, you are very likely to get excess chew, which I did initially experience. I'm not sure if a quick slice against the grain is an option for when the sandwiches are served, but I note to be aware to "align" your steak(s) prior to diggin' in. (A friend also noted on a chicken sandwich the chicken didn't sit on the bread appropriately either, so some bites had all chicken & nothing else, while some were all vegetables without chicken.)  Can't wait to try something else! This truck is an easy favorite. 4 honks! UPDATE (9Sept): Mikala almost seemed to be boycotting Farrugut Square for weeks but finally returned for a rainy Farrugut Friday. I got the steak lunch plate. The meat was sliced (so no chewy-ness problem,) dressed with a bit of teriyaki, and served with two scoops of rice, mac salad, and a sample of the picked carrot & daikon slaw. Again, I was very satisfied with my meal, but this truck still has issues. (See blog post from 9Sept.) The slaw is awesome ... the whole reason I ordered the sandwich on my first visit. I would have loved to have had more to enjoy with my beef for a little texture & flavor. With this visit I also tried the "pepper water", or at least that's what I think it was called; it is the thin looking orange sauce in an unlabeled bottle on the counter. Whatever it is actually called, if you like hot stuff, GET IT and gently douse your food with it. (Pics below)

For something sweet, with Sidewalk Sweets still out of the picture despite promises to return to DC this week, I visited Sweetbites for a selection of cupcakes. I had been several times before, but today I was impressed with the 12 flavor options to choose from, particularly the salted caramel. The review has been updated along with a picture and Sweetbites has moved from 3 to 3.5 honks! Woohoo!

Earlier this week I made some minor changes to some of the other reviews as I ate at some of the other trucks, and added more pictures. Check it all out.

Happy weekend, folks. Here's to hoping the rain will stop soon.

Survived 3 natural disasters in 5 days, and now back to the trucks

And today's winner was BBQ Bus!  It would have been Sabor'a Street for soft-shell tacos since it's been a while, but they were running late...too late for me.  So armed with new information from Che (co-owner of BBQ Bus) after my last blog post about what I could order, when I saw they were nearby again I took the opportunity to check out those ribs.  As a result, they moved from 3.5 to 4 honks, with the updated review below:

BBQ Bus (@bbqbusdc on Twitter) -- At long last, they have started coming out more than just Friday-Sunday.  YAY!  Tried the BBQ Sampler Platter, which had a scoop each of chicken, pork, and beef BBQ.  Chicken & pork both had the #5 sauce, while there was a little #2 on the beef.  All the meats & all the sauces were quite tasty, including an additional BBQ sauce (Memphis-style) I got on the side so I could try it; it was nice they serve BBQ with only a little sauce, and then you can add one or more of several sauces from squeezebottles to your own desired heat & "wetness".  I wanted to try the ribs, but they seem to have stopped serving the "side" which was only 3, as opposed to a full or half rack.  The Sampler came with beans & slaw, although I swapped out the beans for corn on the cob.  The slaw was nice; vinegar-based, so not to wet or heavy, with pickled onions & jalapenos.  With my second visit I tried the 3 bean chili.  Served with Frito's on top, it had a nice kick and will be awesome on a cool day.  You almost forget there's no meat, it was so good!  UPDATE (31Aug): You know that show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network?  All the stars make a production of eating some of their favorite foods....?  That was totally me as I dove in to the ribs I was finally able to get now I know to just ask for whatever I want and Che will hook it up.  Although there was a bit more fat left on the ribs than I normally cook for myself, they were incredibly tender with the plentiful meat falling off the bone.  Plus, not only are they gently dressed with award winning Number 5 sauce, whatever concoction of seasonings being used for the dry rub should be considered for an award or two as well.  Nom nom nom.  Now one of my favorite trucks!!  Thanks Che!  (Pics below)

 Gotta love that Number 5!!!  Really, so good.

Finally Goode

Goode's Mobile Kitchen has been hiding from me, but alas, no more!  The secret is he's only at Farrugut every other Thursday, which is unfortunate because I really enjoyed it.  I'm kicking him off at 3.5 honks with the following review detailed in the first blog post:

Goode's Mobile Kitchen (@mobilekitchen on Twitter) -- FINALLY caught up with these super nice guys serving up "Caribbean Soul Food".  They were offering free samples of jerk chicken to anyone walking by which changed my mind on what to order.  I normally don't care for jerk, but this was sweet and mildly spicy with a quite pleasant sauce to go on top.  It could actually stand to have had more heat IMHO, but the owner did comment he didn't make it too spicy to satisfy the general public.  (OK, I could probably add a little extra hot sauce to it if I want.)  The jerk chicken cheesesteak cooked to order and served with whatever accompaniments you'd like (peppers, onions, lettuce, tomato, etc) took a bit longer than expected, but for $8 I received a huge mess of a sub sandwich exactly how I wanted it with amazing flavor.  And when I say "mess of a sub" it really was ... very difficult to eat because the soft bread just crumbled apart with the heavy chunks of chicken topped by the melted cheese and sauce just making everything wet.  But it tasted so good.  Can't wait to go back and try something else like chicken curry, turkey burger, or a crab cake, however he's visiting Farrugut only every other Thursday.  Boo!  (Pic below)

Also made a stop at BBQ Bus to get myself some 3 bean chili as a side to my sandwich.  While I updated the review and added a photo, I haven't moved them yet to 4 honks yet -- I'd really like to try the ribs but it appears the only way to get ribs on the current menu is to order the combo which comes with 4 ribs and BBQ chicken.  There used to be an option to buy a 1/2 rack, but it doesn't seem to be available any more.  Or, how about a 3x3?  3 ribs served with an order of 3-bean chili....

Yellow Vendor may be coming out of the cellar!

A few of us went up to Farrugut today, and while I had already settled on TaKorean, a friend visited Yellow Vendor and it looked AWESOME!  I will be trying again soon.

Don't forget, in addition to updating reviews on a constant basis, I am also adding photos of all the great food.  So keep returning to the first post and scroll to the bottom to see what you may find at a food truck near you!

In other news, SeoulFoodDC says they will be starting on Monday in Virginia but have not yet been able to secure their DC permits.

Also, just announced, Truckeroo IV will be on Friday, September 30.  It's a total bummer for me as I'll be out of town, but I am sure anyone who goes will have a blast -- HIGHLY recommended!

YAY Truckeroo!

I'm just back from Truckeroo, and three trucks and two beers later, I am ready for a nap!  But so fun and so yummy!  Cajunators premiered, and that was my first stop for some flavorful jambalaya.  The funky-awesome truck is below, AKA the original Dangerously Delicious Pies truck.

Next up was another try at Stix.  And finished off with Sinplicity for some sorbet & ice cream.  I wanted more, but I might have been left in a food coma and I actually have some work to do this afternoon.  Pics of the event itself are easily found on Twitter -- check 'em out!

As always, check the updates to the FIRST post for full reviews.

A sad story... And some "sunshine"

If you are reading this blog, you are probably also pretty serious about food trucks, so you may know the Phonomenon truck has closed up shop as quickly as it opened.  The woman who was running things had this explanation.  I was able to enjoy a pork banh mi on her last day, and what they offered was such a good value, so it is too bad such a young truck had such a short life.

Today I tried Sol again and was quite pleased with my lunch.  An updated review (and pic) is posted in the first blog entry.

Finally, there are two new trucks: a crepe truck in PW county who's been serving a while but has just been noticed and a soup/salad/panini truck in DC premiered yesterday.

Happy Eating!

A rise & a fall

I finally had a chance to try the new truck Hula Girl, and friends were disappointed by House of Falafel.  See updated reviews for both in the first post.  (Hint: look for Hula Girl under 4 honks!!!)

Lobster Truck -- GRRRRR!!

So today I left my office at 11:25 to hit the lobster truck, due to arrive at 11:30 2 blocks from my office.  When I am 1/2 block from the destination, a new tweet comes out to say "running 15 minutes late".  Since I was already there, I wasn't going to go back to my office for 5 more minutes of work before leaving again, so I started the line where the order taker was holding a spot.  11:45 the truck pulls up and then another 12 minutes to set-up.  Only then was an announcement made there were "no Connecticut rolls on board today".  No tweets.  Nothing.  Over a half hour wasted, no other nearby trucks for lunch, and I expected other destinations would have lines by then.  ANNOYED!

Despite the concern for lines, I walked to Farrugut for the good smattering of trucks, and decided to try TaKorean again.  Good call!  Moving from 3 to 3.5 honks.  Updated review (and photo) is posted in the first blog entry (list).

That sketchy truck last week...

is "House of Falafel"! 

No twitter yet, but he was back at Farrugut today with an improved sign and menu.  The owner was very nice and the food I got was really good.  See first blog post for review and other updates, including a new spicy sauce at HGP!

I go on a short vacation, and...

...several more trucks are announced.

Two Korean food trucks, @SeoulFoodDC is coming to DC & VA in August and @AZNeats will be trolling DC in a couple of weeks as well.  UPDATE (23Aug): @seoulfooddc opened today, but tweeted late in the day suggesting they would NOT be seeking a license for DC.  That was a change even from the BestBites blog post, with an owner interview, earlier in the day.

@cornedbeefking will also start in August In Montgomery County.

I did finally get to try BBQ Bus today and was pleased.  See the original blog post with the consolidated list for updates.

While I was at Farrugut Square today, I did see a mystery truck today serving Steak & Cheese and burgers.  I asked around but nobody knew anything about it.  It was licensed, but still looked a bit sketchy.  Let me know if you know anything about the mystery truck pictured below: