...or my lack of. My background is Italian, so I'm bred to love pasta & sauce, etc, but somehow the love for actual raw tomatoes skipped a generation. I just don't like the texture. Chop them up and cook them and I'm ok, but the slime-factor has historically been a deterrent. After today, I may have to re-think....
When Chef Driven first launched his truck, in one early conversation about his intention to frequently change the menu, I suggested "I'd be first in line when you put soft-shell crabs on." And today I followed through with my exact promise/threat -- first in line & first day. A single crab lightly breaded and sauteed is served on a bed of arugula greens with, wait for it: tomatoes. But not just any tomatoes. Grape tomatoes, which were roasted until they just popped with a gentle marinade. So good! You can't see them really in the photo but amongst the peppery arugula, a nice pile of them could be found under the delicate, sweet, and slightly salty (in a good way) soft-shell. Thanks, Jerry! Another amazing salad.
The only thing I can say about this dish that would be unfavorable is it wasn't very filling as it only had the one crab. I called Bayou Bros out a couple of weeks ago for their soft-shell offering, although I did fail to say it was actually 2 crabs when comparing it to Sabor'a Street, whose portion also came with 2 crabs:
"At $14, the sub (+Lays chips) is the same price as the last time DCers had soft-shells being served from a truck, but the earlier one was executed substantially better and came with a high-end side."
Bottom line, yet still considering the quality Chef Driven puts out, it's my opinion $14 is pretty expensive for this with only one crab, but would happily pay $16ish for two crabs.
Still hungry, I also grazed on another new menu item, which, lucky for me, had more of those luscious tomatoes.
What you see above are two cornmeal-crusted fried oyster tacos, stuffed with a mixed veg slaw, chopped lettuce greens, and a tarragon green goddess dressing. The slaw had thin, beautiful slices of green onion, offering a mild onion flavor as well, without being over powering. Biting in to one of the 5 plump oysters earned a pleasant pop of juiciness. That, coupled with the crunch of everything else, made for yet another new, impressive twist on a taco.
Just go. Really. I can't say that enough!
