Friday 3/18 Sang on Wheels

Its finally starting to feel like spring in DC and I was really looking forward to eating outside today.  Unfortunately it turned into a totally unplanned truck double header.  Normally a good thing,  but two trucks and $18 later, I was left fully unsatisfied.

I started off with Sang on Wheels which was SO terrible, I was only able to east less than half of the meal, leaving me hungry an hour later!  To be fair, I should mention that according to the owner, today is only the second day of operations for this Laotian food truck.  But I get the feeling it is not just the inevitable opening week hiccups that caused the food to be SO bad today, I think they just have bad food (and bad truck design/decor, uninspired staff, and messy set up).  The owner was very friendly and outgoing, but another crew member hanging outside the truck was loudly complaining that he had not eaten lunch yet; apparently he was supposed to be passing out samples but he gave up after a few minutes and proceeded to scarf down the samples himself! 

Tofu Noodles w/ Lamb $8, "fresh" Lemonade $2

BBQ, noodle+rice was the menu posted on twitter, so on the walk over I was envisioning satay style bbq on a bed of fresh noodles, boy did I set my self up for a let down.  I ordered the lamb with noodles and I was very quickly (too quick to be fresh) served my food.  Lets start with the "bbq" lamb, satay it was not!  Basically it was two big meat balls cut in half and put on a stick.  It is very apparent just by looking at these mystery meat balls that they are not grilled, so not sure how they call it bbq.  My best guess based on the cooking marks and overall look is that they were mass cooked in an oven pan and then warmed up on the griddle.   They ended up tasting even worse than they looked, the meat was strangely very soggy, almost water logged and had a very strange taste (even for lamb),  I couldn't get past the 2nd bite before tossing it, and I NEVER toss out food; I am usually able to eat through the pain, this time I could not.  The noodles while not horrible, did not seem very fresh nor were that impressive, they tasted like something that came off an $5.99 all-you-can-eat buffet.  When ordering the owner asked me if I wanted fresh lemonade for $2 more, I'm always a fan of fresh lemonade so I agreed.   I guess next time I should differentiate between fresh squeezed lemonade (which I thought I was getting) and  just fresh lemonade which could mean freshly poured in a cup (which is what I got).  This "fresh" Lemonade ended up being Lemon drink, you know the powdered stuff (eg sugar, water, yellow), yuck! So I left my lunch less than half eaten, took 2 sips of the overly sweet lemon drink and that was the end of that.

I cannot fathom giving this truck another chance, I highly recommend avoiding this truck, even if it means skipping lunch! 

Wednesday 3/16 Carnivore BBQ

I Love how new trucks keep popping up here in DC, it really makes lunch time fun again.  Today I tried out another newbie, Carnivore BBQ. These guys have been serving up BBQ at farmers markets and special events for quite a while now, but just joined the DC Food Truck scene 2 weeks ago.

As you can see, the truck is a bit different from the typical food truck.  Instead of using a step van, these guys built out the back of an old Chevy pick up truck, which probably really reduced their start up costs, but lacks in appeal vs the others.

I arrived shortly after noon and their was about 15 people in line ahead of me.  No biggie I thought, as the lines usually move pretty quickly at these things- unfortunately I ended up waiting 35 minutes!  It was obvious that they were way short handed, they need 3-4 people to run this truck efficiently, but they only had 2 guys working.  By the time I realized it was going to take a while, I was already committed, but I did see several people behind me give up and leave.

The Carnivore BBQ truck has two options, beef brisket or pulled pork served on your choice of Kaiser roll or sliced white bread.  They top it off with cole slaw and a choice of 3 different sauces.

As a non-pork eater I liked how they kept the two meats separate and even used different utensils for each type of meat.  So despite the less than stellar outward appearances of the truck, the food service area is kept quite clean.

Beef Brisket on Kaiser $9

So after the long wait, I finally received my Beef Brisket on Kaiser and I was excited to try it!  Immediately I noticed the very generous serving of pure brisket, no chunks of fat here!   The meat was very tasty and you can tell that it was cooked very slowly as it had a very rich flavor.  The cole slaw, is a crispy no-mayo slaw, which I liked- I hate soggy slaw!  Overall I would say it was a decent sandwich, however the 2 squirts of sauce they put on it was not nearly enough, causing the sandwich to be a bit on the dry side.  It would have been nice if you could add your own sauce, especially for those who liked their bbq drenched in it like me.  The meal was pretty filling and considering the amount of brisket piled on it, $9 seems like a fair price, however I feel like something is missing... maybe a pickle would seal the deal nicely!  I would hit this truck up again, but only if they figure out how to service the line faster.

Tuesday 3/15- Eat Wonky

Today I went for the Eat Wonky Truck.  Although this truck is one of the earliest trucks started in DC, and has received plenty of ink, it was my first time, and I must say I was very pleased.  The Eat Wonky truck serves signature dishes of the Wonky Dog, Grilled Cheese and fresh fries (fried in peanut oil!).  They also have whoopie pies for desert which they get from a local bakery.  Eat Wonky seems to be one of the more entrepreneurial minded trucks out there with their cross promotional activities of local bands and events.

Wonka Dog $6 + Raspberry Whoopie Pie $3

Behold the wonderful Wonky Dog!  Now I am not much of a dog fan, but I must say, this is one hell of a hot dog!  The price is also quite resonable, just $6!   The all beef dog is a very decent size and as far as hot dogs go, its quite tasty.  It is definitely fresh and is nothing like the street car hot dogs sitting around in warm water all day or like the ones at 7-11 getting dry on the hot dog roller thing.  Next, I cant decide which is better, the awesome bun or the yummy toppings.  The bun, also very fresh,  is not your typical dinky hot dog bun, it is an oversized, kaiser-esque bun that easily fits the big dog and all the toppings and is very easy to eat.  In fact, it survived the 15 minute truck to mouth time gap without falling apart, and the mess factor was practically nill; for a messy eater like me that says a lot!  The dog is topped with delicious fresh fried fries and crumbled squeaky cheese, which becomes slightly melted from the heat of the fries.  I am not sure what squeaky cheese is exactly, but for those of you familiar with Halloumi cheese, it is pretty similar in both taste and texture.  I LOVE french fries, and these fries are delish- I would say they are similar to Five Guys fries though not 100% the same, both are fresh cut and fried in Peanut Oil.  I think the wonky dog is a very efficient meal as it combines the side dish with the main dish into one, making for a quick and easy to eat meal.  It came with a fork and knife which I did not end up needing, partly due to my big mouth.  Eat Wonky also sells their fries as a separate side dish, which you can combine with a plan hot dog if you wish. 

I also picked up a Raspberry Lemon Whoppie Pie from the Eat Wonky truck for dessert. Its my first time eating whoopie pie and although I heard some folks are trying to make it the state dessert of Maine, I wasnt a huge fan. I think this is probably a good whoopie pie as far as whoopie pies go, but Im not a fan of the genre.  For those who have not had a Whoppie Pie, apparently its two soft, rather mildly tasting cookies (more like cookie shapped buns/muffins) with a sweet gooyey filling.

All in all, while probably not the healthiest of the truck options, definitely one of the tastiest and I will be back!

Update: As of 6 PM I am still satisfied and full from the Wonky Dog

Monday 3/14 - Sabora Street

Today I decided to try one of the newer food trucks in DC- Sabora Street. They sell what they call Latin street fare.  The main offerings are Arepas, which is basically a Latin sloppy joe, except the "bun" is made out of corn meal and they offer your choice of filling (chicken, beef, etc).  They even have a tofu option, which I am guessing is not the most authentic option.  For sides they have yucca fries or plantains (although only yucca fries todays).  Their menu says they have churros as well, but I did not see any.

Chiken Arepa + Yucca Fries for $9, Mango Jarritos $2

So I ended up going for the the Chicken Arepa which came with Yucca Fries.  At first look I thought it was a bit Pequeno, especially given the price, $9- which is a bit mucho.  To my knowledge this is the most expensive truck, aside from the lobster truck.  I am a big Pupusa fan so I was excited to try the Arepa, unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations or the $9 price tag.  First the good, the Yucca Fries, all 10 of them, were pretty tasty, as for the Arepa, not so much.  This is my first Arepa so I only have a Pupusa as a comparison point, but I was not a fan of the "bun".  In the 7 minutes from tuck to mouth it got soggy and was falling apart when I was eating it, and it did not hold the contents too well.  The filling was nothing too exciting, it tasted like mass produced enchilada filling (think school cafeteria.. for those who grew up in the SW).  The Jarritos soda was air temperature, and they did not have any cold ones, so I had to put in in a cup of ice, totally ruining the drink from the bottle experience.  The good thing about Jarritos in general is they use real sugar, no corn syrup, doesn't mean its healthy but will take sugar over the high fructose stuff any day.  I was also disappointed in their packaging which is plastic as opposed to the easy bio degradable stuff many trucks are using.  So while eating at Sabora street is better than the brick and mortar neighborhood alternatives, I would give it a pass next time on the basis of both quality and value.