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Food Trucks and Food Carts


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The following posts have been split into separate threads:

On The Fly (Miami Danny)
Fojol Brothers (goodeats)
Korean Food Cart (Yellow) (synesthesia)
Korean Food Cart (Flames) (SVT)
Food Chain DC (squidsdc)
Ali Baba's Falafel Food Cart (stickmoon)
Metro Halal Food Cart (cheezepowder)
Korean Food Cart (White) (B.A.R.)
Choupi Crepe and Waffle Cart (cheezepowder)
Sauca (monavano)
Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck (goodeats)
Eat Wonky (goodeats)
Bada Bing (goodeats)

Pepe (Bart)

NY Express Food Cart (daveo)

Fasika (Tweaked)

Urban Bumpkin BBQ (Rhone1998)

Rebecca Ethiopian (hoosiereph)

Burgorilla (squidsdc)

The Orange Cow (Pat)

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I tried the Spy Cafe food cart today, and it is an awesome deal! It was located on the corner of 9th and F, on the Portrait Gallery side of the street across from Zola and the Spy Museum. They have a variety of sliders at lunch time, including lamb meatball, roast beef with grilled onions, pulled pork BBQ, and regular mini-burgers. And get this -- 2 sliders are only $4 (the lamb meatball ones are a bit more -- $7 for two). You can mix and match, so today I got 1 roast beef and 1 pulled pork. I misunderstood the pricing when I ordered, and thought they were $4 EACH, so imagine my glee to find out they were 2 for $4. The person staffing the cart (there was only 1) heated up the roast beef on the griddle, toasted both sides of the buns, and added various condiments to the sliders -- grilled onions and a warm cheesy sauce to the roast beef, and cole slaw on the BBQ. For an extra $1.50 you can get chips or a soda or bottled water. They also have desserts, including cupcakes. They have breakfast sandwiches in the morning, and they are open from around 8:00 or 8:30 to about 6:00, although they start closing down around 5:30.

Both sliders were delicious. The BBQ had a bit of spiciness, and both the BBQ and the cole slaw were moist but not too liquid, so it didn't make a mess. The roast beef was also delicious, and the combination of the grilled onions and the sauce were wonderful. The buns were really perfect too, since they held together, but were neither too firm nor too soft. I don't know how crowded it gets at the peak of lunch hour, since I went at 2:00 and there was no line.

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Today's drive by yielded a food cart-truck at 11th and Garfield in Clarendon. It was something like "Blanca's Sabro Latino," but of course, I did not write down. Has anyone been?

It's nothing special - she's been up there on a pretty regular basis to primarily feed the construction workers at the Clarendon Center project in the morning and at lunchtime. She used to be up Garfield b/w Clarendon and Wilson until that phase of the construction began. I've only eaten there in the morning but it was an egg and cheese heavy menu - think breakfast sandwiches/wraps and the like. The lunch menu may be a little different but I haven't been back.

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[Please note the first post in this thread, where I'm starting to split posts into individual threads (each food cart deserves its own, right?). Use this one for a general discussion of DC food carts, for example, or if you're going to discuss multiple food carts in the same post.]

Addressing Pool Boy's post above, I'm not sure why anyone is surprised that a city with such entrenched inefficiencies (refer to the Bureau of Traffic Adjudication) would be slow to change from hot-dog-cart culture to a glorious, multi-cultural street festival. It's coming, just not as quickly as we'd all like.

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Since it's almost a year since the last posting, I just want to say how neat it is to see the Food Truck Fiesta site bloom and expand with food trucks. The Washingtonian has picked this app up as the tracker of choice now.

Stranger trucks rolling out, imho are: Austin Grill truck and the Dippin' Dots truck.

Food Truck Fiesta also reports that Spike M. is rolling out a kosher deli truck, I think.

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I don't know the name of this particular truck, but the taco truck at the corner of Glebe Rd and Columbia Pike was serving up some really good tacos on Sunday. I had a chicken, tongue and beef and all were really good. Meat was juicy and crisp, tortillas were fresh, but also a little firm and crispy from the griddle. All really good. I always think about stopping here on my way to and from gardening as I drive right by.

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Today I hit up the relatively new Chupacabra food truck on their stop at Metro Center. I believe they have some sort of connection to Sticky Rice, and there have been rumors on some of the neighborhood blogs that they may have launched this truck with an eye towards opening a brick and mortar place somewhere on H Street. Given my love of tacos and my residence near H, I felt obligated to try it out.

They serve several weird tacos, including the Chupagobbler (turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish), a vegan pumpkin taco and a pot roast taco, but I went as traditional as I could, ordering up two carne asada and one al pastor. The verdict? Eh . . . As is the case every time I order tacos at a new place, I really, really wanted to like them. As is too often the case in DC, these were nothing special. The meat in the al pastor was probably the better, and more flavorful of the two, but neither were any great shakes. Both salsas were actually quite good. In the end, the poor quality of the tortillas and the relatively unflavorful meat kind of let the whole operation down. Among food truck tacos I'd probably put them behind District Taco and TaKorean. I'll probably give them another shot, but I certainly won't go out of my way for them.

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I tried it earlier this week, and I agree -- it's a pass. Not nearly on a par even with DC's less-than-spectacular taco offerings (the best of which include Charrito Caminante, Distrito Federale, La Placita, Tortacos, and the Taco Bar in Gaithersburg -- and sometimes Taqueria Nationale).

Indeed, for the most part I've had very mediocre, nondescript offerings from almost all the food carts in DC. The one I keep coming back to is Sang-on, even though she only serves two or three Laotian dishes, and nothing too fancy or spicy (that is to say, nothing as eye-opening as the Laotian menu at Golden Bangkok). At least her food has some character. Virtually all the other trucks I've tried are blandness incarnate. We could really use trucks akin to the Dosa Cart or the 53d & 6th Halal cart in NYC -- worth going out your way, and lining up, for.

Today I hit up the relatively new Chupacabra food truck on their stop at Metro Center. I believe they have some sort of connection to Sticky Rice, and there have been rumors on some of the neighborhood blogs that they may have launched this truck with an eye towards opening a brick and mortar place somewhere on H Street. Given my love of tacos and my residence near H, I felt obligated to try it out.

They serve several weird tacos, including the Chupagobbler (turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish), a vegan pumpkin taco and a pot roast taco, but I went as traditional as I could, ordering up two carne asada and one al pastor. The verdict? Eh . . . As is the case every time I order tacos at a new place, I really, really wanted to like them. As is too often the case in DC, these were nothing special. The meat in the al pastor was probably the better, and more flavorful of the two, but neither were any great shakes. Both salsas were actually quite good. In the end, the poor quality of the tortillas and the relatively unflavorful meat kind of let the whole operation down. Among food truck tacos I'd probably put them behind District Taco and TaKorean. I'll probably give them another shot, but I certainly won't go out of my way for them.

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Of the food carts in DC I do like TaKorean, at least the bulgogi and tofu takos with the kimchi slaw. And I like both of the Fojol Brothers' offerings, and PORC. And of course the lobster truck. Although I will admit that at least some of the appeal is the novelty of them serving from a truck, and the fact that they're not the same three options that I end up hitting up every single workday.

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One of my favorite trucks is Sweetbites. The pina colada cupcake is full of pineapple and coconut and the frosting has a little rum. The carrot cake cupcakes are also good filled with carrots and pineapple with maple frosting. The cake is very moist and flavorful. I haven't tried the other flavors.

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I've tried a few trucks by now:

-TastyKabob

-Red Hook

-District Taco

-Bada Bing

-Sweetbites

-Sinplicity

-DC Empanada

-Capital Empanada

-Eat Wonky

-Seoul Food DC

-Yellow Bulgogi Truck

-Sauca

Best value and the one I keep going back to whenever I get the chance: TastyKabob. Chicken with rice with extra hot sauce and the dill sauce. The lamb is good, but I fin the chicken more flavorful.

Red Hook was okay. The price and the line-waiting (complete with jerks cutting right in front of me) was NOT worth it. One can get better, bigger lobster rolls for around the same price elsewhere. Their whoopie pies from a NoVa bakery are great, though. Those were actually worth the wait in line!

-District Taco is always solid, though I haven't been to their cart in a while and have never been to their brick-and-mortar. But I did go on this solid DT streak about a year ago...

Bada Bing has been great all but once (ate from them about five times so far). The spiedies are definitely the thing to get. Not sure how they get the chicken so moist and flavorful, but it's a thing of beauty when you get the right sandwich. Their cheesesteaks were good the first time I got one, but the last time was sort of sloppy and haphazard (onions were just piled meagerly on top instead of being cooked/heated with the beef).

Sweetbites - just your standard, over-priced cupcakes.

-Sinplicity - GREAT ice cream and sorbets. Have tried them about three times (and I know they sell pints at local Whole Foods) from the truck, and it's really good value for an ice cream truck. You get a generous scoop (or two, or three...and you can mix flavors) with a big piece of biscotti. During the summer, they had this watermelon sorbet that was just about the most perfect watermelon treat I've ever had (and I've had the watermelon juice at Rasika and Bombay Club).

-Both empanada trucks - horrible. Over-priced (WAY over-priced considering the SIZE of the empanadas) and bland bland bland. If you want a good empanada, go to the Alexa's Empanadas stand currently at the Downtown Holiday Market right now (until the 23rd). I think they also do some markets in North Arlington, as well. Or probably Julia's in DuPont (never ate there, so can't vouch for those). Sure, there's a difference between baked (Alexa's ad Julia's) and fried (the other two), but there's also a difference between tasting something and tasting absolutely nothing.

-Eat Wonky - you can tell the guys who started/run the truck(s) aren't really "food people", in that they pretty much only know the basics in preparing and flavor combos, etc. Still, their grilled cheese is acceptable (I did eat it while really hungry, though), their fries are hit-or-miss depending on the day...I do love their whoopie pies, which are from Treet, a local bakery. Good flavor combos in the whoopies.

-Seoul Food DC - you know, the food wasn't bad, but I just about got the world's tiniest burrito for $8. It was seriously no bigger than my hand, and I don't have massive hands or anything. And most of it was the tortilla, not the filling. But their burrito was spicy, their kimchi wasn't bad, and what little beef was inside it was tender and flavorful without being too salty and overwhelming. It's a shame they took that egg breakfast sandwich off their menu...and I couldn't bring myself to try their bulgogi because serving it on a salad just seems wrong to me. Your mileage may vary...

-Yellow Bulgogi truck - second best "value", but it's basically just your basic "teriyaki beef/chicken". Nothing too exciting. It's satisfying if you need a bulgogi/protein fix and don't want to spend too much money. I'd go again if I get tired of TastyKabob or just feel like something different.

-The less said about Sauca, the better. I still can't get the salt out of my mouth from their horrendous version of bahn mi, and their "butter chicken" was just...ugh. I think I even wrote a review of my first visit here, but I've been trying to repress that memory...to no avail.

Been wanting to try out the crab truck, CapMac, Ficelle, El Floridano and the Hula Girl truck (if only to pretend I'm back in Hawaii). Not too many chances to get into the District during the week, though, so they might have to wait.

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I find the Yellow Bulgogi truck, at least the one that hangs out around Metro Center frequently to very salty. I like what they are offering and it's reasonably priced...but way too salty.

I liked Sang on Wheels the couple times I tried it...but they don't seem to come over to the Metro Center area very often.

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I had CapMac yesterday for the first time. The MarcoBolo was decent and enough for dinner also. I would definitely go back for that on a wintery day!

And to any and all food cart operators out there reading this - please don't ignore the West End! There is nothing quick and easy over here and Furin's closing left us with just a crappy subway and the overpriced turkey place.

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I'm a big fan of SeoulFood DC - their food is always fresh and seems to be relatively healthy. I've tried the bibimbap, the Super Bowl, yukgaejang, the mega maki rolls (bulgogi), and the butternut squash curry. I think they've increased the portion sizes for some items - such as the super bowl - which had seemed a little skimpy when I first tried them. Their seasonal items, like the curry and the yukgaejang, have been very good and a nice addition to the menu. The owner/operators (Anna and Jon) are extremely nice and efficient - orders are filled very quickly. One day, arriving late, I found they had sold out of everything and were just getting ready to sit down and have their own lunch. Anna offered me some of her maki rolls. I declined, but the fact that she even offered was a sweet gesture. :) She almost always has a sample of something for you to try while you're waiting - hot tea, curry, a pumpkin rice cake.

Lemongrass is a newcomer to the Courthouse food truck rotation and made their first visit today. They have an straightforward menu of banh mi, vermicelli noodle bowls, salads, and tacos, along with three flavors of bubble tea. I ordered the vermicelli bowl topped with chicken. I also wanted to try the bubble tea, so got the combo that included a taco and bubble tea (for an extra $4, compared to $3.75 for the tea alone). The slow roasted pork on the taco was very flavorful, though not what I was expecting as it was pulled. I would definitely order the tacos again. The noodle bowl was filling, with lots of banh mi toppings - lettuce, pickled carrots and radish, cilantro. The chicken wasn't bad, though nowhere near as good as the pork.

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Hula Girl truck is okay, but didn't knock my socks off. I was hoping to be able to recommend it to my coworkers, but if you aren't nostalgic for HI food, I don't think it has the same appeal.

TastyKabob, however, I am in complete accord, is consistently the best truck I've tried. I also want to give a shout-out to La Ficelle, which serves super-fresh sandwiches on skinny baguettes.

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Agreed that Tasty Kabob is worthwhile, and that virtually all others I've tried -- including Red Hook, District Taco, DC Empanada, Eat Wonky, Yellow Bulgogi, Hula Girl, CapMac, Basil Thyme, Ficelle, DC Swawarma, TaKorean and Sauca -- are not (worth it, that is).

Have had occasional good sandwiches from PORC, Floridano, and Feelin' Crabby, although haven't had any of those recently.

The big exception, I think, is Sang on Wheels, which can be fantastic. (What I like most about it is that it isn't ever quite the same, since Sang is basically cooking from scratch every day, with more soul and idiosyncrasy than any other truck.) If she's offering her lemongrass seafood soup, get it. And encourage her that it will be worth her while to cook even more authentic, spicier Laotian dishes!

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Lemongrass is a newcomer to the Courthouse food truck rotation and made their first visit today. They have an straightforward menu of banh mi, vermicelli noodle bowls, salads, and tacos, along with three flavors of bubble tea. I ordered the vermicelli bowl topped with chicken. I also wanted to try the bubble tea, so got the combo that included a taco and bubble tea (for an extra $4, compared to $3.75 for the tea alone). The slow roasted pork on the taco was very flavorful, though not what I was expecting as it was pulled. I would definitely order the tacos again. The noodle bowl was filling, with lots of banh mi toppings - lettuce, pickled carrots and radish, cilantro. The chicken wasn't bad, though nowhere near as good as the pork.

I had the slow roasted pork banh mi as they were parked today outside the CVS in Clarendon. I agree about the pork; it really just melts in your mouth. The banh mi is about as long as your forearm and goes for $7. The only criticism I have is the bread, which could have been crustier (which may have been affected by the ride home in the container causing it to soften up too much).

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Today I hit up the relatively new Chupacabra food truck on their stop at Metro Center...

...The verdict? Eh . . . As is the case every time I order tacos at a new place, I really, really wanted to like them. As is too often the case in DC, these were nothing special. The meat in the al pastor was probably the better, and more flavorful of the two, but neither were any great shakes. Both salsas were actually quite good. In the end, the poor quality of the tortillas and the relatively unflavorful meat kind of let the whole operation down. Among food truck tacos I'd probably put them behind District Taco and TaKorean. I'll probably give them another shot, but I certainly won't go out of my way for them.

I tried Chupacabra today. The al pastor was just okay, but the short rib barbacoa taco was excellent. There were several hunks of slow-cooked short rib on it, and it was gone too quickly because I was hungry. Also, the chicken tortilla soup was nice and tangy, with lots of chicken and avocado in it. It could have used a splash of hot sauce though. I'd definitely get those two again.

As for other trucks, it's hard for me to compare since this is a different style than the Asian taco trucks. I like Far East Taco Grill a little better than Takorean, just because their kimchee slaw was better. It was a month ago that I had that, so I don't remember many other details.

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Don't have much to add to goldenticket's original review above, except to say that while I've generally soured on food trucks these days (great to have options, but really, most of the food coming out of them is really just not that great) Seoul Food is one truck I keep coming back to.

You know ...

I've been wondering when a post like this might be written (here or elsewhere). Compared to our city's horrific hot dog carts, pretty much anything - even this thing - is going to seem like it should be on the cover of Relais & Châteaux.

But in general, a lot of things you get from food trucks just ... aren't ... that ... good.

It's wonderful to see the area infused with some life in its street culture, but it does seem like Food Truck Fetish is trekking in the faddishly frosted footsteps of Cupcake Craziness.

Beats the hell out of a soggy, gray hot dog, I guess.

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It's wonderful to see the area infused with some life in its street culture, but it does seem like Food Truck Fetish is trekking in the faddishly frosted footsteps of Cupcake Craziness.

Perhaps, now that the novelty has worn off, the next step will be a culling of food trucks, down to those that keep people coming back due to the quality of the food, and those that don't. If I see the Tasty Kabob truck, El Floridano, or the lasagna truck, I'm happy to go to them because I think the food is interesting and worthwhile. Others have their own favorites, obviously.

But while it was nice to see an Asian taco truck the first time, I'm less excited by the 4th (or 5th) version that's rolling around out there, and after the novelty of having a bulgogi burrito has worn off, I don't have a lot of interest in going back. Similar with the BBQ trucks that seem to be multiplying.

It does beat the hell out of a limp, of-unknown-provenance hot dog, though.

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The thing that has turned me off food trucks most is the price of the food. If the prices were actually cheaper than what you get in brick-and-mortar stores, I'd be more enthusiastic about trying more. Bit as it is, I go to the ones that have either the best value (TastyKabob or Yellow Cart) or the best food of their kind (BadaBing). Only one exception so far (Lemongrass) to my rules because of the sheer unavailability of bahn mi outside of Eden Center. I suppose for the size of the bahn mi (a foot long), it's on par with the cost of any other brick-and-mortar sandwich, so it doesn't hurt as much as the others.

Though I haven't tried a lot of the ones that only go around DC, such as El Floridano and La Ficelle. Maybe I'd add them to my list... I don't eat out for lunch often, in any case. Maybe twice a month at most.

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I realize that this is a pipe dream, but I'd love to see a food cart at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Chain Bridge Road in ugly downtown McLean.

You mean at the most pointlessly long stoplight in the world, other than the one on Sycamore Street and Washington Boulevard?

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You mean at the most pointlessly long stoplight in the world, other than the one on Sycamore Street and Washington Boulevard?

That's the one. Perhaps a food cart could hide in the lot one of the many gas stations in this wretched intersection.

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The Bratwurst King food truck is in Tysons Corner on Mondays and Tuesdays. I have been twice, ordered the same thing both times, and plan on returning as long as my waistline allows it. The menu is small but includes schnitzel, currywurst, bratwurst, and a couple of other items. Most sandwiches are $6 (and come with 1 side) and most platters are $9 (includes 2 sides and a pretzel roll). The sides are usually potato salad, sauerkraut, and red cabbage. On both of my visits I have gotten the shnitzel platter ($9) with potato salad and sauerkraut. The shnitzel is huge, dredged in (I believe) panko, and is fried perfectly. It remains crispy even after a car ride back to my office. The potato salad is terrific, with just enough dill and mustard to bring it together. The sauerkraut is delicious as well.

I definitely plan to explore the menu more. This is the type of place you hope succeeds, as the owner is incredibly friendly and his food will keep me coming back. I only hope that the off-beat location (near the Hilton Garden Inn on Boone Blvd where it intersects with Howard Ave) can support his business.

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Agreed that Tasty Kabob is worthwhile, and that virtually all others I've tried -- including Red Hook, District Taco, DC Empanada, Eat Wonky, Yellow Bulgogi, Hula Girl, CapMac, Basil Thyme, Ficelle, DC Swawarma, TaKorean and Sauca -- are not (worth it, that is).

Have had occasional good sandwiches from PORC, Floridano, and Feelin' Crabby, although haven't had any of those recently.

The big exception, I think, is Sang on Wheels, which can be fantastic. (What I like most about it is that it isn't ever quite the same, since Sang is basically cooking from scratch every day, with more soul and idiosyncrasy than any other truck.) If she's offering her lemongrass seafood soup, get it. And encourage her that it will be worth her while to cook even more authentic, spicier Laotian dishes!

I'm still of the view that the vast majority of the D.C. food trucks are, alas, not worth the $$. Those that are decent tend to charge much more than comparable trucks in NYC. (The Jose Andres Pepe truck is a prime example -- very good sandwiches, but they cost as much or more than if you got them at Jaleo itself; they should be considerably less, but I'm sure they're charging what the market will bear . . . . Salt River Lobster, too.) In the past I've touted Sang on Wheels as an exception -- see above -- very good value for often-excellent, nongeneric food (albeit somewhat unpredictable).

I've happened upon two other trucks in recent days that show great promise, at least based on a single visit -- ChefDriven, which although not cheap is putting out excellent food -- actually worth what they charge -- and, believe it or not (I didn't, but it's for real) . . . http://pbjtruckdc.com/. The "Spicy Pig" was really good, and very generous, and only $6. If you're not too embarrassed to be seen standing in line, check it out.

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I am rarely downtown for lunch, but one day early last week I was (and with a parking spot a block from Farragut Square), so I went over to the square to explore the food truck options. After walking around and browsing the many possibilities, (and not having read this thread) I ended up choosing Sang on Wheels. I got a chicken and noodles dish with broccoli. The serving was huge. The wide noodles were abundant and a little bit gummy, but there was plenty of chicken and broccoli which were delicious and with a little bit of the noodles, more than enough for a satisfying lunch. I noticed that the crew at the Fojol Brothers truck had non-descript whimsical hats on, keeping their carnival theme with less controversy. I would have tried their food, but what they had on offer didn't really appeal to me... ?berbere with beets?

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I've happened upon two other trucks in recent days that show great promise, at least based on a single visit -- ChefDriven, which although not cheap is putting out excellent food -- actually worth what they charge -- and, believe it or not (I didn't, but it's for real) . . . http://pbjtruckdc.com/. The "Spicy Pig" was really good, and very generous, and only $6. If you're not too embarrassed to be seen standing in line, check it out.

A very good turkey meatloaf banh mi today reminded me that the Floridano truck also offers at least two very worthwhile options -- that and the roat pork/mango sandwich.

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I had a heckuva time trying to find this thread! Why is it labeled Food carts? Who thinks of "cart" when they are doing a search? Obviously not me :P And the DR search actually finally came thru over google.

Anyhow, just wanted to share that a new food truck was spotted today at 20th and L called Capital Chicken and Waffles. I wasn't able to try their chicken, but the banana pudding was pretty darn tasty. A nice size to bring home for dessert tho' pricey at $6+ change. I actually got some chicken from the NY Deli around the corner that I know I can eat (w/o garlic) and bought a waffle to put it on. The waffles were fine; as one would expect they will get a bit soft if you have to walk too far from the truck. But my own creation with their honey mustard was pretty spot on. They also have Turkey Chilli and coming soon, mac and cheese.

And there was a Cheesesteak truck there as well--BLB I'm wondering if this is the dreadful one you had or not? It was called Cheesequake...difficult to tell if it is any good or not but it seemed a bit disorganized. Before noon and it appeared they were cooking to order as the line was NOT moving.

Thankfullly, we are getting a lot more trucks gathering in this area of late. Thursday seems to be the day when the most are at 20th and L. Fridays there's always a line at the Pho truck. Better get there early tomorrow...

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In case you guys haven't found it already, www.foodtruckfiesta.com scrapes the twitter feeds of most of the food trucks and plots them on a google map. So you can know at a glance which trucks are near you that day, instead of wandering out and being surprised/disappointed, or trying to twitterstalk the trucks you like in order.

As for trucks themselves:

-Sate is Satay Sarinah's food truck. Sadly the nasi goreng doesn't lend itself to food truck logistics, but when I was there last they told me the truck wouldn't have it, so I had time to get my tastebuds talked down off the ledge. the combo box I got for $10 was full of tasty rice and curry and veggies and chicken. Since I don't get down to Alexandria nearly often enough, this is a nice way to get some of their tasty food

-PhoWheels. This is probably my favorite truck. They know me by now, and recite my order to me: a pork belly banh mi on croissant roll, with an egg. The only question is whether I go for the deep-fried sous-vide-poached egg, or just the fried egg. Oh, their pho is tasty, too, but harder to transport. If you aren't eating it right away they will pack the noodles separately, just let them know.

-Dangerously Delicious Pies some days, a slice of chicken pot pie and a side salad just hits the spot. I find their sweet offerings way too sweet, but the savory pies are a nice change. The crust can be substantial/dry (the perils of trying to stand up to the filling without disintegrating), but I find the crust great for mopping up the last of the balsamic vinegar from the salad.

-CapMac this was ok. I mean, I wouldn't walk a mile out of my way for it or anything, like I have for PhoWheels, but perfectly acceptable lunch fare.

-SUNdeVITCH Maybe Naylor Court is too hard to get to. After being closed for winter, the Sundevitch truck is back hitting the streets. Actually, it was the awesome smells emanating from the truck last year at dupont market that convinced me to walk a mile to try the sandwich shop. I've never actually tried the truck, but SUNdeVITCH makes awesome sandwiches. If you can't make it to the shop, you owe it to yourself to have one of their sandwiches.

-DC Empanadas Food truck and at Union Market. When in the mood for a piping hot, fried empanada, this really hits the spot. Frequently I will get one at Union Market because a wave of hunger overtakes me and I don't have enough strength to finish my shopping without one.

-PEPE is a known (minimal) quantity. I haven't looked at their menu in a while, but in summer, the gazpacho was the best deal on the menu, because you got a bowl of soup *and* a "baguette". That minimal baguette is the foundation of their sandwiches; it's great in soup but as a sandwich base it amounts to a $14 appetizer. Bah.

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I got gumbo from SundeVitch today and wasn't that impressed -- definitely spicy, but not much depth beneath the heat (though it did have plenty of chicken and some chorizo and rice, and what looked like celery - didn't see okra). Next time I will get a sandwich instead, since you say they're great.

Got a pina colada cupcake from the SweetBites truck -- WOW. Will most definitely go there again. Moist, full of pineapple flavor and pieces of coconut, with rum buttercream on top - just delectable.

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Proposed food truck regulations should worry those of us that like them...

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/03/20/curbed-could-new-regulations-kill-d-c-s-food-truck-culture/

Notice the link in the piece tells you how to submit public comments.

Thanks for finding this! I saw it in my email yesterday but when I went to post I could not locate it. I didn't want to speak without knowing all the details so was going to look for the info this weekend. The Post also has something in the Weekend section in Tim Carman's $20 finds about the upcoming regulations and how it may shut down quite a few trucks.

While I understand trying to find a good balance for the brick and mortar and the food trucks, it just seems like DC Govt is being a little too restrictive.

And a big thank you to whomever updated the thread title. :wub:

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And a big thank you to whomever updated the thread title. :wub:

[At your service, as always. :)]

The question is: should we have separate threads for Food Trucks and Food Carts?

The second question is for leleboo: what is the rule for capitalizing the first word after a colon?

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I've just finished giving the Food Trucks and Carts section of the Dining Guide a thorough once-over, and it's now completely up-to-date.

With Food Trucks, it's critical to have their Twitter account, so I've included all of those in the listings (I hope to do this for all restaurants one day, but this was the obvious first priority).

Several trucks had closed since the last time I went through the list, so it was time well-spent. Remember, there are only entries if we have an existing thread, so there are many, many food trucks in the area that are unrepresented in the Dining Guide. Please help us remedy this by starting a thread for your favorite truck, and I'll be sure to update the guide accordingly.

Thanks, and whew! It's been a long day. I hope this helps everyone.

Cheers,

Rocks

PS - On a personal note, thank you to Willie's Po Boy, DC Empanadas, Bada Bing, and the closed Sixth and Rye for following @DCDining on Twitter.

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Driving down Columbia Pike this morning (Sat), I noticed a Shaffers BBQ truck. Has anyone tried it?

The website says their location/hours are:

3507 Columbia Pike (1 block west of Glebe)

Sat: 10:30 am- 2 pm April to Nov

Columbia Pike Farmers Market

Every other Sun, 9 am - 1 pm

Their twitter is @BBQPalace

(No discussion of it in the Columbia Pike Farmers Market thread)

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With Food Trucks, it's critical to have their Twitter account, so I've included all of those in the listings (I hope to do this for all restaurants one day, but this was the obvious first priority).

Or you can just go here to see the latest tweets for all of the trucks.  ;)

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From Carlyle Community Council's newsletter:

Restaurant Interests Speak Out at Food Truck Meeting
Alexandria's restaurant interests made a strong showing at the City's Food Truck Advisory Group meeting on January 29th to voice their concerns about the City allowing food truck vendors to operate in Alexandria. Owners of Carlyle's Artfully Chocolate and Subway were present as well as the Carlyle Community Council. Other Carlyle businesses submitted written comments.
Currently food trucks can operate at construction sites or for special events. Restaurants from fine dining to fast food were united in raising concerns the impact food trucks would have on brick and mortar restaurants. Although food trucks have become popular in Washington D.C., they contend the market in Alexandria is not conducive to support additional eateries in the community. Questions were raised about unfair competition since food trucks do not have the same overhead costs as storefront restaurants. Food trucks can take advantage of high demand times and pack up and go when it's slow. Other concerns include parking, litter and aesthetics. Food truck vendors in attendance contend food trucks attract new customers and would not siphon off customers from existing restaurants. They view food trucks as being entrepreneurial and would add vitality to an area.
An initial proposal recommended Carlyle as one of three designated areas for food trucks. CCC adopted a resolution last fall opposing food trucks in Carlyle on an ongoing basis. Alexandria restaurateur, Mike Anderson, owner of the soon-to-open Sweet Fire Donna's, serves on the Advisory Group.
Alexandria's City Manager created the Food Truck Advisory Group last year to hear input from the community and then make recommendations to the City Manager that would be considered by the City Council. The Group consists of members representing restaurants, food trucks, citizens, economic development and farmers' markets. Draft recommendations are expected for its February meeting.
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