Read Queenedix’s previous food truck reviews here. Follower her on twitter @queenedix.

Roadside burger stands are as American as apple pie, the bald eagle, and having to hold 30 different televised debates before a political party can select a presidential nominee. As a kid, my favorite outings were occasional family trips to the local drive-up burger joint. Whether you sat in the car eating, took your food to the local 4th of July fireworks display or drive-in movie park, or simply headed home, the opportunity to order a freshly-made, high-quality burger, better and faster than any fast-food joint, was something special. The mental image of it is downright nostalgic, and I’d imagine this nostalgia is part of what drove the excitement when Dorothy Moon’s Gourmet Burgers announced their presence last fall.

DC is no stranger to the burger craze. Bobby Flay offers one with watercress and goat cheese, locally-grown Five Guys seems to be on every corner, and the abundance of places like Shake Shack, Good Stuff Eatery, Black and Orange, and Columbia Height’s (coming soon?) Z Burger indicates there must be demand somewhere in this city for MORE CHEESEBURGERS. With so much competition, new places have to sell a pretty darn amazing burger to stay in the game. Unfortunately, Dorothy Moon’s roadside novelty might not be enough to keep it in the game against the big players.

Dorothy Moon Burgers

2.5 seconds

“Dorothy Moon’s Gourmet Burgers” is a lot of things. The truck is a cheery bright purple; the menu is abundant with topping options; and the prices are extremely reasonable ($6 for a single patty, $2 more for a double, and $4 more for a triple). However, the truck is poorly named, being nowhere near “gourmet.” I tried four different combinations of burgers over the course of a few weeks, going back to re-test a basic order a few times. The topping selections are as follows: lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions, teriyaki mushrooms, bacon, a fried egg, teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, mayo, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and sriracha. Cheese options include cheddar, swiss, and provolone. I attempted a variety of combinations, including: Traditional (cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onions, ketchup, mustard, and a little mayo), Asian-influenced (teriyaki mushrooms, onions, teriyaki sauce, sriracha, and provolone), and a “farmhouse” burger (lettuce, tomato, fried egg, bacon, onions, cheddar cheese). The burgers are very, very similar to Five Guys in terms of size, composition, and appearance.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Read Queenedix’s previous food truck reviews here.

One of my favorite ways to eat lunch is also one that takes shape in nearly every country on earth: the sandwich. Take nearly any meat or cheese, some produce, and a local condiment, and two slices of bread, and you can make magic. The universal appeal of a good sandwich is undeniable—and one of the best ways to serve food from a truck as it maximizes convenience into something you can eat on the go. Although the nightmarish image of a week-old convenience store egg salad sandwich occasionally haunts me, I have a deeply-held love for this particular form of food, especially when it hails from a region I’m not familiar with—like the chivito sandwiches at Mojo Truck. It took time, and the help of a few friends, but when I finished making my way through the menu options, I was convinced that this review is far from the last time I will go searching for some sandwich mojo.

Mojo Truck

3.5 seconds

Twitter: @mojotruck

One of the first things you notice at Mojo truck is their sandwich ingredients: this is not your typical tuna salad on wheat. Each sandwich option comes with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and—wait for it—a fried egg. To make things interesting, you can upgrade to the Canadian—the standard toppings, plus thinly slice ham (on top of your meat option) and grilled onions. As if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, their “special” comes with all that AND avocado and bacon.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Read Queenedix’s previous food truck reviews here.

Pizza is, most often, a food produced for mass consumption and not maximum enjoyment. Great local options aside, most people think Papa John’s when imagining pizza, not Paradiso. Within the last week, somewhere in America, a group of college students celebrated the end of their term by purchasing several 18-packs of reduced-calorie pale lager, ignoring the concept of moderation, blasting top-40 hits on Spotify, and, inevitably, ordering some quantity of low-quality pizza from a national chain pizza restaurant. Because it lacks flavor anyway, it will be dunked in “garlic sauce” and ranch dressing, serving mostly as an alcohol absorbent and not an enjoyable meal. Pizza is a food that can become sublime, even gourmet (Graffiato’s Countryman pizza springs to mind), and yet most pizzas are made as cheaply and quickly as possible—a reality that made me extremely skeptical of DC Slices, one of the oldest food trucks in the city. Perhaps I should blame months of hearing about Herman Cain and Godfather’s Pizza for subliminally instigating my pizza cravings, but I finally ignored my fear of disappointment and dove into the DC Slices menu.

DC Slices

Pizza: 3 Seconds

Tater Tots: 4.5 Seconds

There are a few things you might hear at a food truck that immediately reassure you of your lunchtime decision. “Would you like fresh basil on your pizza?” and “Your food might take a few minutes, we cook to order,” are two such comments. DC Slices is a solid, reliable, affordable lunch option that might not compete with the specialty restaurants around town, but firmly rests many levels above your average chain or lunch-takeout pizza joint. At $4 a slice, or $5 combined with a soda, it is the best lunch deal I’ve found so far. Their tomato sauce is homemade and well-seasoned, the dough is soft enough to fold your slice but still has a good chewiness, and your pizza is served melty-hot out of the oven. The cheese and pepperoni options were solid; their version of my personal favorite combo, sausage and onion, was tasty but not terribly exciting—the flavors of sausage and onion didn’t stand out on their own from the sauce either time I sampled it.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

1st Yellow Vendor

Read Queenedix’s previous reviews here.

For those of you who remember the dark days when chicken curry was merely a glimmer in a Fojol’s eye and food carts in D.C. almost exclusively served reheated half-smokes alongside “FBI” t-shirts, you might recall a small yellow cart run by a mother-son team that parked at 15th and L and served Korean food. This cart, the Original Gangster of D.C. food trucks, first appeared in 2007 and seems to have bred a curious phenomenon—in a city without many duplicative competing food truck concepts, there are at least 4 different trucks in the Greater D.C. area focusing on Korean cuisine. Even more intriguing—two of the carts, Yellow Vendor and 1st Yellow Vendor, are often assumed to be related but are actually in fierce competition with one another, and have taken to Twitter repeatedly to make it clear they are NOT affiliated…although their trucks, names, and serving methods are nearly identical. I can’t help but suspect there’s more of a connection, probably even a familial one, which makes the competition between these trucks especially interesting.

Given that this many similar trucks are in business, I decided to investigate the seemingly booming bulgogi market. Since we’ll be taking next week off for Thanksgiving, I reviewed not one or two, but three different Korean trucks in the Ultimate Bulgogi Battle. I checked out the bulgogi/chicken combo, spicy combo, and kimchi at AZNEats, Yellow Vendor, and 1st Yellow Vendor to determine the best option for your next Korean craving.

Yellow Vendor
3 seconds

AZN Eats
2.5 seconds

1st Yellow Vendor
1.5 seconds

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Read Queenedix’s previous reviews here.

Over the past few months, I’ve discovered a challenge in reviewing food trucks: Cost. When I check out new trucks (and readers, feel free to leave suggestions for future reviews when you comment on my pluralizing of traditional European desserts) I try to consider how good the food would be, objectively, to a random hungry passerby on a nice day, but also whether or not the cost is worth the food you receive. This in itself becomes an options-narrowing challenge—recently, I spent $18 on an entrée and side from a previously untested truck, only to determine that the quantity of food, overall quality, and cost didn’t compel me to go back and review the place again. I would think many of you, like me, would be hard-pressed to drop a $20 on a meal that doesn’t even include real silverware or a complimentary piece of bread.

In the hunt for a good, satisfying bargain, sometimes the most obvious solutions are also the best. This week I convened a circle of hungry friends to help me try Big Cheese Truck, the popular purveyor of things grilled and cheesy. Bringing together a group to taste has its benefits, especially with something as familiar as grilled cheese—there’s a lot less to quibble about than when trying a more complex dish. A variety of tasters help me figure out whether I subjectively reallllly love any kind of grilled cheese, or whether the sandwiches are, objectively, delicious. The verdict at this truck is clear: Big Cheese Truck is a new favorite spot.

Big Cheese Truck

4 seconds

I had already tried many of the offerings at Big Cheese Truck before convening my “tasting circle,” but I was glad I gave the truck another shot. On my first few visits, there was always something that made the sandwiches not-quite-perfect, like un-melted cheese in the sandwich’s center. Although it was not offered on the day of the tasting, I absolutely love the “Truffle Shuffle,” which I have seen on the menu and tried only once. Not for the faint of palate, this sandwich is loaded with flavor—black truffles in the cheese, smooth and earthy artichoke hearts on a slightly sweet, dark bread makes for a hell of a sandwich—one of the best ways I think I’ve ever spent $6.50. With the “tasting circle,” I re-sampled other menu items I’d tried before—the Midnight Moon, standard grilled cheese, “Thrilled Cheese,” and “Mt. Fuji.” We also dipped our crusts in Big Cheese’s homemade tomato soup.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Read Queenedix’s previous reviews here.

Believe it or not, Queenedix is actually one-quarter Italian. And not in the way everyone thinks MTV’s Jersey Shore cast is entirely Italian. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my first-generation Italian American grandfather lovingly picking figs, canning waxed peppers, and making sauce on a warm summer evening. Needless to say, “Ragu” was a four-letter word in my household—I hold Italian food, especially pasta, to pretty high standards. So when a consigliore raved about the manicotti at Basil Thyme food truck, I was skeptical. Family recipes? Handmade pasta? I imagined so many ways the food could go wrong, dreading an experience more JWoww than Don Corleone. But given that my most recent lunchtime experience with lasagna was courtesy of Lean Cuisine, I figured any truck chef who gets up before dawn to hand-make pasta deserves my confidence—and a posthumous nod of approval from my dear old grandpa.

Basil Thyme

4.5 Seconds

Basil Thyme gets it 100% right—from the crusty, browned edges of each substantial piece of lasagna to the amazing depth of flavor. The classic Linda claims to be just like Mama’s—and it absolutely delivers. Layers of fresh pasta, perfectly cooked, are lined with a fantastic, flavorful sauce, complete with chunks of tomato, well-seasoned ground beef, and smooth ricotta cheese. I like to pretend this is the meal Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone was planning the day she accidentally died in Fabrizio’s bomb plot gone wrong. Freshly-grated parmesan tops both the pasta and the salad—another wonderful touch. The Lisetta, pork in vodka sauce, is equally flavorful, although I could have done with a little more meat in my portion. The Giuseppe (points off for misspelling it on their menu) is a wonderful combinationof savory and sweet butternut squash, cooked tender but not mushy, and soft, tangy goat cheese—topped with fried basil leaves. And the cannoli—the cannoli! It changes regularly, but the pistachio version I tried was outstanding. It might be the best food truck dessert offered.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user yostinator

Read Queenedix’s Eat Wonky critique here.

Despite my love of food trucks, I’m the first to admit that the food, at least in the still-infantile DC truck market, derives more of its appeal from the novelty of being made on a moving tank of propane than it does from balanced seasoning and nuanced flavors. When you’re competing with overdressed $12 salads, reheated Chinese takeout bars, and the ever-popular $5 footlong, it doesn’t take much to provide at least baseline gastronomic satisfaction. To be honest, after last week’s review, I sort of dreaded blowing $25 to taste the entire menu of a new truck, only to determine it wouldn’t be worth eating after a second on the floor.

However, there are a few instances when food truck meals rise above the typical fare to provide a dining experience capable of competing with some of DC’s better restaurants. Every once in a while, you try food that isn’t just a greasy chaser to calm your hangover or a fun Friday “cheat” on your latest weight-loss regiment. Sometimes, you find a truck serving food that is complex, balanced, rich, satisfying, and affordable—a place you return to without guilt because the mere pleasure of experiencing the food again is worth a 20 minute wait in line. I had intended to try something new this week, but noticed a personal favorite, *Takorean*, parked outside my office on Tuesday, and was inspired to bring you my thoughts on a truck I find truly exceptional. Sometimes, you have to set the highest bar to know how good everything else is, and in my opinion, Takorean (and a very small handful of other trucks in DC) set that bar.

After all, any place that makes tofu taste THIS good deserves high accolades.

Takorean

*4.5 seconds*

Takorean excels partly because they offer a small number of options in their very specific niche, and they do these things very well. Start with options of beef, chicken, or tofu, all marinated in a sweet and slightly spicy bulgogi-style sauce. On my first visit to Takorean shortly after it opened, the tofu option was sold out—an early indication of just how good this protein, so often scorned by meat-lovers like myself, is at Takorean. You can add napa slaw or kimchi (a tough decision, as the slaw is crisp and sweet and the kimchi tangy and punchy) and then a smattering of toppings best ordered all together, as “the works.” These include a crema (much like crème fraiche), sriacha hot sauce, and sesame seeds. Everything comes wrapped in a freshly grilled corn tortilla (props for the grill marks to prove it).

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Read Queenedix’s BBQ Bus critique here.

In cities across the globe, you need only peek out your hotel room after midnight to see throngs of people emerging from noisy discotheques, smoky speakeasies, and raucous dive bars and flocking to the nearest late-night eatery. In Bangkok, you can chase papaya salad and spicy noodles with a Singha as two Muay Thai fighters batter each other beyond recognition in a nearby ring. You can stumble away from your fifth litre of beer in Germany and sober up with a döner kebab. In New York, a slice of pizza is always just around the corner (I highly recommend Artichoke Basille’s, which tops crusty pizza with warm artichoke dip. Zantac sold separately). The fact is, I love late-night local eats, but one city’s signature dish has eluded me for years despite hearing countless stories about it: poutine.

Why poutine? And why haven’t I tried it? First of all, it combines two food items I love most: Cheese, and gravy. I love gravy. I love everything about it. If it were socially acceptable to order gravy like a milkshake, I would consider doing so. I first heard about poutine from a (male) friend who had traveled to Montreal for a (bachelor) party. He insisted that after a “quiet” night with friends at one of Montreal’s famous (strip) clubs, the poutine he tried was among the greatest things he had ever eaten. I was intrigued. Something that could soak up the hefty alcohol content of a Canadian lager AND absolve the guilt one must inevitably feel after watching women gyrate on poles for CAD$2 coins? Given that I myself couldn’t travel to Canada to replicate the experience, my ongoing fascination drove me to Eat Wonky for this week’s review.

Eat Wonky
1.5 seconds

Eat Wonky focuses on just a few menu items—poutine, the Wonky dog (a hot dog covered in poutine), a cheese curd grilled cheese sandwich, plain fries or hot dog, and whoopee pies. After sampling their food several times, alone and with friends, I’d say the truck’s appeal lies mainly in its unique focus and not in its food.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

The 5-Second Rule by Queenedix

A few months ago, I consulted with my good friend, the Prince of Petworth, about contributing something to the blog. Having resided in Columbia Heights for six years, I wanted to bring something new to the table. I considered all of the most popular topics being discussed in the comments section and on twitter—dog parks, beer, passive-aggressive attitudes towards noisy neighbors, debates over gentrification—and nothing really felt right. There is, however, one thing that I know as well, if not better, than anyone else—global street food. And DC’s recent influx of food trucks is a fantastic local interpretation. Welcome to the 5-Second Rule, PoPville’s official unofficial food truck critique.

What qualifies me to review food trucks? Probably nothing. But, I am a true street food fanatic, having lived and traveled all over the world and sampled local street fare in dozens of countries. With cash in hand and creative disguise in place (I’m thinking mohawk, aviator sunglasses, chuba) I will anonymously patronize DC’s finest rolling restaurants and bring you the good, the bad, and the ugly for your consideration, commentary, and (knowing you all) criticism.

Now, how to rate the trucks? I will evaluate them on a scale of 1 to 5 seconds, 5 being the best…meaning, if a truck receives a 5, the food is so good that I would eat it even after it had been on the ground for 5 seconds. The less-than-stellar options wouldn’t even be worth eating after 1 second. To clarify, this would be if it dropped on a clean kitchen or hardwood floor, not in an outdoor location with gravel and dirt. See where I’m going with this?

Enjoy!

DC BBQ Bus
4 seconds

My food truck adventure begins with a relative newcomer to the DC area – DC BBQ Bus. To be honest, the whim that drove me there wasn’t even barbeque. Reading about Oktoberfest left me craving truly authentic German potato salad, to the point that I actually had a dream about it. Seriously. I dreamt I was sitting at a picnic table eating potato salad. That was the extent of my dream. I needed a fix, badly.

Fortunately, DC BBQ Bus provided insanely good potato salad—and way, way more. Co-owner Tadd Ruddell-Tabisola overheard me mentioning potato salad and, before I knew it, was handing me a sample-sized portion. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe,” he said, “but no mayonnaise. I hate mayonnaise.”

(Note: This reviewer is not above being swayed by free samples).

The potato salad was just the beginning of an incredibly satisfying meal on both occasions I tried the truck. I tasted the pulled pork, smoked beef, ribs, and the spicy chicken sandwich, and tested the potato salad, BBQ Bus beans, buttermilk corn biscuit, slaw, and corn salad (from the special daily menu).

When it comes to barbeque, Ruddell-Tabisola knows what he’s doing. The pork and beef were both tender, juicy and loaded with flavor. Neither of the meats were greasy and they literally fell apart at fork-touch. The pork was rich and briny, reminiscent of Carolina pulled-pork without the abrasive kick of vinegar. The ribs were not as exciting—a little dry and lukewarm after a short walk from the truck to my dining location—but the addition of their No. 5 sauce made up for anything the ribs lacked. The sauce is smoky and sweet with a tiny kick, with way more depth than anything you’d get out of a jar. The chicken sandwich was good as well—along with No. 5 sauce, the house-pickled jalapenos were an explosion of spice. Any of the sandwiches, which come with two sides, would be a flavorful and filling lunch or dinner option.

Continues after the jump. (more…)