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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).

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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.

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