My first forays into food trucks were wildly satisfying. So much so that I felt like my mini-reviews had all the bite of Helen Thomas’s coverage of the White House.
Fortunately (for my credibility as an objective reviewer, if not for my stomach), I’ve had a few less impressive experiences this past week.
In keeping with my Summer Challenge (by which I mean trying a new food truck each week, hardship that it is), today I found myself hovering between three trucks, completely indecisive. There was Stix (which does veggie, meat, or fruit kabobs on the grill), Tasty Kabob (ironically, less kabob-by than Stix, but featuring gyros and halal meat), and Sauça Pangea (more eclectic world cuisine).
I took a false step toward each truck, got in the longest line (Kabob) and then felt guilty for not patronizing the underdog, so shifted to Sauça at the last minute. Man, I’m glad I did.
Sure, I’ll try the others later this summer (they looked great as well), but the menu at Sauça really just struck my cravings. Even after making the shift, I was torn on what to get. The menu options (each for $8) included: Mumbai Butter Chicken, Polpette Marineara and Mexicali Fish Tacos.
I got (also for $8) the Beef Shawarma. I was not disappointed. Loads of sliced, flavored beef served on a fluffy pita with fresh tomatoes, spices and — the dealmaker: a great chimichurri sauce? Heaven.
As I counted out my singles, the guy working the register (sitting in what appeared to be the passenger seat of the van) was singing along to “Billie Jean,” which didn’t exactly blast onto the sidewalk, but appeared to give the truck a rocking internal beat.
Late for a meeting (but sad to miss the moonwalk), I grabbed my food to go and toted it back to my office, where the entire DC team was holed up in a meeting.
I took a seat at the table, and as soon as I unveiled my sandwich, then meeting derailed.
“Holy shit,” someone said. “Where did you get that?”
I explained that it came from a food truck, and then was rewarded by getting to explain what a food truck was, making me happy that I was not, in fact, the last person on the bandwagon. (“There will be dolls uglier than you, Jillian,” I thought with a smile.)
By the time I peeled back the foil and revealed the full glory (and aroma) of the shawarma, every person at the table was drooling asking me to draw a map to the truck. And I couldn’t blame them: it was fabulous.
The only downside to the meal: chimichurri in my teeth. But that’s not actually Sauça’s fault. That blame goes to my orthodontist, Dr. Balbach (rhymes with Ball-Sack) for ambitiously providing me with a straight smile AND a facial herb rack.
In summary: I definitely recommend visiting this truck (in fact, I can’t wait to try some of the other menu items), but I advise bringing dental floss if you don’t want to look like a carved up jack-o-lantern when you’re done eating. In other words: BYODF.
Apparently, street food is all the rage. As with most trends, I’m late hopping on the bandwagon. It reminds me of the year I asked for a Cabbage Patch Doll for Christmas months after the cool kids had requested theirs, leaving me holding a homemade “Cabbage Patch” with a head made from stuffed nylons. True story. In retrospect, I now realize my doll was more awesome.
Back to food trucks. I’ve known of the Lobster truck, with its butter-soaked lobster rolls ($15), for at least a year. Of course, I haven’t actually tried one yet, because I’m so cheap I can’t justify a double-digit lunch, but I’ve at least seen it before. Maybe if I ever have cause to celebrate, I’ll go bananas and find a friend to split a roll with me. Because I’m just that wild!
pithypants 