Not Clarendon-related, but too cool of an event not to share.
DCers: Truckeroo is happening this Friday, July 15th
25 food trucks. Live music. Free admission. Half and M St SE.
Be there!
Sinplicity Ice Cream Truck will be in Clarendon this afternoon!!
I stumbled upon a new favorite food truck this afternoon: the Sinplicity Ice Cream truck. Whatever you think of when you think of ice cream, just throw that out the window, and be prepared for something that will make all other ice cream look like cardboard. I’m serious. I don’t normally like to demand that my readers follow my advice, but in this case.. I am begging you to take my advice and go find that truck when it pulls into Clarendon this afternoon, and order a SINWICH!
A Sinwich is sinful, indeed, but it’s the good kind of sin. It’s the kind of sin that you just don’t regret, no matter how guilty you may feel afterwards. It consists of creamy ice cream sandwiched between 2 soft macaroons. There are 4 different flavors. Two of us got the ‘Cow Pie’, and another friend got the ‘Black & White’. I can’t explain how good these are. We weren’t jaded by the heat, either. It’s cold & refreshing, yes, but it’s also something none of us ever had the pleasure of experiencing until today. The macaroons are delicious, soft, easy to bite into, and the ice cream is fabulous - probably the best ice cream I’ve had in DC. I don’t like to throw those superlatives out, but it’s true. These aren’t “hard” or “too cold” like other ice cream sandwiches. They are just an absolute pleasure to eat. Go get yours this afternoon. Who knows when the next time Clarendon will get graced with Sinplicity. Food trucks don’t seem to like us, for some reason.
Black & White: Blackberry Macaroon, Berry Compote, & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Cow Pie: Chocolate Macaroons, chocolate ice cream, and chunks of Kahlua-laced brownies
We walked away completely addicted, and yes, we may have a 2nd one when the truck rolls into Clarendon this afternoon, even though 2 of us will be putting on our swimsuits on at the beach next week.
Follow Sinplicity on Twitter & Facebook
EDIT:
Sinplicity will pull up around 5:30 PM this afternoon, and the following treats will be available:
Ice-creams:
Sorbets:
Ice-Cream “SinWiches”
Others
DC’s Curbside Cookoff
One of the biggest food truck wars to hit the streets is happening here in DC this Thursday and Friday. The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory affairs has organized DC’s first annual Curbside Cookoff. The cookoff will feature 20 of the area’s most popular food trucks, including (but not limited to) Red Hook Lobster Truck, District Taco, Fojol Bros., Curbside Cupcakes, Takorean, and the newest truck to the scene, DC Empanadas! See the full list of trucks here.
This is your moment to indulge in some of our country’s greatest four-wheel-food. The cookoff will take place Thursday, Oct. 7 and Friday, Oct. 8 from 11 AM until 9 PM at the CityCenter DC. Admission is free.
It’s not just food you’ll find at the event. Between meals, you’ll be able to enjoy art, music, tons of people-watching, and even yoga!
Hope you can make it!
District Taco is FINALLY coming to Clarendon! Many of you already know about my distaste for Clarendon’s Mexican variety (or lack thereof). I was happy to hear that District Taco will finally be making not just one, but 2 appearances here and near.
This morning, District Taco is serving up its famous tacos at the Arlington Farmer’s Market in Courthouse. If you haven’t had breakfast/brunch yet, go grab yourself some breakfast tacos.
Then on Monday, District Taco will be parked in Clarendon. As soon as I know the exact location and times, I’ll update everyone.
Let’s all get out there and support one of our only chances to have good tacos in Clarendon!
(image via Steve L.’s Yelp)
Empanadas!
The food truck frenzy strikes again - this time, in the form of a stuffed pastry - the empanada! Empanada Truck DC has begun the rigmarole of street vending, including prepping the truck, acquiring the proper permits, and finalizing the menu. Some of the empanadas that you might see on their menu include savory ones such as thai, bacon cheeseburger and buffalo chicken, as well as sweet ones including apple pie and chocolate. (can I put in a request here? NUTELLA!) Empanada Truck DC is planning on hitting up the streets of DC, Virginia, and Maryland.
Unbeknown to most, Empanada Truck DC actually already has one competitor in the heart of Clarendon: El Chaparral Meat Market.
If your food preferences are anything like mine, Clarendon just doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to Latin American fare. Mexicali Blues is a far cry from anything authentic and La Tasca has a handful of good dishes, but none of Clarendon dining establishments serve the Latin comfort food I frequently yearn for. I was thrilled when I walked into El Chaparral for the first time and saw the golden empanadas sitting under the heat lamps near the cash register. That may not sound like the romantic date with a Latin favorite you yearn for, but when fresh, this little empanada will sweep you off your feet. The handmade dough is filled with a tomato-based seasoned ground beef, onions, and diced black olives, then baked to a golden flaky finish.
One very important disclaimer: El Chaparral completely lacks consistency. Some days, the empanada will consist of a stale crust with dry filling (clearly at least a day old). Other days, it will taste like a different empanada all-together with a tasteless bread shell much paler in color and a different combination of ingredients in the filling, including chopped hard-boiled eggs. Every once in awhile, they won’t have any empanadas at all.
That said, if you happen to catch them early enough in the day, and find empanadas resembling the picture above, it’s worth the risk.
In the meantime, I look forward to a little 4-wheel competition!
(Note: I have yet to try out the lunchtime food trucks servicing the Clarendon Center constructions workers, but I would wager to guess that Clarendon’s best kept Mexican/Latin secret just might be on those wheels).
Posted August 10, 2010 at 9:49am in
Food Trucks El Chaparral Empanada Truck DC Mexicali Blues La Tasca
Lobster Truck Rolling In!
Good news for all you food truck (and seafood) junkies: DC’s newest and the very highly anticipated food truck - Red Hook Lobster Pound - is finally on its way, and will be hitting the streets of DC, Maryland, and Virginia one week from today! Next Friday’s route is still unclear, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a little Clarendon lovin’ at dinner, which would give Rebel Heroes (the other “RH” food truck) some friendly competition.
Red Hook began its journey in Brooklyn, NY, where it served up fresh lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, Lobster n Grits, and homemade Whoopie pies to hungry New Yorkers, who became instantly hooked (no pun intended), giving Red Hook’s buttery lobster buns stellar reviews on Yelp.
To find out when and where the truck will be, follow Red Hook on Facebook and Twitter.
(Photograph courtesy of Yvette W. via Yelp)
Rebel Heroes
The food truck craze that began in NYC is slowly beginning to saturate the DC area. One of the first food trucks to hit Clarendon up is Rebel Heroes. Rebel Heroes specializes in sub sandwiches with a Vietnamese and Cuban twist. Some of the common ingredients you’ll find in the subs are seasoned mayo, scallions, cilantro, pickles, and your choice of meat or veggie, such as pork, chicken, or tofu. All are served on a split french baguette.
You’ll spot the truck along the orange line in either Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, or Ballston during lunch and dinner hours.
Today, Rebel Heroes rolled into Clarendon for lunch service, so hubby and I decided to try it out. (if you want to know where and when RH will be, follow @RebelHeroes on Twitter or ‘Like’ their Facebook page). One of the many perks of being married is that we always get to share each other’s food, and in this case, we each took a half of each other’s sandwich. This perk came in especially handy today since one of the heroes clearly won out over the other.
Hubby ordered the #1 ($5.50 Roast Pork Bahn Mi) and I ordered the #7 ($6.00 Macho Meatball). We also ordered a Vietnamese coffee to share as a scorching-hot-afternoon treat.
The #1 Roast Pork Bahn Mi consisted of sliced roast pork, lime mayo, scallions, cilantro, cucumber, pickled daikon, and carrots. It had great flavor, but the bread was a bit stale (somewhat difficult to chew), and the filling wasn’t as plentiful as what the bread needed. We both agreed that the sandwich either needed less bread or more filling.
The #7 Macho Meatball, on the other hand, was absolutely perfect. The filling consisted of juicy crumbled pork, melted swiss, spicy mayo, scallions, cilantro, and pickled daikon and carrots. The bread was soft and fresh, and the savory juices from the pork seeped into the bread (without making it soggy), making every bite much more enjoyable.
The Vietnamese coffee was delicious. I’m a sucker for iced coffee drinks, and I can drink them like water if I’m not careful, so I tried to pace myself from slurping the entire thing down too quickly. It was rich, refreshing, and sweet (but not too sweet.) It needed a bit more ice (took about 5 minutes before the ice had completely cooled it), but it was worth it.
Even though one of our subs was less than par, we would definitely order from Rebel Heroes again. The Macho Meatball was unlike anything we’ve ever ordered from a truck, and at only $6 per sub, it’s about as affordable as you can get in this city.
Score: A-
