The DC food truck scene has been gaining a lot of steam lately, providing cheap and tasty eats for hungry office workers throughout the District. That's right. Those gleaming, colorful trucks parked outside your office building are not unmarked FedEx trucks, they are trucks that sell FOOD! Predictably, local restaurants are outraged at the possibility of new competition and have formed lobbying groups to convince city lawmakers to institute stricter food truck regulations and put the kibosh on these lovely little food fairies. Regardless of how short-lived the food truck movement is, I (as an underpaid public servant) am elated at the possibility of quick, delicious lunchtime treats that won't require me to tap into my TSP fund.
Although they've been popping up like weeds, I've only had the chance to try Sauca, which offers a nice selection of "healthy" (hear hear!), "global" street food like butter chicken (quite satisfying), beef shawarma (try it with their yogurt sauce), and pork banh mi (really delicious, according to one of my co-workers). I have to say it's a great break from the local deli with very generous portions as well as a fun spread of yummy homemade sauces. My husband tried Fojol Bros. a few weeks ago and tells me that they also offer a killer butter chicken that is a little more authentic than Sauca. If you're in the mood for fusion, hit up the latest and greatest Korean fusion taco truck, Takorean. If you're a lobster lover, try the much revered Red Hook Lobster Pound truck, which sells $15 lobster rolls that people have been going absolutely gaga over. E.g. I made a half mile trek out to where it was stationed last Friday only to discover that the line extended all the way around the block. No joke. Since I didn't have time to wait in line for an hour (doesn't anybody work around here?!?!), I abandoned ship and grabbed something quick near the office instead. Of course, all I could think about during my next conference call --- the reason I had to go back --- were those lightly toasted buns overflowing with hearty lobster chunks smothered in creamy mayo and the pure unadulterated looks of pleasure on the faces of the people at the truck site.
How do you know when a food truck is in your neighborhood? Twitter. Yes, that's right. Twitter. Apparently the food truck owners are not only foodie-minded, but also tech savvy --- they tweet their locations, food truck news, and everything else that you might want to know (like when they've sold out of your favorite sandwich). You can also go to an aggregator site like The Washington Post's food truck Twitter aggregator to get the scoop. More to come on specific trucks as I try them.