Eat DC: Food Trucks

Monday, 20 April 2015Friday, 17 April 2015 StarrLeave a comment

In honor of Christine & Karen‘s upcoming trip to visit me in DC, I thought I’d share a little insight as to my planning process when it comes to what to show them when they are here. I am, by no means, an expert on the DC food scene, but these are the impressions I have of it. While we won’t be able to visit all of these places, I hope you will be able to at some point!

Food trucks are kind of amazing and I don’t know why they seem like such a new thing to me. I mean, I’ve been chasing ice cream trucks down the streets for decades now, but I didn’t know this was an option for every other food imaginable! (Also, ice cream truck driver, stop ignoring me just because I’m not a small child, please.)

I don’t know if I can tell you the “most DC-est” food trucks that the District has to offer. This Eat DC series has taken a lot out of me, so I just thought I’d share some food trucks that are important to me, at the very least, and I think they’re important to at least a decent proportion of DCers as well. If you want to know where these food trucks are, you can check their individual Twitter/Facebook accounts or check resources like FoodTruckFiesta.

(Note: All DC food trucks operate for lunch hours on weekdays, typically 11-3, unless they are at a special event.)

Crêpes Parfait

The non-business side of the truck (Photo courtesy of crepesparfait.com)

This adorable truck with copper pans, a little windowsill flower garden, and French music playing is easily one of my favorite food trucks. In addition to delicious crêpes, which I lurve, owners Chef Mounir Elhilali and Roberto Catanuso are such sweet and kind gentlemen. It’s hard not to smile when you walk up to the truck, these two men smiling at you from underneath their berets, and get wrapped up in the feeling that you’re walking into a French bistro and not relishing your small break from the workday. You can get a gluten-free one, if you’d like, and they make their own lemonades and iced teas! Je vous adore, Crêpes Parfait!

Popular items include chicken crêpe, Nutella and banana crêpe, and ham crêpe

Website: crepesparfait.com
Twitter: @CrepesParfait // Facebook: /CrepesParfait

TaKorean

I have long known about TaKorean, which serves — you guessed it — tacos of the Korean variety. There are now several trucks that serve Korean tacos, many of whom I frequent because the TaKorean lines are way too long for me. But TaKorean was the pioneer in the DC area, and their long lines are a testament to their success and the success of Korean tacos in DC. They now have brick-and-mortar locations in DC so that you don’t need to chase down their trucks anymore. If you are a big fan of bulgogi and kimchi in your tacos in DC, you can thank TaKorean for paving the way.

Popular items include kimchi slaw, pork bo ssam, and bulgogi tacos

Website: takorean.com
Twitter: @TaKorean // Facebook: /TaKorean

Basil Thyme

One of DC’s most popular trucks is Italian regular Basil Thyme. They deliver fresh ingredients and delicious Italian food on wheels, and can you blame the people for being so happy and willing to eat it? It’s one of our most-reviewed food trucks on Yelp, where folks sing praises of the friendly staff — like former IT salesman and co-founder Brian — and delicious food that doesn’t make you feel guilty and full of regret when you’re finished. (Especially because entrees come with a side salad that let you feel a little healthier!)

Popular items include cannoli, eggplant lasagna, and traditional lasagna

Website: basilthyme.com
Twitter: @BasilThymeDC // Facebook: /BasilThyme

Red Hook Lobster Pound

One reason a lot of DCers are so grateful for food trucks? Because they can some New England classics like clam chowder and lobster roll. On wheels! (The fun of food trucks is that your food is on wheels.) While many of our food trucks have several competitors — Korean tacos, halal food, etc. — there aren’t that many people peddling lobster rolls on wheels! For a taste of New England in a town that is increasingly embracing Southern comfort food (nothing wrong with Southern comfort food!), it’s nice to be able to settle in with a taste of Maine.

Popular items include Connecticut style lobster roll, shrimp roll, and whoopie pies

Website: redhooklobsterdc.com
Twitter: @LobstertruckDC // Facebook: /RedHookLobsterPoundDC

PhoWheels

You know what used to cheer me up so much on bad days at work that were also dreary and rainy outside? Stepping outside the office and being able to pick up a steaming bowl of pho. PhoWheels is one of our best pho trucks in the area, and I’m so glad that trucks like them exist. Not only do they serve pho, they serve banh mi and banh mi-style tacos. (And you can get a poached egg for your pho or fried egg for your sandwich!) Also, people love the “chork” (chopsticks + fork) that they give you to eat your food with. Plus, they often partner with SnoCream Company, the snow cream bus. (AND THEY SELL MACARONS TELL YOUR FRIENDS.)

Popular items include pork belly tacos, eye of round pho, and banh mi with fried egg

Website: phowheelsdc.com
Twitter: @PhoWheels // Facebook: /PhoWheels

We’ve got more food trucks than we really know what to do with in DC. In the summers, we have a monthly food truck festival called Truckeroo that is a great way to check out trucks that don’t stop by where you work! I love the food truck scene and love sharing my favorites with folks.

Do you like food trucks? What are your favorites?
Is there a food that you wish food trucks served near you? (I wish I could get real NY style pizza!)

Eat DC: President-Themed

Sunday, 19 April 2015Friday, 17 April 2015 StarrLeave a comment

DC is one of the top foodie cities in America, but that means that much of our food scene looks the same as others. It’s a culture driven by young professionals who love burgers, brunch, and happy hours. What sets DC apart?

Well, the president lives here. Every president before him has. DC is distinct because of it’s importance in American politics and, subsequently, in US history. In terms of our food scene, this culminates in president-themed restaurants and bars.

Nothing screams DC more than a trendy restaurant that is dedicated to a US president.

Lincoln

With Lincoln, we reach the pinnacle of the DC food scene. Small plates? Check. Southern food? Check. Happy hour and brunch? Check. Trendy food items? Check. President-themed? HUGE CHECK. This is easily one of the coolest places I have ever seen and one of the most DC places I can think of. It is a really nice gastropub with an impressive menu of small plates and drinks. It is also the trendiest tribute to an American president I have ever seen. Copper pennies on the floor, mason jar lighting, cast-iron skillets for serving your food, bathrooms labeled “Abes” and “Marys”, etc. I just really love how into the theme this place is. I mean, PENNIES. Because Lincoln! The cocktail menu commits also, as I fully expect from any themed restaurant.

Popular items include braised short ribs, mac and cheese, pot pie, Moscow Mule, and Lady Lincoln.

Come for happy hour, brunch, dinner, lunch, whatever. Come for the Lincoln-themed gastropub whenever you can!

1110 Vermont Ave. NW; (202) 386-9200; lincolnrestaurant-dc.com

Teddy and the Bully Bar

Actually owned by the same folks who own Lincoln, and actually, a pretty similar concept, as well. Lots of small plates and, guess what, they’re also into the farm-to-table goodness! The menu is meant to reflect Teddy Roosevelt’s love for comfort foods and game, since we all know he was an avid hunter. The vibe here is decidedly different from Lincoln. Where Lincoln is darker and cozier, Teddy and the Bully Bar is brighter and has more modern touches, like the mounted “animal heads” that are really 3D art.

Popular items include mac and cheese, brussel sprouts, scallops, Rio Roosevelt, and safari sangria

Come for happy hour, brunch, dinner, whatever

1200 19th St. NW; (202) 872-8200; teddyandthebullybar.com

The restaurateurs behind Lincoln and Teddy and the Bully Bar are actually coming out with another restaurant in the fall, so stay tuned for more from a spot called Declaration!

Eat DC: Farm-to-Table

Wednesday, 8 April 2015Monday, 13 April 2015 Starr1 Comment

One food trend that is making its way around the country is locally-sourced, farm-to-table restaurants. This is one that I think will be here to stay, if not forever then for a long while, because diners are able to support local businesses even more by choosing restaurants that source their food from local farms. As a diner, you aren’t so worried about what kind of ordeals your salad had to endure to get to your plate, ripening over a bumpy truck journey across the country instead of how nature intended.

I’ve visited a couple of the farms that supply many of our local restaurants in the DMV, and it does feel good knowing that you are supporting local farms, where you can put faces to your food. DC also places a big emphasis on food being sustainable as well, which is a huge plus in my book.

Let’s go over a few DC establishments that partake in more conscientious dining:

Farmers Fishers Bakers

(Photo courtesy of GrizForm Design Architects)

You can tell from the name that Farmers Fishers Bakers wants to place an emphasis on the people who are bringing you your food. Located on the Georgetown Waterfront, they have a sushi bar — which is a little different and weird to me but apparently is working — and an extensive drinks menu. This is a place you go when you want to feel good and to eat food that you feel good about as you enjoy a view of the water.

(See also sister restaurant: Founding Farmers — wearefoundingfarmers.com — now with 3 locations, and a hugely popular brunch spot. Make reservations or be prepared to wait a long time, but Founding Farmers is a great option if you’re not willing to spend quite as much as FFB asks you to.)

Popular items include cinnamon rolls, pretzel appetizer, crab dip, and most specialty cocktails

Come for brunch, lunch, dinner

3000 K St. NW; (202) 298-8783; farmersfishersbakers.com

Beuchert’s Saloon

Enter Beuchert’s Saloon and be welcomed in by… just a warm, cozy feeling with a splash of the Old West. If you drink, you definitely need to do so here, because at this former speakaeasy, they know what they’re doing behind the bar. Not only is your food locally sourced, but you can even watch it be prepared thanks to an open kitchen/chef’s bar.

Popular items include bone marrow, oxtail tagliatelle, candy bar

Come for brunch, dinner

623 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; (202) 733-1384; beuchertssaloon.com

DC Harvest

You can always spot a farm-to-table concept by its name, can’t you? DC Harvest pairs its locally-sourced food with 100% American beverages. You may be noticing a theme, but like many DC farm-to-table restaurants, they decided that supporting local farmers wasn’t enough and decided to take their cocktail game to the next level also.

Popular items include quinoia cakes, pot du creme – butterscotch or s’mores, [complimentary] chips, and scallops

Come for brunch, happy hour, dinner

517 H St. NE; (202) 629-3296; dc-harvest.com

Honorable Mention: Busboys & Poets

Busboys and Poets isn’t necessarily known for locally-sourced food, but I wanted to spotlight them because they are big on sustainable food and supporting local and independent businesses in the DC metro area. Named for poet Langston Hughes being a former busboy, this is a very DC restaurant in how conscientious it is in every way: they use clean power, push for higher minimum wage for restaurant employees (not just their own)… plus they sell books, have open mic nights… it’s a groovy place, you guys.

Popular items include nachos, sweet potato fries, french toast, and blackened salmon

Come for brunch, lunch, dinner

Original location: 2021 14th St. NW; (202) 387-7638; busboysandpoets.com

Special Mention: Silver Diner

Trying to figure out the original source for this photo, could anyone help?

Silver Diner is a DMV family of diners that really surprised me. I thought it was just some local diner chain, typical diner food there to greet you after a late night or for an early morning. Oh no no no. They have undergone some kind of overhaul and now partner with local farms that are described around their restaurants by the name of the farm and with photos of the farmers themselves. The bottles of ketchup on the table are labeled “Organic Ketchup”. The menu has been reworked to be seasonal, healthier, and not greasy greasy-spoon fare. I normally get frustrated with DC restaurant recommendations that include Maryland and Virginia establishments, but I thought that the Silver Diner was a really good example of how the farm-to-table movement has affected our entire metro area.

Popular items include quinoa coconut pancakes, a milkshake, flat-iron steak, and Oaxaca omelette

Come for breakfast, brunch

Multiple locations around Maryland, Virginia, and one in Cherry Hill, NJ; silverdiner.com

There are so many options if you want to eat locally-sourced sustainable food, and I definitely think you should try them out.

What do you think of the farm-to-table trend?
What are your favorite locally-sourced and/or sustainable food restaurants?

Eat DC: Cupcakes

Tuesday, 7 April 2015Monday, 13 April 2015 Starr1 Comment

DC was not immune to this dessert trend in the slightest. In fact, DC became something of a gourmet cupcake capital (badum-psh!) because of a TLC show called DC Cupcakes. As across the nation, we had a bit of a cupcake bubble in DC: they were the HUGEST thing and then suddenly the Crumbs locations were closed. (Some have started opening up, though?) What wasn’t to love about being allowed to eat cake any day of the week in a socially-deemed-appropriate size? You didn’t have to deal with awkward uneven cake cutting, the cakes themselves are beautiful, and you can get them for any occasion really. Buy an ice cream cake just because and you’re a sad human unwilling to let go of your childhood. Buy a cupcake just because and you are treating yo self. And you know how they get you to come back? By having a rotating menu day-by-day. You want to eat Monday AND Thursday flavors? You’ll have to come in on both days.

And before you get mad at me because I’m torturing you with cupcakes but you have dietary restrictions…. gourmet cupcake places are basically required to satisfy your cupcake cravings, too. Gluten-free? Yup. Vegan? Of course. If there’s a will to eat cupcakes, there’s a way to eat cupcakes.

Let us begin with our most famous cupcake bakery. Cupcakery, if you will.

Georgetown Cupcake

Good old GC, the star of DC Cupcakes and the bane of several Georgetown residents’ existence. I say this from experience, the only time I ever visited Georgetown Cupcake. We arrived 30 minutes before the bakery had even opened and there was already a long line outside the door. (This was during the summer that the show premiered on TV.) GC sits on a corner and directly behind it is a residential area. Tourists had been waiting there for goodness-knows how long and were sitting on steps, on the sidewalk, whatever. A woman tried to get past another woman on one of the stoops; the woman on the stoop was less than pleased. “This is my house, get off my front step so I can get inside,” was the excellent response.

I do like their cupcakes, and if you play your cards right, you can even get free cupcakes, that’s right. But the hype is way too much for me and the cupcakes do not live up to the hype or the wait. I am unwilling to wait in that long of a line for cupcakes that are only good. They do have more locations now, but people love to visit the Georgetown location for Georgetown cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake. The original remains one of the most reviewed businesses in DC. You can usually spot a GC cupcake by its smooth frosting.

Popular flavors include chocolate ganache, salted caramel, and red velvet at $3 each/$32 a dozen

3301 M St. NW; (202) 333-8448; georgetowncupcake.com

Baked & Wired

(Photo source: Coral Gundlach on trulia)

This is the name you will hear when locals scoff at your request for GC. Baked & Wired offers many baked goodies and coffee but they are famous for their delicious, LARGER “cakecups”. However, after taking a photo with their iconic pink bike with flowers growing in the basket (yep, it’s as cute as it sounds), be sure to order other items in addition to cupcakes. Reviewers would suggest the OMG Bar (next level s’mores) and the hippie crack (granola).

Go on and stop by GC while you’re in town. But don’t get more than one cupcake there; sneak off to Baked & Wired afterwards and put yourself in a food coma there. You can usually spot a B&W cupcake by how enormous it is, especially if it’s still wrapped in paper, but is NOT a muffin. Because it’s frosted!

Popular flavors include dirty chai, Elvis impersonator aka the Unporked Elvis, and menage-a-trois at $3.65 each

1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW; (703) 663-8727; bakedandwired.com

The Cake Room

The Cakeroom is part of the Sugar Daddy’s franchise, owned by Jordanian pastry chef Fadi Jaber who just loved Western desserts. You go for the delicious pastries with just a hint of a not-from-around-here goodness as well as for the adorable atmosphere. They are White House-approved (they made the cake for the Easter Egg Roll this year!) and make a variety of really delicious looking cakes, not cup-sized but still good and available by the slice.

Popular flavors include banoffee, date, and lemon lavender at $2.50 each/$27.50 a dozen

2006 18th St. NW; (202) 450-4462; cakeroombakery.com

Hello Cupcake

Hello Cupcake was actually my first DC cupcake experience, thanks to my friend Camden bringing some to campus when I was but a wee freshman. They have a super convenient location near the Dupont Circle metro entrance. I like that their cupcakes deliver just what they say they will and don’t try too hard, if that makes sense. Reviewers don’t rave about them as much as they do Georgtown cupcakeries, but it has survived the fall of the cupcake trend and has its own following thanks to its signature flavors.

Popular flavors include peanut butter blossom, strawberry fields, and dulce de leche at $3.50 each/$36 a dozen

1361 Connecticut Ave. NW; (202) 861-2253; hellocupcakeonline.com

You can count on DC for cupcakes, that’s for sure. Even though this trend has been officially declared over, the District and many other foodie cities will still continue to love cupcakes.

Do you like cupcakes? What’s your favorite flavor and place to get cupcakes?
What did you think of the cupcake trend? What do you think the next dessert trend is?

Eat DC: Tapas/Small Plates

Monday, 6 April 2015Monday, 13 April 2015 Starr3 Comments

Tapas. Small plates of yummy food, typical of Spanish cuisine.

Or, if you are in DC and not Spain, then tapas are associated with one name and one name only: José Andrés, the celebrity chef who I hear is single-handedly responsible for bringing small plates to DC and America at large.

Personally, I am not really into the tapas/small plates trend. It just seems like an excuse for restaurants to serve me very small servings of food with a side of this insult: “You can order several and share with friends.” Excuse me, this is barely enough for me and you want me to share with my friends? They will not be friends after we attempt to share these teeny portions. I prefer standard-sized portions. (I also feel slightly wrong calling dim sum “Chinese tapas”, because you’re only being charged $4 for an order versus being charged $9 for two bites of food. But I digress.)

Whether you’re a fan or not, small plates are a huge part of DC food culture, especially because we have so many José Andrés establishments here. All of these are intensely popular for happy hours — after all, weren’t small plates invented for happy hour? — and brunch, because DC is a city that brunches and brunches hard.

Here are a few that are an important part of the DC small plate scene:

Jaleo

We must start with José Andrés’s flagship tapas restaurant, Jaleo. This is THE restaurant that to be named when discussing tapas in DC. There are a few locations now in the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia), but the DC location is the original and most popular, so it helps to have a reservation when you go.

Popular items include gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), patatas bravas (home fries), croquetas, and sangria

Come for happy hour aka “Jaleo hour” aka “sangria hour”

480 7th St. NW; (202) 628-7949; jaleo.com

Estadio

This Logan Circle tapas place tries to make shelling out your dinero for tapas a bit easier as the portions are larger than some other places and they are almost always a hit. It’s a treat-yo-self kind of place, but if you get really into small plates (as DC clearly has), it’s a great treat.

Popular items include manchego cheesecake, mussels, pork belly sandwich, and white sangria

Come for brunch, dinner

1520 14th St. NW; (202) 319-1404; estadio-dc.com

Zaytinya

Another José Andrés establishment (and for the sake of variety, the last one I will have on this list), Zaytinya serves Mediterranean tapas, aka mezze restaurant. Instead of Spanish tapas, the menu is inspired by Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisine

Popular items include any vegetables especially brussel sprouts and baba ghannouge (eggplant), falafel, and kibbeh (burghul w/ a mince).

Come for happy hour and brunch

701 9th St. NW; (202) 638-0800; zaytinya.com

Masa 14

Deviating from the others a bit, Richard Sandoval’s (more celebrity chefs!) Masa 14 is neither a true tapas or a mezze restaurant. Rather, it is an Asian-Latin fusion small plates joint that is known for their great happy hours and bottomless brunch. It really doesn’t get more DC-trendy than that, folks. Also, this is the one spot on this list that I have actually visited! Although it is, by far, not the only small plates restaurant I have visited.

Popular items include the mushroom flatbread, yucca fries, crispy shrimp,and fried rice.

Come for happy hour and bottomless brunch

1825 14th St. NW; (202) 328-1414; richardsandoval.com/masa14

Cure Bar and Bistro

Let’s veer even more away from the traditional Spanish tapas or even from Mediterranean mezze into small plates of classic American fare, which is what Cure Bar and Bistro offers. This hotel lounge has an emphasis on cured meats (as the name indicates) and pairing your food with the right drinks. Also staying with another food trend, Cure uses locally sourced and sustainable food.

Popular items include mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, roast chicken, and pork belly BLT

Come for lunch and dinner

1000 H St. NW; (202) 637-4906; curebarandbistro.com

That’s just a tiny sampling of our booming small plates scene in DC. If you visit and you haven’t been offered a small plate, you are kind of missing out, to be honest!

Do you like small plate restaurants? Tapas? Mezze?
What are the big food trends in your city? Even if your city is DC, what do you think it is?