Yellow Vendor review

Good (morning/afternoon/evening), the Sixth Man is here to take you on a quick tour of the Yellow Vendor. The once old-fashioned food cart located on the corner of 14th and L NW has grown wheels and now offers its variations of Korean BBQ fare to all of (downtown) DC. Basically, there are three choices you need to make: (1) Protein: Steak or chicken or half and half, (2) Flavor: spicy or non-spicy, and (3) Sides: Kimchi and salad or bimibap (sprouts, carrots, spinach, egg).  Read below to see what we thought.

Quick bites
Truck name: Yellow Vendor Bulgogi Truck
Date of consumption: ???
Website:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/yellow-vendor-bulgogi-truck-washington

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/yellowvendor

Overall rating: 4/5

• Not much variety, but does bulgogi especially well
• Large portions, short lines, great value
• No bells and whistles
• Friendly staff

The food

The Governor — What I got from the bulgogi cart was the Bibimbap Spicy Combo with Egg (with kimchi). When you get bibimbap, you can also choose to have an added fried egg. I like that but realize it isn’t for everyone. The egg is a little runny, so beware if you’re nervous about that sort of thing. Of the veggies, the soggy spinach is the lowlight because it has a slight bitter taste, but that probably means it’s healthy or something. The carrots are good, but the best part is the yellow bean sprouts. Though they’re cooked in the same sweet, sesame oil as the other two veggies, they taste fantastic and have an interesting and enjoyable texture to boot. All of the veggies add a sweet coolness to the meal that balances really well with the spicy meats I ordered. As for the meats of the meal, the spicy chicken and spicy beef as designated by the Spicy Combo, are all very tasty. If you like spicy, you’re going to love this option. It’s just the right amount of heat to loosen up some nasal congestion but not too much that you can’t taste the flavors of the chicken and the beef. I also love the texture of the smooth rice, which absorbs some of the heat of the meats. All this comes together for a fine, balanced meal…Try the Bibimbap!

The Bibimbap

Chick-en Magnet — On my latest trip to the Yellow Vendor Bulgogi Truck, I went with my old favorite, chicken bibimbap, the meal that has everything. It starts with a generous portion of steamed white rice, topped with a very generous portion of chicken, and just to keep things interesting, a fried egg. The chicken may not be as well-marinated as I’ve had in other places, but its good enough to get the job done. Along with these mighty portions are some very tasty side dishes, including seaweed, bean sprouts, and my favorite: kimchi. The strong taste of kimchi is probably not for everyone, but I’ve been a fan ever since I learned of its superfood status (http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410300,00.html). With all this food put together, you get a mega-sized lunch that is actually very well-balanced and nutritious. I’ll warn that the mix of spicy and pungent aromas guarantees that everyone in the office will know you brought in bulgogi. A small price to pay for the delicious food coma that awaits you.

Mr. Pig — With no pork options available and a strict dislike of most spicy things, I chose the Regular Combo (or Regular Chicken and Bulgogi). The meat was accompanied by rice and some lettuce on the side with a sort of balsamic sauce thrown on top. The lettuce was decent enough, but that’s not what you came to hear about. Much like the experience at Halal Gyro, the Yellow Vendor is a known quantity. You’re going to get a lot of food for a good price ($7). It’s comfort food, focusing on simply flavored meat over white rice. The rice is cooked perfectly, and the meat is juicy, if maybe a bit soft on the flavor side (although that’s my own fault for not ordering spicy, I suppose). Simply put, a fine meal that you can’t go wrong with if all you’re interested is something simple and satisfying to fill your belly.

Sixth Man — Having a Korean friend growing up meant an early introduction to the art of grilling thinly sliced marinated steak known as bulgogi. And so it was with great excitement that I sampled the Yellow Vendor’s rendition of this Korean tradition. I ordered the spicy bulgogi meal which was basically marinated beef poured on top a bed of rice with small sides of salad and kimchi. I should say up front, this kind of meal isn’t for everyone, but if you like spicy food and have tried and like kimchi, then you are in for a good time. The beef was cooked perfectly and had a healthy kick of spice, and the lightly dressed lettuce salad and kimchi refreshingly complimented the dense mix of bulgogi and rice. Granted, this meal didn’t teach me anything new as many food trucks now-a-days do, but it delivered a satisfying lunching experience. And since I can’t think of many other places to get a bulgogi lunch, I often find myself looking around for the Yellow Vendor.

Other stuff
This unassuming, family-owned and operated food truck offers a nice change of pace to the flashy food truck scene. Perhaps because of the lack of bells and whistles, the Yellow Vendor has much shorter lines than other trucks around; but do not be fooled. The woman working the cart could not be nicer and is always happy to add extra kimchi when asked. One of the best parts of this food truck experience is the value. Their portions are at least a meal and a half of food and it all costs $7, making it a steal of a deal.

Overall
There are a lot of food trucks traveling the streets of DC with grand ambitions to bring exotic and notable food to our doorsteps for lunchtime. By and large, this has been a great development and made lunchtime more exciting than ever before. But there’s still something to be said for that comfortable vendor that makes one thing really well, so that even though you know exactly what to expect, you still enjoy that craving beforehand and the satisfaction afterwards of a meal that really hit the spot without breaking your bank. It doesn’t have trendy decals or blast hip music, but with the delicious food it serves up, it’s a force to be reckoned with.

Big Cheese review

The Governor here, and as we discussed in our earlier post about Food Truck Thursdays at Chinatown Coffee Company, we got to eat some grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoy some beers on a nice Thursday evening after work. While our imaginary cousins, the DC Beereteers, get to their reviews of the Dale’s Pale Ale’s we drank at $3 a pop we’ll focus on the food.

Not included in this review

Quick bites
Truck name: Big Cheese
Date of consumption: April 28, 2011
Website:
http://bigcheesetruck.com/

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/bigcheesetruck

Overall rating: 3/5

• Artisan ingredient-inspired twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich
• The sandwiches could have used a bit more on the inside to really fill the stomach
• The dessert options are a great value

How can you not be happy with such a cheery logo?

The food

Mr. Pig – According to Wikipedia, the most trustworthy information source out there, the modern version of the U.S. cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s, just in time for the Great Depression. Fun fact: the sandwich was originally open faced; the second slice wasn’t added until the 1960s. The Big Cheese truck (with it’s adorable logo) makes the simplistic sammich worth your time by giving it an artisan spin. I ordered the Mt. Fuji, which featured Mt. Tam Brie, fuji apples, and honey on multigrain. As a bonus, Mrs. Pig was kind enough to share her Midnight Moon, a less sweet sandwich that featured goat gouda and caramelized onions on multigrain. And what would grilled cheese be without Tomato Soup? The sandwiches were $6.50 a pop, while the soup was $2. Both sandwiches were excellent as far as taste was concerned; the flavor profiles were both well defined. The brie of the Mt. Fuji did an excellent job balancing the sweetness of the apple and honey, while the gouda added a nice smoky texture to the caramelized onion on the Midnight Moon. The multigrain bread (used in both sandwiches) was tasty. The real issue with the sandwiches is proportions; both sandwiches were a bit light on ingredients other than bread. More cheese/other goodness could fit easily without causing the sandwich to become overstuffed. As for the soup, it’s a tricky character to judge. It’s got some taste, spiced up a bit and having more of a watery broth than what you might expect from a traditional tomato soup. But that taste and texture isn’t necessarily what I prefer with my grilled cheese sandwiches. Again, by no means bad. Just not what I was looking for.

The Mt Fuji

The Chick-en Magnet – When I first heard about a truck that was offering grilled cheese sandwiches, part of me thought: “OK, here’s someone who is clearly jumping on the food truck bandwagon hoping to sell any old thing and make a killing.” After all, grilled cheese sandwiches are the kind of food I generally scrape together when I’m too lazy to go shopping. After my first foray to Big Cheese with my fellow Trucketeers, I can say I was pleasantly surprised. These guys have elevated the experience of a grilled cheese sandwich to something approaching fine cuisine. It’s a neat twist on a classic comfort food item and it’s a cool experience. I went halfsies with The Governor on a Chipotle Goat Cheese (also with roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes) and a St Pats (with artichokes and dark honey wheat). The St Pats sandwich was quite tasty. I’m a fan of honey wheat bread and the artichokes went well with the cheese that was picked (although I’m not knowledgeable enough on cheeses to know exactly what it was). I do, however, wish the bread/cheese ratio favored the cheese a bit more. I wasn’t a fan of the chipotle goat cheese, but that’s primarily because I didn’t care for that particular cheese, which was quite strong. But the best sandwich of the evening was the Nutella & Roasted Banana on walnut raisin. I mean, look at those ingredients, how can that not be awesome? The dessert sandwiches are also cheaper, making them the best deal that the truck offers. All in all, I’d say that the experience at Big Cheese was interesting and I would try it again just to see what kind of tasty combinations the truck can come up with. However, the meals are not filling enough or the menu varied enough to warrant making it a staple.

Can't beat nutella and raisins

The Governor – My dinner (and most of my opinions, as you’ll see) from the Big Cheese was strikingly similar to that of the Chick-en Magnet, but that’s because I had the other half of every one of his three sandwiches. Of our two savory sandwiches, I think I preferred the St. Pat, because the St. Pat cheese, a seasonal springtime cheese according to its creators at Cowgirl Creamery, was exactly what I like in a flavorful, aged, melted cheese. The artichoke added lovely-ly to the cheese’s flavor, and it all came together well on the dark honey wheat. The Chipotle Goat Cheese (Chipotle Goat Cheese) itself was tasty and is a great, flavorful cheese, but was a little too tangy and goat-cheesy for my preference on a grilled cheese sandwich. The real star of that sandwich was the sun dried tomato bread from Lyon Bakery.

Hands...and a sammich

They provide all of the delicious breads for the Big Cheese, but this one was the standout from my purview.  I also agree with my fellow Trucketeers that these sandwiches could both be improved with more cheese in the middle.  After all, that’s really what we’re here for. In addition to the savory sandwiches, I tried the Nutella & Roasted Banana on walnut raisin as well, and, at under half the price of a cheese sandwich ($6.50 vs. $2.50), this was the value winner. This sandwich was delicious and just as filling as the others, and no trip to the Big Cheese should be complete without the purchase of a dessert sandwich. I realize that the cheeses are the focus, the star of the show, and, most of all, probably the most expensive ingredients, and that’s why they’re more costly meal options, but the dessert sandwiches are rockstars in their own right too.

Other stuff

The cool thing about the Big Cheese truck is its emphasis on quality ingredients. They take great pride in the the cheeses they use, which mostly come from Cowgirl Creamery, and they make sure that pride is seen, by having little info sheets on the type and origin of their cheeses. In terms of wait time, there was a decent line at the truck when we arrived, and each sandwich is made to order then press-grilled (I think). These can combine for a decent wait, especially considering the fact that there seems to be few options for substituting in one’s sandwich (though we never tried).

Big Cheese offers profile sheets on each of its cheeses

Overall

Yes, the grilled cheese sandwich is a simple one, but the Big Cheese has taken this sandwich to another level with its focus on local, quality artisan ingredients and craftsmanship. They focus on their cheese and are proud of it. These ain’t your momma’s Kraft Singles, that’s for sure. But the Trucketeers thought that if it were that important, there’d be a little more in each sandwich, though the flavor goes a long way. We enjoyed the sandwiches a lot, but it seems that we all agreed you need a dessert sandwich or at least an order of soup to make your experience filling enough to be a meal. Overall we give the Big Cheese Truck 3 out of 5 skillets.

Goode’s Mobile Kitchen review

Hello again, loyal readers! Chick-en Magnet here, and true to my moniker, I’m bringing you a review of a food truck dedicated to bringing the very best in poultry cuisine to the DC area. Goode’s Mobile Kitchen is a family-owned mobile eatery that has a menu chock full of options for bird lovers. Finally, a truck where I can actually sample their entire menu without violating my no-mammals principle or resorting to … vegetarianism (eww). This review has been on the burner for a while, but it doesn’t look like their menu options have changed much, so read on to find out if Goode’s had the goods.

Quick bites
Truck name: Goode’s Mobile Kitchen
Date of consumption: April 8, 2011
Website:
http://www.goodesmobilekitchen.com/

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/mobilekitchen

Overall rating: 3.5 / 5

• A decent array of sandwich / sub style meal options that is well suited for poultry lovers
• Portion size and food quality vary across the options we sampled
• A longer wait for your food than at other trucks, but it seems to be made with care

The food

Chick-en Magnet - With such a wide array of chicken options, I had a hard time picking out my order. Luckily, The Governor agreed to go halfsies, so I was able to sample both the Chicken Kabob Sandwich as well as the Chicken Cheese Steak. Let me start by saying that the chicken on both of these sandwiches was very tasty. Being something of a chicken aficionado, I have often been disappointed with food purveyors who spend a lot of time seasoning and marinating their steak while just throwing their chicken in any old sauce. These guys marinate their chicken right and they top it with this Caribbean-style jerk sauce that has a great kick to it. The kabob sandwich was tasty. A little non-traditional if you’re expecting something more halal-style, but good nonetheless. However, the chicken cheese steak was the star for me. It’s a well put together sandwich with softer bread the way I like it and a glorious bounty of chicken spilling out of its insides. All topped with that great jerk sauce. I know some fans of the traditional Philly cheese steak might not appreciate Caribbean spice all over their sandwich, but I for one loved this interpretation and came away with a very satisfying meal. Definitely worth another visit.

Chicken kabob

Mr. Pig - I settled on the Crab Cake Sandwich, topped with the recommended special sauce, for $10. I might have been skeptical, but the friendly service and expansive menu gave me hope that Goode’s would…well…deliver the goods. What I had was a passable crab cake sandwich, given the venue. I don’t think I’d order it again, but if you’re looking for a crab cake sandwich on the run, this certainly hits the spot. So, what works? The crab meat, which you might expect to be the problem, was decent enough, and I’d say the serving size was about right too. I might have opted for tartar sauce over the secret sauce, a creamy, almost ketchup-mayo hybrid, but it wasn’t bad. What really hampered the experience was the bun, a limp accompaniment that was only a step up from your standard McDonald’s bun. I’m excited to try more of what Goode’s has to offer, but won’t be going back for the crab cakes.

The Governor - For my lunch I had a half of each of the $8 kabob sub and chicken cheese steak.  Now $8 for a sandwich is decent but a little more than our $7 Goldilocks zone. However, the size of these two sub sandwiches was more than enough to make up for that extra dollar. Both sandwiches had a good, big, sub-sized bun and were filled to the brim with chicken. The chicken in both was cooked and cut for perfect bites off the sandwich, but the flavors varied between the two. The kabob, in my opinion, was a little too spiced up.  It wasn’t too hot, per se, but the jerk seasoning was a bit too overpowering, and you couldn’t taste much else.  The chicken cheese steak on the other hand was superb. I can’t say I’m a cheese steak expert, but, to me, it had the perfect amount and texture of cheese on it, and the chicken had just the right amount of jerk seasoning to combine for a delightful sandwich.  All in all, I’d say the kabob sub was pretty good, and the chicken cheese steak was very good. It’s hard to go wrong with those kinds of choices.

Chicken cheese steak

The Sixth Man - With an eclectic menu featuring a variety of Caribbean and soul food inspired fare, I was excited about my first Goode’s experience. After trying a sample of chicken slathered in tangy jerk sauce, I was very excited. Looking for a cheap lunch, I went with their $6 Turkey Burger and hoped to get a simple meal with a memorable twist. After an inordinately long wait for the food, that hope, alas, was not realized. What I got was a good rendition of a backyard barbecue burger… tasty turkey patty, crisp veggies, classic condiments, basic bun, and plain chips. Clearly missing were the calypso notes of Caribbean flavor. What also irked me were the plain chips. Perhaps not as big of a deal to others, but I can’t stand plain chips and wished for any kind of selection. Lastly, the burger was pretty small and unable to completely sate my hunger. Did I enjoy my meal: Sure. Would I go back to Goode’s for another one: Nah.

Turkey burger

The other stuff
I really enjoyed visiting this truck, primarily due to the friendliness of the staff. They really seemed to enjoy being out there and it was clear they had a passion for their food. The number one sign of their friendliness? Free samples. Each Trucketeer got a free piece of chicken with some jerk sauce ladled on it to munch on while we waited for our food (which did take a long time). Maybe I’m a little biased towards trucks that offer free samples. I’m the guy who makes circuits at the mall food courts to pick up little pieces of chicken on toothpicks until I’m half full. So a truck that offers free pieces of delicious chicken to their customers while they wait is deserving of big props on the friendliness scale in my book. It did take us about 15 min to get our food, but it was a nice day and the truck was playing some good tunes, so it wasn’t a big problem at the time. However, we wouldn’t recommend this truck to anyone who’s in a particular hurry.

Value and final thoughts
Overall, we agree that the Goode’s Mobile Kitchen was staffed with friendly people who displayed a genuine enthusiasm for their brand of American comfort food. The Trucketeers had mixed results on the food that we ordered. Those of us who ordered the sub-style sandwiches for $8 enjoyed our meals. Those of us who ordered the burger-style sandwiches were generally underwhelmed. However, given their broad set of menu options, we’re reasonably confident that most people could find something they liked. And as long as the lines don’t get too long, the wait time for the food is within the realm of reasonable for lunch on a nice day. Overall, we’d definitely recommend trying Goode’s if you haven’t yet. Their poultry is made with love and if you find something you like, it’s a nice truck with good people to have as a regular lunch option.

Thursday Night Bites

Happy Friday everyone! Mr. Pig here, and there’s certainly a lot in the world to be excited about. I mean, the NFL is having its annual three ring circus, otherwise known as the draft (Albert Haynesworth’s antics  are more of a sideshow you can’t help but snicker at). Across the pond there’s some sort of wedding going on which, if the level of media exposure is any indication, will cure cancer, fix the economy, and finally encourage unicorns to return from the clouds. Then again, if we’re judging based on media exposure, Lindsay Lohan’s 7-year-long career suicide (yes, Mean Girls really was released over half a decade ago) should have brought about world peace by now.

But more importantly, spring is upon us. Sure, the first official day of spring was over a month ago, but that first month of spring is typically filled with lots of nasty rain, cool days, blustery winds, and more nasty rain. We’re transitioning to the period in spring where you can consistently walk to work without a coat, don’t have to worry about your toy-sized dogs being blown away, and can begin to expect rain showers every afternoon, just in time to potentially ruin your evening kickball/softball/ultimate frisbee plans. Long story short, it’s starting to be really nice out. Enjoy it, because before you know it the humidity will crank up and DC will turn into Florida, but with a lower octogenarian population.

Anyways, the Trucketeers (accompanied by Mrs. Pig but missing the Sixth Man) took advantage of the pleasant weather and ventured out to Food Truck Thursdays at Chinatown Coffee Co. (
http://www.chinatowncoffee.com/
, 475 H Street NW). Never heard of Food Truck Thursdays? It’s the first in what one can only hope is many an alliance between brick and mortar establishments (Chinatown Coffee Co.) and the DC food truck community. Every Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30 between March 31st and June 2nd Chinatown Coffee Co. plays host to a different food truck, allowing patrons to purchase food from the truck and bring it inside to eat while offering up happy hour-priced beer and wine to wash it all down with. The Governor will be along with our review of Big Cheese Truck later.

The truck of the evening

I can’t stress how much potential this idea has for all parties involved. We as patrons are afforded the opportunity to sample some of our favorite food truck fare in a new environment, and without the pressure or specter of returning to the office looming over our heads. Oh, and there’s cheap beer and wine. Food trucks are given the chance to really be the star of the show for one night, and the community as a whole gains an added level of exposure that they might not get just serving lunch. The brick and mortar establishment also gains exposure. It’s true that they risk losing out on some customers who might otherwise have ordered food from the kitchen. But I would wager that these establishments (1) make a higher margin on beverage sales and (2) gain more beverage consumers compared to the food consumers they lose. Besides, I’m not even sure CCC offers food.

So, how was the entire experience? We all enjoyed ourselves, for the most part. There are certainly some logistical issues that you should anticipate when attending Food Truck Thursdays. First, expect to potentially wait a while for your food. It’s certainly dependent on the truck of the evening, but the fact that there’s only one vendor there pretty much guarantees you a line. And as last night’s Community would have us believe, hosting multiple food trucks could lead to an “ethnic kerfuffle”. Second, CCC is a bit limited in their seating capacity:

A bit tight on space...

The ideal venue would have outdoor seating and some level of drink service. We were fortunate to grab a table, but there were a lot of people who had to take their food and find seating elsewhere. But these are relatively minor issues in my mind. The point is to get outside on a nice evening, go for a walk with friends, eat some good food, and maybe drink some cheap beer (if you can get a table). And isn’t that all you really need?

Sang on Wheels review

It wasn’t so long ago that I mentioned my dread of writing a relatively unfavorable review. I, Mr. Pig, must’ve jinxed myself, because here I am, writing a review that’s only slightly more favorable than critics’ reviews of Gigli. Hopefully the information below will help inform you, our loyal readers (Hi mom!), as well as the subject of our review.

Have you ever had Laotian food? Because I haven’t, and neither had any of the other Trucketeers, which posed an interesting quirk as far as reviewing food goes. We base our opinions partially on what we know; on our preconceived notions of how something should taste or be prepared. Well, Sang on Wheels offers up Laotian BBQ, a realm of the gastro-geography that none of us had ever visited. We braved the treacherous 2 block walk from our office though, and here are our thoughts…

Quick bites

Truck name: Sang on Wheels
Date of consumption: April 6, 2011
Website: 
http://sangonwheels.com/

Twitter: 
http://twitter.com/#!/SangOnWheels

Overall rating: 2.0 / 5

• Experience at the truck itself was unfortunate; overly loud generator, long wait (with no line), unclear menu
• Quality of the food varied, but suffered from a few issues and was relatively unimpressive
• The concept offers something new, and there are some easy fixes, so we’re optimistic things can improve

The food

Chick-en Magnet - Every now and then, I have the chance to visit a food truck where I have little idea of what to expect. Sang on Wheels bills itself as a Laos / Asian Fusion style food truck, something I’m not being terribly familiar with. The setup there for the combo meal is that you can pick a choice of meat for your meatballs (I went with the Chicken Combo, naturally) and a choice of rice / noodles. As for the taste, I would say that it was OK, but nothing notably good. The fried rice was a bit on the sweet side, as is typical for southeast Asian cuisine, but it looked like it was made in a hurry. Patches were a little burned and other parts looked undercooked. Considering how few options the truck offers, I would hope that they would at least make the fried rice well. As for the meatballs, you get four large ones on a skewer with a combo meal, which is a fairly generous portion. The meatballs taste all right with a little bit of sweetness to them, but I think I would have been happier with actual grilled chicken pieces instead. All in all, Sang on Wheels offered a decent lunch that I might be up for trying again, but for the $8 they charge, it doesn’t offer the quality of food that would make it stand out from the competition.

The chicken combo platter

Mr. Pig - I’m a big fan of pork, obviously. And as stated in a prior review, I also love starches, especially noodles. We visited Sang early in the day, and both the pork and noodle options were unavailable. So I settled for Chicken combo with fried rice, at the price of $8. I like the idea of the dish; the chicken balls were sort of like a rolled meatloaf of chicken, and you don’t find pork fried rice at DC food trucks too often. But the reality failed to live up to the idea, sadly. The chicken balls had an off-putting texture, a bit too soft and squishy. I had hoped the sauce on top would provide some sort of sweet and sour taste, but it did not. The dish didn’t improve with the fried rice either, as mine was undercooked. If you watch Top Chef at all, you know that there’s always at least one person every season who botches his or her rice. It’s the kiss of death. You tend to take rice for granted until it’s not prepared correctly, and then it can just ruin an entire dish. I was just constantly disappointed with my meal, similar to my disappointment of going to the zoo and being unable to find the red pandas. Sad Mr. Pig is sad.

The Governor - I like variety and I like to try new things. So I was pretty excited about the new Laotian truck, Sang on Wheels. Lack of clarity in the menu and lack of availability of the choices led to me ordering the BBQ Lamb combo with rice for $8, which does not include the drink that I thought it would. Now remember, I don’t eat pork, so once I started eating the fried rice, (which actually is delicious) and feeling little chunks of meat, I got nervous. After confirming that the meat was, in fact, chicken, I very much enjoyed the fried rice.  It was flavorful and moist, but that’s where the enjoyment of the food stops. The lamb meatballs, on the other hand, were not so good.  The meat was tough and somewhat dry.  The taste was decent, but not enough to recover from the texture.  Overall the meal falls into the mediocre category because quality of the meat is a foremost criterion. Another note, $8 is kinda steep, but you get a lot of food. It was enough for me to make two legit lunches out of it.

The BBQ lamb combo

The Sixth Man - Having never had Laotian cuisine, I was pumped to try the offerings of Sang on Wheels. My excitement, however, gave way to some confusion upon arriving at the truck. From what I could piece together, there were three meats (lamb, chicken, pork) and two starches (rice, noodles). When trying to order, I quickly learned there wasn’t any pork… or noodles. So I ended up ordering the Lamb BBQ combo. I was happily surprised by the large portion and pieces of chicken in the rice. However, the lamb came in prepared ball form rather than large chunks, which I would have preferred. Ultimately, instead of eating an exciting ethnic adventure I wound up with a forgetful fried rice let down. This mediocre lunch, combined with some annoying atmospherics (incredibly loud gas-powered generator, long wait for food to be prepared) and a stiff price of $8, I have to judge this dining experience a FAIL.

The other stuff
As has already been mentioned, the experience at the food truck itself was sub-par. Like rice, we tend to take certain parts of the food truck experience for granted, and only when things go awry do we notice them. The roaring generator at the back of the truck made conversation difficult. This was exacerbated by the fact that we were waiting close to 10 – 15 minutes for our food. We may have shown up at the wrong time (it appears they were preparing more rice), and a new generator might be outside the scope of feasibility (I would imagine they’re expensive). But there are other things that can be improved upon. The menu was a single piece of paper in a laminated pocket, and did little to explain what was and wasn’t available, what was in the combo, and what the prices were. I had no idea what I was going to order, and for all the wrong reasons. Also, the interior of the cart looks very similar to your kitchen counter and cabinets, but it was very messy looking. Not a big issue, but it certainly caught my eye.

Value and final thoughts
$8 for the meatballs and rice seems a bit steep, but it is a lot of food. But quantity alone can’t trump a lack of quality (if you disagree, I’ll google the nearest CiCi’s Pizza buffet for you). We all agree that Sang has something new to offer, but there’s a lot of fine tuning that needs to happen. Some fixes, like the experience at the food truck, are easier fixes than others, such as issues with the meatballs themselves. Despite the low rating, we anticipate giving Sang another shot in the future.

Rated PG for “Pleasing Gourmet”

Hello intrepid diners! Mr. Pig here, and I wanted to apologize for the lull. We’ve been busy getting all of our ducks (or trucks?) in order. We’ve got two reviews in the hopper and will be getting those out to you shortly. But before we go any further in our quest for food truck nirvana, there’s something important we should discuss. No, it’s not how awesome Community is, or how the Trucketeers have been replaced by Skynet, or how Bruce Boudreau shows up in more ads than Peyton Manning (although I doubt Manning does a lot of local car dealer ads…).  No, we need to talk about our rating system.

We’ve been including a numeric rating on a half point scale between 0 and 5 in an attempt to quickly and neatly summarize our opinions . Don’t have the time or desire to read an entire review? Just take a quick peak at our rating. But as one of our colleagues astutely pointed out, what you think a 3.5 means could be entirely different from what we think a 3.5 means. And that’s just something we can’t allow to happen. Sort of like crying baseball. So I’m here to clear a few things up.

First, despite the labeling, the values we dole out are not “value” ratings. In fact, we’re going to go back and relabel all of our old posts. Our rating is a weighted average of sorts, taking into account all of the Trucketeers’ opinions on all of the review categories. I think it’s safe to say that the “Food” and “Value” categories tend to factor a bit more heavily into the rating than the “Other stuff” category, and the “Quick Bites” section should provide a rough indication as to what really drove our decision.

Second, our rating system is not based off of some Mickey Mouse system where everybody gets an A. That’s a pleasant idea and all, but we all know that not all food trucks are created equal. There are some that are better than others, and some that are further down on the bell curve. The reality, at least in my mind, is something like this: nearly every food truck has perfectly edible food. Food that is generally tasty and enjoyable to eat, otherwise they probably wouldn’t be in business or won’t be in business long. Think about just how many options you have available to you for lunch; would a food truck serving subpar food actually stand a chance against its mobile brethren and brick and mortar foes? Probably not. And we formulated our review scale based on this perception.

As such, a 3 or a 3.5, which in a grade scale would represent a D or C, is actually a good grade. Let me try and explain this in a succinct, witty way. Hopefully I succeed in at least one of those descriptions.

0 – We haven’t even tried the food truck. That, or we’re violently ill at the hospital, at which point we (and the food truck) have bigger problems.

1 - The Pizza Hut of food trucks, essentially a buffet of day-old pizza covered with unidentifiable meat. We’d only go if every other truck and restaurant in the area was closed. And we were really hungry

2 - Still not in the realm of good food, but getting there. We can see the potential, and would likely come back to give the truck another shot, if only out of pity. We hate crushing dreams.

2.5 - You know when you’re just sitting around at night, and you ask your significant other what they want for dinner ’cause you’re thoughtful like that? This is the rating for the place that you don’t mind eating at, but you really were hoping for the joint next door.

3 – 3.5 - Now we’re talking. This is good food, a truck that we’d happily revisit before settling for most brick and mortar mainstays. Old reliable, like the Nats blowing a late game lead.

4 – 4.5 - You start squealing like a pre-pubescent Justin Bieber fan when you learn a truck with this rating is coming to serve near your office.

5 - We’re too busy in a blissful food coma to write a review. So you probably won’t see any 5s.

Anyways, we hope this is all a little bit clearer now. And stay tuned, we’ll be posting our next review tomorrow!

Halal Gyro Plus review

The Sixth-Man is proud to present the Trucketeers’ first foray into the Farragut fray of food truck fare. Today’s main course, Halal Gyro Plus, comes with a menu featuring two meats (chicken, lamb) two ways (in a pita, over rice).   As the tide of overproduced, pun inspired food trucks rises across the city, this cart is a beacon of simplicity and authenticity serving Mediterranean/Middle Eastern eats. But the question remains, does the food match its charm? Read on to find out.

Standing outside on a lovely day

Quick Bites

Truck name: Halal Gyro Plus
Date of consumption: April 4, 2011
Website: 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DC-Halal-Food/204749712882416

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/Halalgyroplus

Value rating: 3.5 / 5

• Well executed gyro sandwiches and platters
• Truck not very stylish but fits typical image of halal food vendors
• Great value

The food

Sixth Man – How do I like my food? Delicious, cheap, and well-balanced. That is how I would describe the Combo (lamb and chicken) sandwich (ala gyro) that I ordered.  Their crisp and refreshing veggies, tasty grilled meats, zesty hot sauce, and iconic tzatziki sauce came together in a perfect symphony of satisfaction. That said, I’ve had perfect symphonies like this before, and so while Halal scores highly on execution, this food truck does not offer much in terms of creativity or novelty. But alas, when I look around the city at lunch time, there seems to be a glut of flashy creativity but a dearth of perfectly executed classics, so in my book, Halal is a welcomed addition to my noontime dining line-up. The extras of a friendly staff, the ability to pour on extra sauce upon request, and a not-so-corporate ambiance added to an already positive dining experience. While this truck doesn’t offer the most memorable food experience, it is exactly what you need when a gyro is what you want. And at $6, you might find yourself wanting a gyro alot! Friendly, cheap, tasty, and fast = a win and a half

Chick-en Magnet – I was excited to go to the Halal Gyro Plus truck to try their Chicken On Pita meal. It’s a classic combination and these guys definitely put together a satisfying lunch. The chicken was ample in quantity and cooked to be tender and well-spiced, as I would expect from any good purveyor of halal food. The flavors were accentuated with some tasty tzatziki and a hot sauce that had a decent kick. Next time, I will ask for extra helpings of the sauces because they really help the dish come alive. The pita was soft, chewy and delicious. In fact, it was so soft that halfway through lunch, the bottom disintegrated and I was left with a tasty halal salad (with pita). The deliciousness was not affected, but I will warn readers that if you’re bothered by having your sandwiches fall apart, you might want to eat quickly, or just go with one of the rice platters. All in all, Halal Gyro Plus offered me exactly what it promised at a quality that would easily have me coming back whenever I was in the mood for chicken and pita. My review of this truck is similar to my review of Sol Mexican Grill last week in that halal is also a popular and generally formulaic ethnic comfort food. These guys do a great job delivering a classic meal and they do it at a low price point of $6 for a pita sandwich. Glad to see them joining the party.

A look at the menu

The Governor – Like the Sixth Man, I enjoy a lot of sauce of my food. I like textures and I like flavors, and I like what sauces bring to that mix. The Gyro on Pita that I got from Halal Gryo Plus masters the art of the sauces. And all I had to do was keep saying yes to whatever I was asked about this sandwich to receive a perfectly sauced, excellent version of the gyro sandwich.  “You want salad on your sandwich?” “Yes.” “Tomatoes?” “Yes.” “Tzatziki sauce? Hot sauce?” “Double yes!” So what, maybe the sandwich gets a little drippy at the end. You know what I say? Life is messy; bring napkins. Does Halal Gyro Plus bring anything new to the standard halal/gyro niche? Probably not. But this sandwich is made skillfully.  The meat is tender and delicious, and the sauces are a perfectly flavored combination. Yes, it’s the type of food you will probably eat after a bender in Adams Morgan, (that is, if you aren’t getting jumbo slice, where’s the Jumbo Slice food truck, by the way?) but that’s no reason for it not to be a perfectly delicious lunch option during the week too.

The Governor's conquest

Mr. Pig – What’s a pork lover to do when the truck of the day doesn’t serve pork? Order as many other meats as possible. Hence my order of the Combo Platter from the Halal Gyro truck for $7. The dish was fairly simple: chunks of lamb and chicken on top of some basmati/jasmine rice, smothered in tsatziki sauce, with a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes for good measure. I haven’t said it yet, and I guess this is an important thing to know: I love carbs and starches. I love noodles and rice. Hell, when I was a kid, I used to eat white rice with my lo mein. Noodles AND rice, same dish. You know how parents tell you “If you eat any more X, you’re going to turn into X”. Apparently my food aptitude was to turn into a noodle. What I’m saying is, I really appreciated the helping of rice the gyro cart gives you, and the fact that it’s not all straight basmati is nice too. The dish as a whole is a bit one-note, smothered by the creamy tsatziki sauce. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was tasty, like a nice comfort food. The lamb was pleasantly tender, but the chicken was a bit tough. And there was so much food I felt the side salad was just a bit much. Simple, reasonably priced, and pleasant enough.

The other stuff

The line for this food truck was very short as was the wait for the food once it was ordered. The staff was cheery and helpful. They sauce the sandwiches right before handing them over which gives you the opportunity to ask for more of that good stuff if you’d like. As mentioned in the reviews, the ambiance of this food truck is very proletariat, which in our opinion, matches the no-frills, working-man type of food they serve. One thing that is annoying, however, is that this cart seems to be in a committed relationship with Farragut square. Not to say that Farragut isn’t cool, its just not the only pretty girl at the dance.

Value

With options under $7, this cart finds itself in the coveted club of CHEAP food truck food. All of their sandwiches are $5.99 ($6) and their platters are $6.99 ($7). The sandwiches were almost filling and the platter offered a little more food. When you put it all together; short wait, cheap price, decent portion, and tasty food, you get great value, and 3.5 out of 5 lambs. Basically, if you like gyro, try this truck. If you’ve never had gyro, try this truck. If you don’t like gyro, try this truck anyway. You’ll probably like the food and still have a few extra dollars to spend.