herb chicken 포차

herb chicken 포차 

이화 점

what was consumed: a cup of spiced fried chicken, tator tots, and rice cakes

it seems odd that i would include street "fast" food here, but it's just so good not to mention. 

when on the streets in front of eehwa women's university, there's a street food vendor that, turns out, is really popular. they take bite-sized pieces of fries chicken, rice cakes, and fried tator tots (yay tator tots!), and mix it together with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce. they'll then pour the ingredients into a cup, hand it to you (after you pay), and you use toothpicks to enjoy the fare as you continue walking around.

yum.

i've seen this particular brand of chicken in a cup in other locations. i guess it's possible for street food to be franchised as well ... ??? either way, i'm happy to enjoy the few bites as a snack. always. and per usual. hehehehe.

gcdc

gcdc

1730 pennsylvania avenue NW, 20006
tel: 202) 393-4232

what was consumed: the kim-cheese-steak, the mediterranean, loaded tator tots

in the vein of food trucks turned brick and mortar establishments, gcdc is another example. an eatery that specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches? what's not to like? yes please!

bjl and i were lucky with our timing as we nabbed a seat right before the hordes of worker bees descended upon gcdc for lunch; the line was out the door and around the block. and once our selection arrived, we were happy to devour our grilled cheese sandwiches.

gcdc has come up with some creative grilled cheese sandwich varieties. gone are the days of only cheese between two slices of bread (that still exists as well, don't worry). different meats, veggies, spices, and sauces have been added. like kimchee! i want to tell them that i've been eating sandwiches with kimchee since i was a kid, but i wasn't the first person to make it a thing. drat!

gcdc is also liberal with their cheese, maybe to a fault. but let's be honest - i loved that the cheese was oozing out of my sandwich and i could later pick it off my plate when it cooled. YUM.

re: tator tots. they reminded me of the delicious tator tots i used to enjoy when having weekend breakfasts with mom at carl's jr. it also gave me some good ideas on how to make some delicious loaded tator tots. tator tot bar, anyone

nom nom nom ... YUM.

online: http://grilledcheesedc.com/

astro donuts and fried chicken

astro donuts and fried chicken

1308 G street NW, 20004
tel: 202) 809-5565

what was consumed: sriracha wings (we went on a tuesday!), and donuts. lots of them. my favorite? creme brûlée

yay, donuts and fried chicken! may the trend continue.

friend brandon once mentioned to me that he wanted to get astro's. it had been some time since i'd fallen off the wdc food world, so i wasn't sure what he was talking about. turns out, astro's popped up during the time i was away. point is, now that i knew about it, he and i were determined to go, both for the chicken wings and for the donuts. note: sadly, we were not able to go together, but did end up going separately. we compared notes and both of us are fans fans fans!

after a day of walking around the mall, bjl and i took the fact that we were downtown-ish to check out astro's. that it was a tuesday (sriracha wings day!) was also a total draw.

once we neared the location, we saw a small storefront that already seemed to have a short line outside it. yes, astro's. we hemmed and hawed (for 2 seconds) before getting in line. the line moved quickly and, lucky for us, an even longer and faster growing line appeared behind us before our very eyes. we were able to secure one of the few seats in front of astro's. and because it was such a great day, we couldn't not!

we ordered a few of the wings and donuts for trying as well as a few more for sharing (later). the wings were delicious - spicy, not sweet, and crispy! oh, and 1 wing order includes a wing and drummette. and the donuts? oh my goodness. so many different and unique flavors, where to begin? i had heard that the creme brûlée was delicious, so that was a must. along with so many others. the donuts were light, sweet (as they should be), not overly fried, totally delicious. we may have started eating the ones we had intended on sharing with friends later that day. with no regret. yes, the donuts were that delicious. 

i hear astro's started as a food truck. and while i was a follower of food trucks at some point, i'm glad they now have a brick and mortar option. i know when they open, when they close, and where they are. and now, i can go more frequently. i wanna eat their luther. i'm gonna get so fat. hehehe.

online: http://astrodoughnuts.com/

seven burgers

seven burgers
traveling

what was consumed: burgers and fries ... go to!

on a cold winter day, at a kuwaiti film festival, the seven burgers folks were in attendance, in their food truck, serving burgers. i had heard about the truck and seen it driving around town, so after a bit of mulling over (and by a bit, i mean 2 seconds) i was happy to try it for myself. even though i had post-film festival dinner plans.

ok, so my food came out a little smashed. it jostled on my way back from the truck and rattled as i was chattering in the "cold" (user error. i was unprepared). but oh boy, was the burger delicious. the potato bread was nice and soft and the patty was cooked just right, with the juice in tact. i like that they give you quite a few sauce options for the fries, but i would recommend you either order the sauce on the side or no side sauce as they cover the fries with sauce.

oh, seven burgers, where are you going next? see you there!

fojol brothers

fojol brothers

(of merlinda, of benethopia)
travelling food truck

what was consumed: from merlinda, chick peas and chicken; from benethopia, beef and collard greens

if my memory serves be correctly, the fojol brothers were the first of the blossoming washington, dc food truck scene. i remember people talking about a bunch of kids who got together and started selling indian food out of a truck (the story i heard was that they were a bunch of georgetown kids who learned how to make some of their favorite indian foods from a roommate/friend's mom. and they were really good at it. so good, in fact, that they took their talents to the public and started selling their wares to interested parties. thus the start of the fojol brothers!) i'd heard that the kids would wear irreverent (in that ironic way) costumes, play music loudly, and wave (almost obnoxiously) as they drove through the washington streets. i was immediately intrigued. most of all, i thought it a great idea and was super excited to partake it their wares myself. sadly, it took almost 4 years (and many other food truck encounters and an expanding fojol brothers fleet) for me to make their acquaintance.

finally, within a 2-day period (and just as i was about to head out of town), i had the joy of trying the food from both the fojol brothers of merlinda (indian) and the fojol brothers of benethopia (ethiopian). while the cuisines of the trucks are different, the idea is the same. you have a few meat options and a few veggie options. you can opt for a dingo bite (i.e., 1-item), a 2-item plate, or a 3-item plate. yay or nay on carbs (rice at merlinda, injera at benethopia). you also have the option for lossipops. in both cases, i opted for the 2-item plate with carbs. and, to make a totally general comment, i enjoyed both of the means immensely. the entrees were cooked well, with a successful inclusion of spices that made my lunch quite delicious. the rice and injera were cooked well and were proper accompaniments to the entrees. yummy.

i also love how, near the fojol brothers' trucks, they have blankets laid (on the grass at the location i was at) down for diners to enjoy the weather during lunch. i think we often get so caught up in our work (myself included) that we often need a reminder to take a break and enjoy the weather, enjoy the sites, enjoy good food, even if it's just for the 15 minutes it takes for you to wolf down your lunch. i will try to keep this in mind.

fojol brothers, keep up the good work. when back in washington, i will be on the lookout for you.

online: http://fojol.com/