There’s a (relatively) new food truck in town.
‘Doug the Food Dude‘ has been cruising the streets of Rosslyn since the beginning of the month. The truck serves a varying menu of all-natural (MSG and preservative-free) dishes. Today’s specials included parmesan-crusted salmon, Italian sausage albanese, steak fajita egg roll and a variety of wraps.
(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Food trucks and carts were out in force around Welburn Square in Ballston today. With temperatures reaching into low 70s, workers flocked to the square for some spring-like outdoor dining.
The proprietors of the BBQ Bandidos truck, who continued serving their signature sandwiches and cemitas through the cold weather months, said business has picked up considerably. Across the street, a long line extended from the bright pink Curbside Cupcake truck.
It was one of the few things on the menu with ingredients she recognized, and because it was the first time she’d seen the truck in the neighborhood she wanted to give it a try.
Last week was the first week Sauca had set up shop in Virginia, offering dishes like Mumbai Butter Chicken with garam masala and saffron rice, the Mexicali Fish Taco with mango pico de gallo and hot chili sauce, and the Medi Veggie with hummus, kalamata olives and dill yogurt sauce.
Bada Bing DC parked near the Rosslyn Metro station, offering their assortment of cheese steaks and Spiedies – cubed meat marinated in herbs and spices, cooked over a flame and then sandwiched with toppings in between a submarine roll.
Mozzarella cheese, tomato, barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese were just some of the ingredients available for Spiedies.
For several weeks, the newbies are subjected to a barrage of visits from police officers, who themselves are responding to complaints from local businesses. Most of the complaints are made when the trucks are in Rosslyn or Crystal City. In almost every case, an officer responds, checks the truck’s license and leaves after verifying the truck is licensed and not illegally parked.
We started paying attention to this trend in October, when the BBQ Bandidos truck was the target of police visits (see photo, left). In December, we felt compelled to write about the Bada Bing truck’s travails as it was inspected at least eight times.
Hawking $6.50 gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, the truck parked in Crystal City around noon today and attracted a few dedicated food truck aficionados willing to brave the blustery weather.
“Craft cheese with a ‘C'” is how owner Patrick Rathbone describes the difference between his grilled cheese and the pedestrian grilled cheese your mother used to make. (Sorry, mom.)
Arlington’s Rebel Heroes truck has closed for good, reports Tim Carman.
The banh mi sandwich truck launched to critical acclaim and long lines in April. It apparently did not generate enough business to justify its existence for another year.
Which Rosslyn and Crystal City businesses have been calling the police on the new Bada Bing sandwich truck? Cops have shown up at the truck at least eight times since it launched just over a month ago, we hear.
Officers show up, dutifully check out the truck’s license and examine whether it’s parked legally, and inevitably leave without finding a violation.
What is a Spiedie, you ask? It’s an upstate New York delicacy — a sandwich made with marinated meats cooked over an open flame.
While the truck’s name doesn’t exactly convey an aura of culinary sophistication, the man behind Bada Bing is Nicholas Terzella, a trained chef whose resume includes fine dining restaurants in Napa Valley and Palm Beach.
BBQ Bandidos served up their first sandwich less than three weeks ago, but already they’re developing a loyal customer base.
“It’s awesome, it’s authentic… you can taste the smokiness of the meat,” said India Hubbard, who along with several co-workers were getting lunch from the truck for the second time. Hubbard said they’ll be back soon to try other items on the menu.
Much like the DC Slices truck, which occasionally serves private events in Arlington, the Flippin’ Pizza trucks bake the New York-style pies in the truck and then sell them at various locations around town. Two slices and a drink from the truck will cost you $5. Flippin’ Pizza, of course, announces the location of their trucks via Twitter.
The company says they expect to launch a truck in Arlington later this fall.
The board heard a presentation by County Manager Michael Brown regarding staff research into the proposed development plan for East Falls Church. Details are available on the county’s web site.
Funds for the design of a better Ballston beaver pond were approved unanimously. The $471,842 contract calls for a new design that will allow the pond to do a better job of treating stormwater while still providing a habitat for wildlife.
