By Summer Whitford | DC Event Junkie
Based on the showing at Truckeroo 3 yesterday, it’s hard to believe DC government is still not in favor of having food trucks on our city’s streets.
So what is Truckeroo? It’s just about the best TGIF dining idea ever! One Friday a month from June to October, about 20 of DC’s favorite food trucks gather together in one place and serve little tastes of deliciousness. The festival is a way to showcase all of the really great food being sold by food trucks and is a great excuse to start the weekend early.
Yesterday, foodies from across the city traveled to Yards Park in search of new and interesting food. Their destination: an empty construction lot at M & Half Street SE with an outside bar dubbed Das Bullpen. There was great music from four great bands who played from noon until 11:00PM, people were free to bring their kids and dogs, and the light breeze made the sweltering heat bearable.
The event ran from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM and featured four bands, a beer and Margarita bar, and 20 trucks. If you follow the truck link you can find their Twitter feeds and follow them directly. With so many trucks to choose from it was hard to choose where to start, but one look at which trucks had the longest lines helped. TaKorean’s tacos were well worth the wait and featured homemade, spicy kimchee, pulled chicken, fresh lettuce and tomatoes and Mexican spices. El Floridano was serving up a light and refreshing Grilled Calamari Salad with perfectly grilled calamari, cilantro, lime, and tomatoes, but their El FloBurger topped with lechon sauce, guava sauce, and red cabbage was to die for.
Hula Girl Truck’s Beef Teriaki smelled and tasted so good coming off the grill it was worth standing in their line, which stretched for hundreds of yards. What’s not to love about a griddled hot dog bun piled high with huge chunks of lobster meat from Red Hook Lobster Pound, right? Just don’t start with the lobster roll–you won’t be able to eat anything else. The Piñacolada cupcake from Sweetibites was dense, rich, and packed with coconutty, buttery flavors that went perfectly with a citrusy Margarita. Sinplicity’s ice cream kept the crowds cool while they waited forever for a glimpse of the Anna Nicole Smith look-alike in the window. And for a taste of an authentic bit of summer, Pleasant Pops offered refreshing peach paletas.
From noon to 2 PM food truck fans munched down on Korean tacos, barbecue, ice cream, kebabs, and lots more while listening to Western Bop from JP McDermott; solid Rock & Roll from Sean Chyun and the Deceivers from 3 to 5 PM; and Rock performed by Sickfeed from 6 to 8 PM. For the finale, the organizers lined up kick ass band Jackass Flats. Their rockin’ Honky Tonk had the crowd dancing and ended the night on just the right note–pun definitely intended. The members of the band were Sweet Eddie Carlton on bass fiddle, Travis Rinehart on the banjo and guitar, Stephen Kuester on the guitar and pedal steel, Cory Potrafka on keys and harmonica, and Scott Lewis on drums.
Participating food trucks included: Big Cheese, BBQ Bus, Cajunators, Capitol Greenz, Curbside Cupcakes, DC Empanadas, DC Slices, Stix, Eat Wonky, El Floridano, Feelin’ Crabby, Fojol Brothers, Hula Girl Truck, Mojo Truck, Pleasant Pops, PORC, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Sauca, Sweetibites, TaKorean, ,That Cheesecake Truck, Sabor’a Street, Sang on Wheels, Sinplicity Ice Cream, Sol Mexican Grill.
