The Spanish surge in the DC food truck world just got a bit stronger this month, with the addition of Tapas Truck, following quickly on the heels of Jose Andres' eponymous "Pepe" truck. This one takes a totally different approach, with a variable menu that offers extremely high value. I can honestly say that dollar for filling (including quality) I received here was higher than any truck I can recall, with the huge BBQ portions from Carnivore being the only one that really comes close. I'm glad to see more trucks embracing this adaptable menu format, as many customers will quickly grow tired of you if they see you stuck on repeat forever.
Since there were only 3 options, and you can taste all 3 for only $9, Amanda and I both decided to go that route, and wound up being rewarded with what appeared to be a 4th dish, although I'm not certain if this is something that is meant to accompany one of the named items or not. Right away you could feel the weight of the plate, and opening it up (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/_3i4rwYPydlRwxlTQv9n3Q?select=0CeMPrwxFhMvpWwr2aU93g) you could see that it wasn't just 2 or 3 things with different sauces, but 4 very distinct items all with different approaches on Spanish flavors. While I will say that these dishes may not exactly correlate to staunchly traditional Spanish cuisine, there is no doubt that the influence is present.
The dishes on the day we visited were:
- Spanish Chorizo served with a garlic aioli and potato fries Provencal: The sausage was cooked just right and although it wasn't quite as spicy as I would expect from a real Spanish chorizo it did have substantial flavor. The aioli went a long way in adding some extra flavor to the fries, which were done better than any other food truck I've had since Fry Captain went out of commission.
- Chicken Verdeo which is sautéed in a scallion cream sauce and served with saffron rice: My favorite dish on the plate, this was a burst of flavors and plentiful with the chicken. The rice was a really nice compliment and had quite a distinguishable presence in itself. To me this was a great example of simple food that has been elevated, and what food trucks should really focus on to provide unique flavors to a constantly evolving palate.
- Shrimp Pil-pil in a spicy garlic-tomato sauce served on a crouton: This was the only dish that had any real noticeable flaws, but they were more my pickiness rather than serious deficiencies. The crouton is obviously a bit stiff in order to support that shrimp and sauce that sits atop it, which is problematic when trying to figure out how to cut into it with a plastic knife and fork. I wound up going just a wee bit too hard and made a crack in the plastic container, which seeped through red sauce onto my pants, ack. The shrimp were tiny but there were certainly a lot of them, and the sauce had some actual heat to it, a really nice surprise!
- Mystery vegetarian dish: I believe the base for this was couscous, although I don't eat enough of these types of grains to be certain whether it was that or bulger wheat. Whatever the case, it was filled with chickpeas, green onion, shredded carrot, and cranberries, and was a very nice, refreshing counter-balance to the strong flavors of the 3 main items. This is something I wouldn't ever have picked off the menu given the other meat options, so I'm really glad they included it to expose me to something different.
We decided to wrap up our lunch by splitting an order of their caramel flan, priced at $4. I'm not typically a fan of this dessert, but this one avoided a lot of the pitfalls that normally turn me off about it. The sweetness wasn't quite so intense as others, and the chalky, cloying presence was thankfully absent. There was an abundance of the caramel sauce sloshing around at the bottom of the container, which I liberally applied to every bite.
They do take credit cards, which I was glad to see as I will be making many visits to this truck as the menu continues to change. For such a small price I was able to sample 4 very unique options for mobile dining, at the cost of roughly one single tapas item at a place like Boqueria (and honestly I enjoyed the food more here than anything from that actual restaurant). This is the second truck from the owners of Mojo, and definitely keeps pace with the quality mark that truck made. read more