Food on Wheels, Chapter 1 [DC Summer]

A short lunch-hour break (or in my case half-hour) doesn't allow many Washingtonian's the opportunity to get a good sit down lunch. So what's the solution to satisfying an empty stomach and crammed lunch-break? Food Trucks.


Scattered all across DC are a variety of food trucks serving up cuisines ranging from Bibimbap to Mexican Tacos and homemade Mac and Cheese. Some trucks have their own take on some well-known classics (like the BLT mac and cheese) while other's stick with the traditions they know best - like homemade gyro in fresh pita. Regardless, any truck that you choose is guaranteed to fill you up with some delicious food without bursting your wallet.


Luckily, the food trucks found me - only a block away from my office (around K and 13th if you're living in DC) is a food truck mecca. Everyday at least 8 food trucks are present and the actual food trucks vary on a daily basis.


Throughout the summer, I'll blog about each "chapter" of this food truck experience and hopefully along the way find out which food truck wins the race.


June 14 2012 - Sate


Between trucks decorated with pictures of food that leaves you salivating and yearning for free samples is an unsuspecting red truck bearing only the words "Sate Indonesian Food" in white writing. So why did I go for this truck when the others were waiting to reel me in? Simplicity. Sate's food and menu is simple, serving only two options, with a combination platter as the third, leaving you less overwhelmed and more ready to eat.


Here's what I went for.....

Chicken Sate with Spicy Vegetable Stew, Rice and Peanut Sauce - $8

Julian and Faith went with different trucks - Julian went with the gyro and Faith the chicken bowl - and both looked equally as delicious. Look out for posts on these places in the coming weeks.

Looking to track where your favorite DC food trucks are today? follow @foodtruckfiesta or visit the Food Truck Fiesta website for an up-to-date track of the DC food trucks.

Too Many Carts to Choose From...

Now that sophomore year has come to an end, I can reflect on the year and the amazing times I’ve had with friends and of course – the times spent exploring Ann Arbor’s restaurants. Before heading back to New Jersey for the summer, it was only appropriate that I tried one last restaurant.

Jordan, Staci, and I had heard about Mark’s Carts and unfortunately were unable to make it there before they closed for the season last fall. However, a spontaneous decision led us to Mark’s Carts and before we knew it, we were heading down to the Main Street area ready to check it out.  With an eager appetite and six open carts to choose from, we set out to find which cart would reign supreme:

The Contenders:

Cheese Dream. Serving artisan grilled cheese sandwiches and soup using local ingredients.

The Lunch Box. The mission of The Lunch Box is to provide high-quality, delicious, and nutritious vegan food that demonstrates the breadth and versatility of plant-based whole foods.

Hut-k Chaats. “Hut-K” means “non-mainstream,” and “chaats” are savory, flavorful Indian street food. Their health sauces are based around raw foods like spinach, cilantro, mint, dates, mangoes and lime and they’ve replaced sugar with dried fruits, and traditionally fried foods are baked when possible. It’s a culinary experience of flavors, nutrition and healing by food. (not pictured)

A2 Pizza Pi. Fresh, made to order wood-fired pizza.

  

Although Mark’s Cart was home to eight food carts (two of which were not open when we went), we decided these four were the best options and chose meals that we felt best represented these carts.

The Dishes:

Chili Grilled Cheese and the “Frenchi”. Baby swiss and caramelized onions between two slices of Zingermans bread from Cheese Dream.

Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Wrap. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Cucumber, Onion, Spinach and Tomato wrapped in a Whole Wheat Tortilla from The Lunch Box.

Masala Puri. A multilayered chaat generally sold in the streets of Bangalore. It is a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas and peas, layered on baked chips, onions and topped with chaat sauces and garnished with savories from Hut-k Chaats.

SPIN(ach) the Feta. Fresh local spinach, feta, mozzarella, oven roasted garlic, red sauce and caramelized onion from A2 Pizza Pi.

Best dish? Before disclosing what our favorite of the four was, I have to say that each of the carts were delicious and definitely worth checking out. However, in the end our favorite was the pizza from A2 Pizza Pi. An elegant twist on the traditional pizza, this wood-fired pie was loaded with flavor and had us yearning for seconds.

Cost? Mark’s Carts as a whole is full of cheap eats – food ranges from $4-$12 depending on the cart.

Atmosphere? Mark’s Carts is seasonal and only open from April-September. Additionally, not all of the carts are open everyday, so I advise checking out the Mark’s Carts website before heading over. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed and has plenty of seating room – perfect for a sunny Ann Arbor afternoon.

If you find out more about each of the carts, or more about Marks Cart’s check out this website:

http://markscartsannarbor.com/

Location: 211 W. Washington Street, Ann Arbor.

Thank you, Ann Arbor, for the food adventures this past year. See you again in August!

Next stop – Washington D.C. Keep following University Meets Food Diversity as I make the move to the capital for the summer!

A Locally-Grown and Locally-Sourced Breakfast

A little more than three years ago, a unique and sustainable way of serving food to local community members was conceived. Selma Café was “envisioned as a center, a hub, a heart of the many ongoing efforts to improve our lives through community building, free access to affordable, healthy foods, and to foster right-livelihood in vocations with meaning and purpose” (www.repastspresentandfuture.org). Each week, Selma Café features an array of locally grown breakfast dishes prepared by local chefs and volunteers. Although you won’t be met with a bill at the end of your meal, suggested donations are $10-15 for breakfast. Selma is an all-volunteer operation and all proceeds go directly to the local farmers and producers that supply the ingredients and to non-profit groups working to expand access to healthy, sustainable food resources.

In light of Selma Café’s recent showcase at the University of Michigan TEDx this April, Sam, Julie, Ben, Zack and I decided to visit Selma to find out for ourselves what all the talk was about.

What to know about Selma Café before heading over:

You won’t find Selma located on State Street, Main Street or near any of the other restaurants in the Ann Arbor area. This is because Selma Café is hosted at the home of Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe on 722 Soule Boulevard in Ann Arbor.  Also, be ready for an early breakfast. Selma Café is open from 6:30-10:00am every Friday, but I suggest getting there early because food runs out quick and every entrée is worth trying!

We managed to brave the dreaded early Friday morning wake up and got to Selma around 8:00am, just in time to beat the second wave of breakfast rush. Although we had to wait anxiously for 30 minutes for enough seats to clear, during our wait we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet Jeff and Lisa, and speak with them further about their experience at TEDx.

Once we were finally seated, we decided the only way to get the full Selma Café experience was by trying out all of the dishes on the menu that week:

Here’s how our Selma experience went:

If you're looking to support the local, sustainable food movement and you're craving something different than the usual breakfast places by U of M campus - I'd definitely advise checking out Selma Cafe, it's worth the early Friday wakeup.

Here's their website if you want to find out more about the mission of Selma and what's on the menu for this week: http://www.repastspresentandfuture.org/site/fmselma/