Today was a simply a beautiful, sunny, and temperate day, especially for D.C., so I wanted to get out of the house for lunch. My work-from-home stint is coming to an end, as the renovations in our office are complete, so I took advantage of the nice weather and the availability of my car to head down to Nationals Park in Southeast D.C. to meet up with some coworkers for the first Food Truckeroo.
Capitalizing on the food truck craze here in D.C., Truckeroo is an event that will take place the first Friday of each month from June - October. All of the best trucks in the area will be serving their dishes to a backdrop of live music, games, and beer until 9 pm. Not too bad for a long Friday lunch or a fun Friday evening.
Because of our easy access to I-295, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to drive from our house to Nationals Park. Great for catching Nats games, and great for today's lunch. There was plenty of street parking around Nationals Park and the line to get into "Das Bullpen's" area where the trucks were parked was long, but moving quickly.
I've been without my food truck fix since we started working from home back in February, so I was glad to be able to take my pick from all of my favorite trucks.
When you enter the area you are greeted by a stage with live music and a fully stocked beer selection.
Beyond this is an umbrella seating area and a ton of people enjoying the day.
A highlight of the event is that one of my favorite relaxing (but ultra competitive) games, Cornhole, has made an appearance! As a native Midwesterner, Cornhole is in my blood, so I'm quite glad that it has made its way to the East Coast. I was really starting to miss it.
There weren't any people playing Cornhole, but I'm sure that will pick up as the evening progresses and more beer is consumed. You can see National's Park in the photo above.
But really, who can blame everyone, they were there for the food, and there were many options to choose from. Here is a rundown of the roster of trucks.
Fojol (@FojolBros) - A selection of Indian inspired curries, easily my favorite truck, and where I ended up getting food. The guys in the photo are Martin and Buddy, the coworkers that I met up with, and one of the Fojol Brothers is giving the big thumbs up from inside. They are good guys (and gals) with good food!
CapMac - One of my personal favorites, serving delectable variations of mac and cheese.
DC Empanadas (@DCEmpanadas) - It was a toss up between getting these and Fojol Bros for my lunch. They have really good Empanadas.
Eat Wonky (@EatWonky) - Poutine (Gravy), Fries, and Squeeky Cheese. I've enjoyed it every time I've eaten it.
Sweet Bites (@SweetBitesTruck) - One of the many cupcake and sweets trucks in D.C. Everything I've ever gotten from them has been very good.
BBQ Bus (@BBQBusDC) - Name says it all. One of the trucks I've not tried, but I hear it is good.
Sauca (@wheresauca) - Global cuisine. I really like the soups they offer.
TaKorean (@TaKorean) - Korean BBQ Tacos on a corn tortilla. Pretty good and a unique taste.
Sabora Street (@SaboraStreet) - Latin inspired street food. I've not tried this truck yet.
Red Hook Lobster (@LobsterTruckDC) - This is another of my favorites. Fifteen dollars for a lobster roll is a bit steep, but there is a LOT of meat. The only problem, the line was pretty easily an hour long.
Porc (@PorcMobile) - The name says it all. Haven't tried their Pork.
Pleasant Pops (@PleasantPops) - An assortment of frozen pops. Some great flavors, like strawberry ginger lemonade. Some interesting good, like sweet cream corn. And some just interesting, like avocado.
El Floradino (@FLMeetsDC) - Pan Con LeChon, but I've not tried their food.
DC Slices (@DCSlices) - I've only had their pizza once during the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally, but it was quite good.
Dangerously Delicious Pies (@ThePieTruckDC) - Both sweet and savory pies. All I've tried from them have been good.
Curbside Cupcakes (@CurbsideCupcakes) - One of the best cupcake options in the area. I'd say they are better then Georgetown Cupcake, and less expensive too (but not better than Wendy's cupcakes).
And finally, Big Cheese (@BigCheeseTruck), the grilled cheese truck.
As you can see, there was quite a selection to choose from. Some lines were long, some were short, but they all had a pretty steady stream of customers. I think it is a great idea and a great way to bring some additional choices for food to an area of D.C. that really doesn't have many good options.
I'll probably be going most months, especially if any coincide with Nationals games. That would be a great way to get an inexpensive but good dinner, and follow it up with a baseball game!
If you're in D.C., or if you're taking a trip to D.C. that will happen to coincide with one of the first Fridays of a month between now and October, be sure to check it out. Free admission is well worth the price!