D.C. Good to Go: Area Street Carts Serve Variety

(Published in Express, November 6, 2008)
PIZZA, BULGOGI, GUMBO AND edamame on the streets of D.C.? It seems the capital is finally nearing the tipping point for great street food. Though hot dogs and chips are still the street-cart staple, a few entrepreneurs are venturing into new culinary territory. And just because the weather’s turning cooler is no reason to stay inside — these food options will coax anyone out of the office and onto the sidewalk.
THE LUNCH BUNCH
Delle & Campbell’s Halal Luncheonette, On the Fly, and D.C. Central Kitchen’s Capital Cart rule the lunch hour with shawarma, Teaism-inspired curries, and po’boys. The carts are a D.C. Business Improvement District experiment aimed at improving vending downtown. Scott Pomeroy of the D.C. BID cautions that the experiment hasn’t been a total home run. “It’ll take a little bit of time to build up,” he says, but “vendors are seeing repeat visitors.”

Since Delle & Campbell’s has been cooking up halal food since ’07 (in a different location), and On the Fly’s green carts have graced D.C.’s streets for just as long, Capital Cart’s the new kid on the block. Run by D.C. Central Kitchen training program graduates, the cart’s takes on gumbo and healthy sandwiches are tasty and easy on the wallet.

PEDRO AND VINNY’S
First, there’s only one guy there, not two, and his name is John. Second, the line ain’t short. On a recent Friday, there were almost 20 people waiting for a bean-and-rice burrito from this shiny street cart parked across from McPherson Square.

The good news: The line moves quickly. “I make about one burrito every 30 seconds,” says owner John Rider. Since he only has to vary his single offering — choice of tortilla, beans, hot sauce and guac/sour cream options — you can have your lunch in less than 15 minutes. It also helps that Rider doesn’t deal with napkins or bags (they’re self-serve) and that payment is on the honor system.

Pedro and Vinny’s was AWOL for about a year — Rider spent that time trying to open an “indoors” version of Pedro and Vinny’s in North Carolina — but the cart made its triumphant reappearance in late September, and the line’s gotten longer each day since. Check the weather report and the site at pedroandvinnys.com to make sure the cart is open before you venture outside.

PUPATELLA
This Ballston-based cart serves Neapolitan pizza, stuffed rice balls and Italian-style doughnuts in flavors like Nutella and dulce de leche. Since its opening last October, lines have been long for the fresh-made pizza with fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella. Pupatella’s main problem seems to be inconsistent hours — complaints on online message boards are frequently along the lines of “I went yesterday, but they weren’t there!”

Of course, these big three aren’t the only vendors in metro D.C. to shake lunch up a little. The Bulgogi Cart — aka L Street Vending — has been serving kimchee, bulgogi and bibimbap for more than a year, and Columbia Heights’ Comida Truck garners rave reviews online. And with new regulations before the D.C. Council expected to loosen restrictions on cart sizes and storage, it’s only a matter of time before the only diners buying street-cart hot dogs are the ones who really, really like those dogs. And soon, quick, delicious lunch on the street will be a reality for all.

(Read it at ExpressNightOut.com)

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