thetruckerette-blog

[thetruckerette-blog]

town & country photographed by bettina lewin

[thetruckerette-blog]

CapMac: Or how I desperately love melty, congealed, cheesy goodness

I made it my mission to find CapMac, the "mac and cheese truck", wherever they might be stopping this week. My visit came a week later than I expected.  I was out of my door, pressing the down button to my elevator last Wednesday the 14th, when I pulled up my twitter and saw that the truck had aborted their mission for the day. I was devastated.  All I had been hearing for weeks was the details of how drool-worthy the new fall Goat Mac was (goat cheese is my #1 favorite cheese), and man, when you've been looking forward to one dish for days, it freaking sucks to not be able to get it.  The website succinctly describes the goat mac with "fall greens, crispy onions" at $8 and for $2 extra, I can add braised pork.  Since I was also grabbing lunch for my Mother (or creating an excuse to be able to get 2 different macs), I also decided to get the Classic CapMac'n Cheese: "Cheddar, pimento, cheez-it crumble" for $6, make it Sloppy or Balls-out (or both) for $2 more.

The truck made its Wednesday stop at GWU, and after a particularly frustrating drive into D.C. (is there any other kind?) because the red line stops nowhere near campus, I made it.  I have to say the only thing CapMac has going against it is that it is cash only.  Nothing huge, but I am just not a cash person.  I specifically have to go to the ATM before I visit the truck.  But I can get over it pretty quickly. So, I waltzed up to the truck amid a pretty decent line and ordered.  The girl who helped me was nice and was smily, no complaints.  I probably waited no longer than 5-7 minutes for my name to be called.  I grabbed my brown bag (I was kindly told my goat mac was on top) and headed back to my car. I was practically ferocious to eat once I got back home. Tell me this doesn't look amazing:

A sloppy classic mac and the goat mac with braised pork. Do you see what I see? The GLOB of CHEDDAR in the classic mac?! How about the dollops of goat cheese? Zonks. I think I just passed out.  Lets look more closely.

I'll start with the goat mac.  As you can see, I think it is one of those dishes that would have been absolutely perfect if I was able to eat it immediately.  I am a huge proponent of eating food when it's hot, but today, I just wasn't able to.  The greens, which should've given the mac a fresh, slightly chewy flavor, were mostly just soggy.  Maybe spinach would've been better? Or maybe it's just because I ate 30 minutes after it was made.  The crispy onions added a great texture.  Downside: not enough cheese. I was lucky to get the goat mac offered this summer, with tomato jam and breadcrumbs, and it was to.die.for. Perfect amount of goat cheese, which the jam set off perfectly, and the breadcrumbs were basically the cherry on top. I wish I could've gone back everyday. But the ingredients of this goat mac just seemed to be lacking in those "match made in heaven" qualities that the summer edition had. I really did enjoy the braised pork, though.  Saying all that, it was still pretty tasty. My Mom said it had a very "earthy taste". I would definitely have to agree.  And once I heated it up, it tasted a lot better. I still wish there was more cheese, though. 

Hello, my love. The sloppy classic mac was practically perfect in every way (just like my idol/alter ego Mary Poppins).  The sloppy means that the dish was topped with ground beef and bolognese sauce. Worth it. This is definitely how I like my mac: slightly cooled, cheese has started to congeal, and is a little chunky instead of runny.  The best part about it all? TONS OF CHEESE. My Mom and I dug in and never looked back. I did heat up a portion of it to see if even perfection could be improved upon.  Nope, not necessary.  The cheez-it topping gave the pasta a great texture and flavor.  What could possibly go wrong with topping cheese with more cheese? Maybe the world imploding in awesomeness.

I received an e-mail from my Mom this afternoon telling me that she dreamed about the mac. She had to run off for a hair appointment halfway through our lunch and I may or may not have eaten the rest of both of the dishes. 

I can't wait to try CapMac again.  They'll be at Truckeroo next Friday, but I don't think I'll be visiting this truck then.  I plan on trying out something new, but who knows what those crazy lines will dictate?  Maybe when they come out with a new goat mac I'll go back.  I have also heard great things about their Chicken Parm Meat Balls and will definitely have to try that out.

Bottom line: Thank you CapMac for satisfying my daily undying need for cheese. Your service was friendly and efficient.  Your classic mac is tops and your fall goat mac leaves some changes to be desired.  A friendly suggestion? Come near Friendship Heights sometime soon! Or Bethesda if you REALLY want to be kind.  Preferably on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Okay, I'll try to stop being so demanding.  

[thetruckerette-blog]

So, i'm really excited about having a legitimate reason to eat more food

I remember when it happened. I was in Hawaii this past April when I read in the newspaper of a truck that served grilled cheeses. Not just your mom's grilled cheese. But a sandwich packed with loads of gourmet cheese, meats, and veggies. As someone who gets googly eyes for ANYTHING with cheese, I knew I had to track down this truck before I left. On my last day, I found Melt. They're Oahu's local grilled cheese truck purveyor. 

I didn't really know what to expect when I walked up, other than knowing I was about to get something delicious. Taking a peak at the menu, I smiled the offerings. Your traditional grilled cheese with cheddar, gouda, and gruyere; a pastrami melt with gruyere and mustard; and a tomato and basil melt. Then, I saw Melt's challenge to me:

THE MELT of SHAME. 1/4lb of beef, sauteed onions, and special sauce between TWO GRILLED CHEESES. So now you want to know how it tasted, right? I HAVE NO IDEA.  Why, oh why, did I turn this down?! Oh that's right, I had a 15 hour plane ride to catch and didn't need that to be sitting in my digestive system. But seriously, next time I'm in town, this is going straight into my belly. 

What I did get was the Triple Melt and the Tomato Basil Melt (to share with the family, of course/i ate all but half of the tomato basil before i got back to the hotel). Without doting too much on what I ate 6 months ago, it was all kinds of amazing. I can honestly say it changed my life. Pretty crazy how something so "simple" can do that, right? When I got back, I began my search for what D.C. could offer in food truck cuisine. Little did I know there's a big food truck world out there and It was only the beginning. 

Back in D.C., my first stop was at The Big Cheese Truck. You will quickly learn that I am very predictable: I really love cheese, all cheeses, on anything, with anything, and I will be very picky about if it's cheesy enough. I love this truck and I will certainly be writing about them very soon.  Also, how can one not love a truck with a happy grilled cheese? I mean, come on, you probably have no soul if you don't smile when you're staring at that thing.  Other trucks I've visited over the summer include The Lobster Truck (a.k.a. Red Hook Lobster Pound), CapMac, PiTruck, and PORC (Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine). 

There are several reasons to why I want to start this blog: I want to push myself to try all the cuisines D.C. has to offer. As someone who started expanding her food palette dramatically this year (I used to say no to beans, bleu cheese, chili, avocado, and many things I now know I am in love and will spend the rest of my life with), I want to try anything and everything. I have no food boundaries. I also want to become more educated on the inner workings of the trucks, if I can.  I was born and raised in restaurants. It's in my core being to be curious about how these rolling restaurants operate, those working inside, the appearance of the truck, the customer service, and of course, the food. Finally, it will bring me closer to D.C.; the city I've always lived so near but so far away from. Having just moved to Bethesda from Gaithersburg, I'm just getting to explore what the district has to offer. I currently work in Gaithersburg and will only get to visit the trucks on my days off: Tuesday and Wednesday (unless some amazing trucks want to try a stop in suburbia anytime soon? Pretty please? I work in an apartment building and can bring a crowd!). 

If anyone has any truck suggestions, please let me know. I'm willing to travel anywhere in DC/MD/VA. Here I come trucks, get ready!