Street Food - Poland vs. U.S.A.



 Witamy!  During our last trip to Poland we experienced several types of street food that were absolutely delicious – in the shopping streets of Gdansk we licked twisty soft-serve ice cream cones sold on every corner.  In Wadowice, the birthplace of John Paul II, we fell in love with kremowki – delicious cream cakes popularized by the Pope.  Our son-in-law liked them so much that he had several each day during the entire rest of the trip.   And in the mountain region of Zakopane, we ate Osypek a home-made sheeps’ milk cheese which is smoked, cut into creative shapes and sold from street carts.  We know there are many others  but these were three that made an impression.  Yum!

Fast forward to Washington DC, where we just experienced Truckeroo – a “convention” of food trucks which are the latest rage in street food.  On a big black parking lot near the Nationals baseball stadium, we saw a circle of maybe 20 food trucks around the perimeter of the lot, nose to butt just like an old wild west wagon train circled up for the night.  At one end was a street band playing energetic music.  Right away we saw a white and blue tent with taps of icy Bud Light.  There was a long row of picnic tables cutting through the middle of the lot.  Unfortunately there were many more butts than seats.  But the atmosphere was jovial, just like a street fest.  Most of the lines moved quickly, folks in line were comparing notes about what was good and not-so-good, and everyone was enjoying the pleasant summer day.

Before leaving our house, Laura had reviewed on line the list of trucks and their menus, to make sure we had a strategy in mind for tasting the maximum number of the most successful dishes.  And taste we did!   Our #1 top prize went to Red Hook Lobster Pound for their Maine lobster roll.  We’ve had it before and it was again so good that I wished we had not agreed to share!  From El Floridano we enjoyed a latino-style pulled pork sandwich which featured a great tangy sauce.  From Takorean, we enjoyed two Korean-styled soft tacos – a bulgogi beef that was very moist, flavorful and topped with a bit of sharp kimchi salad.  The 2^nd was a chicken taco that was a bit too dry and needed a heavier hand with the flavorings.  From Eat Wonki we were drawn to a heady bowl of Wonki Fries – a mound of artfully prepared french fries, covered with squeeky cheese curds, and all drenched in a brown gravy that was surprisingly light.  This pile of love gets the cardiologist prize for clogging arteries, but it was decadently delicious.  Once in a while is OK, right?

For a cool down, we got a couple of gourmet popsicles from Pleasant Pops.  One was a very flavorful sweet Peach and the second was a Lemon/Lime/Ginger concoction that was quite low in sugar (a diabetic’s dream)  and a truly refreshing way to get brain freeze.  So lunch was great...we weren’t overly full because the dishes aren’t huge and we were sharing all the way. 

CUPCAKES FOR DINNER???? On our way out we were “forced” to pick up some cup cakes from Curbside Cupcakes, the latest entry into Washington’s love affair with cupcakes.  We were only planning to get two (just to taste) but ended up walking away with a six-pack, because of the “deal” – a bargain at six for the price of five.  Instead of dinner, we had a “tasting.”  Tequila Sunrise was pretty good - the cake was nicely flavored with orange and the icing was light, not-too-sweet, with a nice boozy kick.  Peanut Butter & Jelly was playful, the flavors were exactly right but the icing was a bit sweet for my taste.  The Lemon cupcake’s icing was light and refreshing with a definite lemony taste. The Chocolate-Chocolate, Red Velvet and Carrot Cake cupcakes were also delicious.  These are world-class entries to DC's cupcake wars.  Smacznego!