AZNeats at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Competition
AZNeats at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Competition

La’Chia, our awesome Dining Traveler food and event contributor went to Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival this weekend. This is her delicious recap:

Trucks ready for battle at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Competition
Trucks ready for battle at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival

This past weekend, DC played host to the first round of the Taste of 3 Cities food truck festival and competition. Trucks from DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia converged on Storey Park Lot to compete for the Mayor’s Cup.  The trucks were also competing for attendees votes, winner receiving the People’s Choice Award.  The event also featured live music and the opportunity to shop for art and fashion.  A portion of the proceeds went to DC Central Kitchen whose mission is to reduce hunger in the area through a variety of community programs.

AZNeats at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Competition
AZNeats at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival

Tacos are classic food truck food so it was only fitting that I started with those. I stopped at the AZNeats truck and ordered a bulgogi taco. Bulgogi, which is marinated and grilled beef, is a Korean classic.  The taco was topped with scallions, cilantro, kimchi sauce, and cheese… which surprised me. Cheese isn’t traditional for a Korean taco and I was somewhat skeptical. I took a bite and to my surprise, it was actually good!  I still think it would be better without the cheese though. The DC Taco Truck was right next to AZNeats so I opted to try their fish taco topped with mango salsa and mild avocado sauce. It was delicious.

Cow & the Curd at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival
Cow & the Curd at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival

Philadelphia’s the Cow & the Curd won the People’s Choice Award and third place in the Mayor’s Cup with a Wisconsin classic: fried cheese curds! The Cow & the Curd takes curds that would be used to make cheddar cheese, batters and fries them. These were likened to mozzarella sticks but in my opinion, fried cheese curds are much better!  Mozzarella cheese isn’t the most flavorful cheese so the coating has to be strongly flavored.  A simply seasoned batter will do for fried cheese curds because they have a flavor all their own. The curds didn’t have the exact flavor of cheddar (they were only aged three days) but they did have a slight hint of sweetness.  If you’re ever in Philadelphia, you’ll have to try them out!

Mac n Cheese Rolls at the Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival
Mac n Cheese Rolls at the Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival

Just when I was ready to grab dessert to go, Ada’s Kitchen on Wheels caught my eye. More specifically, it was the mac and cheese egg rolls that piqued my interest. Despite being nearly full, I couldn’t leave without ordering them! Perfectly crisp on the outside and creamy and cheesy on the inside, these egg rolls were my favorite bite of the day. There was also an option to get them with bacon inside. I opted for plain but I’m sure the bacon would have made an excellent addition!

 Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival
Black Velvet Cupcake from Midnite Cupcakery at Taste of 3 Cities Food Truck Festival

On the way out, I picked up a black velvet cupcake from Midnite Confections Cupcakery (you can mix and match cupcake and frosting flavors) and a couple of Squirrel cake truffles, which are Nutella flavored, from Icedgems, last year’s Mayor’s Cup Winner. Overall, Taste of 3 Cities was a fun event! The only thing that could have been better was the weather. Philadelphia will host the second round on May 9th which is perfect for a day trip or weekend getaway from DC.

2 COMMENTS

    • I’m not a fan of mayo so I’ve avoided the lobster roll trucks. I’ll have to try Red Hook though! They have one with lobster that’s just poached in butter.

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