Rebel Heroes (Banh Mi food truck)

Rebel Heroes appeared on the scene back in April when I first posted about the food truck frenzy taking over the city. Their tag line, "revolutionizing the sub with our Banh Mi food truck" definitely intrigued me, and I was curious as to how it would measure up to a $2.50 Banh Mi from Eden Center. However, I never followed Rebel Heroes on Twitter because they were based out of Arlington and never came into DC (so what if I'm a city snob?).

Last week, when I was in Clarendon taking my sad MacBook to the Genius Bar, I finally had the chance. Even though my stomach was feeling a little off and I wasn't quite hungry for dinner, as soon as I saw the truck parked, I knew I'd have to make a stop.

The Rebel Heroes menu is divided into two sections: The Old Guard (which includes traditional banh mi offerings, such as roast pork, pork meatball, and chicken), and The Rebels, which are based off banh mi but updated either with different ingredients (as I understand, the main update is the addition of swiss cheese) or preparation (some of the sandwiches can be pressed).

Naturally, I went for what seemed most traditional - the roast pork banh mi from The Old Guard menu, for $5.50. The service, while friendly, did seem to be a little chaotic, but it could have been due to the fact that they were about to close up shop in addition to trying to be quick/rush the food. It turns out I got the second to last sandwich of the evening, so no matter the issues, I was happy to walk away with something to try.

The sandwich itself, while not identical to what you'd find at Eden, was very satisfying and delicious. The combination of the house mayo, cilantro, jalapenos and pickled veggies really came together nicely. I especially enjoyed the addition of scallions, which added extra flavor and crunch to the sandwich. The only thing that seemed lacking was that I could barely taste the meat. The pork was sliced very thinly and there wasn't much in the sandwich, so the meat itself took a back seat to all the supporting ingredients.

I'd be curious to try one of the "Rebel" varieties to see how the basics of banh mi translate to other sandwich varieties. While nothing beats the bang-for-your-buck banh mi from a traditional Vietnamese mom and pop shop, if Rebel Heroes was parked downtown, I could definitely see myself rotating it into my regular set of lunch options.

Food Truck Frenzy

Some time in '09, food trucks started taking DC by storm. Sure, before then there was Delle & Campbell's food cart that made the cover of the Post's Food section in 2007, and then the Korean food cart on 14th & L in addition to a handful of others, but with the advent of Twitter, the scene has changed. What once was a collection of stationary food carts at fixed locations has now become a series of on-the-go mobile restaurants with huge Twitter followings.

For me, the first truck that really started the Twitter hype belonged to the fojol bros., serving a variety of Indian cuisine from a guy wearing a fake moustache. I tried that a while ago and it was a pretty decent on-the-go meal, but nothing that memorable. I'll admit -- the novelty of the Twitter/food truck totally appeals to me and being able to track one down in my neighborhood is always a pleasant treat, so I'm always up for giving something a try.

Tonight, on my way home from Safeway (to pick up some ingredients for dinner), I saw the Saucamobile parked on P Street just outside Whole Foods. The food truck, which describes itself as "DC's most unique international mobile food experience," specializes in a variety of flatbreads featuring the world's cuisine. Among the choices are a Pork Banh Mi (Banh Mi is so trendy now!), a Croque Monsieur and a Mumbai Butter Chicken.


I've seen the truck relatively frequently around my office during lunchtime and even on my walks home but always had other meal plans, so I kept missing chances to try it. Tonight, despite the fact that I'd already planned to cook dinner, I went for it.

I was torn between the Mumbai Butter Chicken and Merguez Frites when I approached the truck, but the decision was made for me when the customer in front of me ordered the last butter chicken of the day. Merguez Frites it was! John, the part-time veggie, opted for the SOB Veggie (Tantalizing South-of-the-Border flavors with Charred Tomato Salsa, saffron rice, cotija cheese, mango pico de gallo and our Chimichurri sauce.). His was quite satisfying for being a veggie meal, but could have used a little hot sauce (or other flavor) to kick it up a notch.

Since I was so hungry to eat, I forgot to take a photo of the actual product before consuming it (rookie blogger FAIL!). Ugh. Sorry folks! But I did manage a couple snaps of the food truck while I was waiting, if it's any consolation (probably not).



The Merguez Frites was described as A swanky, European hot dog worthy of a Tweet. Savory succulence of lamb and beef Merguez sausage with crispy potatoes, Dijon mustard and tangy ketchup. At $7.50 for my sauca, I was actually impressed with the size of the flatbread and how full and satisfied I felt. The sausages were substantial - they actually gave me four links so that I got a piece in every bite (perfect ratio!) and the ketchup was sweet but with a little kick. I will say the "crispy potatoes" was a bit deceiving - when I hear "frites," I'm thinkin' french fries, but these were basically those salty and cheap fried potato sticks you get in a giant cylindrical tub at the grocery store. It certainly didn't take away from the flavor (I did like the crunch factor), but it wasn't a huge bonus, either. The bread was soft, doughy and delicious and definitely a big draw.

All in all, the meal was very tasty and satisfying.

I'll definitely be heading back to the Saucamobile to try some of their other varieties. I forgot to mention that the guy in the truck was friendly and helpful, and I always like to reward good customer service.

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