DC Crab Cake & Co

The RENDANG — off-​menu specialty– is killer. A recent CNN poll of worldwide foodies found that the Indonesian stew called rending is the most delicious food in the world. And the rending at the DC Crab Cake & Co. is one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten from a food truck. I would buy this at a restaurant. The chicken is perfectly cooked and seasoned with galangal and other spices. The dish is not polluted or contaminated with cilantro. And the green beens are FRESH and cooked to perfection. Firm and delicious. You will not find a tastier meal from any food truck. Period.

Can’t actually speak to the crab cakes– I thought they were a bit overpriced, as they were probably using frozen crab, but I tried the brisket sandwich ($ 8), which was good. BBQ sauce, slaw, brisket slices on a bun, with a small side salad. Mixed spring lettuce was very fresh, but dowsed in vinaigrette. I would have liked more slaw.

If you have lived in or around the Chesapeake Bay for more than a couple of years — do not bother visiting this truck.
If you are a tourist visiting the District of Columbia or some summer intern working on the Hill, then by all means — enjoy. You will have no clue how badly you are being insulted.
First off, this «lump» crab cake that this truck sells is mostly filler. If you do not know what I am talking about, then take a look at this picture —
^ this is what a real lump crab cake looks like. Notice the giant bits of crab meat falling out of the cake? That didn’t happen with my cake. My cake was just a tiny disc of mush. I guess that I should have taken a picture, but I was very hungry and ate the whole damn sandwich in one bite. Not because I was so famished, but due the diminutive size of the sandwich.
As bad as the crab sandwich was, the «salad» that accompanied the sandwich was about 10 leaves of spinach drenched in vinaigrette. On top of that, I got about a dixie cup’s worth of coleslaw on the side. The slaw was the highlight of my lunch, but didn’t really sate my appetite after I finished it up in two bites.
All of this came to the grand total of 13 American bucks. It should have been a little bit more due to the 10% tax added onto $ 12 sales price, but I guess the fellow running the truck didn’t have change or something and just rounded it off to the nearest dollar. So for that, I’ll give them 2 stars.
I overheard that these fine people are getting ready to open up a new truck that will be offering Indonesian food (or something of that nature). Hopefully, their new truck will be much better that this one, but then again — the bar is very low for making comparisons.

Very tender, succulent and fresh crab cakes.
Also their beef brisket is amazingly flavorful, tender and very moist.

I like it. By no means, am I a crab cake aficionado like Virginians, Marylanders, and DC-​ites, but I was thoroughly impressed with the crab cake sandwich. This truck is posted up along 20^th and L St. on Tuesdays.
Food — I’m not normally into delayed gratification, but I ate the small sides, salad (few greens drizzled w/​balsamic vinegar) and slaw, first so I could savor the crab cake sandwich. Some say you should just throw it in with the crab cake between the soft buns, but f– that noise… I want to enjoy the purity of the crab cake! The salad w/​dressing was basic, and the slaw was particularly crunchy. But the highlight — the crab cake sandwich: I couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t too ocean-​y (like when it’s not fresh, ironically) and tasted great. It had just enough soft shell to give it great texture to contrast with the soft hamburger buns. I’ve got crabs, and I’m proud to let the world know!!!
Service — The owner is friendly and upbeat… it’s almost like he’s faking it, but you know what – it’s better than dealing with owners/​servers that are zombies. DCCC&C…(&CCCC&CC&C) are pretty quick and there’s little delay, which is greatly appreciated for those short on time. It’s even quicker if you got a CC and they’ll e-​mail you a receipt. I didn’t even give them my email address — technology is amazing/​creepy these days.
Ambiance — It’s a truck, yo! You come here to grab some lunch to head back to the office and make your co-​workers jealous. That’s ambiance enough for me.
At $ 13 it’s a little pricey, esp. for a Southern boy like me (lol, 3 years in Charlotte does not make a Chicago-​an Southern [and then add in the fact that I grew up in SoCal…]), but I wouldn’t mind hitting up this truck like every other week.
dmo out