On a very sunny and record-setting warm day in early April, SOL Mexican Grill came around to my neck of the DC woods. Getting word via Twitter that they’d be nearby, I tweeted to ask what, if any vegan items they have on the menu. At this time their website is still under development, but (as I later learned) you can access the menu through Food Truck Fiesta.
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| (photo from Food Truck Fiesta) |
Though I didn’t hear back regarding the menu, I chanced it and figured I could ask quickly at the window. Generally, I like to know ahead of time what items are vegan and what I’m ordering so as not to suck up too much time at the window with the usual vegan barrage of questions. Part of the appeal of the food trucks is that they are (typically) a fast way for busy people to grab lunch. But really, once I saw the menu, and saw that it’s build-your-own, all I needed to know was whether the rice and beans were vegan. That seems so obvious, but as any vegan knows, a lot of places do a lot of screwy things to mess up the simplest of ingredients.
Your options from SOL are three tacos, a burrito, or a bowl. Once confirming the beans and rice are vegan, I saved a bit of calories and carbs and opted for the bowl. In keeping with my mission, I proceeded to order all available vegan options, which included black beans, white rice, pico, lettuce, and corn. There are two sauce options, red (hot) and green (medium). The more you get to know me, the less of a question this will be, but I ordered the red sauce.
The service was quick and friendly, and they provided the napkin and fork, in a brown paper bag. (I mention this because some of the food trucks do not wrap their food at all.) This made it easy to take back to the office, refill my water, and commence with the chowing. This was a tasty and filling lunch. And at $7, a great deal as well. The flesh-eaters pay an extra $1.50 for guacamole, while we herbivores have it included, which is a nice little bonus. SOL also offers Jarritos, and on this day I saw the pineapple, mango, and tamarind flavors. I’m not sure of the price as I didn’t have one.
Initially, since “veggie” is listed under the flesh options, I thought there might be vegetables to add to the dish. That’s not the case—the veggie is simply the same options everyone has, just no flesh. That’s fine, that’s the way it is at most places, though some additional veggies, or A veggie might be nice. But it’s a truck—space and time are limited. This still makes for a perfectly satisfying meal.
The rice is a tad sticky, but with all the other good stuff going on it barely matters. The beans were cooked properly; the pico and guac fresh; and the red sauce…oh the red sauce. Delicious! I’m always thrilled to find something with flavor, especially something that purports to be “hot.” This is a solid picante sauce, and I’ll be asking for extra next time.
My only complaint is that the cheese is picked up and tossed on the taco/burrito/bowl with the same gloved hand as the lettuce. I realize in a fast-paced food service environment there isn’t time to change gloves, but perhaps some tongs could be used for one or both items so as to avoid cross contamination. There was no cheese in my bowl, but still. Between the vegans and the dairy-allergic, it would be a good idea.
Overall I very much enjoyed my burrito bowl lunch. I believe it was a fair price for a good-sized portion, and the flavors and textures were appealing. A vegan can definitely get a solid and tasty meal here. Will definitely go back again when Twitter tells me they are nearby. And ask for more sauce.
Website: http://soltruck.com (under development)
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