Video by Hatchet videographer Yulin Lou.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Rachel Miklaszewski.

If you’re a foodie like me, Taste of D.C. was the place to be this weekend.

The festival packed Pennsylvania Ave. between 9th and 14th with restaurants, food trucks, beer and wine tastings, free giveaways, Ben’s Chili Bowl eating competitions and live music, offering a bite for every taste bud.

For those who don’t have the time or the budget to try all the restaurants the District has to offer, Taste of D.C. was a goldent opportunity to sample local restaurants like Circa, The Carving Room, La Tasca or The Oceanaire. Each tasting started at $3, making the festival both easy on the wallet and intense on the flavor.

In the spirit of new culinary adventures, I resisted the allure of Captain Cookie and set out trying to find new, delicious food trucks not found on GW’s campus. Here are my findings:

Meggrolls: After noticing The Washingtonian had listed Meggrolls as one of D.C.’s best food trucks, I knew it would be my first stop. The food truck serves up inventive egg rolls designed to taste like various non-asian dishes from burgers to mac and cheese. I went for the Big Meg first, an egg roll version of the Big Mac which was topped with a tangy sauce and a pickle. As I bit in, the juicy sauce mixed with the flaky exterior of the egg roll, creating a taste just like hamburger. But the Chorizo Poblano, a Tex-Mex take on the egg roll, was even better. Dripping with honey drizzle, the sweet and spicy egg roll made this food truck one I wish was on campus.
★★★★★

Tapas Truck: As a dedicated tapas aficionado, I waited in the insanely long lines for what was advertised as “authentic Spanish cuisine.” After finally getting a peek at the menu, I came to the sad conclusion that these were not at all authentic Spanish dishes, but they were decent nonetheless. I sampled the Corn Fritters, which were served in a cone (think Amsterdam Falafel-esque) and topped with cilantro sauce. Sadly, I was underwhelmed by this food truck. Corn fritters are not truly part of Spanish cuisine and the food truck chose an easy crowd pleaser — fried everything.  While fried food by definition is always good, it seems like an easy way out for a tapas truck.
★✰✰✰✰

Carmen’s Italian Ice: At this bright yellow truck, I ordered a strawberry lemon Italian ice, which was both tart and sweet with a blended texture closer to a Slurpee. In terms of their other menu items, the custard and shakes get high marks, although I’d stray away from their ice cream-italian ice combinations – those desserts shouldn’t be mixed. Overall, this food truck served up a nice selection of refreshing and affordable desserts that are less heavy than Captain Cookie, without skimping on flavor.

★★★✰✰

Arepazone: I jumped over to this truck as soon as I noticed they had Arepas, a South American staple that resembles a twist between a tortilla and a pancake that I don’t come across often. The food truck workers, who were warm, cheerful and accomodating, seemed almost as excited to see me. For $7 I tried the canosa, an arepa filled with shredded beef and cheese with a cilantro-based sauce. The beef was a little dry, but the mix of flavors — cilantro, peppers, and melting shredded cheese — was a fiesta in my mouth and with the help of a friend, I scarfed it down.

★★★★✰

South Meets East: Created by Justin Bates, former chef of Cava Mezze, this food truck was also highly ranked by the Washingtonian. The cuisine is Mexican fusion and their menu is simple, offering two seasonal tacos — a Tex-Mex and Bahn Mi Taco. Both were piping hot when I received them. I tried the Tex-Mex-inspired taco first and was disappointed to find it a bit bland for Tex-Mex. The food truck skimped on the beef and the unseasoned or sauteed corn overpowered my palate. The Bahn Mi Taco offered crunchy coleslaw as a great textural contrast to the pork inside, though the coleslaw was a tad sweet for my taste.
★★★✰✰