Honorable Mention: Cafe Cluny's Breakfast Club

I'm a firm believer in the age-old adage that "everything tastes better when cooked by someone else." Not only that, but I'm also convinced that identical foods (even packaged ones!) mysteriously taste better when eaten out of the confines of one's own home. Whether it's whimsy or scientific fact, Cafe Cluny's breakfast club is the perfect example of a dish that's easy to reproduce but impossible to nail.

Flanked by egg-washed wooden benches and, on this day, an ice cream cart addition, Cafe Cluny straddles one of the quaintest corners in the West Village. The French-ish bistro is reminiscent of what you would suspect a Paris bistro to look like if you had never actually been to Paris - bright and airy, and staffed with mime-looking, Breton striped shirt-wearing servers. Except their outfits are most likely from J.Crew, not Petit Bateau. I've only ever been to Cafe Cluny for brunch, but I hear they pull their weight for lunch and dinner, too, serving ricotta and green garlic pesto stuffed handkerchief pasta (that just sounds delicious) and a supposedly awesome tuna burger.

Cafe Cluny's breakfast club w/ fried egg, lettuce, avocado, tomato and spicy mayo
(I left out of the normally included bacon) - $15

The breakfast club is the model embodiment of brunch - breakfast elements served in a typical lunchtime vessel. Its makings are simple, common provisions likely found in your kitchen, but don't fool yourself into thinking it would taste half as good chez toi. What really brings this brunch megamix together is the spicy mayo. It provides just enough kick to ignite your taste buds for the day. As well, it pulls double-duty as the perfect emulsifier to blend all of the ingredients together into holistic brunch bliss. Another of its high points is the seemingly non-choice you have regarding the bread. Your server won't ask you what type of bread you would prefer (white or brown), alleviating the need for that racist debate of good vs. cardboard. Fewf.

The sandwich comes with a choice of fries or salad. While I'm not big on skinny fries (I'm sure we can all agree that McDonald's has just set the bar too high), they are far better to dip into the surplus spicy mayo than pieces of lettuce.

Overall, Cafe Cluny is a safe bet for any time of day. With a frisée salad on the regular menu (you know how I feel about that), the place isn't the most Plebe out there, but in terms of bang for buck, portion size and reliability, it's par for the course.

Cafe Cluny
284 W. 12th Street
NY, NY
(212) 255-6900
http://cafecluny.com
I don't believe they take weekend brunch reservations via Open Table, but with two dining rooms (and the ice cream cart during the summer), the wait is bearable. Reservations are suggested otherwise.

Truckeroo D.C.

Like diamonds to girls and bagels to cream cheese, street food is a Plebe's best friend. Which is why I've been forced to move to Washington, D.C. Psych. I haven't relocated, but I have been spending an inordinate amount of time lately in the nation's capital. Despite this being the home of my other half, my stay here is predominantly based on the fact that D.C. has one of the most thriving food truck cultures in the Northeast.

Serendipitously, last week Samburger and I both had the great fortune of being off on the same day as Truckeroo, a day-long gathering held once a month that brings together many D.C.'s finest mobile meal purveyors. So with glee in our hearts and small bills in our pockets, we ventured off to the Navy Yard event space.

After a quick survey of the landscape, we set our sights on four dishes:

Feelin' Crabby's crab slider - $5

Our first bite, and by far our favourite, was Feelin' Crabby's crab slider. You'd assume with such a declaration that I'd have infinite words of praise for this crustacean conglomeration, but I'm at a loss. How do you describe perfection? You can't. You simply urge others to go and experience it for themselves.

The backyard BBQ-style bun served as the perfect cushion to the Old Bay-dusted, overly generous portion of crab meat. Mixed with only the faintest hint of mayo, the patty bore zero signs (or scents) of fishiness or any other negative adjective associated with coming from the sea, a testament to its ultimate freshness. This product was sheer quality, and only left us wanting more. Which is why you'll find us at the Feelin' Crabby truck again this Friday for lunch.

The (half) "Full Vermonty" - $6.50

While I waited alongside my khaki-bottomed brethren for the crab slider, Samburger was tasked with making our selection from the neighbouring Big Cheese truck. Being the amateur turophile he is, he opted for the most pretentious sounding - and Flintstone-like - sandwich on the menu, the "Full Vermonty": Cabot clothbound, cave-aged cheddar on sourdough ($6.50). Given my love for Cabot cheddar cheese, and anything dressed in a loincloth, my hopes were high.

Contrary to other reports, I actually found this sandwich to be a decent size. However, in terms of taste, the Full Vermonty was lacking. I'm fairly confident that my own version would've been equally satisfying, and that's saying something. The highlight of this sandwich was definitely the butter-battered toasted sourdough. (The above linked piece mentions it's from Lyon Bakery*.) Absolutely divine, but again, nothing that couldn't be mastered at home with a good teflon pan.

*Lyon Bakery does not have a retail outpost. They do, however, have a Farmer's Market-type kiosk outside of Union Station.

The Stixmobile

Our third stop was Stix, a truck that specializes in the impalement of innocent veggies, meats and fruits. Here we singled out the grilled corn on the cob with "garlic parm butter."

Before I begin, I'd just like to say that the disappointment I experienced here was partially my own fault. When I saw the words "grilled corn" and "parmesan" together, I automatically assumed that the cob would be prepared Mexican style (since parmesan cheese is often used as a substitute for Cojita). It wasn't.

Either way, it still wasn't great. Not enough char on the kernels and the garlic parm butter was lacking, well, garlic and parm. Overall, a total waste of $3, and starch.

In an unrelated plug, if you're looking to experience the alegría that is great Mexican corn, head over to The Standard.

TaKorean's caramelized tofu taco, topped with Napa-Romaine slaw, Sriracha, lime crema,

cilantro and sesame seeds - $3 

Our fourth and final stop was TaKorean, one of the event's biggest draws.

These days, Korean seems to be the street food fusion partner de rigueur. And for good reason. Like Asia Dog in New York and Koji in LA, TaKorean is bringing the flavourful combinations of Korean BBQ and accoutrements to the Embassy-laden streets of D.C., but in Mexican form. The one word that comes to mind when I think about the marriage of these two cuisines is harmony. The whole thing just works. The Sriracha and lime crema play beautifully off each other, only serving to enhance the hoisin flavour of the marinated and seared tofu. Like Feelin' Crabby, TaKorean will definitely be a repeat offence, especially considering each of these bad boys is only a Plebe-tastic $3. 

Price: For all four bites, a stellar $17.50.


Truckeroo is held once a month in the Bullpen space adjacent to Nationals ballpark, at the corner of Half Street and M Street SE, across the street from Navy Yard metro (green line). Check out the next one on July 13th. Admission is free.