• 18Jan

    Crooked Run and Pizza Serata is a new, collaborative concept from Crooked Run Fermentation owners/brew masters Jake Endres and Lee Rogan, Michelin-starred Chef Chris Morgan, and “Pizza Czar” Anthony Falco. We attended the friends and family event Monday and got to sample their food and beer.

    We sampled four brews: Raspberry Empress (a sour), and three Pilsners, New Zealand, Italian, and German. All four were great, with my favorite being the Italian-style Pilsner, while my guest’s favorite was the New Zealand-style Pilsner.

    We tried the Arugula Salad (Lemon Vin, Pickled Peppers, Whipped Ricotta, Roasted Beets, Red Onions Jam, Crushed Pistachios), Steak Sandwich (Skirt Steak, Salsa Verde, Calabrian Aioli, House-Made Bread), Sicilian Anchovy Pizza (Anchovies, Tomato, Garlic, Pecorino, Roasted Onions, Breadcrumbs), and Reading Terminal Pizza (Porchetta, Mozzarella, Broccoli Rabe, Provolone, Long Hots, Vodka Sauce).

    As far as the food, the absolute standout was the Arugula Salad, with delicious pickled peppers, roasted beets, and crushed pistachios. A nearby table raved about the Italian Chop Salad, and there is also a third salad on the menu (Grilled Treviso). The pizzas were good as well, with a thick focaccia-like crust, as was the Steak Sandwich. While we did try their Sticky Garlic Chicken Wings and were not crazy about them (the texture and level of saltiness), it was the first day of service, so they can still work on that one.

    We definitely need to go back, since there are salads, brews, and pizzas we didn’t get to try.

    -JAY

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events. Our words are still our own.

  • 14Jun

    Brian (in front) and Chef Malik. Click for full picture.

    I was one of the Food Media at Basil Thyme’s soft opening.  They make the pasta fresh every morning, and do a great job at it. The basil fettuccine with basil pesto and the lasagna were very very good.  The basil pasta dish seems like something you would find at a good fancy Italian restaurant, while the lasagna is what someone’s Italian grandmother might cook (if the granny in question was a very good cook).  The Italian sandwich (prosciutto, hard salami, pepperoni, red pepper, and fresh mozzarella was tasty and not heavy.  The tiramisu was good as well, and was serves as three mascarpone drenched cookies (instead of as a cake).  JDS loved the chocolate covered cannoli.  And dishes are around $8, which is very reasonable for the high quality food I sampled.

    I’m serious when I say I’d buy their pastas at a farmer’s market or supermarket.  The pasta is that good.

    Thrillist wrote about the soft opening as well, but referenced rednecks, and both male and female genitalia in the article.  I’m a fan of Thrillist, but am not sure why they used those references in an article about a pasta truck.

    Their lasagna is VERY good.What does Basil Thyme have to say about themselves?

    “Basil Thyme is excited to be DC’s first  from-Scratch Italian truck.  We
    wake up at the crack of dawn (and end up covered in flour) to bring our
    fresh pasta noodles every day – spaghetti, Fettuccine, Lasagna  – and
    make our own sausage and Ricotta cheese by hand too. We’re featuring
    marinara, meat and vodka sauces and have Chef’s special sauces or pasta
    each day.

    Lastly we serve it up with a nice Mediterranean-inspired side salad
    and have our own homemade Tirimisu and Cannolis for desert. We also
    feature some sandwiches with our house made Pesto.  We strive to source
    locally – through our purveyor and use fresh herbs and produce in our
    sauces.  Everything we serve is house made.”

    -JAY

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