...W?ch Addiction

I've raved in the past about my love for the Devilicious Food Truck, and touched on the trend of Food Trucks as the new medium for getting into the food business.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I made the lamentably late realization that the new restaurant I saw going into my work-neighborhood was in-fact a brick and mortar establishment by the same folks behind Devilicious.  Enter: W?ch Addiction.

Dyann and Mark have continued riffing on "New American" cuisine and have done a seemingly smart thing in designing the menu around the same quick-turnaround handmade food that makes the truck so awesome.  Fortunately, with the advent of actual tables, they can get away with a few more things that just aren't easy to do in the mobile environment.

As the name implies, Sandwiches feature heavily on the menu, though salads, sides, and the ever-eclectic Poutine are added.  For my first visit, I was called by the Panzanella salad, and of course I couldn't resist adding the crispy pork-belly on top.

The salad itself already packed a big punch of flavor and was suitably rich - so the pork belly may have been overkill.  Indeed, by the end, I was feeling I might have over done it. In any case, the flavors were excellent and I couldn't wait to dive into the rest of the menu.

Imagine my joy, then, upon receiving a newsletter only days later from Dyann dropping the bomb that this week they'd start with a new 7am Breakfast menu!  They "had me" at the mention of Corned Beef Hash - probably my all time favorite breakfast dish.

The corned beef itself was excellent, but Dyann seems to be well aware that good meat alone can't hold up a hash, and it's the potatoes and veggies that really seal the deal.  Roasted Red potatoes, herbed with (at least) Rosemary and Thyme, along with caramelized onions and tomatoes and cheese are the stars of the dish - savory, sweet, and filling.  I was also very pleasantly surprised that the obligatory fried egg topper was actually seasoned - Kudos to Chef Dyann for having the temerity to put salt and pepper on an egg.  Too many cooks will leave the poor thing naked, which on a dish this big in flavor would be a letdown.  My wife seldom enjoys eggs when eating out because they're usually some combination of overcooked or under-seasoned.  I think she'll be enjoying the eggs here.

I had initially read that W?ch Addiction was going to be Breakfast/Lunch only.  Then, they were showing their hours as 10a-7p during the week (10a-2p Sat), which I thought was probably a better business choice.  Adding six days a week of 7am Breakfast service is gutsy and I hope it pays off.  Either way, I know my wife will be relieved at the opportunity to give it a try for a weekend Breakfast, as a mid-week dinner visit was going to be a mixed-bag with the vegetarian and toddler in tow.

Which brings me to my final thought:  One of the things I love about trying a restaurant in it's early days is to see what the owners end up changing.  In the quest to make the concept work while remaining profitable, many restaurants fail outright, and many more end up changing radically.  What makes the process interesting is that sometimes the stuff I thought was key to the restaurant is seen as a flaw (or at the very least expendable), or vice versa, so you learn a lot about the owners from how they make those early course corrections.  Sometimes a new restaurant will just fix the problems and refine the process and flavors, or adjust portion sizes.  Other times they see the need to make larger shifts in mission or delivery.  I remember the Linkery, for example, going through several phases of lunch service, no lunch service, and back again while they struggled with their too-small kitchen, ingredients sourcing and costs.  In the end they've settled on a concept and schema that seem to work for them, though at times I do miss the raucous nature of some of the early food there.  Given the Devilicious background and W?ch Addition's promising early start, I have to say I'm excited to see where this thing goes for Mark and Dyann!

the Devilicious Food Truck

I'm scooping no "news" in the foodie world when I say that Food Trucks (or Gastrotrucks) are a "big thing" lately. Many have talked about their rise as an artifact of the "Great Recession" - the cost of starting a new restaurant concept can be prohibitively expensive in any climate, but with the recent additional crunch on credit, etc., it can be down right impossible. But a truck, on the other hand, is a relative bargain. Another recent food trend that seems to have a similar root in the economy is the rise of "New American" cuisine - upscale comfort food with a foundation of humble fare augmented by modern techniques and fusion sensibilities. It's no wonder, then, that these two sensibilities have combined in several excellent examples of New American - mobile style. I've experimented with several of these, starting with the MIHO Gastrotruck, which was merely interesting, to my latest favorite indulgence: The Devilicious Food Truck.

 I say indulgence, because that's what it is, especially in the context of this blog - this is the kind of food I could easily "overdo". It isn't exactly cheap. It most certainly isn't healthy. It is, however, absolutely revelatory. As has become the custom with New American, we can find ourselves being surprised by just how different and good something simple can be. All my life, I've been a huge fan of the BLT.  As a Californian, I should really say the BLAT, since until recently I've been utterly convinced that any BLT sandwich consumed without the addition of Avocado constitutes a missed opportunity at best, or a crime against bacon, at worst. Yes, I get it, augmenting the wonderfully fatty/saltiness of bacon with the fatty/creaminess of avocado seems redundant to some, and impure to others, but you'll never convince me otherwise. Or at least, I thought not, until I was smacked by the Devilicious BBBLT.

Immediately after tasting said BBBLT (the extra B's are for the extra bacon), I felt compelled to text my wife and tell her that all future BLTs must include cheese and a fried egg. And it's true. Add in some Red Onion and spicy mayo to the rest of the usual combo, and it's truly one of the greatest sandwiches ever made. As you'd expect, the soft yolk sauces up the sandwich nicely, so this is a messy one to eat, but more than anything this sandwich is about richness.  As is my way, I've experimented with this at home since then, and I've decided that this is a perfectly legitimate, though decadent, variation on the BLT. The ANSI-standard BLT may be lacking when compared to the CA-approved BLAT, but the BBBLT is as over the top as you can imagine.  Adding in truffled parmesan fries and a mexi-Pepsi or Pellegrino Limonata will put you well past $10, but it's money well spent on flavor.  I do feel compelled to throw in an extra walk along the canyon after one of these meals, though.

 Since that first visit I've tried several more examples of this "Mobile New American" and decided that this is my most dangerous food genre to date. This is the food that will make moderation so difficult.

If you'd like to tempt yourself as well, the Butter Poached Lobster Grilled-Cheese pretty much epitomizes temptation.  The Cubano is also not to be missed.  Purists take heart - you won't miss the roll in favor of the grilled sliced bread.