D.C. Food Trucks

The nation's capital celebrates celebrity chefs and pricey bistros, but it also loves affordable and accessible dining, as evidenced by its many food trucks. The mobile-food rush reached its peak several years ago when local brick-and-mortar restaurateurs attempted to fight the trucks' appeal by passing an ordinance to keep them from staying too long in one place. That battle continues, but visitors keen to try the best D.C. trucks can always take advantage of Twitter. Even those without a Twitter account are free to visit the trucks' pages to track their locations—and in many cases, check out menus to see whether chicken vindaloo or red-velvet cupcakes are on the docket at these favorite spots.

Arepa Zone (www.twitter.com/arepazone) is a celebration of Venezuelan cuisine; arepas, cachapas (cheese sticks), and cachapas (tacolike sweet corn pancakes) all feature heavily.

PhoWheels (www.twitter.com/PhoWheels) makes pho so delicious you'll want a cup even on a hot D.C. day (go for the eye-round steak). Soup can be a bit difficult to eat when sitting on a curb or park bench, but luckily PhoWheels also offers impressive bánh mì sandwiches and Vietnamese-style tacos.

Red Hook Lobster Pound (twitter.com/lobstertruckdc) is the Washington outpost of the popular Brooklyn, New York, spot that purveys rolls filled with uberfresh shellfish from Maine (tossed with light mayo) and Connecticut (kissed by creamy butter) variations—or try the equally good shrimp roll for $7 less. Add a decadent chocolate homemade whoopie pie for dessert.