From Minibar to Jaleo, Spanish-born chef José Andrés has slowly been indoctrinating lovers of fine dining and small portions in the D.C. area. While the quality of his bite-sized cuisine has become one of the major attractions of the District, there’s always been one drawback, until now—the food did not literally come to those desiring to taste the legendary tapas. With the launch of Pepe, Andrés’s first food truck, this contrived problem is resolved.
“It’s like a toy to have,” Andrés announced at a press preview prior to the launch. This statement effectively captures the attitude the truck embodies. And the José Andrés empire can clearly afford to finance such an expensive little “toy;” from its minimalist, brushed-steel exterior to the nearly clinical kitchen area and iPad-turned-cash register, Pepe made the nearby colorful falafel truck blasting tejano music look ridiculous and unprofessional.
Such an irrelevant display of culinary superiority and wealth defies the mission of D.C. food truck culture—to provide an easy market entry for chefs hoping to share their take on a particular cuisine without throwing huge sums of money into a piece of real estate. Instead, Andrés intends to use Pepe as a marketing tool, hoping to gather data and, at some point, transfer the dishes from the truck to his various establishments scattered across the District.
Despite its questionable goals, the central idea behind Pepe’s menu is permissible. “Those are sandwiches my father, my mother would make for me growing up,” Andrés said of the flautas, which are filled with ingredients from piparra peppers to sweet onions and pulled pork. While somewhat conceited, this concept demonstrates authenticity, an aspect vital in attaining the food truck ideal.
Unfortunately, the prices of these traditional Spanish sandwiches are consistent with those of other establishments flying the Andrés flag. At $20, the Pepito de Ibérico, the truck’s most popular flauta, just might be the most expensive item sold at any D.C. food truck. Those who had the opportunity to try this signature sandwich before it sold out claim that, while they initially hesitated to drop $20 on a rather insubstantial meal, the tender imported Ibérico pork, along with roasted green peppers and caramelized onions, are worth the seemingly absurd fee. Other menu items fall in a slightly more affordable realm, ranging from $8 to $14.
Items on this less expensive portion of the menu are prone to slight changes every two weeks, according to Chef Andre Gaspar. The $8 Classic Gazpacho, the most recent seasonal addition, is reminiscent of the traditional Spanish chilled tomato soup topped with green peppers, cucumbers, and onions. The resulting concoction, while understandably limited in variety of ingredients, still provides a potent salty kick to start off a meal or relieve the eater from an especially blistering summer day on the D.C. streets.
For a taste of the Spanish childhood influenced José Andrés signature cuisine, Pepe is certainly worth a try. But if you really have a hankering for small quantities of food for ridiculous prices on a regular basis, Minibar is still the place to go.
