Pupatella in Arlington

A tiny car stops, and an army of clowns tumbles out. I thought of that old circus trick while waiting in line at Pupatella, a food cart that parks weekdays near the Ballston Metro station in Arlington.

From the cramped interior of this diminutive cherry-red stand emerges a startling quantity and variety of food: baked, sauteed, deep-fried, grilled and chilled.

The secret is the three hefty coolers of prepped ingredients stashed out back and a portable gas grill set nearby on a folding table. They augment the cart's pizza oven, refrigerator, stovetop and deep-fat fryer and enable the ambitious output.

"We like to think of it as a mini-restaurant," says co-owner Anastasiya Laufenberg, 27, who works inside the cart and does most of the cooking. Her partner, Enzo Algarme, arrives at lunchtime to tend the grill.

Algarme, 28, hails from Naples, Italy, where he cooked in a pizza parlor as a teenager. The name of the cart (Pupatella is Italian slang for "doll") and many of the offerings are nods to his background.

The couple decided to open a business together after attending culinary school. "We're young, so we thought we would start small," Laufenberg said. They devised the Neapolitan-accented menu after noticing that "you don't see very many carts that sell interesting food. Hopefully, we'll start a trend."

Applying first for a vendor license in the District, they were met with bureaucratic indifference: "They basically never returned our phone calls," Laufenberg said. But Arlington welcomed the business, which was launched in October.

Mornings start with a selection of savory and sweet crepes ($3; two for $5). Like most of the offerings, they are prepared to order, so a brief wait is always part of the deal. On the light, thin pancakes, a spinach and goat cheese filling is tangy and delicious; the sweet varieties are spread with good-quality jam or sometimes fresh fruit and Nutella, a favored condiment here. Customers treat the crepes as finger food, folding them in half before picking up and eating.

A true guilty pleasure is their doughnut ($2), made with no hole. It's essentially just a lump of deep-fried dough, but what dough it is. The exterior is hot, crisp and dusted with sugar; the interior is bready, delicious and not overly sweet. You can order it split and filled with jam, or you can eat it plain, the better to savor its buttermilk tang.

For lunch, a green salad ($6) is simple and refreshing. Baby spinach accompanied by grape tomatoes and soft goat cheese is dressed with a plain, clean-tasting vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon juice; a choice of freshly grilled Italian sausage or steak goes on top. The same two meats show up on generous sandwich rolls topped with grilled onions and melted mozzarella ($6).

Pupatella's pizza is in steady demand, and it's easy to see why. The couple coaxes a nice pie from the small oven. The margherita ($6) features a thin crust, San Marzano tomatoes and good mozzarella; buffalo mozzarella can be substituted for $3 more.

You don't find arancini (stuffed, fried rice balls) on most street corners. Theirs (two for $5) are worth trying, the crunchy, nicely seasoned shell protecting the requisite gooey, cheesy interior.

For dessert, there are profiteroles ($3 for six), about the only item that isn't made by the owners.

The street vendor business can be a tough slog, the two have found, especially in a heat wave. But Laufenberg says they're in it for the long haul, with their sights on the next goal: their own restaurant. As you might say, they're not just clowning around.

-- Jane Touzalin

Pupatella Corner of North Stuart and North Ninth streets, Arlington, 571-243-2952; http://www.pupatella.com. Hours: weekdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.