Our LA Gourmet Food Truck Scavenger Hunt!

I'm about to start posting on our road trip to Washington and Utah, but here is a brief interruption on a small day trip we took to LA.

There is an interesting movement happening in the foodie world at the moment and as far as I know the first spark began in Los Angeles. Food Trucks, to be precise, Gourmet Food Trucks are out roaming the streets of LA feeding the population. No longer does the sorry sap of the 8-5 community have to suffer chow comprised of week old sandwiches from the neighborhood roach coaches. Today the new fad is high quality food, innovative menus in trucks wrapped with flashy designs.

The first time I heard about this kind of concept was from a winner of Top Chef who announced that he was going to spend his money serving food from a truck. At the time, it seemed like a lowbrow moment for a guy who had just won Top Chef! Who knew he was on to something big.

On another occasion, I was invited to a beer-sampling event and was told that the Kogi truck would be there serving food. Now, I admit I knew nothing about The Kogi Taco truck, but as most men do, I kept my mouth shut and nodded vigorously with approval. That night I went home and immediately looked them up on the Internet. I was intrigued and just as excited to try the tacos, as I was the beer. Alas! It all came to nothing though, as the plans fell through.

The ethereal thoughts I had of Gourmet Food Trucks slipped my mind and back into the daily fast food life I went, until by accident one found me. During Christmas My family and some dear friends decided to head down to Newport for the Boat Parade. In usual fashion, I planned little and prepared even less, so there we were that day, trying to find our way around and find a decent location to watch the boats stroll by. We ended up in a parking lot near the ending of the parade route and behold Piaggio’s On Wheels Argentina Taco truck was there awaiting my arrival. Delicious! I couldn’t stop myself from continually putting $2 down to pick up some tacos.

A month or two later, my wife and I were heading out to LA for a Clippers game (That’s right, a Clippers game!) and decided to finally check out what the Kogi truck had to offer. In my opinion it delivered the goods. Each taco was bursting with a freshness of flavor that was eerily reminiscent of something I’ve tasted before, on the other hand something entirely different. So, yes, I became a fan right then of new innovative chefs cooking on the street with the sweet smell of exhaust in the air.

Recently, my wife started recording The Great Food Truck Race on the food network. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much and thought the show would be a dud. But with Hessians slinging burgers, Ragin’ Cajuns, fancy pants crepe creators, and Vietnamese sandwiches served by the Nom Noms making you go “Nom, Nom, Nom”! This show quickly became a sunday night regular.

So, this year instead of going out to a stuffy restaurant with two wild and crazy girls for my birthday, my wife and I decided it would be fun to hit the street and sample some of the food trucks causing such a commotion in Los Angeles. Here is my review of the ones we tried.

Grill Em All – Upfront, this was not my first pick on the gourmet food trucks I wanted to taste. I was much more interested in Nom Noms and Crepes Bonaparte, than dirty metal guys selling burgers. But since Nom Nom was doing a private event and Crepes Bonaparte were in the Orange County we were stuck with the Metal Munchers. But thank the Metal Heavens we did because it ended up being totally wicked!

I found the Crue (see what I did there) parked outside the Hulu building for lunch. When we got there, my wife and I were excited not only see them but several trucks lining the area. Nevertheless, I would not be deterred! Grill ‘Em All was first on the list. I was salivating over the Waste ‘Em All Burger that had marinated green chilis, pepper jack cheese, and beer soaked onions. However, my wife was craving the Blue Cheer which was a burger topped with blue cheese, a cranberry gastrique (a fancy way of saying sauce), and munchos potato chips. I really was not interested in a Blue Cheer burger, because, well it has Blue cheese on it! But then my taste buds began thinking and really a Waste Em’ All burger was the safe choice. Granted the risky choice was far beyond what I could ever force my mouth upon- a burger being featured with peanut butter and jelly, bacon, and syracha sauce!

Since we were just sampling and had a lot of trucks to sample, we unfortunately only picked the Blue Cheer. My wife touted that this was the best burger she has ever eaten! If it hadn’t been for the blue cheese I would have second that motion. It was a great burger; a perfectly prepared patty with a nice earthy bitterness from the blue cheese mixed with a sweet, yet, tart taste of the cranberries. Honestly, it was so good, I didn’t notice the burger had potato chips in it until I was almost finished.

We also had a side of frites to compliment the burger. They were crisp and had a tasty garlic aioli sauce to dip them in.

We loved Grill ‘Em All! I'm thinking these guys will probably not win the race, but not based on their food it has more to do with their marketing strategy. They’re not really marketing type guys. They just seem to want to pull into a town find a bar or tattoo shop and start grilling. Which is really their endearing quality.

Anyhow, I give these guys four Slayer fist horns, three hessian hair flips, and a big AC/DC “For those about to ROCK (or grill) we salute you!”

Vizzi Truck

This was the next truck we hit up and I was not impressed. Oh, the truck had a nice look and a big flat screen TV so you could have something to watch while you wait, but the food itself left me ho-hum. Now, to be forthright, I should tell you I only sampled their starters and probably should have tried their sliders, but I mean if the starters can’t get you excited then why pay more.

We ordered the white truffle popcorn for my wife and a orange marinated pork taco. My taco was presented lying on a bed of popcorn that looked like it came from last year’s Christmas tin. I had to brush off my taco before I could take a bite of the thing. The taco itself wasn’t bad, it’s just that there are a lot (and I do mean a lot!) of people out on the streets selling these type of tacos, but done better at a lower price.

My wife enjoyed the popcorn that was flavored with white truffle essence and sea salt, not to mention fresh chives and dried figs. The kids and I could hardly eat the stuff; the truffle oil gave off an earthy decaying odor. Suffice it to say, it stayed in the car and was barely touched the rest of the day.


The best word I can come up with to describe these guys is pretentious. 


Great Balls on Tires

Great Balls on Tires or G-Bot for short served up a flavorful meatball. I almost passed this truck up, because at $6, the price seemed a little high I thought for two meatballs. But Man! They were delicious. We ordered the IncrediBalls, which was ground Kobe beef covered by smoked apple bacon on a toasted brioche, topped with Gruyere, aioli, and wild arugula. My only complaints were the meatballs were too tasty to be so small. I cursed this truck for not making gigantic towering Meatballs (note – they were a decent size, I just wanted more) . Secondly, I curse them for selling me the last two IncrediBalls of the day! How do you torture people like this and not get arrested.

Yatta-!

Afterwards we walked down the street to Yatta -! a sushi food truck. C’mon with sushi restaurants on every corner you had to see this one coming. I ordered a fried roll with spicy tuna and cream cheese with a mayo sauce. No complaints, here, Yatta-! Pulled it off remarkably. The roll was fresh, flavor combos right on point and well executed.

Ok. One complaint, I didn’t see any soy sauce. I’m not sure if this was by design, I mean is asking a sushi chef for soy sauce like asking a Michelin Star chef for ketchup?

White Rabbit

The White Rabbit Truck is trying desperately to get on next season’s The Great Food Truck Race. They were one of the trucks nominated for a spot, but now have to garner the support by having people text. If you’re interested, you can text  FT118 to 66789. I suppose, though, you might want to know a little about them before texting.

White Rabbit serves a Filipino fusion menu that consists mainly of tacos. Here’s my dilemma with this truck, it seems Filipino fusion is not far from the Korean fusion Kogi was offering up. Now to be fair, I admit it has been several (alright you caught me 8 or 9 months) since I sampled the Kogi truck. But when I tasted their food it just reminded me of Kogi and then it just left me craving their tacos. We sampled one of each type of meat they served; pork, steak, and chicken. Sadly, the taco with the most flavor was the pork. I say sadly, because while it was flavorful it was also dried out. The steak was so-so as was the chicken.

The other disappointment for me was the quesadilla. My daughters desperately, imploringly wanted a quesadilla. But $5 for cheese and a tortilla? Outrageous. I can understand one with meat or other toppings but just plain cheese? Astonishing.

However, there were some saving graces with this truck. First, the girl taking the order was adorably friendly and the chef was pleasant as well. They answered my questions, suggested their favorites, and briefly explained what they are going through to get on The Great Truck Race season 2. As for the quesadillas, well the girl also gave us some mango juices for the girls to compliment the meal for free. Lastly, Their Sweet Potato fries were made to perfection! I'm not a huge fan of Sweet Potato fries, but even I gobbled them up.

While the menu and implementation could be tweaked a little, I have to say, I would be rooting for this team to win the Great Food Truck Race next season based solely on customer service.

After our tastings at the Hulu building we ventured down Wilshire Blvd, heading toward miracle mile, where I had heard that some of the food trucks post up for the afternoons. Unfortunately, we were late leaving the previous area and most of the trucks were packing up for the evening or moving locations. I spotted the India Jones truck across the street from LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and giddily pulled over. My daughter ran up to the owner and asked him if he was still open (I knew he had closed for the day, but sometimes there is no telling my six year old), the man behind the wheel just gave her a frustratingly grievous glance as if to say, “move along little girl, this isn’t an ice cream truck.”  He then proceeded to ignore her questions by getting on his cell phone. I wanted to point the way back to India with my middle finger to the man, but at the same time I understood. He probably had a long day and was ready to get home and had little interest in talking with a six year old.

At the same time, I saw the Dim Sum truck pulling away as well. They were at the top of my list, but sadly it was not to be. Though a little frustrated, I was not dissuaded, so our family got out walked around and took some pictures.


Sweet E's

During our walk we stumbled upon Sweet E’s truck. When we walked up, a girl on the sidewalk walking past us asked if we were interested in getting a treat. I replied, “Yeah, actually I am.” I’m certain she was not prepared for this answer because she jumped back a little and responded, “Oh, ok I’ll be right back.”  She then ran off to complete some errand. Nevertheless it gave us time to look at the goods offered in the truck window. I’m not sure if it was late in the day, but the selection was limited. We all decided on cupcakes. They were small and a little pricey at $2 a pop, but flavorsome.  The cake was perfect, hearty with a muffin like top.  It is important to note that my daughters ate the cake, which is rare; usually they just lick the frosting off and are done. Also, the girl who posed the question was just as sweet as her baked goods. Very helpful and gave my daughters a treat of tiny cones filled with cream. I was excited, my daughters wanted them, but they were tiny and a dollar a piece.  Anyhow, I recommend the cupcakes. I liked the red velvet. My wife liked the strawberry.


Tango Mango

We eventually made it to Miracle Mile, but didn’t find many trucks. The only one we came across at this odd pre-dinner time was the Tango Mango truck selling Italian ice. I probably would have passed it up, but my daughters were tired and antsy. So, we sampled their flavors and decided on a mixture of Cherry and strawberry kiwi. My oldest didn’t care for the treat, but I think it had more to do with being cranky and not picking the flavor she wanted.  My youngest slurped the ice down. My wife loved the cherry, especially after she found bits of maraschino cherries in the dessert. However, about five bites in my wife’s face contorted as she yelled out, “Oh my goodness! This is the worst brain freeze I have ever experienced!”

I laughed. I smirked. Then I suggested to my wife that she rub her tongue against the top of her mouth to warm up the nerve endings and bring things back to normal. But, it didn’t help, the brain freeze kept going and going.

After the amusement I had giggling at my wife, I took two more bites of cherry Italian ice and began to experience the most excruciating brain freeze I have ever encountered. It was like waking up from a deep sleep to a horrendous cramp in your calf, only I was awake the entire time and it was my head cramping, and it wouldn’t go away.

By this time it was already six in the evening, so we prepared to go home. Then we drove by the freeway and looked out at the automobile cemetery and realized we weren’t going anywhere for a while. So, I suggested we try one more truck that we had both wanted to seek out that day, but didn’t think we would be able to because they weren’t setting up until 7 pm in Venice Beach. But, now it looked like we had plenty of time to taste their offerings.

When we got to the Venice location I was excited to see not only The Buttermilk Truck, but also the Dogtown and the Calbi trucks were parked just a couple feet away from each other. Unfortunately, we didn’t try the Calbi truck because by that time my intestines were just exhausted, they were pushing back telling me we were through for the night, so I finally relented.

The Buttermilk Truck

I first heard of The Buttermilk truck a couple of days before our trip on a spotlight piece the Food network was doing on food Trucks. They were showing off their red velvet and chocolate chip pancakes, which I was immediately sold on. I mean anything with red velvet and I would probably give it a try. So that we did, and yeah they were great! Probably a little too sweet and maybe more of a flattened cupcake than pancake, but tasty, nonetheless. We also ordered a side of Hawaiian breaded cinnamon sprinkled French toast sticks; I didn’t eat them because my girls devoured them before I had the chance. My wife told me they were the best french toast sticks she had ever eaten.

My only negative was the customer service. All the other trucks were friendly and seemed genuinely excited about their business and delighted that you were there. Part of the street truck experience is the interaction you might not get in a sit down establishment. So, it was a huge let down for me when it seemed like this was a chore for The Buttermilk truck. Not one person smiled; taking my order seemed like a pain in the rear, and they seemed a little put out when I had to request things like a plastic cup for syrup. But, I guess when your food is that good, you’re not to worried about the customer service aspect.

Dogtown Hotdogs

First, I will tell you that I wasn’t going out of my way to pursue the Dogtown truck, I don’t know, I just thought Hot Dogs weren’t extravagant enough, but since it was right next to The Buttermilk Truck, I decided to give them a shot.  I ordered the California Dog; a hot dog topped with avocado, arugula, basil aioli ,fried onions, tomatoes and a light vinaigrette. Now that I went back and looked at the menu again online, I probably should have opted for the Spicy Angelino; bacon wrapped hot dog with jalapeño, tomatillo sauce and spicy salsa fresca. Though, my gut would have probably been very angry in the morning. Anyhow, my hot dog was tasty, all the ingredients went well together and overall it made for a nice mouthful of food. We also picked up a side of tater—tots; nothing too exciting about these but a smart choice as a side.

The negative here was with the hotdog itself, or lack thereof. Honestly, I took a bite of the hotdog and then looked at the thing to see if they might have forgotten the hotdog. Unfortunately, it was in there. I really did feel like someone was setting me up for an updated Wendy’s commercial. I looked at my wife and wanted to yell, “Where’s the Beef?” Really, they need to rethink were they’re purchasing the dogs from because this is too big of an issue to overlook. I mean I could have given this Hotdog to a vegetarian and they wouldn’t have known the difference.

Mon Ami Gabi

This is my last post on Las Vegas at least until our next trip. Mon Ami Gabi was a exciting, scrumptious restaurant right on the strip. We elected to seat outside on the patio to experience the  delightful view of the Bellagio fountain. The food was outstanding. The onion soup was overflowing with cheese and had a savory flavor. I forget now which steak I ended up ordering, but it was one of those steaks where you really try to eat slow and chew 50 times just to extract every possible moment of taste. This was one of the few restaurants that I would probably come back to and try again. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere and location superb, and the food was quite remarkable.

Gondola at the Venetian

I knew before we came to Las Vegas that hitching a ride on the gondola, at the Venetian, was a must for us. Our ride almost got scratched from the list, but at the last minute we made work. It should be noted that there are actually two gondola rides at the Venetian hotel; one outside which does a weird little circle 8 or something and then the one on the second story which travels through the heart of the mall and back with fake mood lighting for effect. We opted for the inside ride; lovely, romantic and pricey! Almost as pricey as the cab fare in the city. The 10  minute ride was a whopping $16 a person- that's a little over half the cost of a romantic helicopter ride over the city... not including tip and the company trying to sell you a photo at an outrageous cost (even our tour guide warned us to stay away from purchasing a picture).

I'm complaining a little, when overall I enjoyed the ride. Our guide stayed in character with accent and all; sang us a couple songs, told a couple jokes, and even invaded our photos. It was a lovely stroll and I can finally say I did it, but I can also finally say I would probably never do it again, simply because the cost was too high.

'wichcraft

I've been a Top Chef fan for sometime now. It's probably my favorite show on TV these days; if it wasn't for this show I would have probably dropped my Satellite along time ago. Suffice it to say, I was very excited to try Tom Colicchio's sandwich shop 'wichcraft, which is a play on names after his very successful Craft restaurants as well as a more affordable shop for us "regulars" to enjoy. 

The interior of the place looked like Tom had hired Pink Berry's designer to do his makeover. Though you probably couldn't tell by the pictures I posted, everything was neon greens mixed with light wood. Honestly, great decor for yogurt but not so much for a sandwich shop.

The sandwiches were not all that great either. I ordered the slow roasted pork with red cabbage and jalepenos on a ciabatta roll. Sounds exquisitely tasty, right? Turns out not so much. The pork was dry and the only thing that had and flavor was the jalepenos.  

My wife for some odd reason my wife chose the egg concoction above. She was unimpressed and thought it was only slightly above an egg McMufffin. 

In The words of Mr. Colicchio, "The food just wasn't that good and it was not properly executed."

In the words of Top Chefs other host Padma, "Tom, please pack your knives and go."

Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar- Paris

It's closing time

After attending Love and walking the strip we found our way to Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar. Prior to our trip, I looked up Cigar Bars on the web and this seemed to be the main one. However, once we arrived in town I found a couple of others that were probably a little more focused on Cigars. Napoleon's had a nice comfortable atmosphere, but very limited on their cigar selection. The Dueling Pianos were entertaining but as far as a piano man taking request the best I have found thus far was in Memphis. The couple here played some descent songs, but when we requested Bob Seger they only knew one song and played a bad rendition of it. Still, I would probably comeback just because I liked the easy going atmosphere that was maintained in the hustle and bustle of Vegas.