Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Kogi Redeux and Global Soul

Yesterday I walked down the street from my office to the Fox Plaza building just the other side of Olympic after a friend turned me onto the fact that they sponsor a food truck several times a week – and I discovered they even publish their calendar!  (http://www.irvinecompanyoffice.com/for-customers/fox-plaza-205/lunch-is-served-at-your-doorstep-2404)  So yesterday I trotted down there with my co-worker Madeleine to get some Kogi BBQ (www.kogibbq.com).  I have had them before, but it was nice to try them again.  I wound up ordering the combo with the slider and a taco – both of which were short rib as the meat filling.  They make a mean short rib taco, and it turns out the slider was even tastier…..and quite generous; the size was more of two sliders.  All this, plus a drink for $8.  Such a deal! 

Today was the other building in Century City that sponsors food trucks on Wednesday, and I had the opportunity to experience something new and interesting:  Global Soul street eats (www.globalsoultruck.com).  Kind of soul-foodish.  They offered up a sandwich of hot and spicy sausage, but what spoke to me more was their offering of a lamb gyro.  They took ground up lamb and added some spice and grilled it into small patties, serving it up in a pita with feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and a yogurt sauce.  I opted out of the grilled onions…never have been a fan.



In a word:  sublime.  Probably one of the best renditions of a gyro I’ve had a while.  The meat was well cooked and very well seasoned, and complemented well by the feta, tomato and sauce.  I would eat it again for sure!  I can recommend Global Soul most definitely.  They do have a very limited menu, but then, so do most all of the food trucks:  do a few items very well and stick to it!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Santa Anita Food Truck Festival

Yesterday out in Arcardia (it’s just east of Pasadena for those of you who are wondering ‘where?’) at the Santa Anita Park and Race Track, there was a HUGE Food Truck Festival.  There were about 70s trucks total….all parked out on the infield of the race track.  I was in food truck heaven.  It was a great opportunity to experience many of the trucks I haven’t yet enjoyed. 

My friend Thom drove out with me.  I had never been on the infield of any racetrack, so it was kind of cool to be in the middle of a horserace (yes, they had races going on yesterday).  Parking was $4, and entrance to the park/track was $5 each.  The festival started at 10:00am, but we didn’t make it out there until about 11:30.  We were given a map as we entered showing which trucks were in which location (they were set up in three locations on the infield).

We started on the east side, just to our left as we walked through the tunnel.  I recognized many of the trucks, and wanted to get a lay of the land and walk around a little bit.  But I was also getting hungry.  So in the first area, we settled on a truck called Fresh Fries (www.freshfries.biz) .   We both just wanted a snack to sate us until we could see the rest of the trucks and pick one for lunch.  We ordered the Buffalo Bleu fries – crispy fries tossed in blue cheese and buffalo sauce.  I chatted with the woman at the order window, and she told us that the last time they had the festival there they only had 30 trucks and the line for theirs was over 2 hours wait time!  I’m glad we didn’t have that experience.  And the fries were just what we needed – cheesy and spicy.  I wound up having to get an amber ale (which normally I don’t like the darker brews, but it tasted good and paired well with the spicy fries).   We woofed those down and milled about some more.

We walked around a bit more and checked out more of the trucks.  As we wandered, I saw a sign on one of the trucks for duck tacos……duck always gets my attention.  For $3, I decided to stop at Flavor Rush (www.flavorrushtruck.com) and try out one of those tacos.  It was duck confit with a cranberry relish.  Without the cranberry, it would have been rather bland. 

I was on a mission to find the Lardon truck that was supposed to be there in the far western section (near the Grilled Cheese Truck).  We got over there, and it was no where to be found.  Didn’t see it anywhere at the festival.  I was greatly disappointed.  I had been jonsin’ for some bacon, and was very let down that Lardon didn’t make it.  (You hear that Lardon?!  You let down the food truck enthusiasts!)

While over the third area, Thom found the Paradise Cookies truck (www.paradisecookies.com).  He got a half dozen cookies, mixed, to enjoy later.  I did sample one chocolate chip cookie, and it was very tasty – I hope I run into them again!  I was also starting to get a hunger headache and needed some lunch.  Since Lardon had let me down, I had to go for Plan B and pick another truck. 

The Flat Iron Truck intrigued me (www.flatirontruck.com) and their menu looked good.  I was drawn to the Oxtail Poutine (I know, more fries, but I hadn’t had poutine in a while).  However, my hopes were dashed when they informed me that the oxtail gravy wasn’t ready and would be a little while longer.  I needed to eat, so I instead opted for the flatiron steak.  They served it on a bed of crispy potato hash and a herbed aioli sauce on top.  I ordered my steak medium.  The steak and sauce were delicious, but the steak was more rare than medium, but tolerable.  I enjoyed it, but would have enjoyed it more if it had been cooked true medium.  I’d try them again, but ask them to cook it more next time.

Thom wanted something else, so I grilled him on what he was hungry for, and finally narrowed it down to something burger-ish.  So, I recommended he try Baby’s Badass Burgers (www.babysbadassburgers.com).  While yes, I have eaten there several times, Thom never has, so he heeded my recommendation.  He was rather pleased with the choice once he sat down to eat.  And by the time we had eaten, the lines at all the trucks were getting longer and longer, so it was a good time for us to hit the road. 

It was a fun afternoon and I wish L.A. had more events like this – the food truck culture in L.A. is growing and evolving and could stand to have more large events to introduce it to more people.