The Starry Night

 Southern California  No Responses »
Aug 172012
 

Starry Kitchen Night at Tiara Café
Los Angeles, California

Starry Kitchen's infamous Crispy Tofu BallsStarry Kitchen's infamous Crispy Tofu Balls

In the early days, Nguyen and Thi Tran ran an underground restaurant from the tiny confines of a North Hollywood apartment which was essentially a culinary speakeasy. As master of ceremonies and clown prince of cuisine, Nguyen would recruit patrons to dine in the cramped space while wife Thi whipped up imaginative Asian dishes behind the scenes several nights per week. In order to remain on the down-low, the Trans took donations from the diners in order to meet the cost of the ingredients. As with any juicy Hollywood scandal, word of the Trans’ dirty little secret spread, eventually resulting in them having to expand to a proper restaurant environment, an opportunity that was essentially dropped into their lap by a local restaurateur who wanted the give showman Nguyen and chef Thi (affectionately referred to as Kitchen Ninja) the opportunity to cater to a larger audience while turning his bistro’s flagging popularity around.

Savory pandan chicken wrapsSavory pandan chicken wraps

The new space in California Plaza became a quiet success, due in part to word of mouth, utilizing Twitter and Facebook, and Nguyen’s penchant for playing host decked out in a collection of costumes that at various points in time included a banana suit, Abraham Lincoln, Oktoberfest attire and even Darth Vader – the running gag at L.A.’s Street Food Fest annually was placing bets on who Nguyen would be portraying as he handed out Starry Kitchen’s award winning crispy tofu balls. Starry Kitchen has been experiencing growing pains as of late (a welcome curse in this economy), which led to the closing of their restaurant in July, to be re-opened later in the summer of 2012 in an adjacent property.

Malaysian chicken curryMalaysian chicken curry

While the walls are going up at their new digs, the Trans have expanded as guest hosts at local watering hole and kitchen Tiara Café. For now, they’re stretching their legs after several Friends and Family test dinners but with positive feedback there is a possibility that Starry Kitchen Night at Tiara Café could end up calendared as a regular event. It’s difficult to say what menu items will carry over and which new items will test out, but based on my attendance at one of the Friends and Family dinners it should prove to be a diverse and interesting culinary adventure. When Nguyen is holding court, anything can (and usually does happen); the F-bombardier and consummate entertainer is likely to show up at tableside with his legendary balls in his hand. On my visit he adopted a joke punch line from Josie Mora (Uncouth Gourmands) and answered almost every question with an emphatic, “Why is your penis on your face?” Guests were trying to determine what the masquerade du jour was a tribute to, as Nguyen was draped in a custom-tailored black striped silk suit and matching tie, but it turns out that the joke was on the patrons as he was simply dressed to the nines.

Crispy and moist clay pot sea bassCrispy and moist clay pot sea bass

The cuisine covered a wide swath of Asian geography with menu nods to Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore; of course, no meal at Starry Kitchen would be complete without the perennial favorite, SK’s own Crispy Tofu Balls. These Kryptonite green globes are fried to a coated with crisp rice and fried to a crackly crunch, while the warm silky tofu inside was similar in taste and texture to a firm ricotta cheese.  Skewers of coarsely ground beef nestled in sesame leaves were presented themselves as an Asian version of dolmas; the leaves added flavor without turning the dish into a ruminant’s paradise. Starry Kitchen featured a vegetable worthy of Nguyen’s reputation – grilled Chinese eggplant, its charred, purple skin removed with the exception of a small mushroom-shaped patch of flesh left intact at the end, giving the vegetable an unmistakable phallic appearance and making it the perfect accouterment to pair with his balls.

The rather phallic-looking roast eggplantThe rather phallic-looking roast eggplant

The entrees offered were exemplary; while the other ingredients in a noodle dish with dried shrimp and rib eye all but obscured the pasta, one could overlook the noodles as simply something for all that wet complex and exciting flavor to cling to. The chicken curry was mild and tender done up Malaysian-style with the heat dropped a few notches; the beige curry was sturdy and lovingly enveloped each morsel of chicken, with chunks of potato darting about to add a contrast in texture and act as a nice starchy foil. In a battle for mealtime supremacy, a striped bass dish prepared in clay pot with a thin, caramelized crust and accented with pancetta vied for top honors against a Singaporean chili crab with an arsenal of rich, red, spicy sauce firing both barrels. Although the partially cracked and dismembered crustacean required some work to get at the meat inside, the highlight was the sauce – chunks of bread custom-baked for Starry Kitchen (for its absorption properties) stood at the ready for mop-up detail, and getting every drop of the zesty, fiery fluid required a second order of baked goods.

The drink of choice for the evening was a vodka-spiked lemonade served Elvis-style that allowed imbibers to drink their liquor from an old fruit jar; it seemed that each round packed a bit more punch, with the first glass betraying nary a hint of alcohol. If the pre-opening events are any indication what the atmosphere and cuisine will be like after opening night, then Starry Kitchen is adding a new chapter to the colorful story of an eatery with humble roots as a clandestine apartment restaurant. My advice – get over there and put the balls to the wall.

Starry Kitchen (old location)
350 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
GPS Coordinates: 34° 3’5.79″N 118°15’6.81″W

Tiara Café
127 East 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
GPS Coordinates: 34° 2’27.93″N 118°15’15.64″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s visit to Starry Kitchen Night at Tiara Café in downtown Los Angeles, California

NOTE: This cost for this meal was provided by the restaurant. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by the organizer of the event.

 Posted by at 00:52  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Then Came The Last Days Of June

 Southern California  4 Responses »
Jun 252012
 

Lazy Ox Canteen
Los Angeles, California

Lazy Ox Canteen's cozy and rustic interiorLazy Ox Canteen's cozy and rustic interior

As the thunderous sound from the webbed feet of the Waterfowl of the Apocalypse rises above the horizon to herald California’s ban on foie gras (Senate Bill 1520 is slated to become law on July 1, 2012), not everyone is trampling the bodies of the innocents to man the Titanic’s life rafts. Perfecto Rocher, Executive Chef and partner at Los Angeles’ Lazy Ox Canteen has elevated apathy to an art form with the announcement of the gastropub’s pending “Forget Foie” dinner menu, which will be offered at Lazy Ox on the last two days prior to the ban. Chef Rocher is quick to point out that there is no substitute for foie gras (the rich, decadent treat made from enlarging the liver of a waterfowl through force-feeding), and that he personally loves the organ paste, but he won’t be losing sleep over the ban.  Rocher cut his teeth learning the art of paella, but as a child he also picked up a thing or two from his grandmother (friends packed into his kitchen like fans of La Roja for a taste of his home-made Nutella). Originally the concept of Lazy Ox was to feature the cuisine the Catalan region of Spain that Chef Rocher calls home, but his flair for experimentation garnered from a stint under Ferran Adria at world-famous El Bulli results in a menu that changes daily.

Executive Chef Perfecto Rocher prepares items from the "Forget Foie" menuExecutive Chef Perfecto Rocher prepares items from the "Forget Foie" menu

Although the chalkboard typically offers dishes featuring a variety of offal ingredients, the pending “Forget Foie” menu is a veritable cavalcade of liver, represented by the blood-filtering organ of cows, pigs, rabbits and even monkfish, with not a duck or goose liver to be found. On my visit to preview the menu, Chef Rocher took the opportunity to show off other creations that are well deserved sources of pride; we started out with a Carpaccio of Ibérico de Bellota pork lomo (loin) that was so thin it was translucent. The pork is sourced from Ibérico Fresco, a co-operative in Spain where the hogs are allowed to roam free and nosh on acorns; this rare breed is difficult to come by in the United States, and Chef Rocher is one of the few (along with The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller) who import it. The flesh literally melts – no chewing is required; it has a nutty flavor and a buttery texture with a slightly salty finish.

A remarkably refreshing Michelada made with Spanish Estrella Damm beerA remarkably refreshing Michelada made with Spanish Estrella Damm beer

When visiting the House of Rocher, one must drink as the Valencians do; Lazy Ox makes their own sangria, a rich, purple, mint-accented beverage that despite the large cubes of fruit is not overly sweet. They also feature a salt-rimmed, spicy Michelada made with Estrella Damm (a high quality beer from Spain) – one sip and you will never go back to the freakish brew from Budweiser.

Another liverless dish we sampled was a stone fruit salad capped with a dollop of whipped goat cheese that melted into a crème and infused with a nectarine emulsion. The fresh, ripe plums offered a pleasant tartness to the dish, offset by sweet and juicy chunks of peach. With the combination of croutons added for crunch, a frisky laurel of parley, and a light balsamic dressing, the fruit was a lively and refreshing accoutrement.

Rabbit livers, crispy on the outside, creamy on the insideRabbit livers, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside

The first order of business in the liver department was an exemplary entry that I would do great injustice to simply to refer to it as Crispy Rabbit Liver. The chicken-sized organs had been marinated in buttermilk and paprika for 24 hours and then flash-fried wearing a tempura-style coat. These were then laid to rest over a bed of dandelion, hearts of palm, pickled red onion that hid a shallow pool of arugula avocado dressing. The livers were light, sweet and mellow, with the hot contents almost liquefied to the point where they would have served well as foie gras methadone.

A powerful and sturdy beef liver a la planchaA powerful and sturdy beef liver a la plancha

The namesake ox was represented in a sturdy barnyard dish of seared “beef liver a la plancha”, rare strips of meat that looked to be trying to escape from under a dominating fried egg. Underneath the hen fruit, soft chunks of yam mingled with the liver, adding some sweetness and cutting its extremely strong taste. This is not a dish for the meek; although the conglomeration of yams, radish, onion, and egg mixed with a tarragon emulsion added complexity to the dish’s flavor, the liver muscled its way to the foreground of the palate. If you are on the fence when it comes to beef liver, watch out – this bull will gore you in less than a heartbeat.

Fried pork liver with home-made pastaFried pork liver with home-made pasta

A pasta dish not appearing on the “Forget Foie” menu was an afterthought of Chef Rocher and a way to incorporate his freshly-made ravioli and what appeared to be a cross between tagliatelle and pappardelle noodles. This extraordinary concoction began at the bottom with the paper-thin ribbon noodles resting above a creamy sauce impregnated with blood sausage and chives; stacked above the noodles were the saucer-shaped ravioli, with the stack doused with more of the crème sauce. On top of old smoky was perched a small orb of fried pork liver, dark and moist with the color of stuffed mushroom; the core was pinkish in color and a generous forkful was intoxicating, where each bite begged for a follow-up.

An impressive beer-braised octopus and monkfish liver dishAn impressive beer-braised octopus and monkfish liver dish

What followed was nothing short of impressive – a mound of thick segments of octopus tentacles that had been braised with greens in a beer-filled pressure cooker was stacked over cubes of monkfish liver that took on an odd orange hue from the tomato confit. The dish was an odd collection of surprising textures – the carbonation of the beer used to slow-cook the octopus resulted in it being able to be cut with a fork; it was the tenderest presentation of the mollusk I’ve ever sunk my teeth into. The monkfish liver mimicked the consistency of tofu (with which it was initially confused). The dish was treated with muscatel vinaigrette and the oily, red, tomato-tinged fluid coated the octopus, imparting an almost barbecue-like flavor. The taste that seemed to linger the longest was that of the vinaigrette; sadly, the cooked-down tomato slice at the bottom remained as an afterthought, not making its way into any of the mouthfuls of the other ingredients.

This Ibérico de Bellota shoulder loin could pass for beefThis Ibérico de Bellota shoulder loin could pass for beef

The pièce de résistance ironically contained no liver at all; a generous steak of richly-marbled Ibérico de Bellota presa (shoulder loin) accompanied by a potato-like sunchoke puree presented itself as a pig in cow’s clothing. The only tell that the thick slab of meat was porcine in nature was its color; for all intents and purposes, it could easily have passed for beef. The sparsely populated plate featured a couple of grilled yellow squash wedges and what originally looked like small curls of sautéed onion; one taste of the whitish pieces gave them away as grilled pork fat.

A decadent Nutella flanA decadent Nutella flan

Dessert included a couple of uniform rectangles in a display of color contrast; a mousse-like flan made with Chef Rocher’s own Nutella was topped with almond crumbs and visually made the perfect dessert for the “Forget Foie” tasting as it almost looked like a slab of raw liver. A rich and sweet torrija a la plancha accompanied by a diminutive scoop of caramel ice cream employed toasted brioche; the result was a white, sweet, grainy cake that resembled thick rice pudding in texture and would be the perfect foil for one of Lazy Ox Canteen’s cups Intelligencia coffee. I had begun to regret finishing with the sweets as I wanted to savor the taste of the meats longer when Chef Rocher dashed across the room to have me sample a chunk of his home-made longanisa stuffed with pork and fava bean paste. The savory sausage brought me back to that special place where meat reigns as king, a fitting tidbit to cap the evening’s fare.

The “Forget Foie” menu also features corn soup with coconut cream and crispy pork livers, a Huevo Andoni and chicken liver dish and the award-wining Lazy Ox Burger accompanied by lamb liver, and while it certainly won’t trick your palate into thinking you’re on the Foie Gras Express train out of California, I guarantee you will forget about the… um… what was that dish again?

Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
GPS Coordinates: 34° 2’54.79″N 118°14’31.85″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s visit to the Lazy Ox Canteen in Los Angeles CA to preview the “Forget Foie”  menu

NOTE: This cost for this meal was provided by the restaurant. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by the organizer of the event.

 Posted by at 01:46  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Soba Damn Good

 Japan, Southern California  No Responses »
Feb 172012
 

Common Grains Soba Pop-Up
Soba-Ya, Torrance CA

Fresh, uncooked, handmade sobaFresh, uncooked, handmade soba

Growing up in an Italian household indoctrinated me into the diverse world of pasta from anellini to ziti; however, my experience with Asian pasta has been largely limited to lo mein and Korean glass noodles (I hardly think American chop suey counts). I recently had an opportunity to use my noodle and learn about Japanese soba at Common Grains’ soba pop-up hosted by Torrance, California’s newly-opened Soba-Ya restaurant. While the restaurant’s menu featured an ample offering of Japanese noodle and rice dishes, I wanted to order from the limited menu of handmade soba noodles prepared on behalf of Common Grains, a Japanese cultural program founded as a joint venture between Shinmei (a Japanese miller and rice distributor based in Kobe, Japan) and local soba artisan, Sonoko Sakai. The soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) are made from stone-ground grain, handmade and lovingly prepared in Shinmei-owned Soba-Ya’s kitchen by Chef Mutsuko Soma.

Chilling the soba prior to servingChilling the soba prior to serving

Common Grains is sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Cool Japan” program, which introduces industries to a wider audience with a focus on promoting Japanese culture worldwide. In addition to preparing several soba dishes, Common Grains also brings their traveling exhibition to Soba-Ya featuring a variety of Japanese foods and ingredients, as well as utensils and cookware with a focus on sustainability and education. At Soba-Ya (as with their other area pop-ups), Sakai conducted several dashi workshops where guests experience and participate in the creation of various preparations of dashi (a soup and cooking stock used in a variety of dishes including miso soup and noodle broths); similar workshops will be held at other hosted locations in the near future.

Soba with mushroom and white truffle tsuyuSoba with mushroom and white truffle tsuyu

I had the pleasure of watching Chef Soma prepare the soba in the kitchen – the process is fascinating, with each step serving a particular purpose. Soba noodles have several seasonal preparations; in the winter they are typically served hot in soup, while they are prepared cold as a popular, almost refreshing dish in the heat of the Japanese summer. Naturally in the frigid, Arctic air of the Southern California winter Soma prepared the cold variety, an almost ritualistic endeavor requiring precise timing; each order is made individually. The fresh noodles look almost like old, worn shoelaces – slightly gray and with a grainy, almost fuzzy appearance; a single portion of the flat noodles are placed in a steel basket and then immersed in a roiling bath of foamy water. At the sound of the bell, the noodles come out fighting (literally – the cooking time is regulated to the second by a timer); they’re placed in a basket in the sink under cool running water while they are massaged by the chef. In addition to cooling them down and halting the cooking process, the brisk scrub also removes the excess starch from the noodles to improve the taste. After the cool-down, the soba is then placed in another steel basket and plunged into a frigid bath of ice water briefly after which the excess water is vigorously shaken out by hand. The chilled noodles are transferred to a zaru (a flat, plate-like woven basket) for delivery to the table and any tsuyu sauce for dipping is prepared to accompany the dish.

Adding the sobayu to the remainder of the tsuyuAdding the sobayu to the remainder of the tsuyu

We tried both of the featured sobas – one with a hot tsuyu made with a variety of mushrooms cooked in dashi with a touch of white truffle oil, the other with a cold walnut sauce. The noodles had the perfect texture – not soggy, not too chewy – and had a sweet, almost nutty flavor. There’s no delicate way to eat noodles, and asking for a fork and tablespoon would most likely result in being ushered out of the restaurant; if your sensibilities cause you to recoil in disgust to hear noodles slapping against lips, the breathy sound of inhaling the noodles, or the sight of the pasta dangling from diners’ faces, you ought to rethink your culinary adventure. The combination of the soba and the sauce with firm bits of mushroom created delicious dance in my face with each raise of the chopsticks. Our server brought a tea pot to the table, which I at first mistook for a hot accompanying beverage, but she informed us that the hot, milky fluid was in fact sobayu, the thickened water the soba was cooked in. We were instructed to pour this into the bowls of tsuyu and drink the result, creating a veritable liquid soba.

The Common Grains traveling exhibitionThe Common Grains traveling exhibition

The pop-up only runs through February 21, and since the restaurant is relatively small, reservations are recommended. After that date, you’ll still be able to enjoy soba and other Japanese specialties at Soba-Ya, although you’ll have to hunt down the next pop-up and dashi workshop from Common Grains’ website. If you haven’t tried soba, this is the perfect introduction to the Japanese dish in a social situation, and a nice way to pasta time.

Soba-Ya
1757 West Carson Street
Torrance, CA 90501
GPS Coordinates:  33°49’55.52″N 118°18’41.43″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s visit to the Common Grains soba pop-up at Soba-Ya in Torrance, CA

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The Fresh Prince of West Hollywood

 Asia, Trippy Food (Tasty flora and fauna)  No Responses »
Aug 082011
 

fresheast
West Hollywood (Los Angeles) CA

fresheast has your dietary backfresheast has your dietary back

I have to admit that I was experiencing slight trepidation about passing through the doors of fresheast in West Hollywood for a media tasting; from the outside it looked like it was going to be a Far East-influenced version of Souplantation, but my fears were unfounded once inside. It was obvious that in addition to only using fresh, sustainable and local (when possible) ingredients that they were going to see that I ate healthy whether I liked it or not.  Executive Chef Jonathan Schwichtenberg has made it his mission to use only certified natural beef and chicken and organic salmon from Scotland and eschews the use of refined sugar, butter, nuts, leading me to wonder how they were going to get past the old, “It tastes like it’s good for me” dilemma.

Spicy fresheast shrimp, an off-menu itemSpicy fresheast shrimp, an off-menu item

A fair description of the restaurant has to contain the phrase “casual dining” – no fine china or silverware to wash here, guests eat off of paper plates (recycled paper plates, naturally) and use what I hope are biodegradable plastic utensils. The hip, earth-friendly aspect of the dining experience is that the dishes are served in bowls made from the wide ends of fallen palm fronds (not palm fronds hacked out of live trees) making the serving dishes both attractive and environmentally sound.

fresheast juice, starring beet juicefresheast juice, starring beet juice

Naturally, all this focus on protecting our environment and promoting healthy eating is for naught if the food is bland and uninspiring, and fortunately this is not the case at fresheast. Dishes are sweetened with raw sugar, plenty of power-packed familiar Asian spices are used and the natural, organic meats used taste like animals are supposed to. Many of the dishes we tried were made with Jidori™ Chicken and you can believe that if I didn’t think the flavor of these free-range yardbirds warranted the use of the obligatory trademark symbol, I wouldn’t even mention it here. The green coconut water curry employed a simple combination of Thai green curry, onion, tomato and cilantro and although it was mild the chicken was moist and tender and the miso glazed chicken tasted like it came from a completely different bird. fresheast excels where they kick up the heat few notches; I’d put the fiery fresheast shrimp against your friendly neighborhood camarónes diablo for a tasty and satisfying slow burn.

Tender chunks of rogan gosht (curry lamb)Tender chunks of rogan gosht (curry lamb)

The spicy garlic noodles were packed with vegetables that still had some snap to them and the combination of the garlic, cilantro, sesame oil and chilies gave them a satisfying kick. The larb gai was slightly different than what I’m used to – the chicken flesh was left in bigger chunks but it still blended well with the accompanying vegetables. A fried avocado spring roll put a California twist on an Asian favorite; thankfully the skin stayed crisp and wasn’t soggy while the innards were almost creamy.

Palak paneer with red lentil daalPalak paneer with red lentil daal

Since the name fresheast implies that the menu is representative and influenced by a wide variety of Indo-Asian cuisines, we tried dishes that seemed odd appearing on the same bill. Their palak paneer was decidedly firm and appeared to be coarsely chopped – I was pleased that it wasn’t cooked down to mush. The bulgogi (Korean beef) dish had a fresh edge from the cucumber and green onion, and was perfectly seasoned and cooked. I think the curry lamb was one of my favorite dishes – grand chunks of melt-away meat that were flavorful without the mealy taste that sometimes accompanies lamb.

Fresh young coconut (a drink, not an 80s band)Fresh young coconut (a drink, not an 80s band)

To wash down this wholesome Asian cornucopia, I tried two beverages – a vibrantly colorful beet juice drink with citrus added to it to take the earthy edge off and a fresh young coconut (which admittedly looks like an 80s pop band on the menu). There’s no dressing up the coconut – we’re talking a white pulpy semi-orb with a hole drilled into the top allowing for the neat insertion of a straw. The coconut “milk” had a cool, watery and slightly sour taste, but if perfectly complemented the cuisine. Desert was cups of freshly-made mango and strawberry sorbets; although the strawberry confection had more tang to it and was by far more popular, I enjoyed the fresh fruit flavor of the mango variety.

Although I wanted to try some of the other menu items, the food was both filling and satisfying and we fed a group of about 8 family style on just a handful of dishes. fresheast has been open since October of last year (10-10-10 to be exact) and although it has the appearance of a venture made for franchising there is currently only the single location. I imagine if the concept catches on we’ll see some expansion of the restaurant – most likely east.

fresheast
8951 Santa Monica Blvd- Suite G1
West Hollywood, CA 90069
GPS Coordinates:  34° 5’2.48″N 118°23’8.52″W

GALLERY: See images from Val’s media dinner at fresheast in West Hollywood, California

NOTE: This cost for this meal was provided by the restaurant. The content provided in this article was not influenced whatsoever by the organizer of the event.

 Posted by at 02:57  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Where The Streets Have No Name

 Trippy Happenings (Events)  2 Responses »
Aug 022010
 

LA Street Food Fest

The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

The Rose Bowl becomes the Meat and Veggie BowlThe Rose Bowl becomes the Meat and Veggie Bowl

In terms of U.S. cities, L. A. has one of the largest street food cultures, made popular by the ubiquitous taco trucks and expanded by the somewhat recent gourmet food truck phenomenon. Besides the vehicular street vendors, there are also an army of push cart and folding table vendors, as well as fledgling restaurants springing forth from aspiring chef’s homes and spilling out on to the sidewalks and streets of L.A. The problem these days isn’t how to find something to eat, but how to select a single vendor to satisfy the munchies. Shawna Dawson and Sonja Rasula aspired to bring a seemingly random collection of these vendors together in one place, and to raise money for charity to boot. Dawson and Rasula are co-founders of L.A. Street Food Fest, which held its second extravaganza recently in Pasadena’s fabled Rose Bowl. Before you conjure up images of Kogi’s tires ripping up the finely manicured gridiron, the trucks were parked just outside the stadium with tented booths lined up on either side of the field. Food truck vendors cohabitated with restaurants, pushcarts, taco shacks and caterers essentially leveling the playing field to place the focus on the food, not the delivery system. Truck operators ran (literally) through the tunnels to their trucks where the food was being prepared, while other vendors cooked at the back of their booths or at makeshift kitchens in the bowels of the stadium.

Chuy Tovar (Arandas Imports), Alex Chu (Dim Sum Truck) and Javier Cabral (Teenage Glutster)Chuy Tovar (Arandas Imports), Alex Chu (Dim Sum Truck) and Javier Cabral (Teenage Glutster)

In the open sun, the food wasn’t the only thing baking, broiling and frying – at the end of the field were two makeshift biergartens where Singha cooled off diners with one of the few cold beverages available (the only water available was from the fountains outside the restrooms). Along the walkway on the second tier, various food vendors set up shop sandwiching in tequila bottlers offering tastings in half-sized shots. A section outside to the right of the stadium featured vendors of non-food items and a small (but very popular) section where ice cream appeared to be the only thing actually served out of trucks. Attendees holding VIP tickets were granted access to the event at 4 PM before the teeming masses yearning to eat, yet the lines continued to grow, even before the 6 PM general admission crowd swarmed in. As if this amazing variety of unique and delicious food wasn’t enough, a DJ spun music to dine by followed by bands Warpaint and The Deadly Syndrome (who provided live music on a concert stage at the end of the field). Throughout the event, the stadium’s Diamond Vision screens were displaying tweets sent to @LAfoodfest, utilizing the system that put many of the food trucks on the map to the instant gratification of the iPhone-laden vendors and patrons.

The Dogzilla - amazing or what?The Dogzilla - amazing or what?

Although it would be impossible to represent all the great eateries, carts and trucks, this giant tailgate party on the field had so many vendors to choose from that even Takeru Kobayashi wouldn’t be able to keep up. Most vendors provided smaller-sized samples of the two or three items that represented the best of the best, and some changed the menu up during the course of the event. If you attended the LA Street Food Fest or are one of the featured vendors, please forgive any omission here – there just isn’t enough space to cover everybody and all the food provided. We might as well begin with names you’re familiar with from previous Trippy Food articles; the omnipresent Alex Chu manned not one booth but two, providing tidbits from his Dim Sum Truck as well as items from his newly launched Dumplings Deluxe truck, including the wildly popular cheeseburger dumplings (an odd co-mingling of cultures in a little dough wrapper). Chu used the event as the coming-out party for his newest Dim Sum Truck offering, Vegan Sticky Rice, which although tasty made me long for the missing meat. Also manning (in a manner of speaking) two booths, Gueleguetza’s Bricia Lopez presented pork cemita “sliders” topped with onions, Oaxacan cheese, avocado and a spicy chipotle sauce from her Huntington Park restaurant, Pal Cabron, as well as nieves (Mexican ice cream) from the new Naturabar featuring such exotic flavors as cactus pear and leche quemada (burnt milk). A photo opportunity wall with cutouts to allow your face to grace a cartoon hottie outside the Pal Cabron booth got liberal use from patrons waiting in the long line.

Bill "Smokin Willie" Kelley offers a pulled pork sliderBill "Smokin Willie" Kelley offers a pulled pork slider

Brazilian upstarts Ta Bom dished out slightly smaller versions of their signature coxina that were cooked to perfection and every bit as good as my first. I had the opportunity to try the pastel, which I didn’t sample on my initial visit to the truck; although these flat, crispy treats are usually accompanied by meat or sweet topping, the vinaigrette I topped it with added flavor without overpowering the simple delight. Ta Bom’s booth was lavishly decorated and featured a scantily clad woman decked out for Carnival, but the line was backing up for the food rather than the scenery. The long queue for The Grilled Cheese Truck was obvious, since their booth was perched on the second tier of the stadium – owners Dave Danhi and Michele Grant spent the first part of the day at a similar festival in Long Beach and then hauled ass across town to serve their signature sandwich brimming with pork, macaroni and cheese at the LA Street Food Fest (reminiscent of Phil Collins doing both the Wembley and JFK shows at Live Aid). Bill “Smokin’ Willie” Kelley received a call only a week before the event inviting him to participate, but he delivered with a pulled pork slider that was every bit as mouth-watering as when he first launched. I asked him if hitting the streets had prompted him to alter his menu, but he has only changed a couple of items including adding his hot link slider with grilled onions to the regular menu. He asked if I wanted coleslaw on the sandwich, which made it taste like the Alibi Room’s pork and kimchi slider’s American cousin; a few French fries and I would have had a mini-Primanti Brothers snack, but the sandwich didn’t make it to either the Frysmith or Fresh Fries booth intact.

Nguyen Tran had delicious ballsNguyen Tran had delicious balls

In addition to the tried-and-true favorites, my street food horizon was broadened tenfold with the wide variety of new selections to the point where I had to decide what I was going to pass up. My first choice was obvious – Nguyen Tran stood outside his Starry Kitchen booth dressed as a banana and wearing a sign reading, “Please enjoy our balls in yo’ mouth.” The balls in question were crispy tofu balls, which admittedly don’t sound very exciting until you see them for the first time. The sphere is surrounded by a crispy neon green coating that makes it look as though it’s encrusted with kryptonite; a bite into them reveals a delicious, creamy tofu center. Tran received a specially created “Best Showmanship” award, a classic case of the presentation taking the attention away from what turned out to be a wonderful little dish, although receiving a tie vote for the People’s Choice Award later vindicated him. Not bad for a couple who started by serving food out of the back of their apartment! I lost my boba virginity to The Mighty Boba truck – their milk tea boba was cool and creamy, but I wasn’t prepared for the texture and the chewiness of the tapioca pearls, dyed a dark color with brown sugar. I chased the boba with one of their curry potato balls (a simple variation of the Cuban potato ball) with just enough curry for flavor. The sleeper had to be Dogzilla’s namesake offering; a high quality all-beef hot dog “slider” topped with avocado, crumbled bacon, onions, Japanese mayo and furikaki and lightly doused with teriyaki sauce. I had to wait briefly while they made up a batch of Yakisoba dogs, which features a hot link topped with noodles, okonami sauce, ginger and nori, and although there was considerable flavor, I wasn’t sure the spicy wiener complemented the toppings well. The server didn’t know if either of these were the equivalent of the elusive Japadog, having never heard about it; although the Yakisoba was decent, I would crawl naked over broken vinegar bottles to have another Dogzilla.

The lovely and sweet strawberry tamale from Tamales ElenaThe lovely and sweet strawberry tamale from Tamales Elena

Best Old School winner Chef Robert Danhi offered a very simple, fresh mouthful dubbed the Explosive Thai Bite. The raw snack consisted of onions, ginger, tiny shrimp, chopped limes and several other ingredients wrapped in a single wild pepper leaf, which Chef Danhi instructed to eat all at once. Each bite released a different flavor and the crispiness of the raw, fresh ingredients only enhanced the experience. I’m no stranger to sweet tamales, but Tamales Elena knocked my socks off with their strawberry tamales. Instead of big chunks of strawberries embedded in the masa, the berries were blended in, giving the tamales a bright pink color and a sweet taste without being sugary. The Manila Machine offered up a pork belly and pineapple adobo over rice that was tender and flavorful and a decent lumpiang shanghai (a pork, carrot and ginger fried spring roll). I asked one of the proprietors about offering balut, to which he replied that he is considering an event but wants it to be traditionally respectful (as respectful as you can be while chowing down on a duck fetus). Scoops’ spin-off ice cream parlor, Scoops Westside hasn’t officially opened yet, but they still had a presence at the festival. With flavors such as pistachio cardamom, mango sweet orange basil seed and tamarind pear rum sorbet it was difficult to choose, but I finally opted for the cool and creamy Thai iced tea coconut.

The team from the Mighty Boba TruckThe team from the Mighty Boba Truck

I had volunteered with LA Street Food Fest to work at the event, so after a couple of hours getting my grub on I reported for duty to find out what my assignment was. I was somewhat surprised that I was given the task of taking pictures, but roamed about the stadium photographing everything and everyone. I walked past the long lines to the front so that I could capture images of the food in glorious Technicolor, and as a true journalist would ask about each particular food item. Unfortunately this resulted in me being offered more food, which I felt compelled to decline, not because I had elbowed my way to the front, but because there physically was no additional room in my digestive tract for anything else – I felt like Roberto Duran after a steak dinner. Winners were announced at the end of the night by one of the judges, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – other judges included Top Chef Master, Susan Feniger; LA Times Food Editor, Rene Lynch; Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams and Chef Walter Manzke. After a brief set by L.A.’s Warpaint, there was nothing left to do but disperse the crowd, as the Rose Bowl takes their schedules seriously. Nothing to see here, folks. Go back to your homes, and tell your kids this is what happens when you eat your way into a food coma.

The LA Street Food Festival
The Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Pasadena, CA 91103-2898
GPS coordinates: 34°9’36.35″N 118°10’3.02″W
Links to the vendor’s websites available at the LA Street Food Festival’s home page

See images of Val’s visit to the 2010 LA Street Food Festival

See more images from the 2010 LA Street Food Festival

Still more images from the 2020 LA Street Food Festival

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