Lobsta!!!

Lobster + food truck = LobstaTruck. One of the latest gourmet style food trucks to roll out recently. Based on the crowds it looks like they are turning out to be a pretty popular truck, I mean it is lobster after all. I know they get their lobster flown in, just not sure from where, it's definitely fresh though. They have a simple menu, lobster rolls with butter or with mayo, crab rolls, chowder and a few sweets. The lobster roll is fairly straightforward, cooked lobster bathed in butter (mayo, just not my thing ever) on a lightly grilled/toasted roll. That's it. Its quite good and satisfying with sweet and succulent meat and the roll is quite tasty as well. I've had them twice now, both times, equally great. Since its seafood, you don't feel heavy after eating which is nice, but I did find myself getting hungry again sooner then later though. For the price, $11 or $9 for crab, its not something I can justify to eat at to often (is once a week to often?), makes for a nice indulgence though. My only real grumble is that it seemed to take a while to get my food, first time they were swamped, so I attributed it to that, but the second time there was no line and it still took a while. Maybe they steam/boil and cook to order? I'll have to ask next time, and yes there will be several next times. If you love the lobster, this is definitely a tasty way to get your fix and it's worth the wait.



You can find out more info about them on their site here or follow them on Twitter here.

The Best Fish Taco In Ensenada

Great little taco place in Los Feliz, The Best Fish Taco In Ensenada. Very simple and straight forward. You order fish or shrimp tacos. That's it. The fish and shrimp are lightly battered and quickly deep fried, the corn tortillas are warmed on the grill and the tacos are served naked. On their own, the shrimp and fish are really tender and sweet and with a crunch of the batter are pretty tasty. Where the tacos really shine is with the salsa bar. You dress em' up yourself. There are the basics like cream and shredded cabbage, but what is really great is that they make a bunch of different fresh salsas like mango spicy or mild, or guacamole style or my favorite, the radish salsa which is both a little spicy and tangy. You can load it up as much or little as you're feeling like.

Every time I've eaten here, its been really good. Always satisfying and surprisingly filling. You can't beat the prices either, $2 for shrimp and $1.50 for fish. Very affordable, fresh and tasty tacos. They have 3 locations. You can find more info on their web site.

Summer in November @Willoughby Road

The last couple of days it's been summer in November here in L.A. Heard it hit/almost hit a 100 degrees on Wednesday....in November! Needed to escape the heat and grab some lunch, so Miss Absinthe and I promptly went down to Wilshire near LACMA to find a food truck for lunch, in the heat (yah I know). Found a convenient metered parking spot and then realized it had a nice big flashing FAIL on it and wasn't sure if it's still legal or not to park at a failed meter. As we were discussing it, a bicycle officer, who noticed our confusion, rode over and told us, "You're ok to park there for 2 hours, no worries". Thought that was pretty cool and nice to let us know like that, especially considering last time I got pinched for not paying attention to the signs. This seemed to make up for it, well kinda sorta. Barely out of the car, hot, but off to a good start.



Lots of trucks parked out on Wilshire has become the norm, plenty of options. Came across the Willoughby Road Food Truck, "classic southern cuisine re-defined." What's great to eat on a hot summer like day in the fall? Fried chicken! Twice fried chicken and grilled watermelon with a generous side of mac n cheese.



First off, generous sized portions of chicken (we took one piece home and finished it off a couple of hours later). The chicken is twice fried, with one layer of coating being a tempura type of batter. There's a lot of crunch and flavor going on, a good savory coating. The meat was really tender and juicy. They pour a Harrisa glaze (North African spice) on the chicken which adds this spicy, but sweet quality. I didn't know that when I ordered, even though I enjoyed the extra level of flavor it added, I would have preferred it on the side to add as needed or maybe just a little less. That being said, it was still really great. The cut of the chicken is a little odd, kind of block like, but easy to handle. Not your regular cuts of leg, breast, thigh etc. The grilled watermelon, wow, these were great, almost steals the show. The grilling process seemed to have tenderized the watermelon and with a bit of that grill flavor and a touch of salt, mmmm, just a great way to finish off the meal. The mac n cheese was good, but not necessarily a stand out in comparison to the flavor/seasoning of the fried chicken or the watermelon.



It really was a sweltering day out and I know the chefs were definitely cooking themselves in the process. So a big thanks for making a great meal on such a hot day. Definitely recommend checking them out and I know I'll hit them up again as well. You can follow them on Twitter here and find more info about them on their site here.

Ludo Truck!

"Look for the big red coq"

Finally, after many months, the Ludo Truck has arrived, or at least in a soft roll out schedule. Don't think they're doing a regular schedule just yet. For those who have had Ludo's cooking know why its a big deal for the truck to be out and about now. I found them parked on Melrose on a recent Saturday afternoon where a few other trucks have parked recently. I hope more trucks will continue to do so since its very convenient to me a lot of people, plus the city needs some new truck hot spots.

The menu consisted of 3 different chicken styles, slaw, fries, lavender biscuits and crème brûlée and a few other items. Plus they do specials, like a chicken sandwich on Breadbar bread, which I hear is really good. 

  

They have the menu set up in orders of two or three pieces of chicken, your choice, mix or match. I got a three piece order, with two of the Provencal Pepittes, infused with rosemary and herbs de provence and one piece chicken strip style which was buttermilk based and all white meat. Also got a side of the slaw and the honey lavender biscuits. You also get a choice of sauces for dipping. I got the chipotle ketchup bbq type of sauce.

The chicken was fantastic. Just like I remembered, but smaller of course. Super moist and flavorful, with a nice crunch. The seasoning is great, nice and savory. They looked like they are formed from dark meat, not ground, but molded. The chicken strip was terrific as well, great coating and crunch. Well seasoned and almost fluffy like. The slaw was good, but didn't seem that different then other spicy slaws. Not bad by any means, just a good slaw. The lavender biscuits with honey (bathed in it) were quite good. They had more of smell of lavender then taste or just a hint of it perhaps. With the honey though, they were really tasty regardless. More dense then flakey. Good way to finish of with something sweet after a nice savory, fried meal. Plan to try the crème brûlée next time though and there will be other times.

Its great, a food truck with the quality and unique styling of Chef Ludo at prices that are quite affordable. Another truck that raises the bar. I think its hard not to become a fan of him after you've tried his cooking. You can find more about the truck on their website here and follow them on twitter here.

Coconut M & M's - but there's no coconut...

Ok so this is not my usual thing to blog about, but somehow I could not not do it. Was at the gas station that had a mini mart. Noticed the white package of Coconut M & M's and thought, hey cool I'll try that. After dinner I opened them and split them with my wife (yah, I know, how fancy). We scarfed them down in no time. Admittedly they were pretty tasty. I mean its candied chocolate with coconut. My wife grabs the package and after a short pause says "but there's no coconut in the ingredients." So yah, there is no coconut in the coconut M & M's, but a lot of other non-food sounding items. Just had to share.

Tasty Balls @ Great Balls On Tires

Tried a fairly new truck recently over at the T-Lofts on the west side, Great Balls On Tires or G-BOT for short. Everything is ball based in both food and pun. They cover the range of quality meats and styles like, kobe beef, Korean beef, garam masala chicken, Vietnamese pork and Middle Eastern vegetarian. I've heard that the Incrediball is well incredible. I decided to try the Ballywood Balls for lunch.



These were really really good. Like lick the plate clean when no one is looking kinda good (come on you know you do). A lot of flavors going on. Made with garam masala chicken, coconut madras curry, over saffron rice, topped with crispy fried onions and both a tomato chutney and cilantro mint aioli on the side. Yah, all that for $5.50. Found it to be very satisfying on many levels. Wonderful rich masala flavors with the sauces and the crispy onions, really excellent. The rice was well done as well and complimented it all nicely. It was just enough to fill me up, yet wanting just a little more.



I'm definitely looking forward to trying them again and I could see them becoming a fast favorite. Hope they hit the west side more often. Definitely want to try out the Ball Mi Vietnamese pork balls. There is the Oddball and Guestball menu options for suggestions and guest chefs as well, which is a pretty cool idea.

You can find out more info about them on their website here and follow them on Twitter here.

Flying Pig Revisited

Just a quick post, trying to get caught up. Have several more posts coming.

Hadn't been to the Flying Pig in a little while. Looked like they had updated some of the items on the menu. I went with the Smoked Chicken Taco and the Crunchy Tofu Bun this time. Last time I had the Duck Taco and Pork Taco, both of which I liked.



The smoked chicken is hickory-smoked chicken thigh with mango slaw, honey-roasted peanuts,
and green curry aioli. Found this to be pretty good, not overly smokey in flavor, nice light pairing of taste and crunchy textures over all. The portions are on the smaller side, but satisfying.


The Crunchy Tofu Bun is deep-fried, marinated tofu with ‘quick’ kimchi, honey-roasted peanuts, and death sauce on a steamed bao bun. This was pretty tasty, although I should have eaten it first since parts of the tofu went a little soft by the time I got to it. Good amount of heat in the kimchi, not a lot of crunch per se. Didn't really get a sense that there were peanuts in it. Since there was a lot of bun, definitely filled me up.

You can find more info about Flying Pig here and you can follow them on Twitter here.

The Manila Machine

Hit up the latest food truck recently, The Manila Machine, Filipino style food. Started by a couple of local food bloggers (and I believe the first food truck started by food bloggers as well as the first Filipino food truck), one of which I've been following for a little while now, Nastassia of Let Me Eat Cake. I've  had little experience with Filipino food, so wasn't completely sure what to expect, but I was definitely curious. Had to make it a two part visit. The first time I got to them during their first week, they were pretty much out of food and starting to close, but I managed to try the lumpia and on the second visit I got to try a couple of sliders just before they sold out.



The lumpia shanghai was quite good, similar to an egg roll, normally comes in a order of two, but since it was the one of the only items they had left, they gave me three. Nice and crispy roll with a well seasoned, but not over done pork filling with carrots and spicy ginger. The zing of ginger with pork and crispy egg roll skins was nice. These were pretty tasty and satisfying.



The sliders, these were really great. A lot of flavors and textures packed into these little guys. They're kind of like mini versions of their main dishes. The first one is the Longganisa, sweet pork and garlic sausage, caramelized onions, arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll. All that sweet and savory just melded together in such a great way. The mango jam was a really nice touch and balanced it perfectly. I would definitely get it again.

The Original Manila Dip, shredded chicken adobo and caramelized onions on a pan de sal roll. Served with an adobo dipping sauce. This slider had a wonderful flavor and texture to it. The chicken was lightly seasoned with soy/vinegar/garlic, but with grilled onions and the adobo dipping sauce, wow, definitely stepped up things. The dipping sauce seemed to be of the vinegar, soy, ginger, garlic variety, and the sauce is a must, adds another layer of flavor. I used the sauce for both of the sliders.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first couple of eats with The Manila Machine and have been wanting to catch up with them again, but haven't had the chance just yet. Nastassia was great and accommodating even though they were running out of food and closing up and was helpful in explaining the different items. The service is fast and friendly and the prices are great. I know I'm becoming a fan of Filipino food and I am looking forward to trying the main dishes. I would highly recommend checking them out. You can find more info on their web site here and follow them on twitter here.

India Jones

Just a quick post today. I had somehow managed to not eat at India Jones Chow Truck over the past few months considering Chef Sumat has got some of the best curry in town, and absolutely the best on wheels. End of last year thru the beginning of this year I was hitting him up almost once a week for awhile there. Its that tasty.



On this particular day I tried one of his specials, Goa Pork Curry. This was incredibly good with wonderful spices and enough heat to make the back of my neck sweat. Really tender pork and just all around satisfying and filling. Something about his curries just leave me feeling great afterwards, must have something to with the combination of spices/heat. A definite must goto of the ever expanding L.A. food truck nation. Web site info here.

Chinatown Goodness at Via Cafe

Spent a wonderful afternoon wandering and taking photos around Chinatown in Los Angeles with my friend Julia recently. Found it to be rather inspiring. Between all the people and street vendors in the area and all the unique store fronts and different smells and sights, it really did feel like we were transported from the usual L.A. scenes. You can see some more on my flickr page and soon on my film blog as well.



Julia had recommended that we stop off at the Via Cafe afterwards for dinner which is mostly Vietnamese Pho style, but some dishes were a bit more fusion from other countries/regions. I wish I had snapped a shot of the menu, because I can't remember what the specific dishes were other then lemongrass grilled chicken with cold rice vermicelli noodles and the sauce to add to it.



It was really really good and tasty. Just right after a afternoon of walking and shooting. All the flavors blended so nicely. It was almost refreshing do to the lightness of it with the veggies, yet had enough proteins and lots of different textures. Really enjoyed it. This is the second time Julia has taken me for Pho and there is something addictive about it. Served in a large bowl, it almost looks like more then I could eat, but I finished it off practically slurping the bits left over. Didn't leave me feeling overly full or heavy either. Everything was served and prepared rather quickly. Nice little place with funky art and friendly service. I think my dish was under $8, which seemed like a good deal to me considering the quality of the meal. Next time you're in Chinatown, I highly recommend checking them out. They're located in the Chinatown square.

Crepes Bonaparte

Caught up with one of the other crepe trucks recently. Crepes Bonaparte. They definitely have a theme of sorts. The girls working the truck all had little hats and scarves and such. Its cute. The way the truck is set up, you can watch them make your crepe which is kinda cool. I decided that I wanted to try a simpler crepe, and went with the Plain Jane, ham and cheese with egg. I didn't specify the doneness of the egg, I assumed it was a light scramble of sorts, don't know why. Well, it was more like an over easy egg, which I do happen to like, just wasn't expecting it in a crepe like that.







Over all, I enjoyed it. It was a good size and filling, the crepe itself was thicker then I normally expect, which was good for sopping up egg, but felt a little bit to much for the amount of ham and mozzarella. That said, still enjoyed it. It was a good all around, kinda traditional style crepe. I would definitely eat from their truck again, I find myself more interested in their basic traditional style offerings.

Follow them on twitter here and check out their site here.

Komodo

Finally got a chance try out Komodo for lunch. I had heard some good things about their menu, especially the shrimp. I got the fish taco and the blazin' shrimp taco.



The fish and grapes taco was really good, fried cod tossed with grapes and pickled onions. Had a bit of that sweet tart/tangy quality to it.



The blazin' shrimp with Indonesian spices and a sour cream sauce on the greens was quite good and pretty damn spicy. The sour cream sauce helped cool and balance the heat of the shrimp.



There was plenty of flavor in items that I had. Would definitely eat from their truck again. Food was done quickly, service was friendly. My only real grumble would be the tortillas, a grilled or even a crunchy option would be very welcome. These were cold and uncooked. Will have to see if I can request that next time. You can follow them on Twitter here or get more info from their site.

The Shrimp Guys

The Shrimp Guys, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

The Shrimp Guys food truck, or trailer, well its towed by a regular truck. Anyways, heard some good things about their shrimp and had a chance to try them out. I ordered the 5 piece garlic and butter shrimp with a scoop of rice for 5 bucks, they have a 8 piece with 3 scoops of rice for 8 I think, pretty good value either way. Their was no shortage of garlic or butter, really tasty. Although you really need to eat them fast, shrimp does not hold heat for long. I enjoyed it though, service was friendly and fast and I would definitely hit them up again. They had a coconut lime dish that I know I'll be trying next time. Follow them on twitter here and check out their web site here.

Crepe'n Around

Crepe'n Around, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

Been a big fan of crepes for many years, goes back to getting married and spending 2 weeks in Paris. Getting a tasty crêpe de jambon et de fromage from one of the many street vendors quickly became a favorite of mine. The Crepe'n Around truck is helping fill that need. I've eaten at their truck twice now and both times were great.

The first one I tried was the Maple Braised Pork. Wow, oh wow was this good. It was quite literally a full course meal wrapped in that crepe. The pork is maple braised with apple chutney, toasted walnuts, and mixed greens with a honey-dijon sauce. Very satisfying and a wonderful balance of flavor and textures. 

The second visit I had the ham and brie crepe. This was an updated version of the traditional ham and cheese crepe. This one had brie with caramelized onions and whole grain mustard. Another nice combo of sweet and savory. I really liked the addition of the grain mustard and the onions were just right. Really enjoyed it. Need to try a sweet crepe next time.

Both times the service was great and friendly (and fast too). I'm finding myself craving their crepes now. I highly recommend checking them out. Check out their web site here and you can follow them on twitter here.

Gourmet Genie To Go

Recently tried a new food truck for lunch, Gourmet Genie To Go. Everything is Mediterranean style, kabobs, pita wraps and some taco fusions. Also, its all organic and comes from local sources or farmer's markets, which is always a plus in my book. Spent a little time talking with the owner/chef Max. Really nice and friendly guy. I always like it when chefs take a little time to chat with their customers.

I tried three different tacos, chicken, fish and lamb. I quite enjoyed all three of them.

The fish, which is mahi mahi, was dense and firm in texture, but still flakey. Grilled with sweet onions, topped with pine nuts and instead of white sauce, he used tahini sauce. Nice twist on the classic fish taco. 

The lamb was terrific. The lamb was grilled and lightly seasoned with hints of savory and sweet with Italian parsley, red onions some jalapenos and juicy grilled cherry tomatoes. Very satisfying.

The chicken taco was really good. Lightly seasoned and grilled and served with a cabbage salad on it, gave it a refreshing crunchy texture. In fact all of the tacos had a nice balance between taste and texture.

  

For dessert I had the date rolls and the birds nest. The date rolls had a thick buttery exterior with a date paste which had a very light sweet taste. The birds nest is similar to baklava with the layers of phyllo dough, but with toasted pistachios on top and a light honey type of glazing to it. Nice textures.

I definitely recommend checking the Gourmet Genie out, terrific food, great prices and service. They tend to make the regular stops on the West side, T-Lofts, MTV and 31st and Ocean Park, plus lots of others. You can follow them on Twitter here and check out their website here.

Plaisir

My wife heard about a new French cafe that recently opened near the Trader Joe's in West Hollywood. We had planned an afternoon at the Melrose Trading Post (flea market) which gave us a good excuse to stop by and grab some food to go.



We were greeted by Daniel, a co-founder who was really nice and friendly. We chatted with him while we oohed and awed all the tasty looking Parisian snacks. He offered us some samples of their mousse which was really good as well as this wonderful home made lavender ice cream that had this great blue hue and was very light in taste. There were quite a few other ice cream choices, but we decided to save the ice cream for one of our next visits.





We got a ham and cheese croissant and a lemon bar to go. The croissant seemed larger then your standard breakfast size. It was very flakey and buttery with a little bit of chewy pull to it, in others words great. The ham was sweet and a little salty and went really well with the gruyere cheese all warmed lightly. It was really simple and good. Just big enough for us to split. I know I'll be getting this again.



We saved the lemon bar for later. I think this was one of the best lemon bars I've ever had. Nice, thick and dense lemon filling that was sweet and tangy, but not overly sweet despite the powered sugar on top, which I did like. Also had a thick buttery crust to it that rounded it out. Definitely big enough for two people to split.



You can find more info on their site here and follow them on twitter here. I highly recommend checking them out, made for a nice Paris like afternoon. I know we'll be going back.