Chasing Cars – Mobile Food Frustration

I really hate chasing all these food trucks because the fail rate is pretty high. I've been trying to chase Coolhaus for over a year now and I finally caught them twice in one week... not because I was so satisfied the first time, but because I wanted a better taste in my mouth.

Truck events are just no bueno. I attempted the LA Food Truck Festival in Downtown mid-February and that was just a hot mess (the sun was scorching that day!). I tried again at the mini-truck festival at the Americana this past Tuesday thinking that it was a school day and it is so 'effin far that less people. To my dismay, everyone + their moms were there, literally. The only reason I went was to try the Grilled Cheese Truck because I heard it was amazing. Unfortunately it also had the longest line and I unhappily stood there close to 3 hours before finding out that they ran out of macaroni and cheese. Ok… the Coolhaus line wasn't terrible in comparison but many of their flavors were out after my 45 min wait. I was left with the sorbet (pineapple, coconut, pear, lemon, blood orange) flavors and no brioche - all things that made them interesting were gone. I couldn't not get anything after such a long wait so I sucked it up and had the pear sorbet on chocolate cookie. My world was not rocked by any means, nor was I satisfied after my yearlong anticipation. If you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I am pretty particular about a "good" cookie and I don't feel Coolhaus delivered.

Fast forward to 1st Friday on Abbot Kinney and I had a MUCH BETTER food truck experience. The Grilled Cheese Truck line was still the longest of them all but I was happy to finally succeed in trying the monster Mac-N-Cheese, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Caramelized Onion in a Grilled Cheese sandwich. It made me so happy. One bite reminded me of a BBQ plate lunch from a backyard summer BBQ with The Dove Shack's "Summertime In the LBC" playing in the background. This truck is so worth all those fail attempts at trucking. I wished I had gotten my 5 sandwich per person limit…

Coolhaus at 1st Friday – The lines were still long but I was more than happy that most of the flavors, minus pistachio truffle, was still available. I finally got to try the brioche bun, which I paired with the brown butter and candied bacon ice cream. Yummy… The Brioche was ingenious - pairing such delicate, eggy bread with ice cream. It was nice and soft, and the portion was suitable to the focus of the sandwich - the ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the Brown Butter & Candied Bacon Ice Cream - I ate it so fast I didn't even have any thoughts for it. You'd think it'd be odd because bacon is so salty but it was subdued from the caramelized coating. The ice cream was such a dynamic combination of sensations. Crunchy. Savory. Sweet. Creamy. Cool. Softness from the brioche.

I had a bite of my friend's dirty mint chip and that was a pleasant surprise. I expected your run of the mill mint flavor, but it tasted like actual mint leaves. Very refreshing and very surprising - I would have polished one of these off myself too if there had been a shorter line!

The obvious bad thing about these trucks is that they're limited in their resources and staffing, and their schedules are rather inconsistent. I like the idea that there are festivals where they are all in one spot, but I guess everyone else feels the same way. It is much better to catch them on an off-night when they're just rolling to your local hot spot for late night snacking. One thing I hate most is when everybody waiting for their food or in line to order complains the heck out of their experience because of the slow service and long lines. It's a food truck people! Save your bad energy for home or get Chinese takeout if you wanted a convenient, smooth experience.

With the abundance of trucks these days, it's hard to keep track of them all. One tip is to use an aggregator site like www.findlafoodtrucks.com. This will list all trucks in the LA area and where they are along with any specials of the day.

I have not had the chance to try them all but these are/were the ones I am/was most excited about and recommend trying:

Kogi BBQ – The originator of the LA Food trucks. Korean tacos and burritos. My faves are the spicy pork and chicken tacos. I would avoid the kimchi quesadilla and sliders, which I found underwhelming.

Komodo Truck – Uhh only the sexiest truck around! They've been on KTLA morning news and Tasting Table. They use only the finest ingredients and are not restricted to a food genre unless unique is part of the descriptor. I've only had their fish 'n grape taco, and can say they know how to perfectly fry a fish which can be difficult in a truck!

Grilled Cheese Truck – If you've read my post, you know my stand on this. Get it. I wouldn't get a plain grilled cheese here though – go big and get the one with the mac 'n cheese and bbq pulled pork. You only live once right?

Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwich Truck – If they're nearby, have most of their flavors still, try it. They are good in that they do have some inventive flavors and will surprise you with their take on the classics but their lack of appearances and incognito schedules really piss me off. I would much rather go to The Milk Shop who is there when I need them to be.

Frysmith – French fries with melted cheese and meat on top? Sign me up! It's a pretty hefty meal on its own, which can be surprising since this carb is usually a side accompaniment. I recommend the kimchi chicken – unique and the pickled vegetable keeps your appetite up when you think you can't go any further.

Don Chow Tacos – Chinese Tacos and one of the longest standing trucks which popped up soon after Kogi. This truck is made up of one of the nicest people in this industry. Their special chow fun is bomb, their char siu is damn delicious and not a fake red, and they serve horchata. See any flaws? They'll also be on on Guy Fieri's Dives, Diners, and Drive-Ins later this year.

South Philly Experience – Very low key and under-rated. I stumbled upon them on Pico Blvd. after Kogi ran out of my favorite tacos. I've never been to Philly so I can't compare but I really liked their bread. It was soft and buttery, which is more than I can ask for. The food is just more pricey than I figured for a food truck at $8-9 average.

Buttermilk Truck – I have not tried but I saw someone with Red Velvet mini-pancakes… Next mission…

Chasing cars is an exhausting task. My patience for them is shot. Can they just be in a restaurant already so I don't have to find you? I'm a lady and I enjoy being catered to.

Don't Believe Er'thang You See

I love TV more than the next kid. This past summer, Travel Channel and Food Network got me appreciating BBQ after all the countdowns they had across town. Top Chef got me fantasizing about quitting media and opening up my own mom 'n pop restaurant counter. OG Iron Chef still has me saying silly critiques at every chance I get.

My cravings change every so often and lately I have been all about the sandwich. Fried Egg Breakfast sandwich, Argentinian Caramelized Banana & Marscarpone sandwich, all of it! Call it my segue into Spring eats. Over the summer, Travel Channel aired a "Best of Sandwiches" show where a local mention made its way onto my radar: Philippe's Sandwiches, home of the apparent "original french dip sandwich."

Philippe's The Original Restaurant
Back when, Philippe's server accidentally dropped the french roll into the au jus sauce while making a beef sandwich. The sandwich was still served with the juiced-bread and won the love of the cop, who brought all his friends back the next day for more. And just like that, french dipped was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Nowadays, Philippe's gives you the option of Once Dipped, Twice Dipped or Wet sandwich style with the pairing of beef, ham, pork, turkey or lamb.

Situation: Loving sauce and soggy, I finally convinced a friend to venture out East with me in the congested town of Los Angeles. They had 2 parking lots=awesome! Despite the sizeable lots, there were so many people going in & out, it was a riot! The store was no different! With people emerging from both doorways, I was shuffling my way in with the rest of the herd. It had a barn-like atmosphere with hay dust on the floor and benches horizontally placed closely together which served more as a line separator rather than dining tables. There was one service counter where 7-8 lines formed right in front of it. I noticed a person next to me even brought her walkie-talkie to touch base with her friend in another line on the other side of the room in their race to the famous french dip.

Food: As many people as there were, the line moved relatively quickly. I managed to spend my 30-45 minutes productively thinking over which of the 5 sandwiches I wanted and with how many dips. Finally settling on the lamb with a double dip, I decided to not get any sides--potatoe salad, coleslaw, etc. As nice as it would have been, it did not really look that appetizing. They were piles of white creamy blobs without much to distinguish one side from another. They also had a selection of what looked like homemade pies, which were generously filled with fruit if you dig that. Fortunately for my favorite jeans, I am not. The bill? Under $7 for a sandwich, which is pretty cheap for this day and age!

Verdict: YESS! After the long trek across town and through loads of people, I have my own Philippe's original french dipped sandwich in front of me. Finally I was about to experience the history and flavors of what Travel Channel had described so delictably on both "Best of" and "Man vs. Food" most recently and... yea... You know how the camera adds 10 pounds? I guess it added deliciousness to this sandwich too. The lamb was ok. I got a decent serving of it. It was a little tough, as it should be since I would not take it the slightest rare from a barn (no offense! You wouldn't ask McD's to give you a medium Angus burger!) Most of the lamb was fat rather than meat. The french roll had a good crunch despite the double dip. The au jus, which is what should make the sandwich, was bland. It was there but it did not leave any sort of impression. The Lawry's $0.50 instant au jus or gravy packets in the supermarket tastes better, I swear!

So yeah, that was a little disappointing. Sitting on a stool in the back room with yellow painted walls and a heavy duty brown storage room door next to me, tray of food finished, my friend turns to me and says "I feel like I'm in prison eating prison food." And with that, we kicked the hay off our shoes, shed the smiles off our faces and made our way home. TV, why would you lie to me?

At this rate, maybe I should rename this blog to "little angry girl" but I promise I do enjoy good eats when I find them. It sounds like a trip to Milk is very necessary this week...

1001 N Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012