I was nervous. Following my
failed attempt just getting
into their first event, naturally I was wary about the even more ambitious
LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday. It was clear the game had changed, with a very different set up and plan of attack. Giving the benefit of the doubt and with my expectations in check, I can say I had an enjoyable time Saturday, and tasted a belly full of delightful offerings from the
myriad of vendors.
I will say straight-away that this is largely dependent on the fact that I was lucky to gain entry an hour and a half before general admission during the VIP and media preview, alongside my friends -and blogger heavyweights-
Food Marathon and
My Shimoda. With our strategic game plan, we descended onto the finely manicured field to eat the $#!% out of the LASFF!
First stop was the impossible-to-miss booth from downtown start up sweethearts
Starry Kitchen. Co-owner Nguyen wore a banana suit and thanked attendees for trying his [tofu] balls (winning him Best Showmanship from the judges, a category they added just for him).
The crispy green tofu balls (coated in a natural green colored rice flake from northern Vietnam) were drizzled with a spicy aioli and tied for the People's Choice Award.
"It's actually the most laborious dish we make," Nguyen said, as volunteers behind him rushed tray after tray from the 4 deep fryers under the stadium. "We've been rolling tofu balls all week!"
Moving down the line, we began snagging samples as quickly as possible and eating them while waiting for the next. An early favorite was a polenta cake with crab, aioli and sprouts from
Mo-chica Contemporary Peruvian. Fresh a delicious! The
Manila Machine (LA’s First Filipino food truck) presented a tasty Pork Belly and Pineapple Adobo, which was runner up for the fest's Best Nouveau offering. The Huitlacoche (corn smut - a fungus more affectionately refered to as "the Mexican Corn Truffle") taco, above, from
Antojitos de la Abuelita had good flavor, but was probably the limpest taco I've ever had!
Tiara Cafe wrapped their brisket in rice noodles, with a nod to post-punk icons
DEVO.
LAsian Kitchen represented the exotic cuisines of Indonesia and Malaysia with a 20 spice Sumatra Beef Rendang Roti Roll w/ Sambal.
Our first long wait came at the far end of the first row at
Monsieur Egg. The meaty, eggy sandwich was hard to eat and undercooked, but still nicely balanced in flavor thanks to some unexpected sweet onion.
We took a quick break to wait in line for a Singha to quench our thirsts, then jumped back in line for more food!
Sedthee Thai Eatery won me over with their clever corn husk boats holding spicy duck curry (above) and Thai pork sparerib (which took first place for Best Nouveau dish).
Fresh Fries' "peanut butter cup" sweet potato fries.
One truck I had been curious about was
Nana Queen's Puddin' and Wings, serving just that - a sauce-slathered wing with a cup of banana pudding with Nilla wafers!
Ever since they opened, I've been dying to get out to
Cemitas Y Clayudas Pal Cabron - a Oaxacan sandwich shop from the brilliant folk behind
Guelaguetza. The cemita "sliders" and mole tamales were top-notch!
A scrumptious first bite that required noshing down to the finger-licking came in the form of a crispy shrimp taco from
Mariscos Jalisco (who won Best in Show and tied with Starry Kitchen for People's Choice).
But I think my favorite savory of the day was actually the Ecuadorean Shrimp Ceviche from the
Gastrobus. The levity of popcorn topping crunchy shrimp and onion with tart citrus dressing was just rather.. stunning.
We were getting full, so decided to break from the field and nab a refreshment in the outdoor cocktail lounge.
Camarena Tequila had a line growing for their hand shaken spicy strawberry margaritas using
Névé luxury ice. We sampled tastes of Camarena shaken with normal ice then with Névé (gourmet barman's ice made from pure mountain glaciers) while we waited, and the flavor difference was actually quite noticeable.
Once the general admission queue began filing in, it was only a matter of time before the field would become fully engorged with hungry diners. We sampled some other tequilas on the upper deck of the stadium and observed the growing crowd as we digested our first round. (Note: Shockingly, while tequila was ever-present, the all-inclusive event did not provide water, so trips to the drinking fountains near the bathrooms outside of the field were required for hydration).
Before I knew it, I was actually growing hungry again - a deceptive hunger based not on need, but from mentally creating "room" for more gluttony! We descended once again from the stands for round two...
A small VIP seating area on the field catered to some familiar faces, among them Mayor Villaraigosa and Border Grill and Street owner (and recent Top Chef Masters favorite) Susan Feniger.
The longest lines seemed to be for
Antojitos Carmen and
Dogzilla. It became clear we would not be getting to try those two, along with many others.. So we started our second round instead devoted to the sweeter side, beginning with the
Mighty Boba Truck's booth.
We made a second stop at
Starry Kitchen for their dessert course of Pandan Flan, with a sweet nutty flavor reminiscent of pistachio. Mmm...
Malo's dessert course was a bite-size Tres Leches cakelette.
Not unlike leaving Fantasyland through Cinderella's Castle, we exited the congested field through the central tunnel and wound to the right into Ice Cream Land! Matthew “
Mattatouille” Kang greeted us at
Scoops Westside booth (where he is managing partner) with a taste of each flavor, the Thai Iced Tea being my favorite.
The most unexpected delight was from
Natura, a Oaxacan juice bar and heladeria (also from the
Guelaguetza clan, next door to the restaurant’s location on 8th Street). The bold flavors included a pleasing Nuez (walnut), tart Tuna (a cactus fruit I grew up eating!), and the challenging Leche Quemada ("burnt milk").
The creamiest ice cream was easily
Sweet Lucie's, with a deluxe Pistachio I will certainly be seeking out again. Their Mint Lemonade sorbet was also very refreshing. An all natural Orange Rosewater popsicle from
Pop Art Pops provided a nice mellow break from the more cloying treats.
Possibly my favorite sweet was the rainbow streaked trademark from
The Original Hawaiin Style Tropical Shave Ice, air-light snowflakes melting on your tongue with remarkably fresh fruity flavors, not at all syrupy as the bright colors may mislead.
And then of course there's
Coolhaus - the cool kids ice cream sandwich truck debuting some highly anticipated new flavor creations just for the fest. The Peanut Butter and Bacon with chocolate chip cookies was relatively tame, subtle in both PB and bacon-inity. The Strawberry and Candied Jalapeno ice cream sandwich was more curious, but left me wishing I had tried the more straight forward Root Beer sandwich.
We missed it, but the winner of the Sweet Tooth award went to the
Munchie Machine's S'More sandwich. Not that I could have fit another bite in my belly!
All in all, I did leave full and happy, the beautiful day mellowing into a perfect cool summer evening.
lastreetfoodfest.com
