The Diary of a Displaced Housewife is now Life In Fuchsia…


'The Diary of the Displaced Housewife' is now 'Life in Fuschia'

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

How Not To Spend A Weekend: Chasing L.A.’s Gourmet Food Trucks


A few weekends back, the husband and I spent the whole weekend holed up at home, watching TV in our PJs and going out only to forage for food. Yes, we all have those weekends and it’s perfectly acceptable (In fact, it was perfect according to R but that’s so not happening honey because your wife is an obsessive lean mean weekend planning machine!).



The first food truck I heard about and tried was the Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles. Then all of a sudden, there seemed to be a sudden mushrooming of these fun, innovative and marketing savvy food trucks doling out deliciousness day after day, all over Los Angeles! During the fateful weekend, we tried out Eat Fry Smith and The Grilled Cheese Truck… and we got lucky because the Eat Fry Smith Truck was right across the street from Scoops (head there for the best gelato in town!) and the Scoops bake sale for the great American bake sale!  Score!!!

I just want you to know that I did attempt to work out after that weekend… but I have a feeling I need to tie myself to a treadmill with no ‘stop’ button on it to make up for all the damage done! :P

First let’s visit the The Grilled Cheese Truck… the line was long but entertaining with a mixed crowd that makes for interesting people watching while you wait for your food! (I know there seems to be a pattern appearing with me and grilled cheese joints but we’ll just ignore that!) I had the Cheesy Mac Melt that is mac n cheese on French bread with sharp cheddar… And the verdict: Loved the idea but it was too much of cheese goodness for one soul (yes, I know that sounds impossible)…maybe something to add more flavor or add contrast would’ve been great. Nonetheless it was perfectly made and quite tasty! The husband had a customized classic melt and we both shared a cup of the mandatory but very tasty tomato soup and some tater tots (I know I know…but how can I say no to fried potatoes?!). May I tell you that my husband loved his sandwich and probably dreamt about it that night! :P


Apart from their usual menu, they also carry daily specials so don’t forget to check that out when you hit the truck. You can literally build your own sandwich with unique additions like avocado, marshmallows, nutella and BBQ smoked pork. I loved the cheery yellow exterior of the truck that you cannot miss! :D The truck moves around different locations all over LA, so you can catch them at a convenient location by keeping track of them on their website.

Here are some pictures just for you….


Next up we have the Eat Fry Smith truck known for their famous kimchi fries… Do I already have you craving some? The concept behind the truck is your choice of fries with an array of innovative toppings like chicken stewed in a tomatillo sauce or pork belly with kimchi. The truck also offers vegetarian/ vegan options along with some interesting craft sodas like sarsaparilla and China Soda (I have to try this out next time!). I had the sweet potato fries with the vegetarian chili  while the hubster had the regular sweet po fries (sweet potato fries with the chicken in tomatillo sauce). I was barely able to make a dent in my fries, (so forget finishing them!) and maybe next time, I would get the regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries.


R loved his sweet po fires but also felt he would’ve liked regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries. He’s already decided that the next time round, he’s going straight for the Kimchi fries! Again, you can catch the truck at various locations all over LA by checking their website for their latest location. Let me add that these are definitely occasional indulgences… it took me three days to get through that single portion of fries!


My favorite part of the weekend was the bake sale at Scoops…. Oh sweet heaven! There were such gorgeous treats ranging from world peace cookies to Magnolia Banana Pudding to Fleur de Sel Caramels to home made jams and sauces. I picked up some Loquat Jam that was so charmingly packed and some other treats. Among them was one of the best strawberry cupcakes I’ve ever had in my life…. Even better than the nutella cupcake (I don’t know how that happened but it did!). It was a perfect balance of sweetness and strawberry goodness with the perfect crumb on the cake. The sale featured treats from Daisy Mae and Crust among others. I wish I’d tried out some of the macarons that were on offer… well hopefully there is a next time!

The To-Die-For Strawberry Cupcake


The Nutella Cupcake


The Cutest Little Sticky Bun!





26 comments:

  1. What a dream. I have only heard of the mythic Kogi but never been! Grilled cheese is always good.

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  2. Wow dear, looks like you are enjoying these trucks way too much... lol I would love to try the fries truck and this cute little sticky bun.

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  3. The food look delicious...and the strawberry cupcake looks especially good.

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  4. How can you resist these food trucks? Those fries look INCREDIBLE, but I have to say I'm intrigued by those kimchi fries. That's what I'd go for...

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  5. That strawberry and nutella cupcakes are so inviting :-) I'd love to try that :-)

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  6. I know there are a lot of food trucks! I love them, tho. Every time I hear about a food truck; I'm so excited to try. Must be something in a word "truck" to entice me :)

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  7. This sounds like the BEST weekend! I'm sad we don't live in the same city because I'd totally wanna partner for such a weekend. Think about how much more ground we could cover! :)

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  8. Wow the food truck is great! We have some trucks like this one but they serve just one type of food like meatballs, in a sandwich form. This one is amazing! You made me crave for everything here.

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  9. Everything looks delicious, and big portions.

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  10. would love to hv tht heavenly strawberry cupcake....i m drooling...love panini sandwiches(love to hv on a truck).let me knw if u knw any particular..my serach is on for the truck..just the name excites me...thanks for sharing so,u had a foodie foodie weekend....great..njoy darling

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  11. I love the explosion of the food trucks! So easy to find people doing crazy things that I have to try!

    Jason

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  12. Yummy pictures! The sticky bun makes me hungry again.. Yum!

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  13. I wish we had a Grilled Cheese Truck!! I just had the best grilled cheese in my life this weekend, it had a jalapeno spread with garlic and green onion, oh yum!

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  14. I keep hearing about such traveling food-fest, but have never experienced one. A little jealous!

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  15. OMG!!! Kimchi fries???! I want! And that strawberry cupcake - I think I'm in love LOL Wish we had food trucks over here *sigh*

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  16. The concept of the food truck gaining such popularity is incredibly exciting. A whole new generation of chefs are emerging and changing the food scene. Great post!

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  17. Nothing like that in this area (NC), but it sounds awesome.

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  18. Wow, in NJ there aren't food trucks like that and your right, it's hard to imaging too much gooey melty cheese. I'll have to take your word on that one. But oh! The nutella. I just love nutella. I've not seen a food truck around here that wasn't frightening - but I will not just pass them up on principles now - I'll look closer, and for sure if theres nutella involved

    Tracy

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  19. what a fun weekend :) we have a lot of food carts in portland too. I must do this. Great idea!

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  20. I'm coming to LA for the grilled cheese, Wow, yummy, I'd be following these trucks around the city all week, somebody would have to do an intervention on me!

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  21. I've always wanted to do that! The cupcakes look great.

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  22. Thank you all for coming by! We're always hitting the food trucks, so will post about more trucks. :)
    @ Azmina - I wish you lived in LA… would loved to have a partner in crime!
    @ Sana - Hey Sana! Will definitely let you know if I come across a truck with killer paninis! I'm sure there's one out there!

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  23. looks like you had a great time - everything looks delicious!

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  24. Wow what a weekend... Love the title of the post:) Did you go in your PJs?:)

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  25. We do a lot of chasing- restaurants, farmers markets, bakeries, and food trucks alike. It is well-spent time :)

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  26. Hi guys! Everything was super delicious! And no… I still haven't gotten to the stage of venturing out in my PJs… but I'm getting there soon!

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