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The LA Street Food Fest was a lot of fun! MUCH better organized than the last. We did VIP admission and didn't wait more than 5 min for anything during that time. After the masses arrived the lines were about 3 times longer but still looked reasonable (we were pretty much done eating by then).
Some of the standout items were the yakisoba dog at Dogzilla; the taco dorado de camaron at Mariscos Jalisco; the crab causa as Mo Chica; the fried quesadillas and porky sandwich at Antojitos Carmen; the gouda and black truffle oil frittata at Maggie's 'Tatas; the crispy tofu balls at Starry Kitchen; the peanutbutter banana and mint chocolate chip cupcakes at Cupcakes a Go Go; and the dark chocolate brownie cone at Whisk LA.
All in all, it was a fun and tasty event. I'm glad we went.
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Mariscos Jalisco
7922 Rosecrans Ave Ste G, Paramount, CA 90723Antojitos Carmen
2510 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033Starry Kitchen
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071›13 Replies-
re: Nicole
I had a good time at the Festival as well, though I did general admission and found that some of the lines got to be a bit long, especially when the stands would temporarily run out of food. All in all I thought the event was good though.
I liked:
Nana Queen's "sampler platter" of a wing, corn and banana pudding" Sedthee Thai's boneless rib on lemongrass salad, the hardshelled shrimp taco that Nicole mentioned, the black mole tacos at Antojitos mi Abuelito, the Peanut Butter and Bacon and Root Beer ice creams at Coolhaus, the sandwiches and tater tots (and friendly service) from Grilled Cheese Truck, and the green corn tamal at Border Grill.
I also liked that the stands were open and you could go up there to get away from the crowds.I didn't like:
There was still some crowding and confusion once the GA crowd got into the fest - I thought that having a map and lots more signage for each booth would have helped. Several times I was in a line not knowing who the booth was or what they were serving.
I would have liked it if they had utilized more of the area around the stadium rather than having all of the booths on the field - the lines could sometimes get disorganized and went into the picnic areas in the center
Not every food item was hot when most of them should be - some things it didn't matter much, but some of the samples were kind of gross when they were cold, like a tamale.
Several stands ran out - my wife got to try some of those cupcakes, but by the time I made it to the stand, they were completely out - apparently they just set out a bunch of different cupcakes and people were grabbing several of them.
There could have been more drinks available - I would have loved to have just some water you could get. Next time I would bring some of my own water. The beer lines were very long, so I didn't even bother getting a free singha that would have gotten warm quickly anyway.
Overall, though, a fun festival and I enjoyed going to it. I would go again.
Tim
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re: Nicole
aching
Jul 26, 2010 11:01 AM
We had a great time as well! We did the General Admission, and though both the initial entry line and the lines at the booths were quite long, they moved quickly (except Antijitos Carmen; more later).
Standouts included:
- Crispy tofu balls at Starry Kitchen
- Cheeseburger dumpling at Dumplings Deluxe
- Everything at Antijitos Carmen
- Peanut Butter and Bacon ice cream at CoolHaus
- Potato thing at Mo-ChicaI had other things as well, but those were the ones that really grabbed me. I was surprised at how quickly I filled up - I was worried at first that we wouldn't get enough to eat, but that definitely wasn't the case. And the Rose Bowl made a surprisingly good fairground. Plus the weather was perfect. And the crowd was very nice and very mixed - I think all of you who declined to attend because of the hipster contingent really missed out on a good Chow.
I completely agree with some of TimToyGeek's criticisms, all logistics-related. It was baffling that they didn't have maps available showing where all of the vendors were located and appropriately-sized signage at each of the booths (Dogzilla and Starry Kitchen did have good signage, and I don't think it was a coincidence that their lines were long all night). There should have been a clearly-defined picnic area that was cordoned off so that people waiting in line didn't have to step around people's picnic blankets. Also, the setup at Antijitos Carmen was crazy - it was SELF-SERVE, if you can believe it - so the line took forever. The food was delicious and plentiful, so I thought it was worth the wait, but it would have made a lot more sense to simply have single items already plated and ready to go like the other booths. Also, my poor SIL waited in line all that time, got her food, put habanero sauce on it, burned the cr*p out of her mouth, and had to throw her food away. If they're going to put that stuff out, a sign saying "Extremely Hot" would be appropriate. And finally - water! Please, water!
Despite these suggestions for improvement, it was a really fun event - I would definitely go again next year!
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Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007Starry Kitchen
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071-
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re: aching
thas so funny... my friend had the same xperience w/the habanero at antojitos. she had dumped an entire ladle of the sauce on her food and took one bite unknowingly... one bite and was suffering for an hour afterwards. i did tell her, however, that it was her mistake since they did have a sign on the bucket saying "HABANERO - WARNING: EXTREMELY HOT." so actually, they did do the appropriate thing by posting a sign.
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re: aching
I agree with Tim and aching's assessment of some of the logistical issues, particularly 1) the need for a map to booth locations and large signage, and 2) the need for water! I normally don't drink sugary beverages, but found myself drinking izze, iced tea, whatever I could get my hands on...water was nowhere to be found.
It does seem like that even with the logistical issues, the event was much better than its predecessor.
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re: Nicole
We are all in agreement! Good event but would have been great with more signage and a map! I also would suggest that they utilize more than one entrance gate for the GA crowd - that line was silly.....
Antojitos Carmen was definitely my favorite - they made me a vegetarian plate that was so hot and fresh - I am definitely heading to their place soon!!!!!-----
Antojitos Carmen
2510 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033
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re: aching
aching
Jul 26, 2010 01:10 PM
By the way, I just saw the awards on Twitter, and I didn't get to try any of the winners except Starry Kitchen (the banana suit WAS hilarious):
Best Nouveau - Sedthee Thai's Pork Sparerib
Runner Up - ManilaMachine's PB AdoboBest Old School - ChefDanhi's Explosive Thai Bites
Runner Up - Tamales Elena's Strawberry SurprisesThe Sweet Tooth - MunchieMachine's PB&J S'More Sandwich
Best Showmanship - Starry Kitchen's Nguyen, his banana and his crispy balls!
Best in Show - Mariscos Jalisco's fried shrimp tacos
I guess I really need to go back next year!
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Mariscos Jalisco
7922 Rosecrans Ave Ste G, Paramount, CA 90723Starry Kitchen
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071-
re: aching
It looks like I missed some of the winners, as well. But we thought that Marisco's Jaliscos shrimp tacos were the best thing we ate, so I'm glad to see that it got "best on show." Starry kitchen certainly did have great showmanship, in addition to great food. I liked Munchie Machine's smores but didn't think they were anything special...there were several other sweets I preferred. Really didn't care for Tamales Elena's strawberry tamales, that's a surprise.
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re: aching
Dommy
Jul 26, 2010 02:15 PM
I can't believe Mo-Chica actually did the causa... Dang...
Thanks so much to you and nicole for AWESOME recaps. I've read similar complaints (with a bit more PASSION on the complaint dept :P) but these events are REALLY about the food and the great people who make it. So glad they met your expections (and you had your 'moment', love THOSE! :))
I am now even sadder I wasn't able to make it, especially after hearing tales of the Pork Belly pineapple adobo at MM. Looks like we'll both have reason to go back for the next!
--Dommy!
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Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007-
re: Dommy
Dommy, thanks for your advice on which trucks to hit! It was spot on, on all counts. FYI, as you predicted, the grilled cheese truck had the longest line, but the food wasn't that great.
If you have any inclination to go to OC, they are holding a similar event there in August:
http://www.ocfoodiefest.com/food-trucks/
My concern is that the basic model seems closer to LA Street Food Fest 1.0 (epic disaster) than 2.0 (relative success) in that you pay a low admission fee and then buy from individual vendors, rather than paying one price for it all. As with the initial LA fest, Ludo Bites will be there, among many other vendors.
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re: Dommy
aching
Jul 26, 2010 03:25 PM
My thoughts about the logistics were, even though they could have been better:
A. They were SO much better than the last one - 1000% improvement!
B. They get an A for effort - it was obvious that a whole lot of heart went into the planning of this event, and everyone was just so darn nice.
C. As long as I get enough to eat, I'm happy!Hence, my lack of PASSIONATE complaining. =)
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I have tickets and hoping the event is nothing like what I heard about last year. Does anyone have recommendations for which trucks have the best food?
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re: issey
Dommy
Jul 21, 2010 07:22 PM
They are already sold out (They sold out of GA yesterday and I think might have a few Vip left) Anyway, here's a copy and paste from another post of mine... PERSONALLY, I recommend...
Antojitos Carmen - The Fried Quesdillas, especially with squashblossom or Huitlacoche
Antojitos La Abuelita - Clayuda, the best in L.A.!
Dogzilla Hot Dogs - Yakisoba Dog!
Mariscos El Tetos - Caracol!
Mo-Chica - Causa or Ceviche
Monsieur Egg - Crab Cakes
Starry Kitchen - Crispy Tofu Balls
CoolHaus - any of their ice cream sandwiches!
Natura Bar - Rompope Raspado!
Scoops Westside - Any of their flavorsEverything else is just up to your tastes. IME of these things, the grilled cheese truck was the most popular, but I find their offerings meh. On the other hand almost equally popular fry smith always hits it. Also, keep in mind that there are now several food truck lots that you can always hit these trucks so I would go for those TRULY offering something unique, otherwise, you just have to keep up with the schedules of the lots at the link below...
http://socalmfva.wordpress.com/truck-...
--Dommy!
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Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007Antojitos Carmen
2510 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033Starry Kitchen
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
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I'm going. Their first shot at this a few months ago was an organizing disaster of epic proportions, taking 2 hours to get food from most trucks. At the time, I said I'd never go to one of their events again, but it seems like they really took the complaints and suggestions to heart and organized an event that seems much more likely to be successful. Fingers crossed for a good time, good food, and short lines!
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45Bucks? Hmmmm.....I dunno. Each truck is just going to be "featuring" one or two items in sample sizes, is that correct? Hmmm....I dunno. Includes parking and soft drinks and everything though, right? Hmmm....I dunno.....105 degrees in the shade is kinda helping me decide , however.
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re: Dommy
TonyC
Jul 16, 2010 02:35 PM
$45 happens to be the price of Lucque's Sunday Supper: http://www.lucques.com/sunday_supper.... Granted there's tip and tax, but... my street meat al pastor tacos cost $3.5 last night, drink included, hipsters excluded.
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Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
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