Global Street Food / KCRW & Cochon 555 - May 1st

As luck would have it, two of the funnest events ever are coming to Los Angeles on the same day.  May 1st is the day when KCRW is hosting Global Street Food and when Cochon 555 makes their stop in Los Angeles for their magic with the pig.  Competitions, food sampling, caviar and champagne for VIP people, and so on.
Helen, Joanna, and I have tickets in hand and ready to roll.  May 1st will be a day to remember.

Travel to India in Studio City - Gangadin Indian Cuisine

Well, well, well - Indian Food......

My friend Joanna has been craving Indian food for weeks and we finally decided to go.  This place is located where the Sunday market is by Chase on Ventura Place.
I am so happy to find this wonderful little place.  Unfortunately I am a sucker for Indian lunch buffet places and I have never invested in researching the "real" Indian food in Los Angeles or Northern California.  Found this place on line and we thought to give it a try.
We ordered:
Lamb Samosas - $6
Aloo Chaat Papri - $6
Raita - $3
Naan - $2.5
Gobhi Parantha - 3.5
Lamb Curry - 13 or 15 bucks
&
Chicken Curry 13 or 15 bucks.

I am pulling all this info off their site.  Parts of their site are down, so I can't pull the exact names of the curries and their prices.

The food was exceptional!  I met the owner Manmeet and his son.  Very friendly and warm.  They even have an app for your smart phone.

The deserts were amazing.  We tried Saffron Ice Cream and pastry balls in Rose Water.  Wow!  Very unusual and light.

I think their prices are wonderful except for the curries. Both, had 4-5 pieces of chicken/lamb in them and for 13 bucks I found it to be a bit high.  Nevertheless, the curries themselves were absolutely out of this world.  I highly recommend them both.

We tried two beers: Taj Mahal and King Fisher.  Julio loved Taj Mahal and Joanna and I liked King Fisher.  This place is a hidden gem.  I really recommend it.

The setting is intimate and dark.  Great for a date or an outing for unusual food.  The prices are reasonable and the variety is wonderful.

They have an extensive Vegan Menu for you veggie and fruit lovers and there was a lot of street parking.  Free after 8p.m.

The owners wife has a stand with some of their food at the Sundays Farmer's Market.  Check them out as soon as you can.

They are located on 12067 Ventura Place, Studio City, CA 91607

Truck Food Whoring in Valley Village Part Duex - Calbi Tacos/Burritos

As I mention in my previous post, I found myself in the parking lot of Val Surf in Valley Village.  As the 2nd Food Truck Pulled in I instantly got in line to try this one out as well as Buttermilk.  I asked a very polite young lady about the most popular items and she recommended the Pork and Beef Tacos.  I ordered one of each.  Five bucks for both - not bad I guess.  To my surprise this truck takes credit cards.  Big plus!  The tacos were small but full.  I started with beef.  I don't usually order beef because I like my red meat pretty rare and tacos are normally served with the stake really well done.  This beef was amazing.   Very juicy and tender.  If I ever order Mexican tortas or tacos I always ask for them to hold the lettuce.  I really loved the slaw-like lettuce mixture in these tacos.  I think this is what made them very original and fusion-like.  The lettuce was marinated and mixed with cucumbers and radishes I think.  It was an oil and vinegar of sorts marinade and it added a lot of density and flavor to the taco itself and the meat.  I really loved the beef taco.  I usually love pork, but unfortunately the vinaigrette in the slaw was too overpowering for the pork and I couldn't really taste it.  When I moved all the stuff off the meat and tasted the pork without anything at all I was able to identify the delicious flavors of the pig and I enjoyed it very much.  The tacos had few sesame seeds and sesame oil or seeds are probably a part of the mixture that goes into the slaw making.  I encourage everyone to try the beef and few people told me that the shrimp tacos are great as well.
Calbi Tacos/Burritos are out of Cypress, CA.  The name on their business card is Rolando Medina and they can be reached at 562/391-2430 or 909/721-7474.

I normally wouldn't talk about the service unless I am paying top dollar for my food.  Food trucks are usually about the food and convenience.  Since I was able to sample the foods and flavors of two trucks back to back, I give big applause to the service, cleanliness and presentation of the Calbi Truck.  Buttermilk was wonderful, but the lady taking my order was not friendly at all.  The Calbi order-taker was polite, engaging, and involved.  She wanted to share information about their food with me and wanted to have a genuine connection with me.  I am happy to advertise for the food-truck community and noticed that Buttermilk had a t-shrit for sale.  When I asked about the price they told me it was twenty bucks.  First of all - that's crazy.  Second, the shirt had many stains on it and the chef leaned over when I told the order-taker that I'll pass and told me that they are just water stains and I should take it anyway.  I found that to be a bit unfriendly and unprofessional.  If I am going to drop a 20 on a shirt - it better be pretty.  Stains?  Nah.

I recommend both of these trucks to you.  Red Velvet pancakes @ Buttermilk Inc. and definitely the beef tacos at Calbi.

Happy Truckin' everyone!

Calbi Korean BBQ Truck - Los Angeles Food Trucks - mobilecravings.com

Truck-Food Whoring in Valley Village - Buttermilk Inc.

I went for a run in my beautiful neighborhood of Valley Village.  As I made a turn onto Whitsett, I noticed a Food Truck in the parking lot of Val Surf.  Even before investigating on what's going on, I ran home and changed.  I grabbed my money, my notepad, a pen, and ran again toward Val Surf.  Parked, was Buttermilk Inc. food truck.  I waited in line for about 15 minutes.  While in line I noticed a sign stating that you may only order one order of pancakes and when you are done, you are more than welcome to stand in line again to order more.  I can actually appreciate this because this ensures quality and speed of service.  They can only cook so much at once in such little space.  Upon my turn at the order window I asked the young lady for the most popular item on their menu.  She said: "Red Velvet Pancakes."  The whole Red Velvet craze never got a hold of me.  Every cupcake shop had them for sale.  Starbucks Coffee sold them for Valentine's.  Supermarkets, bakeries, and everyone in between sold those at one point or another.  Another fact about pancakes is that I didn't grow up eating them.  I order pancakes very seldom and generally not a huge fan.  After about a 10 or so minutes I got my order.  It was 4 silver-dollar size pancakes with a dollop of something that tasted like a mixture of whipped cream and whipped cream cheese.  Totally up my alley by the way.  The marriage of sweet and savory is always a good combination. These Red Velvet pancakes had melted chocolate chips inside of them.  They were perfectly warm and moist.  The chocolate was oozing out of them and the cream that came on top was a magical condiment for them.  I have never had anything "red-velvet" that tasted so good.  Each bite melted in my mouth and for once in my life, I could have had MORE pancakes.  Their daily special also included a "Buttermilk Brick."  A combination of hash browns, 2 Eggs over easy, Buttermilk biscuit, and housemade chorizo gravy.  Many people in line were ordering this item and all seemed to be licking their fingers with delight afterwards.  Buttermilk Inc is based out of Los Angeles and their phone number is 323/235-66590.  Just as I was about to take my last bite, my jaw dropped in amazement and I almost chocked on my pancake.  Another food truck pulled into the parking lot.  How lucky can can a Truck Whore get I ask you my friends?????
Obviously I wasn't going to leave, so I am off to sample their food next.   Read more about Calbi Fusion Tacos and Burritos in the next post.

Ep 4 Food Trucking - Buttermilk Truck

Sweet Butter