The ups and downs of day one

Yup....it's been a while since my last post. This blog would be much easier to constantly update if I wasn't working 50 hours/wk. But I've found some time tonight so we are going to play a little catch-up. In the spirit of my internships this summer, I am going to treat every food truck/restaurant as if I were pitching a script I read that week (something I do every Monday morning at our weekend read meetings) --therefore, I am going to either PASS, CONSIDER, or RECOMMEND. Like the movie biz, recommends on this food truck blog will be rare and I'm assuming there will be a lot of passes.

My first spot after starting the blog was a place called "No Reservations Catering". As I was walking along "Food Cart Row" deciding which one I wanted to try first, I looked for a couple of factors. Price was obviously important since I'm an unpaid intern and a little food cart blog isn't worth starving for the rest of my summer. Another factor was the amount of people waiting. If it was a long line, I assumed it was good. So when I saw the President of Mandate Picture's two assistants waiting in the 10 minute line at "No Res", I figured it must've been worth it.

I got the "Good Fellas" wrap. One of my all-time favorite movies. Unfortunately, Scorsese wasn't behind this meal. The description (see left) made it sound delicious but when I bit into the wrap that was already way too small, the ingredients weren't up to par. I expected the gorgonzola cheese and the creme fraiche sauce to stand out but the whole thing tasted really bland. The steak was real chewy. Anyone can write an appealing menu but without quality ingredients it doesn't matter.The best part of the meal was the Boylan's Cherry Red Birch Beer - something the cart had nothing to do with. "No Reservations Catering" is a definite PASS.

My first attempt was a failure. I began to think...was this really worth it? Buying overpriced food that wasn't even that good all summer? I knew I couldn't give up. Luckily, my good buddy Jake who interns at Universal Music grabbed lunch with me that day. He always tends to get something from the food trucks as well whenever we do lunch. He told me he went to a place near the corner called "Pita Pusher" and the guy hooked him up with free falafel after he ordered the spicy potatoes. I was still hungry and unsatisfied so I went to the "Pita Pusher" and the guy behind the counter was the man. He had no problem giving me the two falafels with some spicy salsa and tzaztziki sauce to go with my potatoes. The potatoes themselves were great with the seasoning and touches of cilantro but what stood out was the falafel - best I've had outside of Israel. For those from UW, Med Cafe is just about tied but what made these work was that they were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.With the right amount of cool flavor from the sauce, Pita Pusher's falafel was a pleasant surprise. CONSIDER.

As we were walking away from our table outside of Lionsgate in Santa Monica, Jake and I saw none other than Patton Oswalt sitting down having lunch - the voice of Remy the rat from Ratatoullie - yes that Pixar movie about food. This was definitely a sign and my hopes were renewed.

Day one was in the books. It worked out like any good movie should - the setup in act one by figuring out I wanted to start this blog, conflict in act two by trying a terrible first meal, and a climax in act three by finding a decent cart and seeing Patton. Not too bad of a start and there was definitely more to come.

Starting the new summer by reminiscing on the last one

Before I begin chronicling the summer of 2011, it should be noted that I went to dozens of restaurants last summer before I started this blog. Many stand out including Cafe 101 (where they shot Swingers with Vince Vaughn), the Apple Pan, Houston's, BOA Steakhouse and Mel's Drive In on Sunset, Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, Cole's French Dip downtown, Il Fornaio and Nate N Al in Beverly Hills, Zankou Chicken, California Chicken Cafe, Diddy Reese in Westwood. These are some of my favorites but when looking through my albums from last summer I found four places that must have been especially good because I took pictures of the food.

UMAMI BURGER
My first restaurant experience in the heart of Hollywood. Simply put, unbelievably good - no wonder it just won GQ's burger of the year. "Umami" is described as the fifth sense you experience while eating, after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is just a perfect meal. The burger itself consists of house ground beef, oven-roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, parmesan frico, sauteed shitake-mushrooms and house made ketchup - you need to try it for yourself to experience the "umami" flavoring. Any place that serves Coke in a glass bottle is a winner in my book. And finally, they have a variety of sauces you can use with your fries. Definitely one of the more up-and-coming spots in LA.

"THE GODMOTHER" FROM BAY CITIES ITALIAN DELI
Another perfect creation. Bay Cities is an awesome place in Santa Monica where you can buy all kinds of authentic Italian food. The crowd there is very diverse - families, hipsters, surfers, old and young. They're most famous for this sandwich - The Godmother - genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto, provolone, mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, Italian dressing & mild pepper salad. This might sound like something you can get at Jimmy John's but the way they perfectly distribute the ingredients and make sure it is always fresh and hot makes this the ideal sandwich that can't be found anywhere else.


PASTRAMI ON RYE FROM LANGER'S DELI
Best pastrami I've ever had and as a Jew I've had plenty of experience. Langer's is somewhat of an anomaly - located west of downtown in a heavily Latino neighborhood, this Jewish establishment has stood the test of time for over 50 years. Trust me, it will stand out when you drive by. It's a little pricey, but the perfectly cooked pastrami and the twice-baked rye bread justifies every penny.




FISH TACOS ON VENICE BEACH
So I don't remember the name of the place that made these but it really doesn't matter. You can't go wrong on Venice Beach no matter what you order - it is one of my favorite places in the city. There is nothing like sitting on a bench while eating your food and people-watching on a 70 degree day, the boardwalk and the beach on either side of you.







Last summer I had some of the best food I've eaten in my life but there is plenty more to come. Although this is a food truck blog, when I have something that really stands out, I'm going to post it no matter where it's from. Can't wait to see what I come across over the next couple of months.

And the food truck CHASE begins...

The city of Los Angeles is known for many things. Some of the foremost being terrible traffic, unreal weather, and of course the showbiz industry. People come here from all over the world and get caught up in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and all of its touristy attractions.

Having traveled out West for my second summer in a row to follow my dreams of working in the film business, I can definitely confirm that all of these things do exist here (the traffic really isn't that bad though). But what sometimes gets lost amongst all of the distractions is the insanely good food selection in the City of Angels. There is more to L.A. than an IN n OUT double-double animal style, fries light well, and a Neapolitan shake, although just writing that makes me want to go get that order right now. Everything out here is trendy and that means you can be in one second and M.I.A. the next day. This requires every chef in SoCal to be on the cutting edge. And there is no more competitive spectrum in L.A. than the food truck industry - high ingredient costs and increasing gas prices ensure that every food truck must deliver its best product to its customers or it will be quickly forgotten.

This mentality was where the idea for this blog came along.Whether I am in Madison, Chicago, or Hollywood I am always on the lookout for the next great spot. And what better way to enjoy my summer than to motivate myself to order something delicious from every food truck in LA. So come follow me each week, as I take you along my culinary journey in the city of Los Angeles. Maybe the food will look so good in my pictures that you will be motivated to come visit me and see for yourself.