Month: September 2010

Irvine/ Costa Mesa: Louks to go, Flying Pig

Leave a comment

My normal lunch buddies were out of the office today, so I had to fend for myself.  I needed a hearty lunch since I was going to the Anaheim Ducks “Fan Fest”, a season ticket holder event tonight.  The only meal I would get for dinner would be a crappy hot dog and a pepsi. 

I noticed that Louks to Go was closeby on Redhill.  I also noticed  Piaggio on Wheels, Calbi, and Dos Chinos were at the OC Fairgrounds.  Originally I thought the OC Fairground was too far to drive.  Well, technically it is…

I called Sheila, another coworker to do a “quick” trip to Louks. Lucky for us, the traffic gods kept the roads clear.  We arrived in 10 minutes, and there was no line at Louks! 

Louks to Go: Greek food truck

Chicken skewer & Grape leaves
over fries & pita topped with tzatziki and oregano

Chicken and Beef Skewer over fries, served with side of tzatziki and lemon

We received our order in a few minutes, and heading down Bristol, I noticed a sign that said “Fair Grounds”.  Wow, the OC Fairgrounds were that close? We made a quick left, then a right, and ended up at the Costa Mesa Farmer’s Market!

Resident trucks Piaggio on Wheels and Calbi were there. Dos Chinos and Morsels couldn’t make it but there were a few new guest trucks: Dogzilla (which I had last night), Flying Pig, ChunknChip and KonaIce.  I decided to try Flying Pig since its a rare OC appearance…




Flying Pig Truck: Asian & Pacific Rim flavors w/ french technique
Sliders: beef & pork blend with red onion escabeche,
pickled sesame cucumber, banana mustard on a toasted sweet hawaiian bun
Tamarind Duck taco: Duck confit with pickled red beets, toasted almonds,
 radish sprouts,  mandarin orange, and tamarind gravy
Advertisement

Irvine: (OC DinDinaGoGo) Lomo Arigato, Dogzilla, Tropical Shave Ice

Leave a comment
Today was a very busy evening. After work, I went to the Orange County Register (newspaper) for an intimate “meet and greet” with (my favorite) Anaheim Ducks player, Bobby Ryan. I attached a brief video of the event.. I hope you can hear it!
http://www.facebook.com/v/435873243284
The event started promptly at 6 pm, and lucky for me, it only lasted a half hour.   After the event, I took 4 of my hockey friends to join me, Martin and Karen to the OC Din Din a Go Go, at the new home at Atomic Ballroom. It was their first time at a truck gathering so I suggested Lomo Arigato.
Tallarin Saltado by Lomo Arigato
Peruvian style spaghetti
Lomo Saltado by Lomo Arigato
Meats, onions, tomatoes, seasoning tossed in french fries
 Dogzilla “not your typical wiener” Japanese truck
The Dogzilla
Beef hotdog w/ avocado, bacon bits, grilled onions,
furikake, mayo and teri sauce in a soft kings hawaiian bun
Dessert with a smile by Tropical Shave Ice



Irvine: Barcelona on the Go, Oh For Sweets Sake, Tropical Shave Ice

Leave a comment
I try not to be a creature of habit because (as the cliche goes) variety is the spice of life.  Still, there’s something about consistency which makes things feel all nice, warm and fuzzy.  On Wednesdays, I look forward in making a drive to Irvine for two reasons: 1) I get to eat a fantastic lunch as some of OC’s best gourmet trucks, and 2) I get to see my sister for all but 10-15 minutes. 
Today, I decided to leave work a wee early and dine al fresco with my sister.  Dining al fresco means hauling some folding chairs and a tv tray table out of my truck, and plopping it in front of a tree.
My lunch today was from Barcelona onthego, who was celebrating “Restaurant Week”.  He was promoting a 3 course meal for $15. Sure it sounds a bit pricey, but look at the food!  I ended up taking my dessert back to work because I had to have my treat from Oh For Sweets Sake!
My sister admiring her POG from Tropical Shave Ice
Barcelona on the go’s Restaurant Week menu
Course 1: Bacon wrapped dates
Course 2: Steak (ordered rare) with chimichuri sauce over fries



Course 3: Dessert!  Churros covered with chocolate
Afternoon treat: 7-up bundt cake from Oh For Sweets Sake

Fullerton: Tropical Shave Ice

Leave a comment

After dining al fresco in Santa Ana, we made our way to Fullerton to end our evening with Tropical Shave Ice.  When we arrived, the line was very long… but worth the time!

Regular shave ice: $3.00,
Wait time: 15 minutes. 
Enjoying a shave ice on a humid day: priceless

Watermelon, Vanilla shave ice
topped with sweet red bean and condensed milk

Santa Ana: Piaggio on Wheels, Dos Chinos

Leave a comment

In the last 48 hours, there’s been a big confusion (not to mention worry) about the future of OC Din-Din a Go Go.  This made me want to savor a gourmet truck in case there was no chance of finding something tomorrow.  After work, we made our way to Santa Ana to have dinner with Piaggio on Wheels and Dos Chinos.

Pork Bellies with a mango chile sauce over rice
Steak pichanta with zucchini over rice
Tofu and zucchini over rice

OC DinDinAGoGo: K1 location= Cancelled!

Leave a comment

Wow, the world of gourmet trucks have grown so fast, that we actually outgrew ourselves!  I found this tweet from Tropical Shave Ice that the OC DinDin a Go-Go got canceled.  We (the foodies) are not sure if it is due to the crowds or K1 got complaints from the property management, or we were not giving K1 customers a place to park.

Right now Tropical Shave Ice and Lomo Arigato are looking for a new place to call Wednesdays “home”, and that will involved a place that can accommodate lunch trucks, lots of foodies, and parking!  Good luck!

Screenshot from @TropShaveIce

Irvine: Morsels Bakery Truck

Leave a comment

After we ate our food from the Abbot-Kinney Street fest, we noticed the Morsel’s Bakery Truck was at the “Guns and Hoses” fundraiser at the Irvine Auto Square.  We hopped on the 405 freeway and made our way south.

The event was breaking up, so we took our Strawberry & Banana cream puff to go.  We found a Starbucks in Lake Forest and enjoyed our dessert with a glass of iced tea.

Slightly melted from the heatwave…
Strawberry & Banana cream puff

Venice: (Abbott Kinney Street Fest) Ludo Truck, Grilled Cheese Truck, DosaTruck, VizziTruck

Leave a comment

Normally on Sundays, there are not many trucks roaming around LA or Orange County. Today, there was a plethora of trucks…. Tropical Shave Ice tweeted that there was a bunch of trucks at the LA Flea Market at Dodgers Stadium.  Nom Nom tweeted they were going to be at the Abbot-Kinney Street fest in Venice.  The Lime Truck was serving up lunch at the Bruery in Fullerton.  As I mentioned, finding food truck is feast or famine… today it was a feast!

I talked Martin and Karen into going to Venice.  There were a bunch of trucks I wanted to try, and I’ve been to Lime Truck many times.  I wanted to do the LA Flea Market but there were more truck in Venice which lured me.

We arrived in Venice roughly at 11:30 to find Abbot-Kinney blocked off.  I tried circling the block and was even tempted to pay $20 for parking.  Finally I asked Martin to let me and Karen out to get food, and then he could pick us up when we were done.

Ludo Truck: fried chicken
Provencal Pepitte
Boneless chicken balls, infused with rosemary and herbs

The Grilled Cheese Truck
Cheesy Mac
Macaroni and cheese with sharp cheddar
Dosa Truck (southern indian cuisine)
Not actual photo: For some reason my picture did not turn out.
I ordered: The Slumdog  which is Indian “Pesto” rubbed inside the DOSA
with Paneer, Fresh Spinach and Masala Dosa Potatoes
A “Dosa”is a south indian type of crepe. 
Vizzi Truck
Statham Spaghetti by Vizzitruck
Garlic cream & blackforest ham reduction

Arcadia: (at REI) Komodo

Leave a comment

It has been a few days since I’ve been to a gourmet food truck. A few days seems like a week!

While having breakfast with Martin, he noticed Komodo was in Arcadia at the REI parking lot.

I saw a tweet from Happy Ramen Cup, saying he was going to be in Torrance, but it was just too hot for ramen.  Then, Oh For Sweets Sake was going to be in Laguna for a Boys n Girls fundraiser, but she was also going to be in Fullerton later tonight. 

I actually wanted to go to Marina Del Rey for the “Heal The Bay” foodiefest, but the heat and crowd was a big turn off.  It was slim pickings for lunch, but we picked…

Komodo foods, the official LA Entourage
Asian marinaded chicken taco
Grilled Orange Marinated Chicken with Stir-Fried Rice
Fish n Grapes taco
Deep-fried Alaskan Cod tossed with Fresh Grape Salad