Newest SoCal food truck: MonsieuMadame (@MMFrenchFood)

Southern California has a new food truck called Monsieur Madame (Twitter: @MMFrenchFood), and its FRENCH.  Unlike food truck Crepes Bonaparte, which specializes in crepes, Monsieur Madame is focusing on the next best thing about French food: Bread and Cheese, or better yet, a Le Croque Monsieur.

This where you can find us 

Tuesday July 21st 11-2p Residence Inn Irvine Spectrum 10 Morgan, Irvine, CA 92618


Wednesday July 22nd 11-2p Buy.com 95 Enterprise Aliso Viejo, CA 92656


Wednesday July 22nd 5-8p Alize Appartments 2 Enterprise Aliso Viejo, CA 92656


Thursday July 23rd 11-2p 151 Kalmus Costa Mesa, CA 92626


Friday July 24th 11-2p 23046 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

From the web site:

Monsieur Madame is promoting French Art de vivre, Culture and Traditions
Our food is deeply rooted into French Gastronomy into family traditions and a certain idea of an artisan food.

While high end French Gastronomy for plutocrats is very well represented abroad, we believe the artisan; the street food and le petit commerce are not. France and French Gastronomy is also defined by its artisans, its Charcuteries, its Fromageries, its markets and last but not least, its Boulangeries Patisseries.

It was only logic we chose a Bistro Classic, the Croque Monsieur to become the ambassador of street French Gastro, a different angle to the French art de vivre. Le Croque Monsieur can be cooked in so many ways, from the kid’s classic straight from the sandwich maker to a chef recipe or your grandma French toast Croque.

Monsieur Madame is also the life adventure of a nomad family. Monsieur and Madame have been traveling west since 2006 and arrived in Southern California in 2011.

Nissa (Madame) & Jeremie (Monsieu) Banet
Madame’s family arrived in France from Algeria.

While couscous remained the family’s signature dish, they were quick to adopt the French passion for cheese. Brie is Madame’s favorite. Madame interrupted her finance career in 2009 and has spent most her time cooking since. Her homemade no knead bread is fantastic. In 2014, Madame decided to share her mixed flavors and passion for food with Californians. Monsieur Madame was born, and she would be the chef.

Monsieur’s family has its roots in Alsace and Poland. His grandmother used to make the best strudel in Paris and would bait her grandkids with chocolate to teach them how to put a foot in front of the other. His other grandmother Odette Kahn was writing cookbooks before it was fashionable and launched the famous French specialized magazine “Cuisine et vins de France”. In 2014, monsieur decided to put an end to his career as an investor, to step off the treadmill. It was time to follow his heart and joined Madame.

Follow them on twitter and facebook to find out where they’ll be in LA or Orange County

Wednesday: Food trucks in Covina

Dos Chino’s Hop Phan on Food Fighters

Orange County chef Hop Phan, left, appears on NBC’s “Food Fighters,” in Episode 208, Adam Richman, right observes his cooking techniques. GREG GAYNE , GREG GAYNE, NBC

Santa Ana chef faces 14-year-old on “Food Fighters”

For one Orange County chef, the biggest take home from appearing on national television isn’t exposure or winning, but learning not to take himself too seriously.

“The shows really helped me to come out of my shell,” said Hop Phan, the Santa Ana chef behind the Latin-Vietnamese fusion cuisine of Dos Chinos taco truck and food stall in 4th Street Market.
“Before a certain point we were a little timid…but after [“Chopped”] I just didn’t care any more. I was going to do what I wanted to do.”

Phan will return to foodie TV again July 16 for NBC’s “Food Fighters,” after having appeared on the “Eat St.” “Cutthroat Kitchen” and “Chopped.” He is the second Orange County chef following Daniel Shemtob of the Lime Truck, to appear on the show this season.

“Food Fighters” pits home chefs against professionals in dish-by-dish contests.

“It’s a little different format, it’s very immediate,” said Phan of the contrast between “Food Fighters” and the other shows.

For the filming of “Food Fighters” episode 208, Phan faced off against 14-year-old Troy Glass, a former competitor from FOX’s “MasterChef Junior.”

“It’s really exciting for me to see how the younger generation is way better than us,” said Phan. “I can’t believe some kids start cooking at three or four, you know, it blows my mind. I didn’t start cooking until I was 19.”

Phan said that his decision to relax and have fun on TV came when a judge on another show gave him positive feedback on his dulce de leche walnut shrimp tacos. Up until that point, Phan had only offered the item as a special at his truck.

“I knew it was a good dish but I didn’t know how good it was until a famous chef tried it and said it blew his mind,” he said.

The shrimp tacos have since won top honors at competitions such as the Sabroso Festival in Santa Ana and the OC Weekly Taco Throwdown.

That boosted confidence also led Phan to put “stoner” fries on the menu of his food truck and stall.
Dos Chinos used to only offer the carne asada, roast pork belly, chorizo fried rice and fried egg covered “Stoner Papas” as a hidden menu item because of worries that some diners would assume Dos Chinos was run by “lazy stoners.”

“It turned out to be a good move because our stoner fries are one of our best selling things now,” said Phan.

Contact the writer: bmcmillan@ocregister.com

Atomic Eats update

July 16: lunch at El Monte

Renegade Fair on DTLA

July 16: San Bernardino

Mondays at the Segerstrom

Free outdoor film screenings under the stars!


FREE Movie Mondays will return on July 13th when we present the film, Little Shop of Horrors for audiences to enjoy and spend a lovely evening out on our Arts Plaza. Along with the film screening, we welcome back food trucks and also provide fun hands-on activities for families to participate in beforehand. 

Little Shop of Horrors — July 13
Pitch Perfect — July 20
The Sandlot — July 27
My Best Friend’s Wedding — August 3
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial — August 10

Guests are encouraged to bring beach chairs or other easily portable seating items. Set-up begins at 5:30 p.m. with the movie starting at dusk (approximately 8 p.m). Guests may bring their own snacks and picnic suppers. Food trucks will be available with a variety of dinner opportunities. Barbecues and similar food preparation will not be permitted.


600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

July 17 – 18: Monterey Park, MPK Night Market


MPK Night Market is Back Next Weekend

MPK Night Market is returning to Barnes Park (350 S McPherrin Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754) for two days of fun, filled with great people, delicious food, and good vibes. Come join us on Friday, July 17 (5:30pm – 10:30pm) and Saturday, July 18 (2:30pm – 10:30pm). This year, MPK Night Market has expanded to a two-evening free-admission event featuring food, art, live entertainment, a beer & wine garden, and carnival games & rides.

Back by popular demand, Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race Winner Seoul Sausage will be serving their famous Korean-fusion hot dogs. Other trendy street food includes Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), Takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls), potato swirls, dragon whisker candy, ice cream cookie sandwich, and many more! In addition to unique ethnic food, there will be merchants selling clothing, handmade jewelries, toys and other knick-knacks to fulfill everyone’s shopping need. Community organizations will host fun activities like arts & crafts and raffles to give away some awesome freebies.

Filled with music from talented singers, bands, and DJs, Barnes Park will come alive as artists showcase their unique creations. Friends and families can enjoy this year’s event, while supporting local small businesses. Organizers emphasized that expanded parking will be available for the event, but recommended the use of public transportation, carpools, and bicycles.

Special thanks to our sponsors & community partners- 8sian Media, WaCowLA, Myx TV, Yelp, Athens Services, Boba Life, Kollaboration, Jetset, La JaJa Kids, Visual Communications, Taiwanese American Professionals, Chinese American Museum, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Chinatown Service Center, OCA-GLA, and PBS SoCal.

MPK Night Market is co-produced by the Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce and KCM Agency.

For more information on MPK Night Market, please visit the official website at www.MPKNightMarket.com or contact us at info@mpknightmarket.com.

Tustin: July line up on Tues/ Thurs