street food

kogi bbq truck

I was lucky enough to score reservations at the exclusive Kogi BBQ event at Colorado Wine Company. They were doing a wine pairing dinner with the tacos that Chef Roy Choi has made so popular. I am very impressed with the sudden rise of Korean BBQ tacos, although it has probably been done many times before in household kitchens across the nation. Mark Manguera and his wife were very savvy to transform this simple 'street food' style taco into one of the biggest trends in cuisine today. Just recently, they were profiled in the NY Times about the rise of Korean chefs; David Chang, Sang Yoon, Roy Choi, and Corey Lee, just to name a few. They are probably the first food service vehicle to utilize Twitter and the benefits of viral marketing. Now, I tried these tacos way back in late 2008 and I was impressed. They were solid. A twist of Korean and Mexican, two of some of my favorite cuisines. Lucky for me, the lines back then were 15-20 minutes long, AT MOST, but from what I hear now, people are waiting up to 2 hours for these tacos.
Anyway, we got to Colorado Wine Company around 6:30pm although the event was scheduled to start at 6:00pm. The truck had not arrived but as soon as we had checked in, the truck pulled up in front of the store. From 6-8pm, the lucky 100 who had scored a reservation to the event had exclusive access to Kogi BBQ as well as hand picked wines designed to pair with what was offered: a short rib taco, spicy BBQ chicken taco, spicy pork taco, and for dessert, brie cheese with pickled onions and strawberries.
We were hungry so we scarfed down the tacos in about 10 minutes. I'm not a huge wine aficionado because for some reason I can't bear the taste of alcohol but I was curious to see what the pairings were all about. They offered four that evening and I stopped after pairing #1. I only had one sip of pairing #2 cause it tasted like vodka. If any of you are curious, here's what they chose to pair with the food:

Kalmuck Wachau Gruner Veltliner 2007, Austria - paired with Kogi spicy BBQ chicken

Lustau Solera Reserva Light Manzanilla Sherry, Jerez, Spain - paired with short rib tacos

Ramian Estate Linden Hills Vineyard Grenache 2006, Lodi, California - paired with spicy BBQ chicken tacos

Bear Bottom Creek Zinfandel 2005, Dry Creek Valley, California - paired with spicy pork or short rib tacos

Many people say that wine enhances the flavor of food. Personally, I believe the quality of the ingredients enhances the flavor of the food, nothing else. Needless to say, after pairing #1, I proceeded with my food tasting sans wine. Now, before I get into my thoughts on Kogi, I want to commend them for their street smarts and being able to reach out to so many people with Twitter and their blog. They have their PR side of the business down. But their food? Its nothing worth writing home about, especially now, with waits being over an hour long. Korean food and Mexican food are two of my favorite things to eat and ironically, when combined, they're just mediocre. During both times eating Kogi, I either craved some authentic Korean food or some authentic Mexican food. Either my palate is not used to this combination of flavors or its trying to tell me to pick one or the other. And personally, the Kogi taco just isn't as good as either/or. Dare I say, Kogi BBQ is rather dull compared to freshly grilled galbi with kimchi and hot rice or an al pastor taco with diced onions/cilantro and fresh pico de gallo. I would have any of those over a Kogi taco. Sorry Kogi.
But after the tasting, we were still hungry. Our next stop? Hot dogs. Now these aren't your ordinary hot dogs. These are Lets Be Frank dogs. 100% grass-fed beef and pork. 100% organic hot dogs. Sounds like an oxymoron huh? But this place has been on my to-try list since the cart opened up last year in Culver City. The proprietor, Sue Moore, is as genuine as can be and gave us that "mother" treatment. She gave us recommendations and offered guidance in our selections. We went with one beef dog and one spicy pork dog. They came out freshly cooked on a soft and chewy bun. For acoutrements, they offered organic sauerkraut, relish, mustard, and ketchup. I went with the classic sauerkraut and deli mustard combo and subsequently, fell in love.
These dogs are heavenly. When I bit in, the casing snapped and the juices from within poured into my mouth; almost like a Din Tai Fung juicy pork dumpling. Paired with the sauerkraut and the spicy mustard, it was amazing. The spicy sausage had just enough kick and the beef dog was simple yet classic. We washed it down with one of these: Boylan's Birch Beer.
We had previously requested Boylan's Cream Soda (one of the best cream sodas on the market) but she only had diet. But Sue offered us Birch Beer and according to her, it was a combination of root beer and cream soda. She was on point! It literally tasted like cream soda with that root beer kick. After the good eats, I thought the night was over but to be honest, my stomach was wanting more. For some reason, the Kogi tacos just didn't hit the spot. I was yearning for some genuine tacos and luckily, on the way home, I stopped by here.
Classic. Simple. Understated. Now THIS is what a taco should taste like. THIS is street food at its best. Located off of Fletcher and Larga near Glassell Park and Atwater Village, this taco stand, in my opinion, is the epitome of street food. Add in some dirty dogs and I can call it a night. They were serving asada, buche, al pastor, and carnitas but I had to go with my favorite, al pastor, and buche. The pastor was flavorful and juicy and the tortillas were warm. The buche was a little chewy as I should have asked them to cook it a little longer to give it some more crunch. Eaten right after they were made, the tacos were nice and hot and it warmed my body on that rather chilly night. With a little lime and salsa, it was a perfect way to end the night.
Its good to know where your buche is coming from.
I love the honesty and authenticity of street food and that night was a fine example of what Los Angeles has to offer. Try finding these foods in San Francisco or New York City. Its just not the same and incomparable to the diverse array of cuisine LA has to offer. Street food is the heart and soul of Los Angeles cuisine and the people working behind these stands, carts, and trucks, continue to make me believe that Los Angeles is home to the best food in the nation.