Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

GQ Puts Three L.A. Food Trucks on 'Best Places to Eat' List

Photo by polaroid-girl via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

People outside of Los Angeles seem to be continually discovering the amazing hidden gems inside Los Angeles, and then reporting them as if they're the first to notice.

Not that you can really call food trucks hidden gems anymore, given that our very own Jonathan Gold wrote a defining piece in The Smithsonian on the rise of food trucks in L.A. and in the rest of the country back in March. But GQ is just now picking up on the trend, and in their July issue, writer Brett Martin lists not one, not two, but three of our beloved local trucks as "The Best Food in America's Most Unexpected Places" -- Steel City Sandwich, the Flatiron Truck and, of course, the Grilled Cheese Truck.

Timeliness (or lack thereof) aside, though, Martin captures with great accuracy the feeling of wandering around a lot full of trucks serving up steaming hot meals:

...I roll up to The Truck Stop. Except, for all its American Graffiti trappings, this is no temple to car culture. The pumps are covered. A handwritten sign reads no gas.The shiny, souped-up vehicles everybody's lining up to see aren't here for a drag race. And those beautiful kids may have youthful hunger in their eyes, but not, it would seem, for young love. A couple, he in black-on-black Yankees cap, she in Snooki sweats and flip-flops, wander arm in arm between the idling trucks. "Ohmigod," she squeals as they approach one. "Those homemade pierogies are uh-mazing." They kiss.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right