Results tagged “foodtrucks”

"It was the longest I have ever waited for food in my life. And I'd do it again in a flash." That's LA Weekly's Pulitizer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold on last week's first annual L.A. Street Food Fest. It's about your personality, he says. "In my experience, you are either a festival guy or you are not..." more ›

Pulitizer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold wasn't kidding last week when he said "Los Angeles is the best place in the world to eat at the moment." The L.A. Street Food Fest last Saturday, where Gold himself was seen standing in the lines, truly showed that sentiment, quickly finding its place as one of the city's top festivals. Yes, there were complaints--an estimated 10,000 or more were turned away and the lucky 10,000 who actually got in found extremely long lines--but that only means room for improvement and growth. (To see photos of the food, click here) more ›

The Santa Monica Food Truck lot is history for now, but thanks to a downtown property owner, a food truck association is testing out the neighborhood for three days this week. Beginning today to 4 p.m., five trucks are serving food in the Arts District at Alameda and Traction. more ›

On Thursday, a new food truck lot will open in downtown's Arts District, the first attempt at a lot since one was shut down last month in Santa Monica. Like Santa Monica, there's no telling how successful or not it will be. "I don't know if this is going to be a prime location. It's all just sort of wild-eyed guessing at this point," said Matt Geller of SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Association to Eric Richardson at blogdowntown. Geller also says his group is working with the Downtown Art Walk to address food truck issues that have arisen between them and businesses and the LAPD. By March, food trucks might be found in private truck spaces on the outskirts of the event. more ›

What happens when you take one of the most creative chefs in town, put him in a food truck and add him to the line-up of the most buzz-worthy and anticipated food festival in town? You get some deep fried magic. more ›

Speaking of the recent Kogi BBQ growth and drama of losing the person who developed its Twitter strategy, let's step back to last week's Wall Street Journal article on the king of mobile food trucks. Specifically, buried at the bottom, is this amazing fact: "Mr. Choi says that in its first year of operation, Kogi grossed about $2 million from check averages of roughly $13 a person. Mr. Choi earns a $90,000 salary; a manager on each truck earns about $38,000. Profit margins are around 20%, which has enabled Mr. Choi and the Mangueras to put money aside for a restaurant." Wow. An estimated 65 food trucks are now on the road (you can see many of them on our master list) and we're curious which ones can achieve similar results in the future. more ›

Looks like Kogi BBQ is losing some of its roots as it expands from the streets to a permanent address. Mike Prasad, the brand/social media guy for Kogi (and credited for bringing the Twitter idea to the table), has severed ties with the mobile food truck king. more ›

The Santa Monica Daily Press spoke to city hall officials about the closure of the new popular food truck lot on Santa Monica and 14th. Here's what Kate Vernez, assistant to the city manager, said: "Basically, this was a non-permited use of the food truck [vendors] on that lot,"she said, adding that organizers never approached city hall about the lot and land use rules were being circumvented. "What we're doing now is we're researching the code to see if there's any type of permit" that can be used to let the lot continue operation. more ›

A little after 7 p.m., some eight hours after cooking non stop, Sumant Pardal of the India Jones Chow Truck was completely out of food. He was wiped out, his eyes were glazed and he was ready for a well deserved break. "Good day?" we asked. His eyes widened. "Yes!" he exclaimed as enthusiastically as possible as he finally sat down for the day. more ›

Kogi BBQ owners have been talking about this, even before the food truck craze grew to an unwieldy size: have a real restaurant. You know, like a real restaurant where a competing food truck, in theory, could park outside and take business away from it (tee hee). Via Eater LA and Food & Wine, we learn of the designer street food king's next move is to open up a rice bowl-focused mom-and-pop-like counter service-style digs on the Westside on Overland. Opening date? They hope February 24th--that's chef Roy Choi's Birthday. more ›

Lunchtime crowds grew to about 500 people at today's debut of the Santa Monica Gourmet Food Truck Corner. Although some were disappointed with the four options--India Jones Chow Truck, Border Grill, Barbie's Q and Fishlips--organizers said this is only the beginning, as today was a soft opening. Here are some quick tid bits about the property: more ›

Eater LA this week asked a panel of local food industry types a series of questions, one of them being "What are the headline predictions for 2010?" Three of them referred to the all-of-the-sudden-popular fancy food trucks as a dying breed. "Truck Plunge!" exclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner and LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold. Lesley Bargar Suter of Los Angeles Magazine predicted "Flat Tire for Food Trucks." And Jeff Miller of Thrillist said "Deathwatch: Food Trucks." If true, who do you think will go first? more ›

With the end of the year comes the inevitable wrap-ups, reflections, and predictions, and in the world of food this is no exception. Here in Los Angeles our Patron Saint of Dining Out, Pulitzer Prize-winning LA Weekly columnist Jonathan Gold, offers his take on the eating year that was in the LA Times' Opinion section today, noting how many high-profile restaurants our city has seen launch despite the tanked economy (Rivera, Drago Centro, Bouchon, and so forth) and the resurgence of the "tony cocktail bar." more ›

t's about time, no? The Slice Truck is expected to hit the streets next week serving pizza to hungry crowds on the street, reports Eater LA. But no fancy chef or and catchy menu-item will be found here. It's a "bare bones" menu as Eater puts it. That means cheese and pepperoni slices, pop and chocolate and vanilla ice cream. They also have a promo going on where if you snap a photo, tweet it and follow up with an e-mail, you'll get a coupon for a free slice. more ›

Just a few months ago it took one, maybe two hands to count all the food trucks in Los Angeles, which meant it was a helluva lot easier to keep tabs on who was serving where. With more trucks joining the ranks weekly, it helps to have info about the trucks and their stops centralized. There's a new website launching in LA called Roaming Hunger, which touts itself as "the hub for all things street food." more ›

Geeez, we just counted 44 food trucks yesterday and now there's two more to add. Eater LA informs us of the soon-to-open truck, Vesuvio, which will focus on Southern Italian fare. The should launch within a couple weeks and will be serving such items as "arancini stuffed with smoked mozzarella plus a slew of subs," according to Eater. And not to be out done is Komodo, self described on its slick website as "dangerously good food" and "not your average taco truck." Their menu consists of a variety of burritos, from a cheeseburger burrito to a cobb salad one to an Asian marinated chicken one. Sides include truffle fries, guacamole rolls and meatballs. more ›

The ever-so fast expanding world of L.A.'s new food truck culture grew last night with the addition of Louks to Go, a Greek based truck serving up gyros, salads, fries and Greek donuts known as Loukoumades. A tasting last night proved this truck as a serious contender for streetside lines. more ›

A City Council panel today approved a motion that would ban smoking near outdoor dining areas in Los Angeles, according to the LA Times. It will next move to the full City Council, possibly before the end of the year. The ban would prohibit smoking within 10 feet of outdoor restaurant dining and 30 feet from food trucks. Fines would be up to $250, but a one-year grace period is being sought. 18 and over nightclubs with outdoor areas would be exempt from the law. more ›

If you went to UniqueLA this weekend and read the program book, you might have been tipped off to a festival that's guaranteed to get everyone salivating. It's the LA ♥'s Street Food Festival on February 13th. Not much information is out yet, so we spoke to one of the organizers for more info. more ›

Although they even fooled one LADOT representative, further research has shown that Tow Zone signs put up yesterday on the 5700 block of Wilshire Boulevard were not placed by city workers. "Our temporary sign posting folks reported those are definitely not our signs," explained spokesman Bruce Gillman. "We log all postings by LADOT personnel." more ›

Via a tipster, looks like the restaurants are winning in the battle against the food trucks parking in front of their businesses: "Just wanted to let you guys know, as of today the city put up tow zone signs on the entire 5700 block of wilshire, essentially forcing the food trucks to scatter around the area. The tow zone times are 9am to 3pm, suspiciously ending right after the lunch rush." Frustrated with the lunch choices, workers in the area praised the presence of various food trucks appearing at lunchtime. In turn, the loss of business for some restaurants prompted calls to police and elected officials. UPDATE: Some are saying that these signs might be fake, or installed temporarily. UPDATE #2: LADOT confirms they are not fake signs. UPDATE #3: And now LADOT confirms that fake or not, city officials did not place the signs on posts. Read the updated story here. more ›

Terry Wunder of The Wunder Blog sent us this video story of 6 Angelenos and 6 LA Food Trucks. They chat with the truck operators and talk shop, and, of course, eat. Featured in the video are a mix of the "old guard" and newbies in the mobile food world: Barbie's Q, Lomo Arigato, The Flying Pig Truck, Coolhaus, Little Spoon Desserts, and KogiBBQ. more ›

As the Downtown Art Walk grew in popularity over the past year, so did unrelated activities like a large craft show and, of course, food trucks. Well, it looks like Main Street, which has turned into food truck alley on the second Thursday of the month, will remain empty of some trucks. more ›

It was a happening party at Track 16 last weekend, but most of the attention was surrounding the Dosa Truck parked outside. Thanks to their menu of samosas, masala fries, and their main attraction, filled dosa "wraps" at reasonable prices, there was a constant buzz around the truck. more ›

The Silver Lake Art Crawl begins tonight with a series of events through Sunday. The majority of art gallery openings are happening Saturday night, but on Sunday, when the "Official Silver Lake Art Crawl Party at Barnsdall Art Park" occurs, a handful of food trucks will arrive to cater. more ›

You might live a recessionista foodie lifestyle, hunting for high-quality eats at low-rent prices. And while we do encourage dining at all price-points, sometimes the only way feasting is feasible is when there's a special deal going down. This is where dineLA's Restaurant Week comes in. From October 4-9 and October 11-16, 2009, you can treat yourself to specially priced three-course menus at over 200 restaurants from all corners of LA County. more ›

Craze be damned. A website dedicated to tracking all of Los Angeles' Twittering food trucks launched last night. Currently boasting 20 trucks (and a map of popular locations), the list is surely to grow as we await such tempting treats from the likes of the Grilled Cheese Truck and the Buttermilk (breakfast) Truck. Make sure to check it out from your phone on the mobile version where it looks much sleeker. more ›

Diners: Watch your mouth! This food truck's name can sometimes get tangled, and make you say something naughty. LA FuXion (fusion, people, fusion) is one of the many Twittering food trucks who are putting their spin on four-wheeled street eats. more ›

It's been a while since we updated our list of Food Trucks that Twitter, so we gave the internets another scour, recalled some of our own recent food-on-wheels excursions, and have added a whole bunch of eateries to the growing ranks. Some are just getting on the road, and some are in the works, so of course the best way to know where to go is to follow them on Twitter, and get ready to chase down the grub. Added to the list include the best damn Hawaiian-style shave ice you'll find in town, a "roadside bistro," a hot pink truck with babes and burgers on board, curious fusions, and...breakfast. As always, let us know in the comments if we've missed a truck! Check out the update here. more ›

The popular lunch truck row in Mid-Wilshire has the scores of office workers in the area thrilled. Echoing the sentiments of Michael Schneider who calls the area a "vast wasteland of lunchtime eateries," the lack of diverse choices has workers bored or worse yet, some places just seem like horrid choices to them. But since the food truck craze has hit Los Angeles, the lunch time options have changed. more ›