Food Truck Friday: Rolls and Buns

Since the Kogi BBQ Taco Truck paved the way for the gourmet food truck, there has been an influx in the industry. With a new food truck popping up every other week, it can be hard to keep up. When you’re confronted with a whole lot of them, it can be hard to choose just one, let alone the right one. Oh yes, there is a right and a wrong choice when it comes to food trucks. Some charge too much for their portion, some are inconsistent, and honestly, some just don’t have good food. This is where I come in. I have been eating at food trucks, Kogi specifically, since the beginning, and I haven’t stopped. I will highlight some of my favorites in my Food Truck Friday posts, so keep a look out. For today, I am going to talk about two food trucks that I’m obsessed with right now.

10575967_436620139813873_301254549_n
If you love lobster, The Lobsta Truck is for you. Years ago, the founders took a trip to Maine and went on a lobster roll trek. After enjoying countless New England Lobster rolls they knew that they couldn’t come back to California without sharing their experience. They compared the lobster roll stands in Maine to the taco stands here in Los Angeles. They knew if they could nail the flavor, Angelenos would eat it up. They get their bread and lobster fresh from New England, which is an amazing fact. They truly brought the Maine lobster experience to California. Pricey, but not pricier than competing restaurant offerings, they stuff the roll with lobster meat. Stuff to the brim. You can choose between butter or mayonnaise, but I always stick with butter. In addition to the lobster rolls, the truck also serves Crab Rolls and New England Clam Chowder. I have had it all, but the Lobster Roll is the best. Out of towners might look at you funny when you tell them your favorite lobster roll comes from a truck, but it’s their loss if they don’t believe you.
For more information on the truck or their LA and SF schedules, see http://la.lobstatruck.com/.

unnamed
Last week was the first time I saw the Steamed Bun Munchies truck. They rolled out earlier this year and will soon be expanding their menu, but for now their offerings speak for themselves. When you get to the truck, there are a couple of different combination options. I chose the 3 bun and 1 drink combo. I opted to try one of each bun, instead of doubling up. I had the Fried Chicken Bun, the Short Rib Bun, and the Pork Belly Bun. The Fried Chicken Bun is topped with carrots, cilantro, slaw, and a togarashi vinaigrette. The Short Rib Bun is topped with caramelized onions, cilantro, gocujang vinaigrette, and roasted peppers. The Pork Belly Bun is topped with cilantro, cucumbers, salt and vinegar. My favorite was the Short Rib Bun. The caramelized onions with the roasted peppers provided a nice bite and complimented the short rib. I didn’t know what to expect from the fried chicken because I’m pretty picky when it comes to the common comfort food, but it held up and was the perfect size and crunch for the small bun. A close second to my favorite, the Pork Belly Bun was delicious! The pork belly was cooked perfectly and the cucumber provided a nice crunch and crisp flavor to the bun. I’m excited to see what this food truck has up its sleeve in the future.
For more information on the truck or their menu, see http://www.steamedbunmunchies.com/.

Outside Lands Day Three

Day 3 of Outside Lands can be summed up in two words: trucks and lands. We ate from so many food trucks and frequented Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Cheese Lands, and Choco Lands the entire day.

Outside Lands 2014 126
There were so many food trucks to choose from, but we narrowed it down to Bacon Bacon, Del Popolo, Senor Sisig, The Rib Whip, and The Fabulous Frickle Brothers.

Outside Lands 2014 064
Last year, Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers paired up with their festival neighbor, Bacon Bacon, to add their Fabulous Fried Pickles to Bacon Bacon’s Bacon Burger. It was a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, their location didn’t allow that to happen this year, but it inspired me to try something besides their amazing pickles. We went the dessert route and tried their Fabulous Fried Apples with a Vanilla Coconut sauce on top. The breading created a nice sweet and savory mashup with cinnamon and sugar sweet apples. I’m not a huge fan of coconut, but they added the perfect amount to the vanilla sauce on top.

Outside Lands 2014 055
The Rib Whip was serving Pulled Pork BBQ Bowls and while there was a bit too much lettuce for my liking, the meat was cooked perfectly.

Outside Lands 2014 111
The California Sisig Burrito, from Senor Sisig, has to be one of the best California burritos I have ever had. The french fries were crispy, not soggy, and the sour cream wasn’t overwhelming. They use pork shoulder as their main meat, and I must say that it is absolutely decadent. This award-winning truck has also been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Outside Lands 2014 091
Del Popolo had the longest line at Outside Lands for the duration of the festival. I mean, how can you not when you’re serving whole wood-fired Margherita Pizzas? The crust was cooked to a dark brown crisp with generous chunks of mozzarella to balance out the sauce. Their setup is pretty cool too; go to their website and take a look at more pictures of their truck, you’ll be glad you did.

Outside Lands 2014 048
I have a soft spot for all things bacon, so I was definitely looking forward to what the Bacon Bacon truck had to offer. Their BBQ Pork Sandwich and Chocolate Covered Bacon definitely fulfilled my porky cravings.

Outside Lands 2014 061
Outside Lands 2014 085
Outside Lands 2014 083
Now, onto the lands. Choco Lands was one of my favorite lands because I have a pretty big sweet tooth. In addition to Humphrey Slocombe’s special edition flavor, Kara’s Cupcakes, Sharona’s Chocolate Shop, and more were serving up delicious chocolate treats! Cheese Lands consisted of platters full of assorted cheeses and charcuterie from Long Meadow Ranch. Bacon Land was serving up $10 bacon flights.

Outside Lands 2014 024
Outside Lands 2014 104
Wine Lands is an expansive tent full of different wineries and packed to the brim with people. I have had most of the options at previous tastings or events, so it was nice to see some familiar names including, Ghost Pines, Hess Collection, J.Lohr, Menage A Trois, and Roth Estate. The tent also featured Summer of Riesling which included a full crash course on different styles of Riesling and fun temporary tattoos.

Outside Lands 2014 037
Beer Lands was more of an open area, in comparison to Wine Lands. Featuring over 30 different breweries, Beer Lands had something for everyone. Similar to Wine Lands, I have had many of these beers before, so I already knew what I was getting myself into. Overall, I think the lineup was a good one with selections from Ace Cider, Drake’s Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Golden Road Brewing, Lost Coast Brewery, Magnolia Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and Stone Brewing Co..

Outside Lands 2014 078
Another addition to this year’s festival was the Gastro Magic stage. Each day, the stage featured different acclaimed chefs and gourmet restaurants, and paired them with a comedian or DJ to create a unique multi-sensory culinary experience. There were too many shows to see, so refer to the Gastro Magic page for a more specific description of each show.

As for the last day of music, we enjoyed Paolo Nutini, Jenny Lewis, Spoon, Ben Howard, The Flaming Lips, Ray LaMontagne, and The Killers. The Killers put on the best show of the day and the best show of the festival. I have never been a huge fan of theirs, but seeing them live definitely changed my mind.