Standing in front of the World Famous Rose Bowl
in beautiful Pasadena as the temperature crept into the 100’s, you could
literally smell excitement permeating from afar as thousands of fans began to
line up at the gates like a scene straight out of “Willy Wonka & The
Chocolate Factory.” The 4th annual LA Street Food Fest was moments
away from starting and with over 100 food & beverage vendors ready to hand
out those sought after goods that we all find ourselves flocking to every form
of social media to diligently showcase day after day, it was truly a foodies
dream.
From big names like the Grilled Cheese Truck,
Currywurst and Sushi Roku to the amazing curry chicken from Badmaash and the
cupcakes from local Pasadena fan favorites Sugar Fix Dessert the variety and
quality of food to be had was superb to say the least. It became evident upon
arrival that staying properly hydrated was going to be crucial to thoroughly
enjoy the entire day. Seeing the amount of ice-cold water stands strategically
placed throughout the various areas, let guests know that not only would they
be able to eat until their hearts were content, but they could also take in
quite a few high quality libations without having to worry about becoming
dehydrated.
Arriving well before the VIP call-time so that
we could people watch & see who the guests were going to be making a mad dash
towards when the gates opened, we had a good time just mixing it up amongst the
attendees before the bash even began. Taking a quick stroll around the set up
to see the entire layout of the grounds we grabbed a few cold beers courtesy of
the good folks over at Singha and proceeded towards the opposite side of the
venue to get our hands “dirty.”
Stopping at the Honest Tea booth we grabbed a
couple cold bottles of their peach tea and stepped over to the Sushi Roku booth
for some spicy tuna hand rolls that were incredibly fresh. On a hot day such as
this, its always a crap shoot when eating fish outside, but a well prepared
provider of any kind has more than enough supplies to help keep all of their
foods well within the safe zone in regards to temperature. With so many spots
to choose from and only so much room in the stomach our next notable stop was
Badmaash (which translates to Bad Ass) for some perfectly seasoned and spiced
Curry Chicken & Rice.
Curry flavor whether it has been derived from a
Caribbean or Indian recipe is such a complex layering of flavors that add so
much depth to even the most bland of proteins and grains, is a staple in our
test kitchens and on our menus. We did the smart thing and began to double fist
every location so that we could take it all in as effortlessly as possible,
which began with double helpings of delicious tacos from La Flor de Yucatan,
Bulgogi boneless Pork Rib Tacos from Street Foods Co and 9021Pho.
A special
note must be made about the cool folks who worked the Street Foods Co truck,
they had the perfect set up going with their selection of funky instrumentals
and vintage theme, to us they had the best presentation of the day.
Stopping for a few great libations from Raymond
1886 we were treated to an impromptu show from the mixologist who tossed drink
mixers and bottles around like her was performing a circus trick, something
that was unexpected to say the least in this heat. Looking for a little bit of
meat, potato and gravy in our lives we stumbled up The Lobos Truck for their
incredible Wacho Fries & Sliders.
Before we knew it we had tried just about everything we could
and were rolling ourselves towards our two favorite desserts, Fluff Ice and
Sugar Fix cupcakes. We couldn't decide which to tackle first so we hit them
both at the same time and walked away with a sense of accomplishment that can
only be described as a stimulating moment in our food career.
When you get a bite
of a warm freshly made Smore’s style treat from Sugar Fix Dessert and double
that up with some ice cold fluff ice (shaved ice with a twist as they so
accurately describe it) you know you made the right decision by coming out such
a heatwave to eat, drink and be merry as only fully stuffed individuals can do.
When we slid back ove the beer garden side of town, we couldn't help but get
our dance on to the music played by the authentic Mariachis who came out with
the livest truck in game, The Jarritos LA truck who is on hand at all of the
freshest events throughout the Southland and always handing out thousands of
bottles of their delicious (and always cold) flavored sodas.
To be honest a
cold Lime Jarritos and a cup of crab gumbo with a buttermilk beignet from
Starry Kitchen went so excellent together that it may quickly become my guilty
Friday pleasure for a while, replacing my usual Friday fair of fried fish and
strong mixed drinks…
After all of the amazing food, awesome conversation with
everyone from the vendors, volunteers and other attendees as well as the
entertainment it was time to take a nap. Any event that sees you leaving on a
different belt size than when you arrived is a complete success in our book. We
must thank everyone who helped make the day memorable for us from Rachel and
her hard working staff to all of the Chefs, Sous Chefs and meticulous
assistants all working together too put together a successful day we say Job
Well Done and we cant wait to on hand for the 5th annual LA Street
Food Fest.
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