Friday, August 20, 2010

Kogi

Finally, after four years of living in Los Angeles, I can finally consider myself a "Los Angelino" (not that I necessarily want to, but I could if I did).  Why?  Because today I tracked down and visited the famous Kogi truck.  It's like a right of passage here to have experienced Kogi.

Kogi essentially started this huge revolution of gourmet and ethnic "taco trucks" that drive around LA and serve food out of a truck on the side of the road or in a random parking lot.  Typical taco trucks have been around forever and usually have some amazing street tacos, but it's pretty ingenious of these guys to put a spin on it and throw down some Korean BBQ tacos.  Many have followed suit and we now have oodles of fancy food trucks driving around LA.

"So..," you ask, "...where's this Kogi truck?"  Well, I don't know actually.  It could be anywhere.  Today it was in the parking lot of a Chevorlet dealership in Orange County.  Tomorrow it might be in the parking lot of a Target in Long Beach (I have no idea if a Target actually exists in Long Beach, I'm just assuming to make my point clear).  The thing is, you never really know where these silly trucks will be and that's why the 'food truck revolution' is so typical LA.  You have to twitter the Kogi truck to find it's location on any given day.  "What's twitter?"  I don't really know and I don't really care.  Fortunately I waited long enough and the Kogi truck now has a website detailed it's location so I don't ever have the need for a Twitter account (that is, until there's a cupcake truck...)

As I said, Kogi is somewhat of a Los Angeles legacy.  Anyone who's anyone has twittered, driven all over town, and waited in an hour-long line for a short rib taco or a kimchi quesadilla.  I sometimes hesitate to follow trends, especially given today's horrific fashion trends, but I had to assume that for people to be so loyal to a glorified taco truck, someone at some point thought the food was really something special.  So, since I was outside of my bubble anyways, I made the trek to Orange County to see what the truck was all about.

I was shocked to find the truck at a car dealership, shocked at how short the line actually was, shocked at how amazing the truck smelled, and shocked at how much a couple of tacos and quesadillas could cost.  Did I mention the cockroach running around outside the truck?  Not shocked.  They nickname food trucks roach coaches for a reason, right?  The food?  Shocking.  Literally, the best tacos I've ever had.

The smart thing to do here is order some tacos because they're small enough that you can get a few and taste the bold, delicious flavors they've got going on inside this incredible roach coach.  They also have burritos, but really, one burrito and you're done, so you have to choose wisely between short rib, spicy pork, chicken, and tofu.  Don't knock the tofu! I had a tofu taco that blew me away.   Besides tacos and burritos, they have kimchi quesadillas, which are spicy, but the most flavorful I've ever tried (no need to be afraid of the kimchi, as I was; any harsh flavor is masked by spice and delicious sauce), and kogi sliders, which are essentially tiny korean short rib sandwiches.  They're also delicious, but if I must be ever-so-slightly critical, I might have appreciated less mayo.  Orange soda washes it all down quite nicely, and to offer a friendly and helpful suggestion, get extra napkins and pick up a couple sporks - you'll need them!

I suppose I'm now believer in the magic of the Kogi truck.  It's definitely one LA trend worth following.

OK, Cupcake Truck, I'm waaaaiiiiiiitttttting...

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