You're probably all aware of the great truck food explosion and the impact it's had on urban culture. Gourmet food trucks of all types roam the streets of our major cities, stopping to serve at any event that attracts a crowd: a ball game, a concert, a downtown office building at lunch, or a nightclub that's closing. How do you know where the trucks are? You Twitter, of course. Just follow your favorite truck on Twitter, and they'll tell you where they are and what they're serving each day. Technology and food have finally met up.
The businesses on Abbott Kinney have come up with a clever idea to increase their own business. Bring in the food trucks. On the first Friday of every month, dozens of food trucks line the streets of Abbott Kinney in Venice, attracting thousands of diners and potential buyers. The businesses stay open late and the food trucks do too. It's a win-win situation for shopkeepers and food truck owners. I was there last week to check out the action.
Overall, I was disappointed. Some of the food was absolutely delicious, some was just ok, some I didn't really like at all. We arrived on the early side as I had been told parking was a big problem, and many trucks were still not up and running when we left at 7:45. Maybe the action starts late. In any event, my favorite truck was the Korean Taco Truck. I had a beef taco, Korean style that was just delicious. It was not too spicy, but there was plenty of kimchee for those that like spice. We also ordered a quesedilla from them, also delicious. My least favorite truck was a small truck serving Japanese streetfood. They only serve one thing. It's a ball about the size of a large egg, filled with octopus. The batter is a mixture of rice flour and herbs. It is baked and topped with scallions, mayo and teriyaki sauce. We all tried it and decided we would not order it again. At another truck we ordered mac and cheese. Good, but not great. David bought several desserts to take home from cupcake and cookie truck. Mini cupcakes, iced cookies and rice crispy bars were just some of the items.
The trucks were mostly ethnic, Korean and other Asian foods were the most plentiful. Lots of sushi trucks, Korean Barbeque, Philippino foods, and Thai. You really don't know where to start or when to end. I really overate.
Some of my favorite trucks were Ahn Joo (Korean), Kabab'n Roll, Calbi, Greenz on Wheelz, and Shrimp Pimps.
The main negative for me is the lack of anywhere to sit. I still like to sit down and eat. Food trucks serve mostly finger food, wraps, tacos, sandwiches and the like, that you can hold and eat and walk at the same time. It's a social experience that most will enjoy. I can't wait to try some other unique foods, like crepes, shrimp tacos, ice cream and gelato trucks and bacon tacos at another time.
The food truck explosion offers a new dimension to our culture. Fine food at low prices is available to anyone. You just need to be connected to the internet and keep track of where your favorite trucks are setting up today. It's a great concept, offering a great variety of food, but for me, I still enjoy sitting down to eat my meal.
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