i like to eat.

My friends and I had a lot of time to kill before dinner and fortunately, there was a Kogi truck near our hotel. My previous attempt was a failure, so I was hoping this time would be better. Plus, eating some Kogi was my number one mission in Los Angeles. I HAD to get some, dammit!

We arrived at the location 10 minutes before Kogi started serving (6P) and there were already 50+ people in line! I couldn't believe it and was praying it was worth the wait.

Minutes kept ticking as we waited...and waited...slowly inching our way towards the truck. Plus, this time around, there was no music to entertain us, just conversations of "are we almost there yet?!, it BETTER be good and should we jump ship?"

About 40 minutes later, we were at the front of the truck, knowing exactly our game plan of what to order and what we'd split. Jason and I ordered 2 spicy pork tacos, 2 (signature) short rib tacos and we'd split a kimchi quesadilla with our other friends.

OMG.

First bite of the short rib taco, AMAZING.

Both tacos were on two tortillas, filled with marinated, barbecued meat and topped with a tasty sesame-chili salsa, romaine lettuce and cabbage in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette and sesame seeds. The tacos were bold and juicy with the perfect amount of meat and vegetables.

I was skeptical about the quesadilla - cheese and cabbage? Hmm, doesn't sound like a good combination. But wow, the flavors actually work! The quesadilla was golden brown and topped with Kogi's special sesame-chili salsa. I'm not 100% sure what cheese they used, but it tasted like cheddar and was a compliment to the mild kimchi.

Kogi was well worth the wait and delicious. But, I wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes for it. I feel like I have more important (haha, VERY important) stuff to do than wait 40+ minutes in line. Just not my cup of tea with my (surprisingly) low patience, but I'm so glad we didn't jump ship this time.

Mission accomplished! :D

Side note, read this interesting article about Kogi's typical (and long) day.

       

Click here to download:

Second_Attempt_of_Kogi_tag_kog.zip (910 KB)

We were so hot from the heat that we needed something to cool us down. We went to Yogurtland, a charge by the ounce frozen yogurt place with a variety of flavors and toppings.

There were so many yogurt flavors - strawberry, lychee, coffee, original, berries, cookies and cream, cake batter, blueberry tart, toasted coconut, Madagascar vanilla and chocolate. I couldn't make up my mind, so I had a little bit of the flavors I wanted to try - strawberry, coffee and original.

After the self-service yogurt, you go to the topping bar that has even more options to choose from - fresh fruit, chocolate chips, gummy worms, fruity pebbles, m&ms, almonds, granola, pound cake and more.

I topped mine with lychee, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mochi. I should have added some fruity pebbles for a crunchy texture, but my combination was still good, delicious and light.

We were in luck because Yogurtland was running a promotion for only 16 cents per ounce! It's usually around 30 cents, so my little cup of goodness cost me less than $3. :)

       

Click here to download:

Fro-Yo_tag_desserts_yogurt_lan.zip (769 KB)

My only request for LA was to try Kogi, a Korean bbq taco truck. In LA, there's this huge craze of taco trucks reinventing themselves and selling food that's not typical of a taco truck. Some trucks have Mexican/Chinese tacos (Don Chow Tacos), Vietnamese sandwiches (Nom Nom Truck), Japanese rice burgers (Marked 5) and even Indian food (India Jones).

I was determined to try Kogi, the original and granddaddy of them all. Since the trucks are mobile, they rarely are in the same location. So, you have to follow them on Twitter to know the exact location and time. It's a great method of intertwining the internet into one's business. Plus, it's like a game, you never know when and where the trucks will pop up. These trucks are novelty and the idea of tracking them down is fun.

We looked up the nearest Kogi truck and for that day, it was at a book store's parking lot. By the time we got there, there was a massive line (I already expected this - there is usually a long line at these trucks) and music was bumping from loud speakers. I appreciated Kogi had brought some entertainment, while their guests waited patiently in line.

It was extremely hot with no shade and after twenty minutes of moving only a few inches, I threw my towel in and said "let's leave." I thought I was a very patient person, but the heat makes me grumpy and the line was moving way too slow. I also felt bad that my friends were waiting solely for me in a very uncomfortable, hot situation.

As we left the line and walked back to our car, I saw several people enjoying their tacos. I was bitter that I couldn't taste the deliciousness and still determined to try Kogi by the end of the trip.

       

Click here to download:

First_Attempt_of_Kogi_-_Fail._.zip (915 KB)

The whole reason we went to LA was to celebrate my birthday and Jason's (we're one week apart). For our first night, we wanted to celebrate at an affordable place (no bottle service at a fancy lounge), since there were so many of us.

The LA experts in our group geared us towards Koreatown, a non-pretentious place where drinks are cheap. We first headed to Bliss, which had the look of a night club, but was very mellow. It was too mellow for a late Friday night, so we went down the street to Blink. Blink was packed, but luckily there was a table to seat all 15 of us. Blink was less of a nightclub and more of a restaurant where you can drink a lot. haha.

What's cool about Blink is they offer drink and food combinations. If you order a bottle of liquor, it comes with your choice of appetizers. Within minutes, our large table was filled with various apps - dried squid, beef jerky, nuts, fried chicken, grilled beef, kabobs and fruit.

I stayed off the Glenlivet and stuck with soju cocktails and Korean beer, Hite. Soju cocktails are actually one of my favorite mixed drinks. Soju is rice wine, but it tastes like vodka, so I rarely drink it straight. At most Korean restaurants, you can order soju mixed with yogurt drink (something like Yakult). The yogurt drink is sweet and often masks the hard taste of liquor.

Remember I mentioned affordability? Blink only cost us $15 each!! Wow, I was shocked to hear how cheap it was. You can never get that good of a deal in SF!

           

Click here to download:

BDay_Celebrations_tag_bliss_bl.zip (1259 KB)

Yakiniku, Japanese barbecue, is a highly entertaining way to eat your meal. You cook bite sized marinated meat, vegetables and seafood over charcoal, which is encased in the middle of the table. After you cook the meat/vegetables, you can dip it in special sauces.

The very first time I had yakiniku was at Gyu-Kaku in Japan. It was nothing like I've ever had before and was so good. After my trip to Japan, I scoured the Bay Area looking for something similar, but surprisingly, even San Francisco didn't have too many options or it's very expensive. Going to LA, I knew there was a Gyu-Kaku branch, but my friend suggested a better place, Manpuku.

Jason did all the ordering for our table and I engulfed everything in front of me. We ordered a ton of meat, vegetables and seafood to cook over our little griddle. I can't even remember all the food we ordered, but we had prime beef rib eye, chicken breast, prime beef short rib, assorted vegetables, shrimp, scallop, salted beef short rib and salted beef tongue. Yes, there's offal involved for those that enjoy it.

The food has a robust smoky flavor and a great sear if you cook it right. You can't leave it on too long or you'll burn it! :P I think this is also the reason why I love campfire cooking, the flavors are more intense and an open flame seals in the smokiness.

Since we had a large group, we had to split into two tables and they ordered a cold noodle soup called morioka reimen (thanks Genki) that was amazing. At first, I didn't expect the chewy noodle soup to be cold, but the first bite got my taste buds dancing. It was so refreshing, light and delicious. There was even an apple in it! So many unexpected things in this little dish!

You HAVE to try Japanese barbecue. It can get a little pricey, but the food is delicious and it's a fun way to enjoy your meal.

   

Click here to download:

Things_to_Try_Yakiniku_tag_bbq.zip (484 KB)

After checking in at the Hyatt and enjoying a strawberry lemon drop from the bar, we were ready for lunch.

We drove to The Farmers Market, a historic destination of produce markets, specialty food markets and prepared food vendors.

You can find almost everything here - fresh young coconuts, crepes, mangoes, cakes, caramel apples, candy, marshmallow sticks (!), nuts, ice cream, margaritas, sushi, Pinkberry (my first time was at this location), meat, seafood, knick knacks, all sorts of hot sauce and even stickers.

There's also a wide assortment of ethnic cuisines - French, Korean, American, Brazilian, Southern, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, every thing's here! It's amazing how much there is at The Farmers Market.

Last year's visit to the market was lunch at Pampas Grill, a churrascaría (Brazilian steakhouse/barbecue) vendor. The meat was so good - moist, tender and had a bold barbecue flavor. The meat was roasted in a large open oven on sticks and were cut to order. It's definitely not a place for vegetarians.

Wanting to try something new, I ended up at Loteria for some Mexican food. I ordered two tacos that came with shredded marinated chicken on corn tortillas. Instead of your typical taco with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa, it was topped with guiso, a traditional Mexican meat and vegetable stew. I've never had tacos with guiso, but it made the flavors all melt into one another. I was missing something that made it "fresh," whether it was salsa or a squeeze of lime. Either way, decent.

They unfortunately ran out of my favorite Mexican drink, horchata, so I quenched my thirst with hibiscus tea. I was surprised that they served this. It sounds like an exotic drink, something a Jamaican vendor would sell. It had a light floral taste and was refreshing, but I'd much rather have an agua fresca or horchata with my Mexican fare.

So far, lunch in Los Angeles, not bad. I couldn't wait for my next meal!

                                                     

Click here to download:

farmers_market.zip (7966 KB)