LA Street Food Fest 2010 – The OTHER Side (Starry Kitchen’s Side!)

July 25, 2010

If you think this post is going to be your typical “I went to this event and this is what I ate” type post, you are mistaken. Oh no, this is going to be my take on the LA Street Food Fest’s Summer Tasting Event from the other side – the VENDOR side.

I can’t remember exactly when I found out that my DTLA lunch haunt, Starry Kitchen, was going to be participating in the LA Street Food Fest’s Summer Tasting Event…All I know is that I somehow found out they were and that they were looking for help for the event. I like being helpful and I obviously like Starry Kitchen, so it only made sense for me to offer my services. Who knew that this would be how I would find myself serving thousands upon thousands of crispy tofu balls on a sunny July Saturday afternoon to thousands of hungry attendees?

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(Picture taken by Remil M.)

Before I dive into the Summer Tasting Event, let me just say that Team SK is a force to be reckoned with. Why? Because Team SK rolls deep in food bloggers. The Manila Machine may have been founded by Nastassia of Let Me Eat Cake and Marvin of Burnt Lumpia and Scoops Westside may have Matt of Mattatouille leading the charge, but I think we top them both in numbers. Team SK had not one, not two, but FIVE food bloggers in its ranks. We’re talking:

1. Danny of Kung Food Panda – Plater of the tofu balls
2. Julian of Jewelz, What Are We Doing Today? – Fry crew
3. Christine of folie à choisauce – Fry crew
4. Misty of Noms Not Bombs – The voice of the tofu ball (I think she gave the crispy tofu ball spiel at least a thousand times)
5. Yours truly – Plater of the tofu balls, pandan flan passer-outer

Not only did we have the five of us, we also had half a dozen more people to help:

1. Matt K. – Napkin/postcard passer-outer
2. Justin M. – Sauce squeeze-bottle extraordinare
3. Remil M. – Bringer/announcer of the tofu balls
4. Caleb C. – Fry team

(And if you’re questioning my counting abilities, rounding out the “half a dozen” is Nguyen and Thi, the husband/wife team behind Starry Kitchen. I didn’t include them in the above because they ARE Starry Kitchen.)

———-

So…the LA Street Food Fest. I went to its first incarnation in February – it was sort of an organizational mess. This summer tasting event was supposed to be the new and improved version – it was exponentially better.

There were a lot of changes made to this event – the venue, the time, the setup, the ticket sales – EVERYTHING was revamped to make this event move as smoothly as possible. My favorite change was the switch from food trucks to food booths – rather than having each vendor cooking in a cramped food truck, they each had a assigned food booth and cooking area that allowed much more space to maneuver and serve. (Not only did it make more sense, logistically, but it also gave us an excuse to decorate.)

(Our beautiful booth.)

To go along with our festive booth, we presented equally festive food. Starry Kitchen pulled out all the stops for their first go at the LA Street Food Fest. Their menu for this fateful day consisted of one dish: their “Game Changer #2″, the crispy tofu ball.

(What’s all the hoopla about? These babies – Crispy tofu balls!)

A crispy tofu ball is made from tofu that has been marinated, pressed and ground, then mixed with corn and dipped in buttermilk and a natural green colored rice flake from northern Vietnam. I don’t know if you can tell by the description, but this baby is a labor-intensive monster. We’re talking about a week of long nights of prep work in order to roll almost 3500 tofu balls for this event. (I, sadly, didn’t get to roll a single ball during prep, but I really wanted to!)

So I covered the booth, I covered the food, now what about our mascot…

(Oh Captain, my Captain!)

…If you didn’t see Nguyen, then I don’t know what you were doing during this event. He’s wearing a banana suit. His sign is telling you to taste his balls. I mean, seriously. What. Were. You. Doing. ?!

———-

Anyway, wonder what the life of a vendor is like on the day of a food festival? Here’s a sneak peak:

(Picture taken by Remil M.)

10:30AM – Team SK meets at SK in DTLA to pack. 21 sheets of tofu balls make their way into four SUVs. (Note, crispy tofu balls cannot be stacked, which makes it hard to transport.) My car is filled to the brim with boxes. A tower of pots is seat-belted into my front passenger side seat.

11:30AM – Leave DTLA for the Rose Bowl. I almost get crushed by said tower of pots in the front passenger side seat. (One hand on the wheel, one hand keeping the pots in place.)

1PM – After waiting in a line of cars and trucks outside, we finally enter into the Rose Bowl. Lots of unpacking and set up. Main agenda: Get oil heated now in order to have it hot enough to fry when the VIP doors open.

2PM – The first test batch of balls is fried. (Note: From this moment onward, the fry crew never once stopped frying. They fried tofu balls from 2PM until 8:30PM – 6.5 HOURS OF FRYING.)

4:15PM – VIP admission opens. Lines aren’t too long, we’re figuring out how to plate, we’re getting in the groove of things. We get a slight pause every 10 minutes or so. (I sneak a bite from our neighbors from Mo-Chica. If you didn’t get to try their scallops dish, then you missed out.)

(Picture taken by Sarah Reingewirtz of the Pasadena Star News.)

5:45PM – The general admission crowd really gets going now. People are constantly getting in line. From this moment on, we never stop moving. The only time we rest is in between batches since we have nothing to serve. Otherwise, we’re constantly serving, serving, serving. Our fry team can’t keep up with the demand; however, we’re still able to get a new batch of balls out within 5-10 minutes of running out. We try to eat in between batches – Matt has been trading tofu balls for food with the other stands. (We tried a bunch of random stuff, but I’m honestly not sure what most of it was and I definitely DON’T have pictures of any of it.) We chat with the crowd. People seem happy.

8PM – We bring out dessert – the mini pandan flans. (We only made 200-ish of them, as a reward for those who stay late.) I pass them out to the people in line while they wait for the next batch of balls to come out.

8:30PM – We receive notice from the fry crew that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. (Literally, not figuratively – our fry crew is frying in one of the Rose Bowl tunnels.) No light = no more frying. We have two batches left – that’s it.

8:50PM – We give out our last tofu ball. We’re done with service!

(Yeah crispy tofu balls!)

9:30PM – We start cleaning up. We wait for the oil guy (his name is Sam) to come take away our fry oil. We start throwing everything into plastic garbage bags. We load up all the cars with the leftover balls. We look for our leader in the banana costume. (Bill of Street Gourmet LA stole him away and made him take shots of tequila. Shots shots shots shots shots shots!)

10:15PM – We’re done with clean up at the Rose Bowl. Everyone else drives to DTLA to bring everything back to the restaurant and get some late night grub. I drive home, planning on resting after a long day, but…well…apparently choosing to blog instead.

1:45AM (the following day) – I finish blogging and realize how stupid it was to blog instead of sleep (especially since I have to do real work tomorrow). My feet are still a little sore from standing all day. My eyes are getting droopy. I’m definitely tired. I click the “Publish” button – I’m finally, completely DONE!

Momofuku Ssam Bar (Manhattan, NY) / Momofuku Milk Bar (Manhattan, NY) – Tasting a Lucky Peach

July 14, 2010

Momofuku Ssam Bar

When I first planned NYC Trip #2, I originally penciled in “Momofuku Ko” on my schedule. Arguably the hardest reservation to get in all of New York (I heard David Chang won’t even let his parents bypass his infamous Momofuku reservation system), the only way to get a reservation is to stalk the website and count down the seconds until reservations for the following week’s seating opened. I felt confident I would be able to score one of the twelve available seats for that night…that is, until I totally forgot about making reservations. I remembered 12 hours too late. (Oops!)

…Okay then, onto Plan B.

———-

Getting into Momofuku Ssam Bar is much easier than Momofuku Ko. Unless you reserve an order of their famous bo ssam pork shoulder ahead of time, Ssam Bar is a first-come, first-serve eatery. My suggestion is to get there early, before the lunch/dinner crowds hit – otherwise, you’ll be escorted to the Momofuku Milk Bar next door, where you’ll wait for your table in a somewhat uncomfortable position. (Milk Bar has no chairs and waits are typically about half an hour or longer.)

Plates at Ssam are decently sized but…well…my dining companions and I are eaters. Therefore, for the three of us, we ordered all of the following:

Santa Barbara Uni, Whipped Tofu, Tapioca, Shrimp Crackers

Call me dense but I didn’t get this dish. Maybe the contrast in texture was meant to be the focus, but I didn’t really understand how the flavors of the whipped tofu, the chewy tapioca/boba balls and the shrimp crackers were supposed to work with the rich, buttery uni. (The uni was fresh and delicious by itself though.)

Fuji Apple Kimchi, Jowl Bacon, Maple Labne, Arugula

The kimchi apples, on the other hand, I understood – it was easily one of the top 5 dishes I tasted during my second NYC trip. Crisp Fuji apples are coated in the peppery kimchi seasoning (minus the vinegar) and topped with meaty bacon and spicy arugula. The labne (a strained yogurt) mellows everything out. A complete bite of all four components? Amazing.

Country Ham

We ordered two types of country ham: the smokier Edward’s Wigwam ham and the non-smoked Finchville’s ham. All I have to say is, if you’re going to go for ham, get it smoked.

Steamed Buns, Pork Belly, Hoisin, Cucumbers, Scallions

When I used to hear about Momofuku pork buns I used to think, “What’s so good about Momofuku pork buns…? Pffft. Big deal.” Now I think, “OMG, I WANT A PORK BUN.” Just imagine a peking duck bun – the familiar hoisin and scallion flavors and the texture of the fluffy bun – but now swap the duck for soft and tender pork belly that just melts in your mouth. Doesn’t seem like a big deal but it is – these pork buns are DELICIOUS.

Corned Beef Terrine, Fried Egg Sauce, Tea Brined Egg Salad

I was uninspired by this dish, possibly because I ate it immediately after those mind-blowing Momofuku pork buns. Although it was tasty, at the end of the day, it just felt like chunks of corned beef compressed in a terrine mold.

Fried Baby Artichokes, Pistachio, Sunchokes, Bottarga

I’m not a fried artichokes kind of girl as I find they lose their tender artichoke qualities when they’re immersed in a vat of oil and end up with a texture reminiscent of dry leaves. Therefore, instead of commenting on the fried artichokes, I just want to bring your attention to the delicious sunchoke puree smeared on the side of the bowl in the picture above. (I would have much rather had a bowl of just that!)

Chili Soft Shell Crab, Green Plum, Asparagus, Lemon Confit

The tart lemon was a nice accompaniment against the asparagus and a nice contrast against the crispy soft shell crab. However, I don’t recall tasting any of the chili that is referred to in the dish description.

Spicy Pork Sausage, Rice Cakes, Chinese Broccoli, Crispy Shallots

The meaty, spicy dduk bok-ki was a great way to end the meal. The rice cakes were crispy on the outside but soft and chewy in the middle (just the way I like them!). The pork sausage had a real kick to it too. (I wouldn’t recommend ordering anything after this one.)

———-

And now, for a side tangent:

For those who may not have seen The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Ssam sits right around the middle of that list at #26. It’s the 5th US restaurant on the list, only topped by Alinea (in Chicago) and Daniel, Per Se and Le Bernardin (all in NYC). It’s six spots above The French Laundry (in Yountville, CA).

When first scanning the 2010 list, I was surprised to see Ssam ranked so highly. At the time, I hadn’t read much about the place so I attributed my reaction to ignorance and gave it the benefit of the doubt. However, after dining at both Ssam and at the last restaurant to make the cut (Eleven Madison Park at #50) in the same week, I left NYC still very confused. Momofuku Ssam Bar…#26…?

According to the Momofuku website, the name “Momofuku” means “lucky peach”. I believe it’s a fitting name – Without a doubt, like a ripe peach, Momofuku Ssam Bar is delicious and worth trying. However, I find the inclusion of the word “lucky” even more fitting – As tasty as it may be, with a #26 position on the World’s Best list, Momofuku Ssam Bar must be much, much luckier.

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3500
Website: http://www.momofuku.com/

Momofuku Milk Bar

We started off the night in Milk Bar (while waiting for our table); we ended our night there as well. I wanted something sweet but since I was slightly stuffed at this point, I only split a slice of David Chang’s infamous “Crack Pie”.

Crack Pie – Toasted Oat Crust, Gooey Butter Filling

I think it’s logical to assume that Crack Pie was probably named for its supposedly addictive qualities. I have no doubt that there are people out there who are addicted after bite one; I, however, am not one of them. Honestly, it just tasted like butter and sugar to me (which is basically all that’s in it anyway). I’m not sure what I expected from it but…well…if this is crack, I think I’ll pass next time.

What I won’t pass on, however, is Milk Bar’s cereal milk soft serve. As a girl who likes her cereal SUPER soggy before chowing down, I really enjoyed this – its taste was spot on, exactly like the sweet, sugary milk you typically find at the bottom of your bowl. I’m not sure I would purchase an actual bottle of their cereal milk (especially since I feel like I could easily re-create it by pouring myself a bowl of cereal at home) but the cereal milk soft serve is definitely worth the trip.

Momofuku Milk Bar– MOVED
(new location information)
251 E 13th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3500
Website: http://www.momofuku.com/

Highland Bakery (Atlanta, GA) – A True Southern Breakfast

July 9, 2010

To start off, just an FYI: You know how Atlanta is nicknamed “Hotlanta”? Well, there’s a reason for that – It’s effing hot in Atlanta. We’re talking 90 degrees and humid hot. HOT.

…That said, I walked 1.3 miles from my downtown Atlanta hotel to Highland Bakery and another 1.3 miles back in the above described HOT Atlanta weather. (It was totally worth it.)

———-

When I first got wind that work was shipping me off to Atlanta for training this year, I was ecstatic for multiple reasons:

1. I wasn’t going to Orlando. (Thank god I wasn’t going to Orlando!)
2. I’ve never been to Atlanta before.
3. Southern food!

I was so pumped to eat a real Southern breakfast. I had visions of ham and biscuits and gravy and eggs over easy and GRITS. (We’re talking a lot of grits. Like, I wanted to swim in a pool of grits.) When I first arrived in Atlanta, I had that Southern breakfast, complete with eggs and biscuits and grits and it was…just okay. Almost slightly disappointing.

The next morning, I almost skipped breakfast because the idea of walking 1.3 miles in Atlanta’s hot-as-hell heat to another mediocre breakfast destination was not something I considered “fun”. However, seeing that my coworker/friends weren’t scheduled to arrive until dinnertime, I decided to trek there to kill some time. (As you can tell by the start of this post, I am so thankful I did.)

I arrived at Highland Bakery around 1PM, with the Father’s Day brunch crowd just starting to die down. After waiting about 15-30 minutes (I was so hot and sweaty, I couldn’t focus on how much time had passed), I snagged a seat by their back counter. I ordered a glass of sweet tea and an order of their cilantro corn pancakes, cursed the fact that I left my copy of “Garlic and Sapphires” at the hotel room (I always forget a book when I dine alone!) and instead chatted up the nice man sitting next to me. (Note: This conversation would later become very useful…) As we talked, the wait-staff walked by with a plate of their french toast – it was larger than my head and looked amazing. (Large, delicious looking food always bodes well for the future.)

Then they brought out my pancakes…

(These pancakes are larger than they look.)

These cilantro corn pancakes might have to go on my list of favorite brunch food. The naturally sweet corn and cilantro pancakes were light and fluffy, the eggs were runny, the salsa was tasty and the black beans were surprisingly necessary to bring everything together.

Now why I was thankful I forgot my book in my room: During my conversation with my new-found dining companion, he offhandedly mentioned my special word for this trip: GRITS. Highland Bakery is known for their stone-ground grits, produced in-house.

The difference between the grits above and the ones I had the day before were like night and day, similar to the difference between instant oatmeal and steel-cut oats. Whereas the ones I tasted the day before were bland and runny, Highland Bakery’s were hearty and had tons of texture. (Yes! Southern breakfast redemption!)

…And with those grits, I was happy. Highland Bakery may not serve the traditional Southern breakfast I had in mind but, in the end, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Highland Bakery
655 Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 586-0772
Website: http://www.highlandbakery.com/
Twitter: @HighlandBakery1

Echo Park (Los Angeles, CA) – LA’s Not NYC…But It’s Close

July 6, 2010

I’ve been missing Manhattan like you wouldn’t believe but seeing that it’s currently 100 degrees with over 50% humidity over there, I *think* I can deal with Los Angeles for a little while longer. Plus, ever since I found out that all my NYC firsts are also easily accessible in LA (specifically Echo Park), I’ve been trying to convince myself that I can satisfy my New York urges in LA. (It’s not a very convincing argument, but that’s another story…)

For example, the novelty of hand shaved shaved ice originally experienced at People’s Pops in Chelsea Market?

(Check it out – Shaved ice, shaved by hand!)

It may not be made from fresh, natural fruit flavors but this cup of sugary goodness may be just as good. The shaved ice man called it vanilla flavored, which basically means it tastes like liquid flan. He even topped the whole thing with condensed milk!

As for my love of Cafe Habana‘s Mexican corn?

(Picture taken by Jin N.)

Not quite as sweet as my first, but it hit the spot. Plus, that monstrous corn on a stick was only $2! (I bought it from a woman grilling corn out of a shopping cart…Oh LA, so resourceful, you are…)

Now if I can just find an LA substitute for the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart…

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