The Truck Chaser

Running.

2011-08-22T07:26:00.001-07:00

After a couple years of doing Beachbody workouts only, I started running 2 weeks ago using the Couch to 5K program. My friend, Wan, is doing it also so that is encouraging me to keep it up. I did it once before right after I had Diego and I think I quit around week 6. Running has just never ever been my thing. When I ran the mile in high school P.E., I was always in the chatty group of girls at the end who just walked the entire way and often came back well into next period.

So yeah - this is a stretch for me. I completed day 1 of week 3 today (total of 9 weeks) and I'm struggling. I don't like running at all because, well...I suck. There is no other way of putting it. I suck and I don't like sucking (that's what she said.) ;) I am slow as hell and I'm constantly struggling to catch my breathe, even after a short 1 minute run. Straight up hyperventilating.

This weekend, I toyed with the idea of quitting again. I was planning on starting another round of Insanity today or maybe a full round of ChaLean Extreme...something, anything...as long as it was in my comfort zone.

See - that is the problem. I'm super uncomfortable with running. Not only is it physically challenging, I have to leave my house to go running, I have to think about my safety, I have to keep going even when I don't want to. But, I keep reminding myself that in order to grow, you have to get out of your comfort zone and do something scary. This is my scary something.

From this point forward, I'm going to take some advice from my mentor & role model (whether she knows it or not!), Chalene Johnson. She stresses positive self-talk. She taught me that I am the coach of my own team...my team of 1. If a coach said to his team, "You guys suck! You will never do better! You have no chance of winning," they would definitely lose. Up until now, I've been talking to myself in that negative tone. I'm constantly telling myself that I'm so much slower than everyone else I know, that I'm not in as good of shape as I thought, etc etc.

Today - I stop that BS. I will finish this program and it's not gonna kill me. I will be stronger & more fit at the end of it...and I'm excited.

So - my current workout schedule is Couch to 5K 3 days/week, and weight training with ChaLean Extreme on the days I don't run. These 9 weeks will bring me right up to our Hawaiian vacation and I'm hoping to be able to wear a bikini on that trip...instead of a tankini. We'll see how it goes!

And since I don't have a picture for this post, I googled for running images and this is what came up. I'd say this program is my own personal bull.

Awesome truck shirts!

2011-08-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ok - back to trucking for a second.

I received an email from Ricky of Tasty Chomps a few weeks ago. He wrote to tell me about these awesome shirts he & his friend designed. You know, even though I've given up the truck scene, I think I want one of these! Check them out.

Cool, huh? Visit their online store to get your own. :)

My story

2011-07-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Well, here are 1,000 more!

This health journey has been a bit long & very difficult, but extremely rewarding. Sometimes it's hard to see my own progress when I look in the mirror because I am my own worst critic. We all are, right? Even I have to admit that putting those pictures side by side yesterday kind of blew me away. Sure - my body has changed but you know what's changed the most? My self-worth. I think you can see that in the photos.

The picture on the left was taken in December of 2008. I was 185 pounds and Diego was a little over a year old. It was "baby weight", I would tell myself. "It will come off. Diego is only 1." Now, there absolutely is something VERY REAL about baby weight. A lot of that has to do with self-sacrifice. When our babies are small, they demand a lot of us physically and emotionally. It takes a toll on our bodies and our spirits...and that's OK. It's natural. It's motherhood.

What's NOT ok is losing ourselves, and that is exactly what happened to me. I became the excuse girl. You know the her:

"But I'm SO tired."

"The baby is most important. I'll work on me later."

"The baby woke up twice last night and I couldn't get up early to workout.""I had a rough day at work today. All I want is pizza and beer."

"Mmmm...Del Taco."

Yep, that was me. Exhausted, negative, chasing food trucks, stuffing my face, unhappy, unhealthy, LOST.

Of course through all this, my dear husband did not say a word about my weight gain or about my negativity. He loved me through and through. To this day, he is my biggest supporter and my best friend on the planet. In the Spring of 2009, he asked me to buy him P90X for Fathers Day. I had no clue what it was but I googled it and bought it off the Beachbody website.

We started P90X together and he was hard core, always the most disciplined of us two. I went back to being excuse girl:

"If I work out more than 3 times/week, I get too sore.""I'll join you every other day."

"But the baby!!! We will wake the baby!"

I literally sat on the couch eating spaghetti (hey, it was whole wheat!) while my hubby did his workouts. On the days that I would actually join him, I would post about my workouts on Facebook and I started getting some replies from people who had done P90X before. One of those people ended up changing my life. My friend from high school youth group, Arlene Paraiso, reached out and offered to coach me through my fitness journey.

Now, my willingness to accept the coaching wasn't immediate. In fact, it took much longer than it should have...about 6 months actually! (Sorry, Arlene). But Arlene never left my side. EVER. She continued to support me and ask me how my workouts were going. Eventually, I was ready for the change. You see, I was SO scared of failure. Up to this day, I had failed at every single physical thing I tried (like the time I finally was passed the ball during a 5th grade basketball game and I scored for the other team....um, yeah.) Arlene continued to encourage me, despite my resistance.

I made the decision to stop P90X and I bought Slim in 6. I thought to myself "Baby steps. You gotta start somewhere." Well - Slim in 6 is more like a toddler step! It's easier than P90X but it's still an amazing workout. I ended up losing 14 inches on that program but more importantly than that, it gave me back my self-worth. I committed to waking up early every morning at 5am to workout. It was hard, guys. Really hard. During this time, Diego was having a lot of health issues and he would wake up throwing up often. I would work out with the baby monitor next to me and when I'd hear him wake up crying or throwing up, I would hit pause, run upstairs, clean him up, drop him off with daddy and finish the workout. Now emotionally, guys, that was REALLY hard. But, I had to do it. I had to get healthy...I had to put me first.

So there I was. Done with Slim in 6, 14 inches smaller and ready for the next challenge. I dabbled a bit in P90X again and tried the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. Neither kept me motivated. I yo-yo'd a bit until I found TurboFire the summer of 2010. That program CHANGED MY FRIGGIN' LIFE!! The music, the choreography, Chalene. All of it kept me coming back for more every single day...for 90 days. 30 pounds lighter, I felt like I was on top of the world. At this point, Diego was older and knew I was working out everyday. Sometimes, when I didn't get a chance to workout in the early mornings, I had to do it after work. Diego would "spot me" when I did my sit ups, or he would jump around the room with me...or he would hang on me. LOL. It was not easy when he was awake, but I was determined. And let me tell you, kids are the best accountability partners! If Diego hasn't seen me workout in a while, he will point it out. :) Gotta love that kid!

It was not the weight loss that kept me going. It was the way I felt after my workouts that kept me coming back for more. I learned that I needed that time for me in order to be a more patient mom, a more loving wife, a more focused employee, a better friend. That hour of working out changed my outlook on my day and made me a better person. All of a sudden, that hour was non-negotiable.

I sit here today 40 pounds lighter, a gazillion inches smaller and a MUCH more fulfilled human being. Physically, I'm now able to do all the P90X workouts, as well as Insanity & hours upon hours of Turbo. I've learned that my priority in my life isn't my son & my husband...as I had originally thought. My priority is more specific than that. It is to be a happy & fulfilled person so that I can be a happy mom for my son, a positive wife for my husband, an inspiration to my friends & family. It's so important to me to SHARE this way of life with people...because really, it is the only way to truly live this life to the fullest.

I share this with you because it is important to realize that working out is much more than vanity. It is about finding yourself & FIXING what it is that made you unhealthy in the first place. If you do not fix it, you will go back to being unhealthy. Guaranteed. Weight loss, health, nutrition...a lot of it is emotional. Find yourself, learn about yourself, make yourself a priority and the rest will fall into place. I promise.

You only get one shot at life and I intend to give my shot everything I've got.

Saying goodbye to The Truck Chaser

2011-07-12T07:53:00.001-07:00

With so much social media consuming my day, it's hard to find time to blog. And, well, I always wonder if people really care what I have to say. I started this thing as a food truck blog a while back and I'll admit, I haven't been to a food truck in a long while. A lot of that has to do with my workplace moving from Downtown LA to Pasadena. When I worked in DTLA, trucks were everywhere at lunchtime. In fact, towards the end of my time in DTLA, 4 of them parked right across the street at the 7+Fig center. I went about 3 times/week.

Things are different now. I work from home, which is nice, and my job is much more demanding than it used to be. I don't usually have time for a lunch break, let alone the time to stand in an hour line with a bunch of hipsters for a sandwich. I've also really been trying to watch what I eat and, well, most food trucks are not easy on the waistline, that's for sure.

So...do you still care what I have to talk about, even if it's not about food trucks? I imagine most of you follow this blog because you want to see the photos of the yummy food emerging from the trucks roaming Los Angeles, but I just don't have it in me anymore. Actually, today my life is more about fitness, eating healthy and being a busy working mom. Quite the opposite of the Truck Chaser you met a few years ago, no?

I've held off on this blog because I felt like I hadn't really grown into my online persona, if you will. I started out as The Truck Chaser and now I'm a fitness freak?? Sounds a little Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde if you ask me. But, you know what? I've changed. I'm a new person...completely different in so many ways. So I'm just going to be myself. That's probably the best plan.

My posts may not be filled with beautiful pictures (like they ever were!) or perfectly crafted sentences...but I hope you'll stick around regardless. :)

The Weekly Itch (no not that kind of itch...)

2011-04-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

I am kind of a closet partier. If a week goes by and I haven't gone out with friends, out to dinner with my family, something, ANYTHING, I go a bit crazy. I'm a very social person yet I'm kind of shy around new people. Yep, I'm a little weird.

One thing that I love doing is working out with other people. My workouts are usually at 5am in my living room, all by myself. Day to day, that's the only way I can stay consistent with my workouts, but on Saturdays I turn it into one big fiesta!

Every Saturday, my hubby & I put on a Fit Club in Pasadena where we pop in a Beachbody DVD and all sweat it out together. We usually pick the program once everyone is there so that we make sure we choose something that is on everyone's fitness level. In the past, we've done P90X, TurboFire, Rev Abs, and just this past weekend we did Hip Hop Abs. OMG, I was dying of laughter the whole time. It was a lot of fun and a nice chance of pace to my normal routine.

We are a fun group! See!

You should come! Email me for the deets (link on the right column). It's absolutely free and we have babysitting available for $10 per child. And, after class, sometimes we go for some of these:

Psst! Nom Nom Truck is coming to 7th & Fig today. I will be partaking in the gluttony. :)

Insane return!

2011-04-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

It's been a while since I've posted anything in here. It's mostly because I haven't made the time, and when I do have a second, I feel like I don't have any pictures worthy of adding to the 'ol blog. And we all know that blog posts are more fun with pictures.

Also, as most of you who follow me on Twitter know, I've been on a workout kick for a while now and I haven't been eating at many food trucks lately. It's a shame because they park right across the street from my office at 7th & Fig every Mon-Wed. This would have been a dream to me about a year ago, but now it's a bit of a nightmare. Sometimes I cave...and I'll be sure to post about those. I gotta remember to take pictures. I've sort of lost my truck chaser mojo.

But - it's a good thing because my waistline is on a major shrinkage kick!! Unfortunately, the scale isn't moving but I feel stronger & healthier. I'm currently doing INSANITY and it is majorly kicking my ass. I'm still in awe every time I finish a workout without dying. So far so good though. I'm on week 3 and feeling great.

I've also been trying to eat healthier. 6 meals/day, each meal containing a carb, protein & fat. I've been trying to get away from the mentality that I should have 3 real meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) with snacks in between. That's how I used to do my 6 meals/day. Now, I'm trying to make each of my meals the same size. I seriously notice a big difference when I eat this way. I feel lighter, less bloated and just better overall.

Anyway - I just wanted to post a little something to get this thing kicking again. Here's a picture for good measure.

Meeting Tony Horton from P90X :) SO COOL!

WINNER!!

2011-01-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

We have a winner (2 actually)!

Congratulations to Type1RockStar! She commented:

I love turbo ANYTHING and zumba! Being fit is totally my new years res!

I am a fellow Turbo junkie (Chalene Johnson 4 ever) and also enjoy shaking my tail feather at Zumba class. I will send you an email to find out which Sweaty Band you would like...

...and you know, I changed my mind about only giving away one. I have about 5 of these at home and I'd much rather you guys are able to try out such a great product.

So Winner #2 is Lydia! Congrats, Lyd! She commented:

Fave form of exercise is totally weight lifting! It's changed my body, and my life! :)

I've seen your muscles, girl! Don't no one want to mess with you!

I hope you both love them. I will let Type1RockStar have the first choice since her number came up first, then Lyddy will get the one she doesn't choose. Fair?

For those of you wondering where "OMG They Don't Slip!" came from...it's Sweaty Bands' slogan...and it's dead on. They don't! Hop on over to their website and check out all their cute bands. You will not be disappointed.

Yay, that was fun!

First giveaway ever!

2011-01-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

***This contest is now closed***

That's right! I have a giveaway for all of you. Yay!! (Still not sure anyone reads this puppy as I've had about 5 comments in the past 6 months, but Google Analytics says otherwise.) I trust this awesome product will bring all you kids out to play.

Working out is tough on women with longer hair, yes? For me, I was constantly dealing with fly-aways being plastered on my face during a workout and I couldn't find anything that would successfully hold them back. I tried going the cheapy route and bought a pack of Goody StayPut headbands from Target. During the first 5 minutes of my workout, the headband fell off about 10 times. Yeah...not going to work.

In venting my frustrations to my friend, Tasha, she suggested I try Sweaty Bands. Seriously...she gets the "suggestion of the year" award. These are the best accessory I own by far. They never fall out of my hair and believe me, I've tested them. 90 minutes of an intense P90X yoga workout with me attempting to stand on my head...it didn't fall out. 60 minutes of a crazy TurboFire workout...it didn't fall out. Running around town on an errand-filled Saturday...stayed put.

These things totally rock. When trying to figure out what kind of product I wanted to share for my first blog giveaway, Sweaty Bands was kind of a no brainer. I emailed them one night out of the blue and seriously did not expect a response. But, the very next morning, I had an email from them letting me know that they were gifting me 2 bands...one for me and one for the winner. Now, normally I would be nice and give both away but these are just too good for me to be that generous. hehe. So, I'm giving away one. Here are the goods:

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**

PRIZE: Choice of either 1 inch "Racing Stripes - Black & Tan" band (pictured on top) OR 1.5 inch "Thriller Thick - Multi" band (pictured on bottom)

TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words "OMG THEY DON'T SLIP" and...

BONUS QUESTION: ...what is your favorite form of exercise? Are you a runner? A group exercise junkie? Is getting more exercise on your list of resolutions for 2011?

DON'T FORGET: Include your email address so I know how to contact you.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Thursday, January 13th at 8pm PST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: United States only

ADDL DEETS: One entry per person is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday morning as a separate post. Good luck!

Full Disclosure: I wasn't paid for this post, however I am keeping the sweaty band that the winner doesn't choose. :)

Day 6

2011-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Day 6 of Chalene's challenge and it was all about how to create a carefully crafted and diligently maintained To Do List.

Ahhhh! I looooove lists. Like I have a serious obsession. Everywhere you go in my house, you'll see lists - a grocery list, a Target list, a house cleaning list, a bills list...I'm telling you, lists everywhere. That is part of my problem. I do not keep them in one place which means I just have a bunch of stuff to do but I'm terrible at organizing it all.

Chalene gives us 5 steps on how to accomplish today's task:

1. Make your to do list at the same time every day: I still need to figure out the best time to make my list. I'm thinking it will probably be in the mornings when the house is quiet, but I'm not sure how I can fit in one more thing.

2. Make your to do list in the same place every day: I need to figure this one out too. Chalene suggests your car (while parked, obviously). This might work for me.

3. Keep your list with you at all times: Not a problem. It's on my iPhone. I just have to keep that puppy charged.

4. Add 2 or 3 small steps that will move you closer to your push goal(s) every day: Today's 2 were do my P90X workout and take down the Christmas decorations, both of which I did.

5. Review and revisit the list.

I downloaded the 2Do app on my iPhone and I absolutely love it. It is so user friendly and easy to refer back to several times/day.

This habit speaks to my soul. I'm excited to make it a daily thing.

On another topic, today's P90X workout was a 1 hour Shoulders & Arms DVD in the morning followed by Ab Ripper X (15 minutes). I ran out of time for Abs so I did it when I got home from work. Luckily for me, my trainer was here waiting for me.

He may be 3 but he's one heck of a trainer!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Day 5

2011-01-06T00:30:00.000-08:00

Today is Day 5 of Chalene's challenge. Our assignment was to make a push goal promise. We were to tell people who are close to us about our push goal and promise that it will get done.

Kind of like how NSYNC sang to all of us in the 90s.

Go ahead. Play the song in the background as you read. You know you wanna.

My promise was made to my mom (who I've worked my entire life not to disappoint), my hubby (who will give me massive amounts of crap if I don't follow through), and 2 of my very dear friends who will hold me accountable. I promised that I will organize my house & finish P90X. Those are my 2 push goals. I can totally do this.

Now that I'm posting that picture, I'm thinking that crossing your fingers while making a promise means you don't really promise, right?? Oops. You get the picture. :)

CJ's challenge: Day 4

2011-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Day 4 of the Chalene's challenge is to focus in on our list of goals and identify the 1 or 2 "push goals" - or goals that will push through all the rest of the goals.

I think on my list, there are 2 push goals. The one I originally listed was to go through each room in the house and make it more organized & efficient. If I accomplish this, I will also be able to finish decorating the house (Goal #7), cook 3 nights/week (Goal #9), and spend 1 hour 2 x per week playing games with my family (goal #8). Organizing my house will make my family life more efficient, which will in turn give us more time to spend together.

My other "push goal" is to complete P90X. This program has been such a big challenge for me. Just when I get going, and even get through 2/3rds of it, I fall off the wagon for various reasons. The first time was because I hurt myself. The second time, I missed kickboxing too much. But this time - this time! - it's on. If I complete P90X, I will most likely lose 15 pounds (Goal #1), have the confidence to become TKB Certified (Goal #5) and Start a TKB class in Pasadena (Goal #6). From a business standpoint, I will be more likely to become a 3 star Diamond coach with Team Beachbody (Goal #2), and in turn pay off debt and save 3 month's salary (Goal #4).

Those 2 push goals literally wipe out the whole list. So awesome!!

This stuff seems so obvious but to actually put it on paper speaks volumes. I'm loving this!

...and because blog posts are boring without pictures, here's one from New Years Eve for good measure. :)

CJ's Challenge - Day 3

2011-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Day 3 of Chalene Johnson's 30 day challenge. The assignment was to write out 10 goals for the year, then examine the list and compare them to our list of priorities. We were to make sure that all our goals are in line with our priorities. If not, we re-evaluate that particular goal that does not fit. After listing 10, we figure out the "Push goal", or the goal that, if accomplished, would start the process of accomplishing all the other goals on the list.

I printed out her handy dandy PDF file (perfect for my type A ridiculousness) and got to work.

At the end, my push goal was to go through each room in my house and make it more organized and efficient. It's crazy to me how simple and kind of unimportant that goal is in the grand scheme of things. But, it makes perfect sense. I was always the type of person who could not start on my homework until my room was spotless. I need to find this order in my home before I can truly focus on the goals that will make a big impact.

The cool thing about this task is that we will make a goal list every week without referencing the one from the week before. This way, we will figure out the goals that are truly important.

Exciting!

We heart Pasadena!

2011-01-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

Hubby & I have lived in Pasadena for 5 years and during that period of time, we have truly fallen in love with the city. The architecture, the history, the old homes, the restaurants, the shopping...all of it. Yes, I know that Pasadena is known for having mediocre restaurants but I am determined to find the diamonds in the rough.

I have been keeping a list on my iPhone of things in Pasadena that I wanted to check out one day. The idea was that hubby and I would take a day off of work and enjoy a date day doing everything on the list. We finally got our day today!

The first thing on our list was the Pasadena Museum of History, but it didn't open until noon and we had a few hours to kill so we hit up Lovebirds Cafe for some pastries and coffee.

We then drove around to see some of Pasadena's famous homes:
Walsh Family house from 90210

Father of the Bride house (eeeek!!! I love this movie! FRANC!)

Can't you just see all the flamingo's in the front yard?? So cool!

Then we went to go see the Batman house, but alas, this is all we got:

After all that, I was starting to get hungry again but we decided to hit up the Pasadena Museum of History instead to work up an appetite. To our surprise and disappointment, the only thing open was the museum store. :( We did get some cool books though! (we got all except the Earthquake book. We bought that later in the day.)

I was super excited to get my hands on a Rose Parade program. We have one for every year lil D has attended and we weren't able to get one at the actual parade this year. That Hometown Pasadena book is awesome too. We have the first edition and had to get the updated version. If you spend any time in Pas, you must buy this book.

Then we hit up the Norton Simon Museum, where we saw lots of:

Naked people

Crazy dog ladies of the 1700's

Women with their priorities in order (read: Food)

We tried to expand our mind and be part of the intelligent folks

And there really was some beautiful art & architecture

The winding staircase that led to the Asian art section

where my hubby searched and searched for the Filipino art section.

Not Filipino, but he is entirely too happy about the sword up his ass:

This guy made me chuckle. I love that he has a bazillion hands and he's dancing with all of them.

There as a small modern art section where I spied this awesome painting.

But really, at the end of the visit, the biggest (or smallest?) take-away was lots and lots of anatomy.

After all that excitement, I was definitely ready for lunch at Le Grande Orange. We had never been before but heard really great things, so we decided to give it a try.

Shrimp Ceviche

A Craftsman Lager for the hubby, which he liked so much that he called the brewery while drinking the beer to find out if they do tastings...so we could go after lunch. LOL

White wine sangria for me. Yum!

Hubby got the ahi tuna burger (bad photo, sorry)

And I got the short rib tacos. Meh.

The star of the show was this puppy.

Mmmm mmm mmmm. SOO good. Best I've ever had at a restaurant. I had the leftovers for dinner tonight. :)

I read rave reviews about their red velvet cake so we ordered a piece to go and I'm going to indulge myself right after I'm done with this blog post.

Unfortunately for us, Craftsman Brewing Company does not do tastings so we ended up at the Santa Anita Mall and shopped until we (almost literally) dropped. I'm pooped from such a fun day but it was so awesome to experience our own city and spend some much needed time with the man.

Day 2 of challenge

2011-01-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Day 2 of Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge to Master Organization and Achieve Your Goals.

I woke up to a pile of dishes in our kitchen thanks to our late night drive to Alfredo's in El Monte, so as I cleaned up I re-listened to Chalene's Car Smart audio on setting priorities. I subscribe to her monthly audio programs and this particular one made the most impact in my life. I was so jumbled and stressed out before she helped me put everything in order. Part of today's assignment was to re-listen to Priorities.

After that was done (and our kitchen was back to normal), I logged on and watched today's video that gave us the following assignment:

1. List your top 3 priorities

2. Rank your priorities in order of importance to you.

She also provided a PDF file for us to fill out if we need some guidance. I'm not very good at filling a blank piece of paper with my thoughts so I downloaded his puppy and filled 'er out.

It took me about 10 minutes to fill it out and at the end, I was staring at this "Top Priority clarity statement":

My number one priority is to create a safe, happy and efficient home for my family. I will limit my "technology time" to 30 minutes per night in order to achieve this. I will spend 15 minutes per day tidying up. I will follow the FlyLady Program. The rest of my evening will be spent being actively engaged with my family.

As you can tell by the above statement, I'm really bad at keeping my house clean and it affects our day to day life. It affects my mood and the attitudes of my husband & my son. I really want to get better at this because I think it will really calm my mind and give me more mental energy to sit on the floor and play with my son, have meaningful conversations with my husband and just enjoy my evenings a bit more. A big part of this is the big black hole called the Internet. I log in to Facebook and before you know it, I'm looking at my friend's cousin's wedding photos. LOL. TOTAL waste of time. Does that happen to anyone else? 3 hours later, I've wasted an entire evening, my house is still messy, I still have lunches to make and laundry to do and my stress level is off the charts. Totally not worth it.

I'm going to attempt to do FlyLady again. It's kind of cheesy at first but I can totally see it working. We'll see how it goes. :)

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of resolutions, however this year, I joined Chalene Johnson's "30 Day Challenge to Master Organization and Achieve Your Goals in 2011."

Today is Day 1 and my homework is to determine the things in my life that are truly important. "What things do you feel a calling towards?" "How do you want to be remembered?" The assignment is very general but probably that way by design. Here is my list:
1. My family. Always #1. My husband & my son are the two most important people in the world to me.
2. My career. I come from a family full of hard workers and I definitely inherited that gene. I love my job and want to be remembered as having tremendous work ethic.
3. Faith. It is important for me to raise my son in a loving home rooted in faith. I also absolutely love volunteering at church. I've always felt that is a calling of mine.
4. Kindness. I want to be remembered as a kind, generous and loving person. I trust everyone unless they give me reason not to...and even then, I usually forget and have to be reminded. I naturally see the good in people. Sometimes that gets me in trouble, but it's ok. It's a big part of who I am.
5. Health. I want to be around for a long long time and in order to help that become a reality, I need to workout, eat smart and stay healthy.
6. Financial Stability. Money is important. Being able to support my family is so important to me. I've seen the flip side of that coin and it's ugly.

I'm excited to see what Day 2's assignment is.

Diet? What diet?

2010-12-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

Is this thing on? I wonder if anyone will even find this post. Hmmmm...

Wow, it's been a long time since I blogged. I always have the intention of keeping this thing up and then ... I don't.

It just happens to be prime time for resolutions so I'm going to make it one of my priorities to post more in the 2011.

The truck chasing slowed down for me the second part of the year. There were more and more parking issues in DTLA which caused a lot of trucks to abandon the area completely. One of my favorite trucks is Don Chow Tacos and they just don't come around anymore because of the parking issues. :( I did end up hitting Nom Nom when they made a downtown lunch stop, but I had to drive there ... and it was raining. It was worth it, but all the effort kind of sucked.

I guess I'm just getting lazy.

I ate lots of other yummy food this year though including visits to AOC, Palate Food + Wine, Elements Cafe, Sansai in Maui, Gardenia's in Cabo, LudoBites 5.0 and 6.0, Test Kitchen, Bazaar, The Dining Room, Babita, Bouchon...yeah, I was far from deprived.

I also spent many nights eating Korean BBQ with my co-workers and friends, and singing lots of karaoke while throwing back ridiculous amounts of soju.

I didn't abandon my trucks completely though. My good friend, J, came to visit from Kansas City and I had to take her to the DTLA Art Walk for some grub. Here she is with my fellow truck chaser, Jenn.

I also spent a huge part of my year trying to get fit. With the help of P90X, TurboFire and all my friends in the Beachbody community, I'm proud to say I lost 25 pounds this year. It's crazy, empowering, unbelievable, kind of scary, etc etc. I feel great and I'm so happy I was able to lose the weight while maintaining balance (ie. eating good food and never depriving myself). I still have about 15 pounds to go.

I started Fit Club Pasadena this year so I could exercise with my friends. Making it fun always helps!

Of course, after Fit Club, we grub. Here is my post-workout meal:

It's all about balance and maintaining. Eating what I want and being happy, yet staying healthy. Somehow, it will be done.

P90X Day 2

2010-10-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

The first Fit Club Pasadena group

Held every other Saturday at 10am. Email me for deets!

I started P90X again yesterday. I tried it before right after I had my son and it really kicked my butt. I actually ended up hurting my knee about 60 days into the program so I quit...and gained all my weight back. Looking back now, I know I should have just modified the moves to stay on track, but my head wasn't in it.

Now, after 1 round of Slim in 6, another failed attempt at P90X and 1 round of TurboFire, I'm ready to tackle P90X once and for all. Today is day 2 and while 90 days seem daunting, I've learned that taking it one day at a time is the way to succeed.

My struggle this time is going to be staying motivated. I got through TurboFire without any problems because that was truly my soul mate workout. Kickboxing, dancing, great music (read: Boom I Got Your Boyfriend and Push It) made each workout fly by and made me look forward to the next workout the second I was done.

P90X is different. I'm going to struggle a bit, I think. Weights, Yoga, Pushups, Pullups...all the stuff I'm awful at. But, to make a change you have to do what's scary so HERE I GO!

Getting healthy

2010-10-06T07:18:00.001-07:00

As you all know, this started as a food blog. I'd like to take it another direction now though. I've been on this health kick for about a year and have lost about 20 pounds since.

I feel great, more energized, and healthy. However, I'm still a foodie at heart. One sighting of The Manila Machine or Calbi (who I've found a new love for) and my heart pitter-patters like a mo fo.

Somehow, I've found balance. I have no idea how I did it because my love for food is intense. So many of my fellow workout buddies talk about how we need to change the way we look at food and see it as fuel only. Ummmm...negative. I say enjoy food, enjoy life, and live a lot. At the same time, kick your butt into gear an hour/day and work to maintain balance.

That is what this blog is going to be about. Balance, health, good food, maybe a little mommy talk. I hope you'll stick around!

CoolHaus

2010-08-03T20:46:00.001-07:00

I'm not a big ice cream fan. I'm 1/2 Asian and eating anything with lactose usually ends up with me curled up in a ball squealing in pain. But some culinary masterpieces are worth the pain. When I heard about CoolHaus' brown butter w/ candied bacon ice cream from my buddy, Wan, I knew I had to try it...regardless of the physical consequences.

First you choose your cookie, then your ice cream...

I chose the Snickerdoodle cookie with brown butter w/ candied bacon ice cream.

Ummm...it was good but holy smokes was it HUGE. I ate about 1/2 of it before I got so frustrated with it that I tossed it. Sacrilege, I know.

If you don't mind a huge mess, definitely give these sammies a try. Maybe you'll be riskier than I was and order the foie gras ice cream?

Follow CoolHaus on Twitter @Coolhaus

Lomo Arigato

2010-08-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

I have heard good things about Lomo Arigato since my early chasing days. They rarely come downtown for lunch so when I saw them parked on my fave truck corner, I had to give them a try.

I ordered the Lomo Saltado and it was cooked to order...show included.

The result was a stir-fry like concoction with french fries mixed in. I must say, I was very impressed. The flavor was so bold, the meat was juicy & tender, the veggies balanced out the heavy protein protein perfectly.

It was delicious. Give it a try!

Follow Lomo Arigato on Twitter @lomoarigato

World Fare

2010-06-07T22:27:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to try World Fare for no other reason than it's a double decker bus instead of a roach coach. They call it a "Bustaurant." I also was really looking forward to the truffle mac and cheese balls. I love truffles, I love mac and cheese, and I love... well... lets just get started, shall we? ;)

One of the menu items that World Fare is known for is Bunny Chow. I had no clue what this was so I was happy to see they provided a little explanation.

You can choose your bunny chow to be filled with Short Rib, Chicken Curry, BBQ Pork, or Vegetarian Chili.

Some other menu items...

I placed my order for 2 bunny chows and truffle mac and cheese balls, then made my way up the stairs to the 2nd deck of the bus.

I was slightly disappointed to not see tables like I had seen on some yelp photos. I was looking forward to sitting and eating my lunch on the bus while enjoying the DTLA skyline. Instead, I stood at the little tiny counter installed around the circumference of the 2nd deck. :/

When my name was called, I made my way back down the stairs carefully (it's slightly dangerous. I have no idea how people do it late at night.) and picked up this delicious grub.

Curry Chicken Bunny Chow

Short Rib Bunny Chow

Truffle Mac and Cheese Balls

Truffle Mac and Cheese ball exposed

The short rib bunny chow was better than the chicken curry bunny chow. The truffle mac and cheese balls were out of this world. I could have eaten 4 orders of those (4 x 3 = 12 balls) and called it a day.

I'd go back for the balls.

Follow World Fare on Twitter @worldfare

Sweets Truck

2010-06-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

The fourth and final truck I visited during my trip to the old DTLA truck lot was the Sweets Truck.

I'm not a huge sweets fan, but I figured I'd take one for the team so I could report back here.

Soooo many yummy options! (The glare was especially bad in these photos. My apologies.)

From what I've read, I should have bought one of these!

I ended up going with this:

I don't know why the name references DJ AM. I should have asked. It was damn good though!

nomnomnom

After publishing this blog post, I got an email from Milk & Krunchies explaining the DJ AM reference:

It is a question that we get quite frequently about our toffee flavor. Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) was actually a partner of our company. The toffee flavor was his favorite and was aptly named after him a couple of years ago. We're so glad you enjoyed!

Mystery solved! DJ AM had great taste!

Follow the Sweets Truck on Twitter @TheSweetsTruck

Slice Truck

2010-06-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

Is this thing on? Testing, testing...si, si, si.

Hola!

In between moving houses and life, I've neglected this bloggy blog. But here I am again to tell you about Slice Truck!

I visited Slice Truck when it was parked at what was the Downtown LA Truck lot. Since I was trying 4 different trucks that day (oink mother f'ing oink), I stuck to 1 slice of pizza.

My slice has pepperoni, mushrooms, and huge pieces of shredded basil. Yummmm!

It was deliciously fresh & scrumptious. The dough had just enough bite to it too. A well executed slice of pizza.

I was also pleasantly surprised at their beverage selection:

I have a serious love affair with root beer. As a child, my dad used to take me to Dairy Queen for root beer floats. It is one of the most vivid memories I have of him. He passed away when I was 8.

In honor of my daddy:

Follow Slice Truck on Twitter @SliceTruck

Vesuvio

2010-05-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

In my old age, I'm starting to really hate the truck chase. I mean, really. To walk 4 blocks to lunch and then read halfway there that the truck you were going to decided to cancel or move? So not worth it.

When Matt Geller, who is the rockstar of the truck world, decided to start opening truck lots around the city, my geriatric bones giggled with joy.

My first (and only) time to the DTLA truck lot, I made a stop at Vesuvio.

Given the fact that I had ordered some food from other trucks at the lot that day, I only ordered arancini from Vesuvio.

Arancini (Italian Rice Balls)

They were aiiiiight. I wish they had a kick to them. The sauce was really good, but the rice balls were sort of flavorless.

Take a look at that picture of the arancini, folks. I'm learning, yo. Thanks to these folks.

Next time, though, I'm totally ordering the meatball sandwich. I am a true sucker for those things. I think the one at Subway is spectacular, so I'm sure I'll think the Vesuvio one is out of this world. :)

Follow Vesuvio on Twitter @vesuviola

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives - Don Chow Tacos

2010-04-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

When I heard that Don Chow Tacos was going to be filmed for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I knew I had to find a way to be there. It was in the middle of a weekday at T-Lofts in West LA. Being the no-nonsense truck chaser that I am, I took half of a vacation day and drove out there.

Nope, not my car. That would be Guy Fieri's car that travels all over the country with him for tapings. They put it in a little white trailer and haul it wherever Guy goes. There is actually a person on staff who's sole job is to transport the car and keep it looking good. Pretty cool huh?

My fellow truck chaser, Jenn, met me out there for the taping. We had a great time catching up with each other, watching the filming, and talking to Guy's driver.

I am usually really shy when I see a celebrity, so it took me forever-and-a-day to ask Guy to autograph his cookbook I had brought. When I finally did work up the courage, he was very nice about it...but I totally chickened out and didn't ask for a picture with him. Fail.

Here he is spray painting "Guy Ate Here" on Don Chow's Truck

And here he is with the well-derserving Don Chow crew. They truly are one of the best trucks out there. I'm so glad the nation will be able to experience a bit of their grub, soul & excitement through the television.

The show is tentatively scheduled to air on 6/28/10. Congrats, guys!

Follow Don Chow Tacos on Twitter @donchowtacos

Grill Em All

2010-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I'm kind of scared to do this review. Other people who have reviewed Grill Em All have been told to take their opinions and shove them up their arse. Actually, I think the exact reply was "Grow a palate." I don't have anything particularly bad to say, nor do I have anything really that good to say either.

Ah, hell, my blog. I'll just go for it.

The truck was parked on 12th & Grand so the chasers and I started our trek. I didn't realize just how far this corner was from our office. 1 mile, people...each way. Of course, as luck would have it, I was wearing 3 inch heels.

I snapped this picture of the "Stale" Center as we walked. tee hee.

Finally, 1 mile was up and we reached "the beast".

The Menu

I'm a sucker for bleu cheese so I ordered the Bleu Cheer

I loved the way the sweetness of the cranberry played off the strong flavor of the bleu cheese. The chips in the burger also added an element of yum.

"just co-worker"'s Waste Em All burger was pretty good too.

As a side, we ordered some Pomme Frites with Truffle Oil, hoping to have a similar frygasm that we had at Komodo.

Unfortunately, they didn't add the truffle oil so we just got standard pomme frites. They were still good, but not frygasmic.

After inhaling my entire Bleu Cheer along with some fries, I was positively stuffed to the gills...and not in a good way. I felt nauseous. Big portions stuffed with lots of delicious ingredients. Thank goodness for my 1 mile walk back to the office...blisters and all.

These guys don't mess around. I guess it's the "heavy metal" way of doing things. As for me, Lionel Richie is more my speed. I think he'd be ok with In N Out.

Follow Grill Em All on Twitter @GrillEmAllTruck

Qzilla BBQ

2010-04-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

BBQ. I don’t really like it very much. I eat it because I want to try all the trucks, and there are a few BBQ trucks. Qzilla is one of them. I’ll have the full rundown for you in a sec.

First…a story.

I’m from San Diego, which means that growing up, I thought LA was scary and dirty. The closest I ever really got was Irvine for the New Kids on the Block concert when I was 12. Don’t hate.

At the ripe age of 20, I met a handsome young man who would end up being my husband. He was attending Cal State Long Beach, so my trips to LA became more frequent. Well, actually, he lived in OC…but when you are from San Diego, OC = LA. I started to really like Orange County and decided I would look for a full time job in LA when I graduated school. I ended up finding a job in Downtown LA…only 35 miles from my apartment in Orange. Remember, I was from San Diego. 35 miles? Couldn’t be that bad. Ummm, yeah…I was wrong. After doing that commute for 4 years, I decided it was time to either find a new job or move to “LA LA”. But, I was still scared. I was used to my sterile suburban neighborhood in Orange County and there was nothing that compared in LA.

My husband had just enrolled at California School of Culinary Arts/Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena and was commuting from OC too. We decided to try to find an apartment in Pasadena and ended up buying our first home instead. My first few months in Pasadena were scary. I liked the commute but all the streets were narrow, the buildings were old, and I couldn’t get past the fact that my doctor’s office had carpet in it. Doctor’s offices in SD & OC were most definitely not carpeted. Ew. As time went on, Pasadena really started growing on me and now, 6 years later, I love it. It’s my little safe haven in “big bad LA”. I tend to stay in my bubble most weekends. I love the tree lined streets, the families playing in the park, the history of the city, the Rose Parade. I love it all.

Qzilla BBQ is a unique truck in that it parks in Pasadena every day. There aren’t many trucks that make it out to the SGV in general, so it’s nice to have our own food truck. We made our trip to Qzilla a family excursion on a gloomy Saturday afternoon.

Fancy truck, right? Ha! Not nearly as fancy and beautiful as the other trucks, but being a seasoned foodie (ie. fatty), I know that some of the best food can be found at the hole in the wall joints. This is your hole in the wall food truck.

I always search out the pulled pork sandwich at BBQ restaurants, since that usually is the safest bet, but I decided to be a little wild and order the brisket.

Mile High Brisket on Texas Toast

This bad boy was BIG! The brisket was solid, although I like the brisket my hubby makes a bit better. It was a bit on the dry side and boy was it MESSY! I’m not big on getting my hands dirty when I eat, hence why I don’t like BBQ much.

BBQ Baked Beans

Now these puppies were tasty! I really haven’t met BBQ Baked Bean that I didn’t love though.

As we were wiping the sauce from our faces and cleaning our hands, the truck manager came out and gave us some free ribs. Sawweeeet!

They were delish! The best thing we ate that day, for sure.

One nice thing about Qzilla is that they offer party packages that you can call in and order. Lots of businesses nearby also place large orders for their functions.

So there you have it – a lot about how I ended up in LA, and a little about BBQ. Hope I didn’t bore you to tears. :)

Follow Qzilla BBQ on Twitter @qzillabbq

Louks To Go

2010-03-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I've been so anxious to catch up with my blog posts so that I could finally get to this one.

Behold the awesomeness that is Louks To Go.

A little about the day I tried Louks:
First of all, I was dressed up in a blouse, skirt and heels. A skirt and heels, people. Not a good truck chasing outfit at all. I had just taken my 2 year old to the pediatrician's office in the morning so when I finally arrived downtown, I had snot on my shirt and crumbs all over me. Oh and my feet hurt like a biaatch.

When I read on Twitter that Louks was going to be in Downtown, I drove my lazy ass to their corner to stake out a gyro.

They weren't 'doors up' quite yet so I checked out the menu while I waited.

Then nice gentleman filling the ice bin informed me that they wouldn't be open for another 20 minutes. Suck. Luckily, I had spotted Don Chow Tacos down the street and walked my tired feet over there for a little BBQ Pork taco snack. After shooting the shit with the Don Chow guys, I headed back to Louks to order my gyro.

Beef Gyro

I apologize for the quality of the picture. I was trying to get close enough so you could see the fries that they had stuffed in with the other delicious ingredients. I'm totally one of those people that puts chips in my sandwiches, so fries in my gyro were right up my alley! Sounds kind of dirty huh? I assure you, it was not dirty. It was divine.

I wouldn't say the gyro was superior to others I've had...but I'll tell you what rocked my socks.

These.

Honey Feta Fries

Holy Lord Baby Jesus Son of Mary!!!!!! Amazing, Rich, Flavorful. By far one of my favorite items I've had on a truck thus far. My mouth is salivating just thinking of them.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, they also serve these:

Nutella Louks

These are like little funnel cake holes drenched in Nutella. They are good, but I'm not much for sweets. "just co-worker" loves these.

My one critique for the fine folks at Louks is that they should change their Fries & Louks packaging. When we took the Nutella Louks back to the office, we noticed that they had melted the bottom of the plastic container a bit. Kind of gross. But.umm.yeah, we still ate them.

My poor attempt at a photo of the hole.

Louks has become one of my regulars just for those honey feta fries. I may try to replicate them at home. That would work out great during this Lenten season!

Follow Louks To Go on Twitter @loukstogo

Truck chasing blues

2010-03-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I do have a bunch of material to get to, but honestly, it's depressing. You see, I gave up food trucks for Lent. It was truly the only thing I could give up that was a real sacrifice. It's so hard to write about the food when I can't have it!!

I will do my best to get a few posts up between now and Easter but I'm not making any promises...

18 days and counting...

Any food trucks willing to park outside my house on Easter morning? ;) I'm going to be chomping at the bit for a good nom.

Fishlips Sushi

2010-03-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

My truck chasing adventure continues as I make my way through Food Trucks for Haiti. Yes, still. I'm still catching up.

After visiting Don Chow Tacos, Phamish, and Asian Soul Kitchen, you'd think I'd be done. But see that's the thing about chasing...you see a truck you've never had and you just have to try it because..."ohmygod I don't know when I'll see it again!" Kind of ridiculous, I know, but just go with it, 'mkay?

Enter Fishlips Sushi

I'm not going to lie. When I heard there was a sushi truck, I was kind of grossed out. I mean, it's one thing to eat cooked food from a truck but raw fish? uh uh, no way.

...until it was there, in front of me, in all it's raw fish glory.

Here is a small part of a much larger menu

The hubby and I ordered Yellowtail sushi & a Spicy Tuna Roll.

It was good, yo. Like really really good. The yellowtail was super fresh and the spicy tuna roll was just your standard yum. I was pleasantly surprised.

Unfortunately, Fishlips Sushi doesn't frequent Downtown for lunch so I'll have to hunt them down again soon.

Follow Fishlips Sushi on Twitter @fishlips_sushi

Kidneys are more important than teeth

2010-02-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

This is a different kind of post. One from my heart, if you will.

First, a little backstory. I have a tooth ache right now. I cracked a tooth and had to go to the dentist for it yesterday. Luckily, I don't need any major work (yet), so he told me to take Advil and see if that helps. I asked him if I can take Tylenol instead, and he said no. Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory agent. Then the convo continued:

Dentist: Does Advil make your stomach hurt?
Me: No. I have Polycystic Kidney Disease. I can't take Advil ("it can reduce the flow of blood through the kidneys and aggravate high blood pressure - so PKD patients should NOT take these medications" - www.pkdcure.org)
Dentist: Well then ride out the pain. Kidneys are more important than teeth.

That made me laugh. :)

A little about PKD and how it has affected my family

Polycystic Kidney Disease affects more people than you know. Some people live their entire lives without knowing they have it. Others die from it. Basically, cysts grow on your kidney (one or both), and they grow and grow until they restrict kidney function and you either go through dialysis or get a kidney transplant. There is no cure. Nothing they can do. NOTHING.

This frightens me to know end. See, I lost my father at 8 years old due to this awful disease. He was 38 years old. He was first generation American, a USC alum, a very successful CPA. He had the most amazing sense of humor. He was the best father a little girl could ever want. He was my daddy, and to this day, I still have many vivid memories of the short amount of time we spent together.

When I turned 13 years old, my mother decided to have me checked out for PKD. It's hereditary. I remember laying on the ultrasound table as the tech rolled the wand over my lower abdomen & lower back. She carefully clicked, measured, typed. It was official. I, too, had PKD.

I still have PKD. And there is nothing anyone can do to help me.

When I met the man I knew I wanted to marry, we had a long conversation about death. I wanted to be sure that he still wanted to marry me even though I may die young. Even though I may leave young kids for him to raise all by himself. Lucky for me, he loved me enough to look at me like I was crazy for being concerned.

In 2003, we got married.

In 2007, we had a beautiful baby boy.

I have responsibilities now. I have people who depend on me to live.

You don't have to know me very well to know that when I want something, I do everything in my power to get it. I want to live. I want to beat this awful disease. I want to be there for my husband and my child.

On March 7th, I will join Walk KidneyWise as we raise money to fight chronic kidney disease. I ask you to please dig deep in your pockets and donate to help find a cure. Even $5 makes a difference.

Click the family photo below to donate. Thanks!

Phamish

2010-02-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

A few months back, Phamish tweeted a Downtown LA lunch stop and the chasers and I were on our mark to go on the hunt. Unfortunately, they ended up not being able to make it, which left us sad and hungry. I was finally able to catch up with them at the Food Trucks for Haiti event.

I love that they did this to help the cause that much more.

Here is their delicious menu filled with Vietnamese awesomeness.

I really really wanted to try their pho, but chasing around a 2 year old at a food truck event with a bowl full of hot liquid would have been bad. Ah, to be young and single again. ;)

Instead, I went with the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi.

Lemongrass chicken banh mi

The ingredients were fresh, the bread had just the right amount of crunch (read: it did not cut the roof of my mouth), and the lemongrass flavor of the chicken was on point. 'Twas scrumptious. My hubby, on the other hand, did not like it as much as Nom Nom Truck. But, he is not The Truck Chaser. I am. And we all know how "on point" his food critiques are. Yeah.

In all honesty, I think Nom Nom is a tad bit better. BUT, I didn't have to wait in line for an hour to get my Phamish banh mi. That definitely adds a lot to the experience.

Verdict:

Disclaimer: Please don't mind the disheveled look. Food truck events are friggin' stressful to navigate.

Follow Phamish on Twitter @eatphamish

Don Chow Tacos

2010-02-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

I heard about Don Chow Tacos early in my chase. My friend and fellow chaser, Donut, is friends with Lawrence, who is one of the guys who started Don Chow. She had been marketing them to me for months. After unsuccessfully wishing them to downtown for lunch, I decided to give them a try at the Food Trucks for Haiti event.

Their menu is Chinese Mexican Fusion, also known as me! My background is Chinese & Mexican...two cultures you would rarely put together in a person, let alone in food. Turns out my parents were brave enough, and so was Don Chow.

The line at the event was about 5 people deep. They had one person taking orders outside the truck, a la In N Out, and another person in the truck taking the money. Efficiency at it's finest.

I ordered 1 Kung Pao Chicken Taco & 1 Chinese BBQ Pork Taco.

Chinese BBQ Pork Taco (foreground); Kung Pao Chicken Taco (background)

Kung Pao Chicken Taco: Eh. Not good. It was way too sweet and not really that spicy at all.

Chinese BBQ Pork Taco: Off.the.hizooook! This taco is just incredible. It was like all the goodness of a char siu bao scooped out into a tortilla with some extra crunch & added texture. Woooot!

A few weeks after the Haiti event, they surprised the heck out of me and made their way to my favorite street corner in Downtown! Weeee! Off I went to try the Chinese BBQ Pork Taco again just so I could be sure it was as good as I remembered. You know...so that I'm giving you guys accurate information. Yeah.

Not only was it still good, I think it was better. Something about making mass quantities of tacos at the Haiti event really affected all the trucks I visited that day. The difference with this taco was slight, but it was definitely better the second time around.

Being the unique mix that I am, I rarely find other people of the same pedigree. But now, thanks to Don Chow, I can take comfort in the fact that I am, in fact, a delicious blend of culture, flavor & soul. Yes!

Follow Don Chow Tacos on Twitter @DonChowTacos

Komodo

2010-01-30T15:08:00.001-08:00

I broke the rules again and decided to drive out to 2nd & Central to try Komodo.

Their menu, on it's own, doesn't make much sense. "B"? "T"? Que?

To help guide you through their selections, a very nice dude stands out front and explains every menu item. He asks you what you like and makes suggestions based on your preferences. I thought this was a really great personal touch.

They also have this great little cheat sheet at the window.

"Just co-worker" and I are pretending to watch our waistlines, so we split the Komodo Signature Burrito.

Komodo Signature Burrito

...and an order of truffle fries because, well, we are watching our waistlines.

Truffle fries

The burrito was off the hook. Right away, the great quality of the meat is apparent. It was tender & flavorful. The guacamole was out of this world, and the cotija cheese added just the right amount of flavor contrast.

The truffle fries were obviously amazing. Truffle anything is amazing.

It was at this truck that I had my soul food revelation. From the second you walk up to Komodo, you can tell that these guys are working hard to put out delicious food. When you are done eating, they ask you how you liked it. They genuinely care. I love that.

This is definitely one truck that got their slogan correct.

Follow Komodo on Twitter @komodofood

Calbi

2010-01-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

Calbi recently joined the Grand Avenue trucks during lunch, so "the co-worker" and I decided to hop in the car and take a drive up there. I know, I know...I said I would never drive to a truck. But I really wanted to try Calbi and I was too lazy to take the Metro or walk. so there.

When we arrived at the truck, this is what we saw:

Yep - doors closed. They were supposed to open at noon but didn't end up opening until 12:20. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. However, this particular day was uncharacteristically warm and I was wearing a cashmere sweater. Yeah.

As we waited for them to open, we checked out their menu.

I noticed an allergen warning on the menu, which I thought was great. My son has lots of food allergies so I know how invaluable it is when food establishments go the extra mile to inform their patrons of the ingredients being used. This is definitely not normal for a food truck, but is much appreciated by those who live with allergies.

When they finally opened, I placed my order for 1 beef taco and 1 pork taco. "The co-worker" had a similar order.

Beef, Pork & Chicken Tacos

What's wrong with that picture?

Yeah - it looks like a salad. I ended up taking about half of the lettuce off so I could really taste the meat.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed. I don't even think I finished either taco. This totally bummed me out since I had heard GREAT things about Calbi.

I later learned that Calbi is owned by Baja Fresh, and the trucks are franchised. This takes away every single bit of soul that I love to see in these trucks. A big fat boo to that.

That being said, I'm willing to give them another shot. I can't be the only person in this huge city that doesn't like Calbi.

Follow Calbi on Twitter @CalbiBBQ

Fressers

2010-01-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

This far in the chase, I'm starting to go to trucks I wouldn't normally go to. Take Fressers for example. Their special is pastrami. My husband loooooves pastrami, craves it often, and gives in to his craving occasionally by hitting up The (legendary) Hat. Being the health nut that I am (!), I am slightly repulsed by the amount of calories I am told are in pastrami. But off I went to try Fressers for (say it together now)...the sake of research.

As I arrived at the truck, I realized that I am, in fact, a Fresser. No if's, and's or but's about it.

The menu consisted of sandwiches, bowls, salads, sides & sweets...

...but I was there for the pastrami.

1/2 Hot Pastrami Sandwich

Now, sometimes we chasers lose our minds when we smell good food. Stupidly, "just co-worker" and I both ordered a 1/2 pastrami sandwich and it didn't dawn on us that we should have ordered a whole and split it until we were walking away with our food. 1/2 a sandwich is $6.50. A whole sandwich is $8.50. We spent $4.50 too much. Not only that! We ordered together so we asked for 2 halves. heh.

And check out the size of the 1/2 sandwich!

It was tiny. It was damn good...but it was tiny.

I wanted another 1/2, but not for $6.50 more. Ugh. So frustrating.

"The co-worker" ordered a full sandwich and couldn't really decide if he liked it.

Another chaser who I lovingly call Donut wanted to order the roast beef bowl, but unfortunately, they weren't serving it that day. Donut walked away empty handed.

One thing that I did appreciate about Fressers is that they offer several different types of mustard. Also, I'm a sucker for a good pickle so I wolfed that bad boy down.

Their potato salad was decent, but not very memorable. I took one bite and called it quits.

Potato Salad

Bottom line: The flavor was there. The pastrami was delicious. The rye bread was the best I've ever had. It would have been an A+ if the portions weren't so small...and if the math made sense...and if they had Donut's roast beef bowl.

Follow Fressers on Twitter @Fressers

Barbie's Q

2010-01-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not a BBQ fan at all, so heading out to Barbie's Q was truly only for the sake of research.

First of all, Barbie's Q gets major kudos for parking at 9th & Hope. This is the OG street corner. The one where Kogi parks, and Flying Pig parks...and where Bool and a few other trucks used to park. See, that's the thing...so many trucks have sold out and now park up at 350 S Grand. Sure, all the fancy financial yuppies work up on Grand, but us middle class working folk get hungry too! Lucky for us, Barbie's Q was there to feed us on this beautiful sunny day.

Here is their menu:

And a close up because I care:

The owner of this truck is very friendly and stands on the sidewalk to explain the menu and make suggestions. He was really very friendly and welcoming.

He suggested I order one of their specials so I went with the Mac & Jack w/ beans and choice of "Q". I chose Pulled Pork.

As I waited for my food to be ready, I turned into the truck paparazzi and started taking pictures.

I loved this sign. It explains the passion behind their food. If you read my last post, you'll understand why this is so important to me. (sorry for the crappy pic. It's hard to take photos with the glare. If you have any helpful tips, please send them my way.)

Ha!

After about 5 minutes, my food was ready and looked delicious!

Mac & Jack w/ beans and Pulled Pork

All the food was spectacular. The mac & jack was creamy, the pulled pork was smoked to perfection (for 10 hours!), and the beans were sweet and, well, country. I was surprised at how impressed I was, considering I really do not like BBQ. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that it was all mixed together in one dish. I'm anal when it comes to separation of my food, so I would have preferred distinct flavors. However, it's impossible to deny that the food was incredible.

Surprisingly, I was not completely stuffed after this meal. Oink.

Follow Barbie's Q on Twitter @BarbiesQ

Soul Food

2010-01-14T20:00:00.001-08:00

Unlike my regular posts that are filled with pictures of yummy food, allow me to wax philosophical for a bit.

As of today, I've visited 21 food trucks. Most were great, some were good, a few were awful. My favorite ones weren't necessarily the ones with the best food, though. They are the ones who provide an experience when you visit their truck. They are the ones with the truck managers that greet you cheerfully when you walk up to their window, and who take the time to tell you their story and explain their menu. They are the ones who make it clear that they are happy to have you.

Maybe it's a personal issue of mine that I long to feel wanted..I don't know.

Let me be more specific. If I had to choose my Top 3 trucks, they would be Asian Soul Kitchen, Dogtown Dogs, and Komodo. They all have great food but what really sets them apart is that the people working the truck are busting their tails to make sure that their customers are happy.

At Asian Soul Kitchen, they take the time to explain their food and make recommendations. They deliver your food with a smile and a "Please come back soon."

At Dogtown Dogs, they remember you when you come back a second time. They wrap up your order so that everything you need is in the bag. They ask you how you heard about them.

At Komodo, they explain each menu item in detail and ask you about your preferences in order to recommend the perfect selection for your palate. They tell you their story about how they started, who works on the truck, why they do what they do. They ask you how you liked their food after you've eaten.

All those things make such a huge difference for me. I liken it to shopping at a small mom & pop toy store vs shopping at Toys R Us. My top 3 are the mom & pop. They work hard, they thank you for coming, they care. When you tweet them that you liked their food, they tweet you back inviting you to come again soon. Others, perhaps like the Grilled Cheese Truck & Kogi, could give a rats ass if you come out because there will be 128 other people in line with you...they are the Toys R Us of food trucks.

Am I making any sense? I tried to explain this to "just co-worker" and he looked at me like I was nuts.

Basically, I don't care if you give me the best damn lunch I've ever had. If you have an attitude, I can taste it in your food. On the other hand, if you give me a meal made with soul and allow me to connect with you when I visit, I can taste that in your food also...and it just happens to be the secret ingredient.

LA FuXion

2010-01-14T07:29:00.001-08:00

On a warm LA winter day, "the co-worker" and I decided to hike up to 350 S Grand to try Calbi. As we were waiting for Calbi to open (stay tuned for the next post), we spotted LA Fuxion parked next to them.

Their concept is "Latin Asian Style", which is as unique as they come (/sarcasm), but who am I to turn down a taste of a new truck? "Research", remember?

I zoned in on their taco menu and decided on the Xogogi taco. I placed my order and proceeded to wait...and wait...and wait...

While it was probably only 75 degrees that day, it felt like 90 degrees. As if that wasn't enough to make me moody, the fact that I was waiting at least 20 minutes for 1 taco was enough to bring out my latitude (aka latina attitude).

The long wait time did give me the chance to scope out LA FuXion's truck, however.

They are one of the few trucks that have speakers, which is pretty cool...even though they weren't on.

They should have saved their money and splurged on some Mexican coke or Calpico instead. Their drink selection was booooring.

Finally, after a 25 minute wait, my taco emerged from the window.

Xogogi taco

I must say that the bulgogi used for the taco was very good. Most other Korean taco trucks use short rib meat, so I definitely appreciated the unique touch. The kimchi on top of the taco tasted weird. I gave "the co-worker" a taste to get his opinion. He is Korean, after all, so maybe it was just my kimchi ignorance that was causing my dissatisfaction. He said that the kimchi was "over-pickled." hmm.

Unfortunately, even though the bulgogi was delish, it wasn't good enough for me to make a return trip. I don't care how good your bulgogi is...a 25 minute wait for a taco is reeee-donk-ulous.

Follow LA FuXion on Twitter @LA_FuXion

Asian Soul Kitchen

2010-01-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

At this point in my truck chasing experience, I am on the look out for trucks I've never tried before, as opposed to searching LA County for one truck in particular. The day we found Asian Soul Kitchen, we had never heard of them before. Their Twitter name is @itsbentobaby, which I thought was so cute, but that's about all I knew. Oh - and they were at 9th & Hope, which meant that our lazy asses didn't have to ride the Metro to get to them...and so it was settled.

Their menu is extensive, albeit a bit confusing.

Being the oinkers that we are, all the chasers ordered the Sampler (Choice of two main dishes, rice and a side). Hey, it's a good deal.

Tamarind Glazed Lollipop Chicken, Yakisoba,

Spicy Creamy Macaroni & Cheese and Thai Black Rice

Tamarind Glazed Lollipop Chicken: People rave about these chicken wings but I wasn't impressed. My hubby makes similar wings with calamansi that rock my universe. These had a hard time living up to them.
Yakisoba: This dish was delicious. Mild flavors but still very satisfying.
Spicy Creamy Macaroni & Cheese: I have never met a mac & cheese that I didn't like. This one was no exception. It was creamy & cheesey with a teenie bit of heat to it. Yummm.
Thai Black Rice: This was recommended to me by the nice gentleman who took my order. Unfortunately, I thought it lacked flavor.

The chasers' bento boxes varied slightly from mine, but all got rave reviews.

Nikujaga, Yakisoba, Southern Style Collard Greens

Asian Shrimp Taco, Slider (comes w/ 2),
Spicy Creamy Macaroni & Cheese and Japanese Brown Rice

Tamarind Glazed Lollipop Chicken, Asian Sliders (comes w/ 2),
String Beans and Japanese Brown Rice

All of us agreed that this food did not taste like it came from a truck. It was so flavorful, fresh and semi-healthy (come on! veggies and brown rice!).

I've been back to Asian Soul Kitchen since this visit and ordered the sliders. ASK has the best sliders of any truck by far. The blend of meat used for the patty is so flavorful and matches perfectly with the sweet bun.

We truly loved Asian Soul Kitchen. If there is any room for improvement, it would be with their staffing. They only have 2 people in the truck - one taking the orders and the other cooking. This can make for long wait times.

Follow Asian Soul Kitchen on Twitter @itsbentobaby

Rose Parade 2010 Food Trucks!

2009-12-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

Being that I adore Pasadena and am lucky enough to call it home, I will be listing the food trucks that will be visiting us for the Rose Parade below. Be sure to check back often, as I will be updating as I get the info from the trucks.

Trucks that will be on the Rose Parade Route

(will continuously be updated)

The Sweets Truck

12pm - 2:30am & 5am - 1pm/ 31 N Arroyo Pkwy (between Colorado & Union Street)

-----

Nom Nom Truck

CANCELLED.

Green Truck

2009-12-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaaack! :) I took some time off because my butt starting growing, as you can imagine. I'm going to slow down a bit with all the eating and pick it up on the workouts. I do want to live past 35, after all. That being said, today's review could not be more appropriate.

My announcement to the chasers that we were visiting the Green Truck was met with a lack of enthusiasm, to say the least. After many weeks of eating korean bbq tacos, banh mi, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and french fries, I can't say that I blame them.

The Green Truck is committed to providing healthy food while protecting the environment at the same time. They use only organic ingredients and buy locally whenever possible. From their food, to their plates, to their cleaning supplies, to the way their trucks run, everything these guys do is with the environment in mind. To read more about how they do this, check out their website.

When we arrived at the truck, we were greeting by two very nice men and this beautiful menu.

The items differed a little from what I saw on their website, so I had to make a quick decision since I had planned to order the burrito. I decided on the falafel wrap and walked up to the window to order. As I did this, I saw "just co-worker" and "the co-worker" look at each other as if to say, "Are you ordering from this healthy ass truck?"

Lucky for them, they did.

Harvest Free Range Chicken Wrap

"Just co-worker" ordered the Harvest Free Range Chicken Wrap. Being the impatient guy that he is, he almost always eats his food while we walk back to the office. Usually, we don't hear a peep from him during the walk but this time I kept hearing "mm" "oh" "mmm mmmm mmmm". I asked him what the heck he was moaning about and he said, "This is GREAT." Now, "just co-worker" does not usually use this kind of language. His food adjectives include "aiiiight", "expensive", and "coo". When he said "GREAT", I couldn't wait to try my wrap back at the office.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my falafel wrap, but let that be a testament to how good it was. I've had really good and really bad falafel. This falafel wrap was full of flavor and the organic veggies made it so fresh and delicious.

Of course, being the pig that I am, I also ordered garlic rosemary fries. Hey - they are organic.

Garlic Rosemary Fries

I did not try any of their drinks but here is their selection:

Next time the Green Truck makes it downtown, the chasers will definitely be the first in line. We loved the food, and loved that we didn't have heartburn for the rest of the afternoon.

Follow the Green Truck on Twitter @Green_Truck

The Place LA

2009-12-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

Last week, I took the day off of work which left me feening for a food truck in Pasadena. Lucky for me, there is The Place LA. This truck only serves in Pasadena. I asked them why and they said that there is too much competition in other parts of LA. Touche. (I've always wanted to use that word.)

I was pretty confident that anything I ordered would be good thanks to the Yelp reviews. Their menu was extensive so choosing was difficult.

I ended up ordering the tacos and my hubby ordered the grilled cheese sandwich with tomato & bacon.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Bacon

Despite the fact that they forgot to add the tomato, this was pretty solid. The cheese was melted, the sourdough bread had a nice taste to it, and the bacon was crispy. Yum!

Tacos

These were just ok. Not bad, but not great. They don't have any real flare to them, meaning they are just regular Mexican tacos. I didn't like the beans at all and the rice tasted like rice pilaf. Kind of a weird pairing with the tacos.

One thing they do have down is the junk food. Want any Flaming Hot Cheetos, glazed donuts, gummy bears, or Twix to go with that?!

Even though the food was a minor failure, the experience itself was pleasant. The Place LA gets major kudos for kickin' it in the 'dena full time. I absolutely love this area so any business that dedicates itself to the city is awesome in my book. This also allows for the opportunity to eat your food while enjoying this view:

Another thing they have down is service. The guys who run this truck are friendly, laid-back, and truly have an interest in meeting their customers. They had a small break in customers after they delivered our order so we were able to chat it up a little.

One small thing about me: Just because I love food trucks and review them on this little website doesn't mean I walk up to the trucks and say, "Hi. I'm the truck chaser and you better serve me well or else you'll get a bad review." Any conversation that is had is almost always initiated by the truck managers, and I prefer like that. It's the only way you can be sure that your experience will be similar to mine when you visit.

Anyway, The Place LA is run by 2 great guys who walked out of the truck to sit and chat with us a little bit. It was nice to hear about how they started and why they do what they do. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and the food was good enough.

Oh, we also got a good laugh at the guy who ran up to the truck and asked 3 times very loudly, "How much for a tea bag?" ummmm...there's gotta be a better way to word that.

Follow The Place LA on Twitter @theplacela

OG Food Truck

2009-12-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

Before Kogi changed the way I viewed the world, there were the OG trucks. You know...the kind that pull up to construction sites at lunch time. I don't chase these trucks although I'm not going to lie...the one that used to park at Joe's Auto Park on 8th & Fig had a really good carne asada burrito that I absolutely loved when I was with child.

My hubby is always raving about the OG truck that parks by his office. Coincidentally, his office is close to 350 Grand, where all the nouveau trucks park every day. The same day I tried Dogtown Dogs, I decided to grab a grilled cheese sandwich from the OG truck to see what all the hype was about.

First of all, the line was friggin' long, so they must have a very loyal client base.

Second, take a look at this menu.

Oh no...it doesn't stop there.

Clearly, they lack focus, but I'm not sure how important that is to these OG food trucks. My guess is not at all. That's the beauty of them, I suppose.

I walked up to the window and ordered my hubby's usual: A grilled cheese sandwich with tomato.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Tomato

Talk about nasty. It was the most disgusting grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had. How do you F up a grilled cheese sandwich anyway?! Later that evening, I reported back to my hubby: "Your culinary school graduate ass don't know shit about flava." He then informed me that I got it all wrong. I should have ordered it on sourdough.

Doubt that would have made a difference.

Follow the OG Truck on Twitter @worstfoodtruckthateverexisted

Dogtown Dogs

2009-12-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not really a fan of hot dogs, so I was hesitant to try Dogtown Dogs. I mean, when you can have a korean bbq taco or a banh mi, why would you choose a hot dog, right?

For the sake of research, I sucked it up and trekked my bootie to 350 Grand for a taste.

They have a clean & simple menu board, with descriptions of each dog kept at the ordering window.

I checked out their website before visiting and had my heart set on the Trailer Trash Dog.

Trailer Trash Dog

Heaven = Hot Dog + Chili + Nacho Cheese + FRITOS! Truly incredible

"Just Coworker" ordered the California Dog, which is topped with avocado, arugula, tomatoes, and fried onions.

California Dog

Despite the obvious fact that I ordered the "man" dog and he ordered the "girlie" dog, we both thoroughly enjoyed our selections. From the first bite, you can tell that the quality of the hot dog is top notch. I've never been the type to ask what a hot dog is made out of. But rest assured that if it's made out of cow hoof, pig tail, or bird beak, its the best quality hoof, tail or beak you've ever had. (I'm obviously joking...Dogtown Dogs uses quality all beef snap dogs).

Again, for the sake of research, we had to order one of the sides.

Tater Tots

These were tasty although I like The Grilled Cheese Truck's better. They were missing a bit of the crunch that makes tots so satisfying.

The thing that set Dogtown Dogs apart from the rest of the trucks was the service. By far, the most courteous service we've experienced since we started chasing. When the "super nice guy" working the window heard that were going to split the tots, he said, "I'll make sure it's a big order." Sweet.

Another great service perk was the way the food was packaged. Most trucks hand you their food without a bag, napkin, utensils, etc which leaves you fumbling as you walk away. Not Dogtown Dogs. They deliver your order in a perfect little package complete with everything you'll need to enjoy their food. As you can imagine, when I opened my Trailer Trash dog and saw what a beautiful mess it was, it dawned on me that I would need a fork & knife. Lucky for me, "super nice guy" had thought of that and included utensils in my bag. A+!

Bottom line:

Food: Excellent!

Service = Even better!

The winning ticket:

MEXICAN COKE!

Thank you, "super nice guy". Your food was most excellent. Dogtown Dogs wins my FAVORITE TRUCK thus far!

Follow Dogtown Dogs on Twitter @dogtowndog.

The Grilled Cheese Truck

2009-12-08T18:14:00.001-08:00

When I heard the Grilled Cheese Truck was coming downtown, I didn't even have to rally the chasers. I had them at "Grilled."

They had tweeted that they would be by the convention center for lunch, so around 11:45, we started our treck down Figueroa in search of some comfort food. As we were walking, we saw the truck drive right past us...heading the opposite direction! I quickly checked Twitter and read that they were parking up by Grand instead. So the chasers & I did an about face and hopped in my car to drive the mile up there.

There's been a lot of hype around this truck. After reading the yelp reviews, however, my expectations were really low. Not very many people thought it lived up to the hype. I was hoping it would be worth the trip.

My husband was lucky to be in the area that day, which means I was lucky enough to enjoy 2 different sandwiches. I ordered the Cheesy Mac Melt w/ BBQ Pork and he ordered the Caprese Melt. We also ordered a side of Tater Tots and a side of tomato soup because, well, macaroni & cheese, pork, mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil just wasn't enough.

Cheesy Mac Melt w/ BBQ Pork

Simply amazing. The macaroni & cheese had just the right bite and was perfectly paired with the savory BBQ pork. I absolutely loved this sandwich.

Caprese Melt

Eh. I didn't like this one. The mozzarella didn't melt properly (not sure if it was supposed to melt or not), but I think that since my first sandwich was so incredible, this one just failed to live up to it. It wasn't bad, just not as good as the Cheesy Mac Melt w/ BBQ Pork.

Tater Tots

These were really great. They had just the right amount of crunch to them and paired with the sandwiches beautifully. I even saved some in my pocket for later. ;)

Tomato Soup

Decent. Nothing incredibly different about it, but there is something to be said for keeping things traditional in such a creative food truck whirlwind.

Unfortunately, the Grilled Cheese Truck did live up to their yelp reviews with "Just co-worker's" sandwich. He ordered a Plain & Simple grilled cheese sandwich w/ pork and here's what he got:

...unmelted cheese...

Boooooo. Ummm, but he still ate it all. ;)

I do think they had a very impressive selection of condiments though.

They have Sumac. That's rad.

Follow The Grilled Cheese Truck on Twitter @grlldcheesetruk

Nom Nom Truck

2009-12-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

I've been really excited to tell you all about the Nom Nom Truck. It really rocked our socks.

The Nom Nom Truck serves Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) and other Vietnamese inspired dishes.

The first thing you notice when you walk up to this truck is how freakin' CUTE it is! Ummm hello? It has a FACE! Adorable.

The line wasn't too long when we arrived, which is always a victory for those of us on our lunch break. "The co-worker" was especially happy about this since he loves to look at his watch and mention very loudly that he only has 30 minutes for lunch. Such a jokester that "the co-worker" is.

As I perused the menu, I was pleased to see that they offer a combo that includes a banh mi, 2 tacos and a drink for $7. Talk about an amazing deal! I walked up to the window and placed my order: 1 BBQ Pork banh mi, 1 Lemongrass Chicken taco and 1 grilled pork taco.

BBQ Pork banh mi

This banh mi 'aint no joke. It's a foot long sandwich filled to the brim with goodness. The BBQ pork was cooked to perfection and the veggies were crisp and refreshing. Then I tasted...jalapeño?

I have a confession: I'm Mexican and I don't like jalapeños. I don't really like my food that spicy at all, actually. Lucky for me, I think this jalapeño is added to the sauce they use in the sandwich, as opposed to having jalapeños as a topping. It actually added a really nice kick without being over-powering. I was glad I didn't ask for it to be removed.

Lemongrass Chicken Taco & Grilled Pork Taco

Not to be outdone by the banh mi, each taco is served with 2 full-sized corn tortillas. I chose to eat just one per taco. My ass will thank me later. The pork taco was tasty, but the lemongrass chicken taco is where it's at! The flavors just exploded in my mouth. Delicious.

Nom Nom Truck's food is unique to all the other trucks I've visited. It tastes healthier (gasp!). They don't add as much sauce to their food as the other trucks do. The flavors are so clean and the veggies are really fresh and light.

Unlike most chasing experiences where we get our food and head back to the office to eat at our desks, this time we actually sat together at a table and conversed as we ate. Now, my fellow chasers are some of my favorite people on the planet. They are shamelessly opinionated, always ready for a good chase by 10 AM, and loooove food just as much as I do. Here's what they had to say about the Nom Nom Truck:

The co-worker: "I don't feel like I need a beer to wash it down like I do with Kogi."
Just Co-worker: "By far, the best deal in town. The amount of food you get for the price is the best I've seen."
Y: "2 tacos would be a perfect sized meal."

I agree with all of them, but especially with Y. I walked away from this meal so incredibly full. Not the good kind of full either. I seriously felt like I was going to be sick. After I walked a mile back to my office and sat there for a few hours, I felt much better...but that combo that I thought was such "an amazing deal" is waaaay too much food. 2 tacos is the perfect sized lunch.

Follow Nom Nom Truck on Twitter @nomnomtruck

A proper Kogi post

2009-12-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

I started this blog with a very brief Kogi review. Since then, I've been back to the truck with camera & note pad in hand. So...here we go....weeeeeeeeeee!

I heart Kogi. They are the reason I'm obsessed with food trucks. I tell everyone I know about Kogi. Their concept is innovative and their food is delicious. But more importantly, they've got soul. A lot of soul. And you can taste it in their food.

They usually park at Market Lofts (9th & Hope) on Fridays. Because of this, the group of chasers is larger than normal since we can just walk a few blocks to the truck.

The line for Kogi can get pretty long quick. The key to enjoying Kogi at its maximum potential is to arrive 15-20 minutes before the truck is scheduled to arrive. This ensures that you will be at the front of the line.

The chasers waiting patiently for the truck to start serving

5 minutes later...

See what I mean? Get there early! Now, Kogi is efficient. They are good at what they do and they know how to execute it in the shortest amount of time possible. Still, though, your wait could get long due to the sheer number of tacos they are doling out.

Once you get to the front of their line, you are almost* always greeted with a smile. (I will explain the "almost" in a bit.) I've tried pretty much everything on their menu and by far, their short rib tacos are the best. The burritos are decent, but they are way too much food for me. They are made "breakfast burrito" style which also takes away some of the pure flavor you get with the tacos.

Short Rib Tacos. Pure amazing deliciousness.

A fellow chaser got the sliders.

I'm not really a fan of these since they have mayonnaise in them. They would be perfect if they didn't.

Kogi makes all the chasers really full and really happy. Like my late grandma would say "Panza llena, corazon contento." ("Belly full, happy heart")

Thank you, Kogi. You rock my universe.

Follow Kogi on Twitter @kogibbq

*Last month, I had a bad Kogi experience. It wasn't the food. It was the service. The truck manager was really rude to my friend and I. It made me really really sad. I love Kogi so much and it just made me sad that they may not be all I thought they were. I emailed them and explained the situation. They apologized and followed up a few times to make sure my next Kogi experience had improved. The effort they made to make sure they remedied the situation really solidified my faith in Kogi. Long live the OG of all food trucks! The chasers love you!

Bull Kogi

2009-12-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

Our 4th and final truck after South Philly Experience, Frysmith, and Marked 5 was Bull Kogi.

It's starting to get a little tough keeping all these Korean BBQ taco trucks straight. First Kogi, then Bool, now Bull Kogi...and I'm sure there are more.

We ordered the Beef Kimchi Taco.

This one tasted very much like Bool's beef taco. The carne asada & tortilla flavors were prominent. I didn't taste any asian goodness at all.

Bottom line: when it comes to beef tacos, nobody can touch Kogi.

Follow Bull Kogi on Twitter @bullkogi.

Marked 5

2009-12-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

After we visited South Philly Experience & Frysmith, we also hit up Marked 5.

The second we walked up to this truck, we were greeted by the super nice guy who was taking orders. I really didn't know anything about Marked 5, so I asked him to help me with the menu.

I chose the Torakku Beef.

The construction of this item is very cool & creative. It reminded me of how spam musubi is made. The signature homemade rice patties and the meat are held together by a piece of seaweed at the bottom of the item.

I hate to say it but it was bland. The rice patties as the bun was awkward and fell apart in my hands. The concept just didn't work for me.

What did work for me was their selection of drinks & snacks. All the drinks, except for the coke, were very unique. I chose the green tea and it was delish.

Overall, I didn't like it. This is definitely one of the more creative trucks we've visited, but I think they are just trying to do too much. Maybe I'll give them another shot and try a different menu item. I really really want to like them. Oh, and they get extra points for being in Downtown every day. That's super duper fly.

Follow Marked 5 on Twitter @marked5.

Frysmith

2009-12-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Our second truck visit after South Philly Experience was Frysmith.

The chasers & I were craving chili cheese fries, so we stuck to the mainstream menu items.

My choice was the Veg Chili Fries with Bean & Soy Chorizo Chili. I chose to upgrade mine to sweet potato fries for $1 more.

They were great! I loved the extra spice that the soy chorizo gave it, the cheese was plentiful and the sweet potato fries had a lot of flavor.

My fellow chasers went a bit more traditional with the regular Chili Cheese Fries.

They said these tasted a bit stale. Not a winner, not a loser...just meh.

One area in which Frysmith rocks is their "extras". They had Sriracha for those looking for extra heat. And just look at this selection of beverages...

This is where I spotted the winning ticket! Mexican coke!! Yipeeeeeeee! I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw it...or maybe it was heartburn...

Frysmith got mixed reviews from the chasers, but I really liked my Veg Chili Fries. Would I come back again? Mmmmm...probably not for lunch. This is more of a late night, drunken stumble kind of place.

Overall: Great value, friendly service, comfort food with a twist. I hear the Rajas Fries are incredible. I might have to go back for that!

Follow Frysmith on Twitter @Frysmith

South Philly Experience

2009-12-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Most food trucks that visit downtown LA park up on the hill by 350 S Grand Ave. This is about 1 mile from my office, so when I venture up that way, I usually take the Red Line. Last week, the chasers & I did just that in order to try South Philly Experience & Frysmith. To our surprise, Bull Kogi & Marked 5 were also there.

Yes, we ordered from all of them.
oink.

Let’s start with South Philly Experience, shall we?

Unlike other food trucks who have full menu boards, South Philly Experience’s menu is an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper taped to the inside of their window, hence it being really hard to photograph. I also only had my camera phone on this day, so I apologize for the quality of the photos.

Now normally, I’m not really a fan of Cheesesteak type sandwiches. I am, however, a fan of Cheese Wiz. Yellowish-orange, ooey gooey, stick to your ribs Cheese Wiz. YUUUUM! I ordered the Cheesesteak with “Wiz”.

You can’t really see the “wiz” in this picture but believe me, it was in there and it was glorious. The bread was perfectly toasted and wasn’t so hard that it cuts your mouth, like other cheesesteaks I’ve had.

As for condiments, they didn’t have many but I did try their hot sauce. It was watery but had a decent taste. Really though? Who needs hot sauce when you have CHEESE WIZ?!?!?!
Contrary to what you may be thinking, the sandwich didn’t feel like a rock when it hit my stomach. It was filling, but not too heavy.

Service was slow, but I didn’t mind too much considering the size of the sandwich I got. At $8 + tax/sandwich, it’s a good value for a beautiful blend of bread, meat and wiz. Yummm.

Overall, we LOVED it. Out of the 4 food trucks we had that day, South Philly Experience came out on top.

Follow South Philly Experience on Twitter @SouthPhillyExp

Buttermilk Truck

2009-12-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Buttermilk Truck made it's way to Downtown LA for breakfast. It was a different chasing experience than our lunch runs in that we had to be there first thing in the morning. I barely had time to put my stuff down and turn my computer on before 2 fellow chasers picked me up on the corner of 8th & Fig. We made our way to 350 Grand Ave where we found the friendly Buttermilk Truck.

The truck arrived at 8:30. By 8:50, the line was already pretty solid. We waited a good 30 minutes before ordering.

Being the pumpkin freak that I am, I was thrilled to see this sign when I got up to the window

The pumpkin croissant was glorious. The croissant itself was beautifully flaky, the inside filled with pumpkin. It was deliciously rich & perfectly sweet.

I also ordered a Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with chicken apple sausage and a Rosemary Garlic Hashbrown patty.

I was a little worried about the fried egg, since I'm not usually a fan, but the entire sandwich was delicious. And the rosemary garlic hashbrown patty balanced out the sandwich perfectly.

Hawaiian Bread Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

These looked promising, but unfortunately were way too hard & dry.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These were pretty tasty, however a bit too sweet. Perhaps they would be perfect without the chocolate chips.

Hawaiian Bread Breakfast Sliders

The outing favorite! Both the bread and the Portuguese sausage make this bar food regular come alive.

Housemade Cake Donuts

These are similiar to Dangos (Okinawan donuts). The consensus was that they tasted good, but they were over-fried.

Overall, my fellow chasers and I really liked the Buttermilk Truck. We may make it a regular on the weekly line-up, but the drive is a bit far. On the other hand, if it parked on 9th & Hope (closer to our offices), my waistline would be undergoing rapid expansion! The major downside of this chase was the wait time for the food. We must have waited at least 15-20 minutes for our order to be ready, in addition to the 30 minutes we waited to place our order. As a breakfast truck, this wait time is unacceptable. Most people are running around in the morning and don't have the extra time to spare. The food, however, was delicious and will definitely warrant a return trip sometime soon!

For those night owls out there, Buttermilk Truck also has a late night menu

Bottom line - Delicious. Hawaiian Inspired. Good value. Wait time needs to be much shorter. Try it NOW!

Follow The Buttermilk Truck on Twitter: @buttermilktruck

Bool

2009-11-29T23:01:00.000-08:00

Bool was always the wannabe Kogi to me. They would park right next to Kogi on 9th & Hope when I first started chasing. I commend them for being persistent, but they really looked a bit desperate. Kogi's line was at least 50 people deep...Bool didn't have a line at all.

The first time I tried Bool, it was brought to me by some friends and I was not impressed at all. I don't even remember what I ate, but I think I was so infatuated by Kogi that I refused to be open-minded about other trucks.

Now that I'm older and wiser, I decided to give Bool another shot. Bool describes its cuisine as the perfect marriage of asian flavors with staples of central and south american culinary history.

I headed over there with my chaser-in-crime, who I lovingly call Donut, on a warm fall day. Between the two of us, we ordered a pretty good selection from the menu.

Bool's taco prices are 1 cent less than Kogi's, and 51 cents less than Flying Pig.

3 tacos al carbon (1 beef, 1 chicken, 1 pork)

Beef: Very similar taste to a regular Mexican carne asada taco. I can get a carne asada taco in Mexicali for .25, so I wasn't impressed. Also, it was spicy! It was the first taco I ate, and I had trouble cleansing my palate afterwards.

Chicken: DELICIOUS. Bool has the best chicken taco I've had from a taco truck yet. Definitely a winner!

Pork: Eh. Bland. I didn't finish it.

Another menu item at Bool is the Pastel (Brazilian Dish).

I got the beef pastel, and it was basically beef wrapped in a won ton type shell, deep fried...and greasy. It was tasty, but I tend to like anything that's deep fried! You can see the puddle of grease at the bottom of the photo. Yumsters.

Overall, I liked Bool. The tacos were plentiful, the line was short, and the service was friendly.

Oh, and they had this:

Mexican coke! WINNER!

Follow Bool on Twitter: @BoolBBQ

Sprinkles

2009-11-29T22:43:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin. It's the reason I love fall. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cupcakes. I don't have much of a sweet tooth with the exception of pumpkin desserts.

A few weeks ago, the Sprinkles truck landed downtown with 4 different flavors on board. I grabbed my fellow "chasers" and we were on our way. All the chasers wanted Red Velvet. I just can't get into the R.V. I don't know why. So many people rave about it, but I just don't get it. Lucky for me, they had pumpkin cupcakes!

The cupcakes were $4.00 each, which is .75 more than they sell at the store, I think. You have to pay for the convenience, I suppose. Also, being served out of a Mercedes truck instead of an old rickety truck is gotta be worth something, right?!

Eh. I didn't like the cupcake very much. I guess you are either a Sprinkles fan or you aren't. I really do not understand the little candy on the top of the cupcake. It's hard and doesn't taste like much. A fellow chaser who tried the Red Velvet said it was too greasy.

I'm not going to lie. I ate the whole thing. It was decent, but my heart still belongs to Dots.

Follow the Sprinkles truck on Twitter: @sprinklesmobile.

Flying Pig

2009-11-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

The first time I saw the Flying Pig truck, I was driving north on Fair Oaks Avenue when it passed me heading south. The truck is pink & white, and carries the most delicious savory goodies inside. Their cuisine features a perfect blend of Asian & Pacific Rim flavors with French technique.

Sign me up.

Lucky for me, they have started to frequent 9th & Hope, my favorite corner at which to dine.

I've tried everything on the menu except for the Crunchy Tofu taco & the Crab ball. Hands down, my favorite items are the Braised Pork Belly bun & the Spicy Pork taco.

The Braised Pork Belly bun is pictured on the left. The "bun" portion of the item is the consistency of the bun you would see on a cha siu baau, but shaped like a tortilla. The pork belly is perfectly braised and topped with a delicious sauce. On the right are 2 duck tacos. Very delicious, but my heart belongs to the spicy pork tacos.

The Flying Pig fries (on the left) are basically sweet potato fries served with a unmemorable sauce. They were ok. Nothing mind-blowing. They saved that for their spicy pork taco (right). Oh my. It is truly divine. I've had a similar pork taco at Kogi and Bool, but nothing quite as delicious. Don't let the name fool you...it's not really that spicy at all.

The sliders. They are just aiiiight. One order comes with 2 sliders, so they are quite filling with all that bread. The meat is just basic ground beef and pork, I think.

A couple things I wish I could change:
1. Their tacos are 50 cents more expensive than Kogi's, and much smaller. They need to match Kogi's prices, even if they keep the portion size the same. I do, however, love small food and thoroughly enjoy eating at restaurants that serve teenie tiny portions packed with flavor, which Flying Pig does well on wheels.
2. The food takes a while to be ready. If their spicy taco didn't rock my world, I'm not sure I would be so happy to wait 10(ish) minutes for my food to be ready.

I have fallen in love with Flying Pig for 2 reasons:
1. The spicy pork taco.
2. The service. Unlike some "other truck" (ahem, Kogi), Flying Pig genuinely appreciates your business. They are always serving their food up with a smile and will come out to the sidewalk and have a conversation with you, if it's not too busy. I'm always greeted with a "Welcome back". Yeah - I have a problem. Step 1 is admitting it, right?!

Overall, I just adore Flying Pig. They will definitely be on my weekly lunch line-up as long as they keep showing downtown some love. ;)

Follow Flying Pig on Twitter: @FlyingPigTruck

Kogi: Korean BBQ-To-Go

2009-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

This blog was a recent development in my brain so I've only been documenting my food truck experiences for about a week. In the past week, I've visited Flying Pig, Bool, and Sprinkles. Today was supposed to be my Kogi BBQ day, but alas, I have a sick baby and am not able to make it downtown.

BUT I couldn't start this blog with any other truck that Kogi. They are pretty much the reason for my obsession, after all.

Kogi truck at Market Lofts (9th & Hope)

A "Kogi Week" in my world goes a bit like this.

Monday: Email goes out to all my fellow downtown truck chasers entitled "KOGI ALERT!" letting them know that Kogi will be in Downtown on Friday (their usual day).
Friday 8am: Email follow-up goes out to see who is going to join the chase that day.
Friday 11am: IMs start going back and forth about what time we are leaving.
Friday 11:40am: Chasers start gathering in the office lobby and nearby street corners. We are off in anticipation of the noon arrival of Kogi. We are usually first in line (the only way to do Kogi, in my opinion).
Friday noon: KOGI TIME!!

I am going to wait to do a proper review of Kogi when I can make it to the truck again and take photos & notes. I just didn't want to start this blog any other way than with the OG of all food trucks. That would have been a sacrilege.

2 Kogi Short Rib tacos and

1 Weekly Special (Tofu, Spam, other deliciousness)

Welcome!

2009-11-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome! Thanks for visiting The Truck Chaser, (aka my little blog that feeds my food truck obsession).

A little about myself: I'm a 30 year old working mom who spends Monday through Friday in Downtown LA. I've had several life changing experiences. I lost a parent at 8 years old. I left my family and friends and relocated to Los Angeles after college. I got married at 23, had a baby at 28, and am currently balancing my life between work & family. It's a tough gig, for sure, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Most recently, I've had another experience that changed my life: the day I tried Kogi BBQ. Ever since, I've been chasing trucks like it's my job (how great would that be?!). I'm intrigued by the recent food truck craze and I pretty much stop in my tracks when I see one. My goal is to try all the nouveau food trucks in Los Angeles and review them here.

A few caveats for you:
1. I know nothing about photographing food, trucks, people, etc. Nothing. I'm positive that my photos could be a lot better, but I'm learning as I go so please bear with me. I'm using a point and shoot most of the time, since that's what I carry in my purse.
2. One of the purposes of food trucks is convenience. You don't have to drive to them, like you would a traditional restaurant. Going along with this premise, I will not drive to try different food trucks, although I'm not opposed to taking the Metro. I've noticed that a lot of the trucks hang on the Westside, specifically in Venice. I just can't get there. I'm located in Downtown LA and the San Gabriel Valley, and I will try the trucks that are convenient to me. Luckily, there have been a few that do venture out to Downtown for lunch. :)
3. I am not an educated food expert. All I know is what I like. I'm your average foodie, if you will, so I may not be able to pinpoint exactly what flavors I'm tasting but I'm going to give it a shot. My only qualification, if you want to call it that, is that my husband went to culinary school, so I do have a pretty diverse palate.

Thanks for coming along for the ride! (har, har, har). This is going to be fun.