***Disclosure: Korean BBQ is surprisingly great at making me happy.

It was SinoSoul (aka Tony C) who first told me about the Kobe Beef Korean BBQ at Oo-kook. (Yes, Kobe. Not Kobe-style.) However, something about bastardizing a beautifully marbled piece of meat over a campfire just seemed wrong to me. But I trusted Tony’s opinion (as he had been there before and the man tends to know what he’s talking about), so I decided to join him on a field trip to KTown. The gang included his wifey, Kenny, Rick, and Meaghan.

The place is situated in KTown on 8th and is $25 p/p. At first $25 a person sounds reasonable, however, when compared to other KBBQs, it’s actually on the higher price scale. Tony actually has his own theory on the Law of Diminishing Return as it relates to KBBQ & Price:

A price point of $20 should be the apex of the KBBQ scale. Any increasing price over that (in this case $25) yields a diminishing marginal return.

But it was Kobe beef?! And clearly, we weren’t going to start applying fiscal rules to an all-you-can-eat Kobe beef and Prime Rib place. A biology grad from the University of Chicago, Tony is a pretty smart dude, but he, like all of us, was most giddy about the Kobe. BBQing Kobe beef was either going to be the coolest experiment ever… or the stupidest one ever. Take a gander at the pics. HINT: I LOVED the Kobe beef tongue. That was perhaps my favorite of the evening.

We ordered the prime rib, Kobe tongue, Kobe brisket, spare ribs, marinated short beef, shrimp, pork belly, and for me, the marinated chicken. All the meats were very thinly sliced and I thought all the sauces and side dishes were great. The Kobe disappointed (we were all admittedly bummed), but the thinly sliced Kobe tongue was a real shock, as it quickly went from solid to liquid form in my mouth. It was incredible.

The service was great. Our server was always checking-in, being goofy, and constantly loading us up with more goodies for the campfire. He really made up for any diminishing pleasure in service. #MyKindaPlace

oo-kookbbq.com 3385 W. 8TH STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90005

ph: (213)385-5665

You know the feeling you get from being tickled too hard? Where it’s painfully good in that great kind of way. If so, then you must try Huckleberry. I haven’t been to a place that I’ve been so throughly impressed with for quite sometime now, and when I hit it up HB for lunch with Lizzy & Paul last week, I knew I had walked into something special. A few months ago, after reading the Food GPS review of the place, I decided that Huckleberry was a place I had to go to. I just can’t believe I had put it off this long. It’s a lot fresh baked… well, everything. And it’s pretty traditionally fantastic.

The place was opened by Zoe Nathan (Angeleno Magazine’s Pastry Chef of the Year) and her husband, Josh Loeb, of Rustic Canyon. It’s a great space and the wait staff is reasonably attentive despite the long (long) line of patrons. It’s a lot of staple combinations with a few modern twists here and there but is an overall major UG recommendation if you’re in SaMo.

Here’s what we ordered:

Fried Egg Sandwich with Niman Ranch Bacon, Gruyere, Arugula, Aioli on Country Bread

The Blueberry Focaccia

BBQ Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw and House Made Pickles

Wed Special: Deck Oven Pizza – Burrata Cheese, Roasted Fingerlings, Caramelized Onions and Arugula

Maple Bacon Scone

Sea Salt Caramel Tart (TO DIE FOR. DIE)

Cinnamon Roll

I didn’t have ONE complaint. Note: You stand in line to order, you’re given a number, and you wait to be seated. It goes rather quickly, actually. Can’t wait to come back for dinner.

1014 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90401-1907
(310) 451-2311

The LA Food Fest was back this summer and better than last time, for sure! After all, I was running the Jumbotron, there were about a million and a half less people there, and it was all the street food you could eat. It was Chicken Soup for a better Angeleno and, dare I say, helped build character to be in a space with that many of the finest street vendors in LA. Did I mention the Mayor was there? (Uh oh, I hope you hid your busty Latinas.)

I hope you Tweeted me because I was blowing the jumbotron up from 4-6p. After that, my colleagues: @stylesmith @YourDailyThread (@wordsbysarahm) @Carolineoncrack did a great job of live blogging so that I could taste some food downstairs. A big shout out and thank you to Kelsey (and her hunky husband) from Style Smith for bringing me back goodies and drinks. #GoodPeopleInLA

With that said, I saw SO many cool foodies that I religiously read. Among them were: @ambiggity@foodforfel @GastronomyBlog @fitwitla @foodismynish @ClimbinChiro@climbingdancer @theminty @vixenshappyhour @gastronomnom @venicebeachbum @streetgourmetla @LIMER35 @@starrykitchen @ItsMeCoffeeGirl @MyLastBite @foodgps @SauceLA @mattatouille @LetMeEatCake @foodforfel And a new fav: @ladyshark66 The foodie world in LA is such a weird subculture, but they’re ALL awesome people! #Trust. And, lastly, I didn’t see him but I hear he was there: @thejgold (Pasadena local, bit$@).

UG winning favs were (in no particular order): The new Dim Sum Truck and the Manila Machine. The sweet award went to: Scoops Westside for their coconut Thai ice cream. I must add, that the vegan ice cream truck was a noteworthy contender as well.

But BY FAR, my favorite was Starry Kitchen’s tofu balls. I’m actually really craving them right now. I think I have to trek to downtown this week and have lunch. Just saying.

My only gripe was that the lines were a bit long at times. But hey, isn’t delayed gratification the first sign of maturity? I don’t necessarily think that was a bad thing. Other than that, nothing worrisome. Kudos.

Regardless of whether it’s a date or a mate, there’s no doubt that this series of events will be fun. It’s movie night Saturdays near or around downtown LA and food trucks. Can you think of a more uncouth outing? I think not. I’ll probably be around for The Breakfast Club night if anyone would like to join in on some good cheap fun.

This summer series will feature over sixty different gourmet food trucks throughout eight weeks of favorite movie titles.  Thee Outdoor Cinema Food Fest creates the ultimate picnic environment for entertainment and food enthusiasts – no basket required!

Movies will be presented using only the highest quality projection, screen and sound available; which includes a 52 foot screen with 15,000 watts of professional JBL sound. Standing three stories tall, it is the largest outdoor movie screen on the west coast.

The $8 grounds fee includes access to food trucks, entertainment, park amenities and free movie.  Group rates available exclusively online at www.outdoorcinemafoodfest.com.

OUTDOOR CINEMA FOOD FEST SCHEDULE | SATURDAYS
July 24th            PULP FICTION                        Exposition Park (Near USC)
July 31st             MOULIN ROUGE                    Grand Hope Park (Downtown)
August 7th         THE HANGOVER                    Exposition Park (Near USC)
August 14th       THE BREAKFAST CLUB        Exposition Park (Near USC)
August 21st        THE PRINCESS BRIDE          La Cienega Park (Beverly Hills)
August 28th       FREE FAMILY NIGHT           Exposition Park (Near USC) — Disney’s All New Movie TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE

LOCATIONS
Grand Hope Park                        Exposition Park                             La Cienega Park
Near FIDM | Downtown            Near USC Campus                        8400 Gregory Way
W 9th and Hope Street              700 Exposition Park Drive          Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Los Angeles, CA 90017              Los Angeles, CA 90037

Did you see us the last LA Street Food Fest? If you didn’t, then I better see you this time around because the LA Street Food Fest is back! As you know, I’m an Eastside girl and so are Shawna Dawson and Sonja, co-founders of the LA Street Food Fest. Shawna and Unique LA’s, Sonja, have partnered up once more to bring you the best of what Los Angeles has to offer in terms of street food life and culture.

Josie’s still broke (don’t feel too bad for me, I’m happy as hell) and will be volunteering once again. I have A VERY SPECIAL JOB this time around so you better stop by and say hello. I’ll be Tweeting the whole time so just make sure to holler and I’ll connect.

Below you will find a list of vendors from the LA Street Food Fest site. Don’t forget that this time parking will be free, the price is all-inclusive, and there’s also an ice cream social hour. Minty will be hosting a crawl if you’d like join in on it click here. See you there and can’t wait!

“For one price enjoy sampling signature bites from over 60 vendors including hot gourmet food trucks, old school carts and stands, celeb chefs and street inspired dishes from LA’s best restaurants – serving from beautiful tents on the field of the world famous Rose Bowl!”

On the Field

Antojitos Carmen

Antojitos La Abuelita

Border Grill Truck
Cemitas y Clayudas Pal Cabron

Crazy Creole Café

Crepe’n Around
Cupcakes a Go Go
Dim Sum Truck

Dogtown Dogs
Dogzilla Hot Dogs
Don Chow Tacos
Flying Pig Truck
Fresh Fries
Frysmith
Gourmet Guild
Jaliscos Mobile Taco Grill
Kabob N’ Roll
Komodo
Louks
Malo
Mandoline Grill

Manila Machine

Mariscos El Tetos
Mariscos Jalisco Truck

Mo-Chica

Monsieur Egg

Messob

Nana Queens

Patty Wagon

Piaggio Gourmet on Wheels

Rosa’s Bella Cucina, Inc.
Seabirds
Sedthee Thai Eatery

Seoul Sausage Co.
Starry Kitchen

Ta Bom

Tamales Elena

Taqueria Escuela

The Breek Truck

The Fox Pizza Bus

The Gastrobus
The Good Karma Truck

The Grilled Cheese Truck
The Mighty Boba Truck
The Munchie Machine
The Vegan Joint

Tiara Café

Whisk LA

Ice Cream Social

CoolHaus

Natura Bar

King Kone

Scoops Westside

Sweet Lucie’s

Tropical Shave Ice

Unique LA Market Place

Eva Franco

Flea Market Girl

Further

Handmade Store on a Bike

KLEAN Spa

LOVENAILTREE

My Mishion

NAJA Tea

Oh Hello Friend

Pocket Flops

p.o.p candy

SEIBEI

Sub_Urban Riot

Two Rabbits

v is for violet

+

Bliss Spa Lounge

Blood is the New Black’s Summer Fling Truck

Del’s Lemonade

FUNCTION Drinks

Outdoor Bar & Lounge

Sailor Jerry Rum Airstream Bar

Camarena Tequila Bar

featuring Michel Dozois (Névé Ice) & Devon Espinosa (Tasting Kitchen)

Camarena Tequila Taco Truck

The Fry Girl

Cart for a Cause

Upper Deck Tequila & Mezcal Tasting

Angel Bendito Tequila

Agave de Cortes Mezcal

Inocente Tequila

Reserva Quintero

Sacacuento Ultra Premium Mezcal

Tequila 55

Tequila 1519

Tequila Abondonado

Tequilas Bracero

Tequila Capaz

Tequila Corrido

Tequila El Agave

Teteo Tequila

What do you get when you cross a gourmet food truck with craft beer? My perfect date… without the date, that is. #FML. (Can someone please find me a date?! Anyone? Anyone?) As you all know, Minty is the ‘crawl organizer extraordinaire’ and last Friday she hosted the Craft Beer Crawl in/and around Eagle Rock. Make sure to check out Minty’s review.

Here were the stops:

8 p.m. – Eagle Rock Brewery

3056 Roswell Street
Los Angeles, CA 90065

9:30 p.m. – Verdugo Bar

3408 Verdugo Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90065

11:00 p.m. – The Black Boar

1630 Colorado Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041

I got there a bit early and started chatting up a fellow patron who had gotten stood up by a girl. He looked so sad. I could commiserate so I told him what I tell most people “Been there. Done that. Got a T-shirt.” (My life is a series of sound bites.) He laughed and I welcomed him aboard the Craft Beer Crawl; he brightened up a little bit. Minty walked in and told me that the Manila Machine Truck was outside. Nastasia, the owner of the Manila Machine, worked at Joan’s on 3rd for a long time so she has a great deal of food knowledge. She quit her job, much like myself, to start this new venture, The Manila Machine. I always commend people for taking entreprenial leaps of faith and I wanted to congratulate her personally by stopping by the truck. Minty stayed inside but requested an ube cupcake – which she loves – from the truck; I told her I’d bring her back one. All perked up, I went outside to order. ClimbingChiro was already outside and this is what we had:

Off Menu Specials that Day – (I love that there are off menu specials. Makes me feel special.)

The Pastrami Slider with Jus

Sausage Fried Rice with egg atop

Perhaps my favorite menu item was the Naked Sausage slider. It was sweet, savory, and bitter. It was perfection on all fronts. I didn’t love the Pastrami Slider, but the fried rice fared well with Miss. Josie. (I may be a bit partial – I adore anything with a fried egg.) I wish I could’ve tried more! Kudos, Nastasia, you’re doing great. I will certainly be back to see how the operation grows.

Make sure to stop in to Verdugo Bar on Saturday afternoons. Apparently, it’s board games, food trucks, and craft beer galore. Maybe I’ll find the geeky scientist I’ve been pining for… #NoLongerDatingActors.

Below you can see LA’s famous bacon wrapped hotdogs. I may or may not have had one…

Thanks again to Minty for organizing.

If you’ve read any UG post in the past two years, you know that Josie has always been a strong adherer to the phrase “Price: Pleasure.” And, as many of you may  know, I quit my corporate job two months ago to start a business and possibly pursue graduate school. However, along with the great feeling of independence came less (and less) disposable income. Starting a business has limited my time and bank balance. I am no longer bringing home a steady bi-monthly paycheck and working harder than ever has limited my time for bullsh*!  But, on the whole, I think this ‘I’m not going to pay for bullshi*! and I’m certainly not going to date bullshi*!’ mentality has been a good thing for me. I’ve become more selective about 1. what I choose to spend (what little) money I have on and 2. whom I spend what little time I have with.

It was one of those Facebook kind of Fridays where you’re voyuersitically looking to see who has better plans than you do… And voila!, I saw that Amber did. She was off to First Fridays at Abbot Kinney in Venice and I asked to tag along. We got there at around 7:30P and there was a clusterfuc@* of people. The lines to get into the local bars were around the corner. And even longer were the lines for all the local food trucks. I saw Hot Pink Manolos (Yes, that’s her Twitter handle) of the Border Grill Truck and many others. We also walked by Ahn Joo, the new Korean snack truck, by Debbie Lee. It had just opened that week and Amber really wanted to try it. We must’ve walked by it four times in search for a decent bar with an honest brew and an even shorter line. We never stopped to order at the truck. It was alas when we were on the way to the car about ready to leave that we were compelled to stop. I saw a friend who was there as well and I asked her what she thought of the new truck. She shrugged with mediocrity and gave me the old ‘Eh’. We decided to order anyway.

We ordered the Korean Nachos which had fried rice cakes, soy braised pork, smokey chili queso, and kimchee salsa. We also ordered the Grilled Nutella Bhang which had apples, blueberries, and, of course, nutella.

The verdict: I was impressed. It was there first week and the food was good. The nachos were of particular noteworthiness as the rice cakes were firmly fried but inside were soft and yielding. They were also oniony and pickley. Great adjectives, I know, but it was good. The price of the nachos were $7 bucks. I know a bit pricey – but I gotta say very well worth it. The grilled nutella sandwich was a a bit over grilled but it’s contents were fresh and sweet. Plus, its crust had a nice layer of butter to really seal the deal. Because, in Twitter vernacular, I am a #ButterWhore.

And lastly, the staff was great; they really made us feel welcome. I’m so glad we stopped by. And like dating, I’m glad I didn’t continue to walk by over and over again and miss the opportunity. Best of luck, Ms. Lee. You’ve got a fantastic thing going. The Uncouth Gourmands will surely be back.

http://www.ahnjoo.com/

All Photo Credit: Ryan T

Every meal I’ve ever had at Roy’s has always been an insightful delight. And frankly, it’s nice to see a chain restaurant with some personality. If the food wasn’t enough to get you in the door, their new promotion should be. Until August 31st, Roy’s will be doing a special Ohana Tour promotion. This will allow the chefs at each location to creatively spin some of their most popular menu items. Here’s what we had:

Grilled Albacore Flatbread with Pickled Red Onion, Smoked Fetsa, Herb Pesto, and Tzatziki

Yellow Fin Ahi Poke with Wasabi Aioli, Avocado, and Caviar

Spiced Duck Confit Tarts with Sage Chevre (Goat Cheese)

Short Ribs of Beef Au Poivre with Truffled Tater Tots and Tomato Jam

Strawberry Basil Panna Cotta

“The Roy’s L.A. Ohana Tour details include:

· An inaugural trip to a participating Roy’s restaurant, where guests are awarded an Ohana Tour card to present at the next Roy’s location

· On the second visit, guests will receive a complimentary Chocolate Soufflé (with purchase of entrée)

· At the third location, guests will receive a $20 gift card (with purchase of entrée)  and entry into the Hawaii sweepstakes

· Restaurants participating in the tour include Roy’s Anaheim, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Pasadena, and Woodland Hills locations”

Special thanks to Ryan who not only came with me, but also took ALL of these beautiful pics. Follow him on Twitter; he’s a Twitter catch. Santa, I wouldn’t mind a Canon S90 for Christmas. Just putting it out there.

I was quite excited when I found out I would be covering a craft beer and vegan tasting. I indulge in all types of drinks, but I have a special place in my heart for craft beer. Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank proudly proclaims to be an all-craft, all draft, vegan /not-vegan refurbished dive bar, for beer or wine, with basement couture I must add.

Tony’s serves draft craft beer and draft wine. Wine in a keg? I know what you are thinking… UNCOUTH! I must say the Pink wine is just right; it is not too sweet and not too bitter. My favorite blonde was the Orange Wheat; it has a super light taste with a citrusy aftertaste. I preferred the Jamaica Red to all the other reds. It has the flavor of a red with a subtle and savory aftertaste. The best dark beer by far is Old No. 38 it is actually a delicate beer that has creamy head and is absolutely delicious.

There offers a vegan and non-vegan menu. I loved their vegan chili! You would never know it was vegan. I also had a smoked chicken sausage with sun dried tomato mozzarella, roasted garlic aioli, and tart tangy apple coleslaw, which went amazingly great with the beer.

When you stop in you must see Paige, she is the beer connoisseur that differentiate the different beers by scent. In fact novices can go up to her and give her an adjective; Paige will then find you a beer or wine that fits that description. Us UGs love Tony’s and think you all should indulge in some uncouth fun.

Tony’s Darts Away

1710 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506

I’m a lady who has no qualms about butter, lard, or MSG. I’m a pure pleasure seeking hedonist by nature, and I will eat whenever and whatever makes me happy. I know the JGold put out a list like this earlier this year, but I wanted to start a series of my own – The UG Bucket List. Things that, I feel, everyone should try before they die. My first pick is Louisiana Fried Chicken.

Our CTO, Ian, and I were roaming Venice last week and on impulse decided to stop into a strip mall after we saw a long line and what looked to be some credible fried chicken loving customers. The place was Chinatown Express / Louisiana Fried Chicken. I quickly pulled up the Yelp App and searched for the place. The results were few and grim. Here’s what Yelp has to say. But I looked inside, saw the waiting patrons, and decided to overlook Yelp. I’m no slave to Yelp anyway.

As soon as I looked in, I saw Chinese food. I looked up at the sign to make sure I was not mistaken and indeed I was not. They served fried chicken and Chinese?! I felt a bit uneasy. My uneasiness was coaxed when a patron looked over at me and said, “This is the best chicken in town. You got to get it fresh, though.” We looked over at everyone in line and they nodded in agreement. Ian and I ordered one thigh and waited for over 15 minutes. (Little did we know we’d be practically arm wrestling for it later.) We must’ve looked like the biggest fools sharing one thigh!

I poured some sambal and some hot Chinese chili sauce next to the thigh and we teared away. I don’t know if it was the wait, the crowd, the recommendation, or that I had never tired Louisiana-style fried chicken but we were in bliss. The skin was spicy and crunchy. The Chinese sauces only added to the spiciness and the inside was moist and tender. When it came down to the last piece, Ian and I looked at each other and, truth be told, there could’ve been blood drawn. I conceded and offered it to him. He accepted. I was happy that he accepted. After all, that’s just what you do when someone is good to you. We will surely be back and you should, too. Just make sure it’s fresh – It’s worth the wait.