Multi-sensory night: The Los Angeles Bach Festival Prism Concert

I came for the lights and I got a whole lot more. Last friday night, I headed to the Prism Concert of the 78th Annual Los Angeles Bach Festival with expectations of fancy technical artistry with lights, but came out with a full appreciation of Bach's musical genius - and much more!

LA Street Food Fest Provides the Cure for "Carmageddon!"

Experience LA's diverse cultures one bite at a time with LA Street Food Fest as they present their 2nd annual summer tasting event happening at the Rose Bowl on July 16th. The event will feature a curated selection of street inspired eats from numerous vendors including the city's best gourmet trucks, old school carts, stands, celeb chefs, live entertainment, demos and more.

Cultural Learning with Food Trucks

What a great way to learn about a culture than through food! And what better way to find different kinds of food than through food trucks! They specialize in one or two unique cultural flavor(s), they are portable and come to you, and the food tends to be very tasty!

While the food court at 7+Fig (soon to be Fig at 7th) is being renovated to add in a Target (yeah!), every Monday through Wednesday, gourmet food trucks have been gathering there instead. I was first introduced to food trucks through a Din-din A Go-go at the Alpine Village in Torrance, and now that they are so close to my work, I'm trying them at least twice (if not three times) a week!

The art of coffee-making: The Southwest Regional Barista Competition

Southwest Regional Barista Competition, March 4-6 

It's considered the Iron Chef of barista competitions. This weekend, Hollywood will play host to the Southwest Regional Barista Competition #SWBaristaChamp, proudly sponsored by the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® for the second year in a row. Professional and amateur baristas from Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah will descend upon Siren Studios to compete for six spots at the United States Barista Championship in Texas later this spring, and for a chance to represent the U.S. in the World Barista Championship (oh, yes, there is such a thing!) in Bogota Columbia in June.

Photo Diary: LA Street Food Fest

A gluttonous affair and food trucks galore... mmm so good.

LA Street Food Fest

We gazed longingly through the gates that held us out. We were envious of those who'd made it through into the 1st Annual LA Street Food Fest. We were hopeful as we endured the heat, the sun beating down upon us. The line moved, slowly. My husband and I had been in line for nearly an hour and a half, and it looked like we had at least another 45 minutes before we made it to the front. I looked back and couldn't see the end of the line. It was too far away.

I texted back and forth with my friends who were among the fortunate to have made it into the event. More of the same on the other side. Waiting. And then, for those of us waiting outside, a voice echoed through a bull-horn: "We're sorry everyone. We've reached capacity and will probably remain at capacity for the rest of the day...we're not letting anymore people in. We're so sorry...Thank you so much for your support..."

It was 2:30. The crowd slowly started to disperse, disappointment on our faces. We were starving. What to do now? Chinatown's New Year festival was happening, but that would be packed and crowded. Little Tokyo was nearby, but it sounded like many others had the same idea.

We hopped the Red Line from downtown back to North Hollywood, and there at the top of the station was a tamale cart. No lines or huge crowds. It was almost as if he was there waiting for us, knowing what we had just gone through. We purchased a couple of tamales, and sat and enjoyed our lunch peacefully and immediately.

A text from my friend. He was still in line waiting for his first food truck sample. He had been in line waiting for his food almost as long as we had waited outside just to get in. His wife also in line at another food truck. They had decided to split up. In the end, they spent the entire day at LA Street Food Fest, only to sample 3-4 trucks out of 35.

While many complained, we all know we'll be back next year. Why? Because this is LA. Believe it or not, we do have a sense of community and want to support it. And we're proud of our food truck culture. The turnout for this year's LA Street Food Fest demonstrated that. The organizers will learn from their mistakes, and I'm sure next year's will be better. That said, I still plan to arrive early, and will probably come with an entourage so we can hit as many trucks as possible. See you next year at the 2nd Annual LA Street Food Fest!


-Julie

More than just a food truck

In my last post reviewing top cultural moments of 2009 in Los Angeles, item #2 was the rise in food trucks servicing hungry Angelenos. Well, chalk another one to the list. "Vesuvio," a food truck offering traditional Southern Italian fare will be hitting the streets of LA in the New Year.

Founder Matt Giangrande contacted ExperienceLA and informed us of the latest food truck to enter the mobile restaurant business. Initially, my reaction was, "Not another one." But after a brief conversation with Matt, I found that the story and inspiration behind "Vesuvio" was much more interesting than some guy simply capitalizing on an opportunity to make a few bucks.

Matt hopes that people will find this food experience a little different from most other food trucks. While many of the food trucks offer fusion menus, "Vesuvio" looks to bring authentic, Southern Italian food to the game; food which Giangrande grew up eating, and which his grandmother made.

"Many people think of Italian food, and they think of spaghetti and meatballs," he offers. Of course, we know it's more than that, but I think the idea here is that food is more than what you put into your mouth. It's an experience, and a reflection of a culture.

According to Giangrande, Northern Italian cuisine has more French and German influence, with more butter and cream based dishes. In Southern Italian cooking, you'll find more tomato-based recipes and heavier use of cheese, due partially to a greater Spanish and Arabic influence.

One of the menu items I'm looking forward to tasting is the Arancini (pronounced Ah-rahn-CHEE-nee), a deep fried ball of smoked mozzarella, parmesan cheese, rice, Italian salami, herbs & spices...umm, I heard deep fried cheese. Sold.

Aside from sharing foods which he grew up with, the founder of "Vesuvio" aims to provide a reflection of the Neapolitan way of life. Food was an opportunity for Giangrande's grandmother to welcome family and friends into her home. With "Vesuvio," he hopes to create a commonplace for neighbors and strangers to gather.

"Whenever I go to Italy to visit family, I am amazed by the amount of interaction in the streets. Complete strangers will chat each other up, scream at each other, root for their soccer teams...and this is the norm, not the exception."

Is it possible that one day, the streets of Los Angeles will look like those of Italy, with people milling about and chatting with strangers? Not likely, but folks are certainly gathering in the streets waiting to taste the delights of these food trucks. Hopefully, "Vesuvio" can deliver on more than just the food, and people gather just to gather and be neighborly. Perhaps I'll see some of you out there.

(photo courtesy of Vesuvio)


-Julie