The Lime Truck, Southern California

So I've been falling behind on my food blogging for a while simply because there's just WAY too much stuff going on lately! Working for another blog http://www.itsjdmyo.com is awesome but I think I should really focus on just food stuffs for this blog instead of trying to merge the two together. I'll still do a few posts on there once in a while to keep things rolling but Food will definitely be #1 here.

On that note, I've been going to the food trucks pretty regularly so I should feature a couple of them on this blog. This will be the first of many posts because I'm so behind...

The Lime Truck! What can I say, they provide fresh wholesome food with a menu that changes on a daily basis. The concept of the truck was interesting and I was having some second thoughts about eating from there because you know, "Healthy" and "Organic" are not the first things I look for in food.


The Lime Truck folks.


Their Menu that changes on a regular basis.

Crispy Pork Belly

Deep Fried Pork Belly with scallions, sesame seeds, mint and kimchi

Oh man, when I saw this thing on the menu, I KNEW I needed to order it. Even though there are so many other delicious things on there, I can't pass up Pork Belly. The flavors were excellent and reminded me of Lechon Kiwali a little bit but not as crispy as that. The fat content in the pork is excellent and super tender to the point where it just melts in your mouth. The mint is very subtle and doesn't distract from the other flavors in the bowl at all, along with the apple pieces that kind of leave you with a sweet flavor at the end. It's kinda how some people have Apple sauce or Cinnamon Apples when they eat Baby Back Ribs. All in all, I would definitely order this again when I see it on their menu.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 4/5 (The wait is about average and depends on the amount of people that want their food)
Presentation: 4/5
Taste: 5/5

OC Food Truck Meet, Garden Grove, CA

BaconMania

Bacon Ball Trio & Piggy Back

The Bacon Ball Trio - 3 Bacon balls -- 1 filled with Mac and Cheese, 1 filled with Filet Mignon and Bleu Cheese and 1 filled with Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Among the 3 different flavors, the Peanut Butter and Jelly one stands out the most as the most delicious. It is similar to a Monte Cristo Sandwich where you get Savory flavors combined with Sweet flavors. Personally I would've preferred to just have 3 of those than the other varieties. The Mac and Cheese filled one would come in second in terms of flavors and taste. Unfortunately the Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon does not go well with Bleu Cheese, unless you are one of those people who loves bleu cheese, you may not enjoy this one as much.

The Piggy back - Pulled Pork Slider with Bacon and specialty bacon sauce.
All in all, your typical pulled pork slider. I enjoyed this one a bit but was overcome with the feeling I wanted something to wash it all down with a soda or something. Personally, like I mentioned earlier, stick with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich wrapped with bacon. It was the most enjoyable thing I had from this truck.

Price: 4/5
Wait Time: 1/5 (My friend and I nearly waited 90 minutes to get our food from our time of order. I guess it's good that the food is prepared to order, but that took way too long)
Presentation: 4/5
Taste: 4/5

Dogzilla

Furikake Dog

Spicy Hot Dog covered with Seaweed, Japanese style Mayonnaise, furikake seasonings, grilled onions on a bed of Hawaiian sweet rolls
This was definitely something amazing. I had heard all the hype about Dogzilla's hot dogs and they definitely do meet your expectations. I actually had recently had the opportunity to finally sample all the hot dogs they provide, but I will focus on this one. The slightly spicy taste of the hot dog combined with the sweetness of the japanese style mayo is a good combination and it is further unified with the savory and salty flavors of the Furikake seasonings and the grilled onions. If I could I would try to eat 3 of them but that wouldn't leave me much stomach room to try anything else at these events. I am definitely a fan of Dogzilla's Hot Dogs.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 4/5 (When there's nobody in line, the food comes out really fast, but this was a special event and the line was up to 2 hours long for some people.)
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 5/5

Din Din A Go Go, Los Alamitos, CA

So once again, I find myself lining up in the cold, this time near Los Alamitos Racetrack for another edition of Din Din A Go Go. There were fewer trucks this time around but probably because everyone is prepping for the new years, with new recipes, new specials and probably just new ideas in general. I found our friend the Tropical Shaved Ice Truck and also Vizzi Truck that Tony along with a few new ones like Lee's Gogi Truck and Chomp Chomp Nation.

For the first timers, the address is located at 11081 Winners Circle, Los Alamitos CA, 90720.

Lee's Philly Gogi Truck

Their Menu

Gogi Beef and Spicy Chicken Tacos

As with the tradition of the food trucks, they have freshly prepared tacos. Meat, Kimchi, Sauce, Cheese and Tortillas.

Review: The spicy chicken was something I was particularly interested, more-so than the beef, because from what I could tell, the beef is a sweet soy marinated beef that most asian foodies will experience so I wanted to see what the twist on the chicken would be. In actuality, the chicken wasn't too spicy at all. It just has a slight spicy bite that I suspect might have been from the kimchi instead. Although, the plus side to the taco is that they are so massive that you are almost guaranteed to have "taco run-off" where the filling falls in the tray the second you pick it up. All in all, not a bad buy because of the price and how big these tacos actually are. The Gogi Beef taco was what you might expect, a sweet and savory taco that is easy on the mouth. The beef is the thin sliced beef you would typically find in Shabu Shabu or hot pot and full of flavor as well. The cheese in the taco kind of takes the edge off the overpowering meats, so that definitely helps.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 3/5 (There was a bit of a wait for me because there was actually a decent sized line ahead of me.)
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 4/5

Vizzi Truck

Their Menu

Braised Wagyu Beef Sliders (2) and Black Skillet Chicken Slider

Cookies

Braised Shredded Beef Sliders with Special Creme on a hawaiian roll, Grilled Chicken Thigh with Creme Sauce, Popcorn dusted with white truffle powder, salt, figs, and 2 Chef Inspired Cookies.

Judgment: The beef is SO TENDER! The sliders literally break apart and melt in your mouth. I'm sure they use a special slow-cooking process to make the beef so soft and the flavors are fused into the meat so robustly. The Hawaiian Sweet Roll is there mainly to give you a break in the midst of the rich flavor of the beef and creme sauce. What was surprising to me was that the Wagyu Beef Sliders were already really good, the Black Skillet Chicken was even better! The skin was crispy, and the chicken was very moist! I would have thought it would have been dry but I felt the chicken slider was better than the beef ones. I think that now when I go eat at Vizzi's on my free time, I'll probably just order 3 of the chicken sliders. The sliders were also pretty massive as you can see, the chicken was twice the size of the sweet rolls in the photo. The Popcorn was a good idea and alternative to french fries, and definitely a bit healthier than a box of fries as well. The white truffle essence is kind of hard to pick up on, but it is definitely there, with the Figs in to provide a hint of sweetness whenever you happen to eat one. The cookies were okay, just your typical run of the mill fresh baked cookies. I was hoping it was as amazing as the sliders but I guess it was a fine way to round out the meal.

Price: 4/5
Wait Time: 4/5 (Even though there is a wait time, I like how this truck had LCD TV's mounted on it to help pass the wait time)
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 5/5

That's all for now! I think I'll be visiting the Irvine DinDin-A-GoGo tonight. I want to go bowling again!

Din Din A Go Go, Irvine, CA

It was a chilly night but I haven't been to a food truck in a while so I felt like it was time to pay them a visit. As usual, I followed Din Din A Go Go to figure out what I wanted to eat and where to get my food fix. If you didn't know, the whole "Din Din a Go Go" event is basically a weekly meet of food trucks at various locations. The Tuesdays Location is over at Los Alamitos, on Wednesdays, they're in Irvine.

For the first timers, the address is located at 3415 Michelson Drive, Irvine, CA.

As a random sampling, I picked out a couple trucks that I will review individually here:

Rolling Sushi

Their Menu

Baked Salmon Roll

This is your typical California Roll with Baked Salmon on top with Teriyaki Sauce

Judgment: The sushi was very typical of what you would expect to taste. The fish tasted fresh and delicious. The baked salmon was a change of pace from your typical cold sushi because the fish does get baked in a broiler and it is quite tasty when it is fresh out of the oven. The Masago (Smelt Egg) was a nice touch to change it up from the sweet teriyaki and mayo flavors of the salmon.

Price: 3/5
Wait Time: 2/5 (Depending on what you order, if you ordered baked items, it will take at least 8-10 minutes in the broiler alone.)
Presentation: 4/5
Taste: 5/5

Piaggio

The Menu

Pulled Pork Sliders, Chicken Empanada

Chimichurri Fries

Judgment: The menu had so many delicious looking things on it that I couldn't decide what I wanted! I went with the sliders based on the recommendation of the truck owner instead of tacos and it was a great decision. The pork is savory and so tender, they explained that they do a similar process of braising the pork similar to Carnitas. With the Chimichurri and pink sauce, the flavors come together nicely. They also provided me a Chicken Empanada to sample and I felt that it was okay. The empanada probably would've tasted better if it was piping hot, although the flavors to come together well with the basil, mozzarella, and seasonings. The Chimichurri fries are one of the best buys on this truck because you get a massive tray of them for $3 or you can add them to an entreé for just $2.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Taste: 5/5

TacoDawg

Their Menu

Banana Nana Fo Fana

Judgment: I came by this truck and took a quick glance at the menu. They specialize in Hot Dogs obviously but I was here for dessert. Halfway through the evening, the lights went out on this truck, so they were pretty much working by flash lights, and I definitely commend them on that because it is tough to cook in the dark and still produce some delicious looking foods and desserts. The Banana dessert caught my eye because I always enjoy having the fried bananas/plantains at Brazilian Churrascaria. The combination of a fried tortilla, covered in cinnamon sugar mixture, grilled bananas and other toppings was a little much at first but after eating it, I saw how the dish works out. The grilled bananas have the sweetness accentuated since it carmalizes the natural sugars of the fruit. Similar to grilled pineapples. The tortilla itself was just basic run of the mill deep fried tortilla, but combined with the banana and some whipped topping, it tastes similar to a sweet crépe.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 4/5
Presentation: 4/5
Taste: 5/5

That's all for now! Visit the trucks websites here:

Rolling Sushi - http://www.rollingsushi.com

Piaggio - http://www.piaggioonwheels.com

Taco Dawg - http://www.tacodawg.com

Temaki Truck, San Gabriel, CA

So it has been 1 month since the Temaki Truck officially opened and started roaming the streets of San Gabriel and the neighboring areas. I heard about this truck since opening day and a few of my friends are involved in starting the whole operation so I've been wondering when I would make it out to try this. As it turns out, it's their 1 month anniversary. I was lucky to receive a pink wristband that will grant me $1 discount on future visits to the truck so that's definitely a welcomed plus.



The Temaki Truck



The Pick-up window and Chef's Specials

I actually like that they write out the specials instead. At the Kogi Truck, I usually end up staring at the "Chef's Specials $3-7" and wondering what it actually is. Good job Temaki Truck!



The line for the 1-month anniversary was pretty packed. It seems like the truck is doing well and I definitely wish them success in the future.

The Temaki Roll



Assorted Fish Handroll

Judgment: The fish tastes fresh and the sauce they put in definitely has some kick to it. One of the few handrolls I actually like. The only problem I had was I let it sit in the box too long and the nori got a little soggy. I imagine it tasting even better than what I actually had so next time, I will order it and definitely chow it down right away. 8 / 10

California Tempura Roll



California Roll Tempura Style

Judgment: This is exactly what you would expect of it, a California Roll -- Deep fried. At least that's how I imagine they do it. The roll itself comes out warm and covered with the tempura dipping sauce so it gives it a slightly sweet and salty taste. I definitely recommend this roll if you want to try something new from the truck. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The Temaki Truck is no stranger to the mobile food business, especially competing with other trucks like The Flying Pig, Dim Sum Truck and even the Kogi Truck. As with all of these types of businesses, each truck needs their own gimmick or their own signature so that they can stand out among the rest. Temaki Truck does just that as this one being the first one I've seen to offer Handrolls and other Cut sushi rolls. I wanna wish them the best of luck in their business endeavors and a profitable future. I'll definitely be seeing you guys out there!

The Truck gets an A-Rank