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

Balcony Grille & Bar, Irvine, CA

Randomly got a call from Taylor saying she wanted to meet up in the plaza with 85C Bakery. I had just finished bowling so I was down since it was on my way home. We met up with one of our ex-coworkers for a light meal. Well, it was a meal for them, for me it was a snack.

Lychee Mojito



Traditional Mojito with a Lychee Twist

Judgment: The drink is refreshing with fresh mint and Lychee flavors. The drink was pretty much what you would expect from a typical Mojito. 8 / 10

Taiwanese Sausage with Garlic Slices



Sliced Taiwanese Sausage with Garlic

Judgment: The sausage is mildly sweet and well prepared. The garlic is there to give you a break from the sweet flavors and gives you a slight kick from the flavor. The garlic is definitely fresh and aromatic. As a whole, it's a very traditional dish you'd find in a Taiwanese restaurant. Similar to Dolphin Bay and Class 302. 8 / 10

Strawberry Banana Shaved Snow



Milk Shaved Snow with Chocolate Sauce, Strawberries, Banana and Peanuts

Judgment: The dessert is a great end with all the bar food and drinks. The dish as a whole was pretty good. The sweet flavors were not overwhelming and the fresh fruits definitely mellowed out the sweetness quite a bit. The interesting part was that their snow while good, was pretty plain on its own when it didn't have the condensed milk or chocolate helping it along. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The bar is hidden in the corner of the plaza but it's a nice place to hang out and enjoy some Taiwanese food. Service is a little slow because there aren't too many waitstaff around but for the most part, they are pretty responsive. Parking does get crowded thanks to 85 C bakery and other local businesses so that might be an issue sometimes.

The restaurant gets a B.

The Counter, Irvine, CA

I was in the mood for some burgers, and as we all know, everyone can be picky of what kind of toppings they want on it. The Solution? Go to a burger bar and customize your own! I had the opportunity with the lovely ladies and gentlemen of AniMaid cafe this weekend to go back to one of the nicer burger places I've been to. The Counter is actually a chain of restaurants and we happened to be a the Irvine location because it was near our shoot location.

Customized Burgers!



2/3 lb. Turkey Burger with Bleu Cheese, Lettuce Blend, Dill Pickles, Bacon, Grilled Onion on an English Muffin with Garlic Aioli on the side

Judgment: The burgers here, like usual, are massive. The 2/3rds lb. weight is the AFTER cooking weight. For turkey burgers, they are cooked to well done mainly because they don't want to risk you getting salmonella or other forms of food poisoning. The ingredients are top notch and fresh, and it all just depends on your imagination. As with this combination it is a very typical build for other burger places such as Red Robins. I particularly enjoy the Garlic Aioli a lot here so it really tops off the meal. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The burgers here are always a different experience every time because you can always change up the build and experience. There is plenty of beer and other drink options here as well because it doubles as a mini sports bar. Although there aren't too many TVs around for that.

The Restaurant gets an A.

Kogi BBQ Truck, Irvine, CA

To celebrate St. Patricks Day this year, I decided to chase down the elusive Kogi BBQ truck in hopes to try their Chef's Specials. Last year, in 1 night, I tried everything on their regular menu on the truck and it came out to $39.

Blackjack Quesadilla



Pork with Caramelized Onions, Cheese Quesadilla with Verde Sauce and Sesame Seeds

Judgment: To be honest, I thought it was chicken stuffed inside these things. They were freaking delicious. It was part of their "specialty" menu that wasn't part of the original set. Their normal Quesadilla is the Kimchi Quesadilla and this one totally blows it out of the water. The flavors come together nicely and it has a subtle sweet flavor to it thanks to the onions. The salsa is very mild and not too spicy at all. 10 / 10

Beef Short Rib Sliders



Short Ribs, Cheese, Kimchi on a Bun

Judgment: The Sliders this time were much better than my other visit. The first time I tried them the beef had this odd-hot-chocolate-powder taste to it. This time none of that was around and it was quite tasty. The sliders are nice change of pace if all the kimchi and spiciness is too much for the average eater of Kogi. 7 / 10

The Stinky Leprechaun Burrito



In celebration of St. Patrick's Day they had this as the Chef's Special. Pastrami, Kimchi, Cabbage, Salsa Verde and Relish

Judgment: For the special, this was not too impressive. I think their regular burritos are tastier than this one. Although, pastrami is usually very tasty and this was no exception. I just felt it was a bit too out there in terms of flavor. 6 / 10

Blackjack Quesadilla (again)



Yeap, the quesadilla again.

Judgment: Yes, this quesadilla was SO good, I had to order a second one. There was someone in our group tasting this and they were standing there after taking a bite. Standing there and just wondering why this quesadilla tasted so freaking good. 10 / 10

Trés Leches Cake



Chocolate Spiced Cake with Milk Tapioca Center topped with Peanut Brittle

Judgment: This dessert was just OK in my book. A friend of mine with me said it was pretty good but personally, I did not enjoy this as much as he did. If you were to imagine it, it was similar to a chocolate flavored carrot cake. Except it was made in the style of a Molten Chocolate cake, but instead of melted chocolate, there's Milk with Tapioca in the center. It does ease up the richness of the chocolate a bit but the Tapioca was over the top for me. 6 / 10

Conclusion: The Kogi truck is an elusive thing to chase. They upload their projected locations for the week on Tuesday at their website. The regular stuff is pretty good, stick with the short rib stuff like tacos and burritos. The chef's special comes and goes and is always changing based on their website. I'm hoping the Blackjack Quesadilla is a permanent addition to their menu because it was freaking good. The location they chose of K-1 Speed Go Kart in Irvine was actually pretty good. It's just down the street from 85 C Bakery, the crowd doesn't get too crazy here, and all in all the lot is pretty big. As I've said before, I won't go out of my way by myself to get Kogi again, but if anyone would like to go, I'd be happy to tag along.

This spot gets a B-Rank.

Lucca Cafe, Irvine, CA

Last night, I was originally going to visit Lucca Cafe in Irvine, CA with Kchan from AniMaid Cafe, unfortunately, she had to cancel so I asked one of my regular dining friends to join me.

Amuse Bouche



Toasted Bread with Green Olive Tapenade

Judgment: The tapenade was made with sun-dried tomatoes, olives and other herbs and seasonings in a refreshing manner to start you on your food journey in the quaint little restaurant. The bread was toasted to a crispy texture and paired well with the Tapenade. 8 / 10

Charcuterie Platter



Porsciutto, Speck and Salami with Pickles and Marinated Garlic

Judgment: The platter consisted of 7 slices of the meats that the restaurant offered in their deli. Among the 3, the Speck was my favorite of the 3. Well cured and plenty of fat on the meat. It stood out more than the Porsciutto on the dish which was quite surprising. The Salami was your typical Italian Salami that you would find in any deli. 9 / 10

Certified Angus Beef Hanger Steak



Beef Hanger Steak in a Sage Mushroom Sauce with Grilled Shrimp, Crab Cake and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Judgment: In this entire plate of food, the Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes were the boring item. There was no twist, no creativity in it. It was simply just a Yukon Gold Potato, mashed up, not even butter or salt was added to it. I felt I would've enjoyed it more if it had ANYTHING else done to it other than being boiled and then mashed. The Crab Cake was average, it broke apart and flaked very well and it was easy to eat with the onion straws they topped it with. I wished they had a little more sauce with it because after eating about half of it without sauce, it felt really dry. The Shrimp was delicious. They were prepared with a spicy sauce and paired with sun-dried tomatoes and the two complimented each other very well. The steak was also just average. This was probably because it was not Prime grade beef, and the sauce was a little overwhelming. 7 / 10

Belgian Dark Chocolate Cream Brule



Chocolate Creme Brulee topped with Strawberry and Whipped Cream, Garnished with a mint leaf

Judgment: The Creme Brulee was amazing. You would expect it being a chocolate Creme Brulee to be very dense and rich, but this one hit the mark. If you were to imagine it, it was like eating a Creme Brulee made out of Hot Chocolate. After I had finished eating the dessert, my friend had to tell me "There's no more Gilbert!" while I was trying to lick the bowl clean. 10 / 10

Conclusion: The restaurant is an interesting experience, as it was designed to be eaten like an European family meal. Meaning every dish that was ready was served immediately, and they're small dishes that people were encouraged to share. Unfortunately, I wasn't planning to share my food but have it all for myself. I regretted sharing a slice of Speck with my friend because I wished I had a second piece. However, most of the food there was delicious and I would definitely visit this restaurant again. Just maybe choose a different Entree.

This Restaurant gets an A-Rank.