Category Archives: Food Trucks

good day

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Howdy blog world.

Today was a good day on many fronts. I’ve been told I’m not allowed to mention or photograph the weather until conditions in the mid west begin to improve. I will say that I went on my second 4 mile run in two days and also claimed personal victory on numerous levels today.

How does one celebrate a good day?

Truffle fries, obviously. As if there was even a question.

For lunch I decided to hit the UCLA food trucks. Luckily the Komodo truck was parked on campus today. I’ve heard good buzz about this truck and was excited to try it.

The Komodo truck serves tacos and burritos made with unique flavors. I went for a combo of two tacos and a side of truffle fries. The line actually moved pretty quickly and I barely had to wait for them to get my order. In my opinion, this is the mark of an excellent food truck. Sometimes no matter how good the food is the wait to get the food just can’t be justified. Not the case with Komodo. This crew is on its game.

First, I ordered Asian marinated chicken taco with stir fried rice and mandarin orange. This was my favorite part of the meal. The flavor of the citrus perfectly complimented the chicken. I think citrus might be my favorite compliment to any meal right now. Good thing it’s in season!

The second taco I ordered was the Komodo 2.0 taco with beef, jalapeno aioli & southwest corn salad. I liked this taco, but not as much as I liked the first taco. I will say that the corn and shaved radish with the beef was unexpected and tasty. The beef was very good. Perfectly cooked and lightly marinated. While I knew I was eating tacos I didn’t feel weighted down by what I was eating. All of the ingredients in the tacos were uber fresh and top notch.

And then, there were truffle fries.

Doused in Parmesan and truffle oil! While I looked for a place to sit I could smell the truffle oil wafting through the air. Definitely a delicious and well deserved splurge. Readers know that while I do aim for health I also aim for balance in my eating. Part of balance for me is allowing myself to have the occasional treat without beating my self up about it. I cannot remember the last time I had fries (maybe one month ago at pop champagne?) so I was long over due for some fries.  These were good and totally 100% worth it!

I did have one concern, do you use ketchup when you eat truffle fries? I’d love reader feedback. I mentally debated it for a good 5 mins before I opened one package on the side of my meal to dip only the least truffley of the fries in. I mean, the truffle is supposed to be like ketchup, right?

After I came home I started my weekend right by going on a 4 mile run. I had a great run. I felt a little bit dehydrated and got a phantom “hungry” feeling which I’ve blogged about before. Clearly I wasn’t hungry (see my large lunch above). My run was still great but I made sure to drink a ton of water after I got home.

Post run I used this foot rubz ball that my Mother sent me. My foot pain had been decreased as of late thanks to a reduction in mileage, yoga, and icing but every little bit helps, right?

When I first opened this Izzy totally thought it was a toy for her.

Exhibit A:

I regained control of the “toy” and used it on my foot.Izzy was still interested.

Eventually she let me roll my foot on the ball in peace. My foot felt great while using it and still feels good. I really like the “spikes” on the ball. The texture felt way better than rolling my foot on a tennis ball. I will keep you all posted on how my foot feels.

My weekend started today and will be a busy one! What are your weekend plans?

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Return of the Flying Pig

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Last Spring I stumbled upon the Flying Pig truck one day when I was too lazy to make lunch. I remember Flying Pig as one of the best food trucks I’ve ever eaten from and I had to make it back today. Sadly, I picked the first day of class at UCLA. The law school is on a semester system and the rest of campus is on the quarter system. Today the undergrads descended and yes, I waited in a line of 40 people for tacos.

It took a while but it was so worth it!

This time I got the same tacos I had before (duck and chicken). I also was adventurous and ordered pork belly! Last semester I saw pork belly on the menu and thought to myself, “that’s a little bit out there for me”. This time I thought the same thing, but I added to my thought, “but your a food blogger dammit!” So, I ended up with this:

I have to say that this did NOT disappoint. The bun was fantastic and the pork was very flavorful. Not spicy, just a little bit sweet. There was a ton of meat and the onions were wonderful. Bite size and fantastic!

The rest of the meal was exactly what I had in March. A delightful fusion of citrus, meat and deliciousness. I sat in the grass and just let myself relax for a while.

Looks nice huh? I have to say that things are getting a little bit crazy here on the left coast. Its no one thing but I have mid terms starting next week (midterms are NOT normal in law school and have crept up on me a bit), looking for a summer job stress, and just general life stress is starting to get to me. Running is good and helps me de-stress, sitting in the grass and just watching the world go by was simply perfection this afternoon. Thank goodness for simple pleasures like sunshine, good food, shade under a tree and watching the world go by.

Question of the Day: What do you do to de-stress?

India Jones Truck

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Hey blog world. How was your Monday? Mine was tired. Getting up early yesterday + staying up through the VMA’s + 9 am class = tired LCC. I was so busy this weekend I just didn’t want to do any work today, which wasn’t a viable option since I had reading to do. This week is going to be pretty busy too. Is it Friday yet?

It was a beautiful and not too hot day in LA so I went to visit the food trucks at UCLA and I stumbled on the India Jones Truck!

As you may have guessed, they serve Indian food!

I ordered a Frankie and Samosas. Both were pretty small portions but together they made a pretty good meal! I grabbed a table on the grass and in the shade. Perfection! I did Wills and Trusts reading and chowed down.

The samosas were bite size and delicious. The dipping sauce was savory and the outside was fried to perfection. I polished these puppies off in a matter of seconds.

Next I tried the Frankie.

The Frankie sandwich is a roti wrap with chutney and your choice of meat on the inside. I chose lamb. This was delicious. First of all the portion was small enough to enjoy without getting stuffed. Next, the roti wrap was fantastic! Flakey and crispy. MMMM. I want another piece of roti! Overall, India Jones is one of the better food trucks I’ve tried. I will be having it again the next time it is at UCLA!

After lunch I nearly fell asleep in Wills and Trusts. The material is exciting and often rather scandalous. My Professor told us today about how he represented Anna Nicole Smith in front of the Supreme Court. See! I told you it was interesting! Indian food just puts me to sleep. Early to bed tonight, lots to do tomorrow! Hope you had a happy Monday!

Put Some Ice On It

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First order of business…

This suped up version of Paula Deen Brown Sugar Chewies were a big hit at work today. Non profits love free baked goodies. The cake was moist and spicy because of the nutmeg and Saigon Cinn. Will be making these again at some point.

Today was another crappy day. It actually rained today which is kinda unheard of for So Cal in the summer. Ok, by “rain” I mean that it misted enough for me to put the wipers on the lowest setting. Between the overcast weather and being a bit hormone whacked at the moment I kinda had another gucky overly tired day. Positives from today? Free iced tea day at Coffee Bean and while I was at coffee bean I spotted this truck!

Dainty Cakes sounds like it would be right up my ally, right? I have to get this dessert truck thing under control because roaming cupcake trucks are SO TEMPTING! Of course, I got a cupcake. I’m human and my mood was mediocre.

Can I just say that the frosting was incredible. It was super light butter cream and you could tell it was made with tons of butter. It tasted totally homemade.

However, I will say that the cake part was not exactly “dainty”. It was cakey, not very moist and really tasted like it was from a box. I am not totally positive that it was, but it was a bit heavy compared to other cupcakes I’ve had. This is also surprising because the frosting was so amazing and homemade tasting. Either way, it was worth the calories but I was still in a bit of a funk…

Best cure? Working out! I went on a 2 mile run to the UCLA stairs which I went up and down 5 times and then ran about 3/4 miles home. I also did some weights, triceps dips, and crunches. It energized me and boosted my mood. However, my right knee didn’t love it. I had some pain so I decided to put some ice on it.

Its already feeling better, but tomorrow is for sure going to be a yoga day.

Dinner tonight was a veggie a thon because I wasn’t that hungry after my supervisor approved hour and a half long lunch/ oogling the Spain Soccer Team break. I had a chicken sandwich on wheat for lunch but I forgot to order without mayo. I forgot how glorious mayo kinda is… don’t get me wrong, I love replacing with avocado but mayo was kinda a special treat! So for dinner I went light…

I made even more veg then you see here so I have something to enjoy with lunch tomorrow!

And my potato “chips”

LOVING farmers market potatoes. Look at all the pretty colors! Delicious.

OK so “negativity off, positivity on!” Extra credit to those that can identify the show where I altered that phrase from…

Last Day of 1L Class!

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We’ve made it kids! 3.5 hours from now 1L classes will be all over. I cannot believe that this semester is almost over. This has been the most exciting and academically challenging year of my life. I have mixed feelings about it ending:

Pro

  • I get to take Critical Race Studies classes (this was the entire reason I came to UCLA)
  • I get to pick the times of my classes meaning no more 9AM class
  • I get to mingle with new people
  • It means I’ve been at this for a year and it hopefully will get easier

Con

  • I’m going to miss my section. I’ve had class with the same 40-80 people all year long so its going to be weird not to see them every day.
  • I’m one year closer to adult hood and having to take the bar exam.

At this point, the pros out weigh the cons, no offense section 3/4!

I spent the AM working from Starbucks (big ups to McGuire Woods for the free gift card! I don’t want to work for you but thanks for the swag!) and then treated myself to lunch at the lunch trucks. Today I checked out the Yum Yum truck!

The Yum Yum truck comes to UCLA pretty often but I had never sampled it before. Today I made a beeline as I was crazing Thai food.

I opted for the drunken noodles with spring rolls and a diet coke. The spring rolls were a bit plain but the sauce had tangy after taste which made it really special.

The outside was great! Just crispy enough.

Then I moved on to the main course, the drunken noodles! They were really good. The noodles were just done enough and was mild but was still flavorful.

And to top it all off I had a nice cold diet coke! Hope it gets me all the way through my last Property AND Civil Procedure.

Off to my last classes! YAHOO!

Sugar Rush

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What does one do when finals are looming? Learn to drive defensively and eat lots of sweets of course! I was lent a car by my awesome cousin so we went to all my favorite places: Clementine, Target and then drove the 101 to the 405, got off at Wilshire, realized I was headed towards Susie Cakes so we made a pit stop. All in all, a perfect day. Over by Ameba Records was a food truck I’d never seen before, Buttermilk. Clearly this was a good point to stretch my legs so I got out and try it.

They had some off the wall items, like a red velvet pancake…

I opted for home made cake doughnuts!

YUM! I got sugar all over my phone and my outfit but it was so worth it! There was just enough sugar to be sweet but not too sweet. They were gone in a matter of moments. I love a classic cake doughnut.

After my freeway adventure, which went well, the car was pointed in the direction of Susie Cakes so we stopped by and got another treat!

OK, so the red velvet was good, but it wasn’t as good as the pineapple upside down cupcake! Remember that? They had it but I wanted to try something new. My cousin Joe had the marble cake which I tried. It was truly delish. The cake was moister than the red velvet cupcake. Boy, do I LOVE treats! I did have a bit of a sugar hangover, which I cured with a run. My run was really hard in the middle but the back of my legs are sore in a way they haven’t been before which I am excited about. Today really was a fun day!

Flying Pig Truck

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On Wednesday I just didn’t feel like making a lunch so I headed over to the food truck gathering place on UCLA campus. The Flying Pig truck was there! Its Asian/French fusion tacos so I thought I would give it a try.

The menu mostly consisted of tacos and other small plates. I ordered two tacos and the sliders. I had read that the portions were small so I ordered a lot.

The taco on the left is tamarind duck with toasted almond, pickled beet salad and the taco on the right is smoked chicken with green curry, napa slaw. I preferred the chicken but the duck taco had tons of flavor. The maderian oranges really topped the flavor off nicely.

The sliders were also pretty good, although I got full and only had one. The bun was like a soft butter roll with a red sauce that was similar to ketchup but so much better! It also had pickles and pork. So delicious! I will hit this truck up again when it comes to UCLA!

http://flyingpigtruck.com/menu.html

Driving Lesson 2

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Hello world!

So tonight is driving lesson #2. This is a good thing. However, this also means that I will lose at least 2 hours of my precious work time this evening. That fact means that my already busy day is becoming busier. I’m a big fan of taking mini breaks during my day but that was just not really happening today. I had class, worked on my forthcoming graded memo, attended a volunteer meeting for the UCLA Public Interest Auction, and sat at a table for an hour selling tickets. In typical Katherine fashion I just signed up for a tabling slot without consulting my class schedule so my hour of tabling interfered with Civil Procedure. I ended up listening to the class on tape recorder and getting notes instead of going late. Oddly it feels less stressful for me to know that I can make the class up rather than going in late, getting stared at by my classmates and seeming like I have been blowing the class off.

So in any case, I ended up with a found hour in my day. As you all know the life of a law student can be pretty stressful (the never ending wait to hear back from places I’ve interviewed with, the emails packed with innuendos that they’ll hire me, the uncertainty of it all) so I decided that I should get out of the law building and take a walk. I was also craving something sweet. My feet led me to a nice sunny area with tables and chairs… AND FOOD TRUCKS!

Our good friends at the GastroBus were there today with a perfect dessert to cure a sweet craving, pound cake with lemon curd.

It hit the spot! The cake was light, but not too light, and delicious. The lemon and raspberry curd gave a subtle sweetness to the cake without being overwhelming. I also got to sit in the sun and get some reading done while enjoying my cake. With all the craziness going on (ramping up for the end of the semester, the summer job search, and for me, the wait to hear from places I’ve interviewed with) it was nice to just sit in the sun with a little pound cake and lemon curd.

My stress subsided slightly and now I have to trot off to Lawyering Skills and then to my driving lesson. Wish me luck!

Sprinkes Update

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Well, I would like to say that I waited several days or at least one day before I ate the other cupcake. In reality I ate the black and white cupcake a few hours after I had the red velvet one… Better to be bad all in one day, right?

So good… I know that I’m committed to health but this cupcake is delicious! Can’t wait for another Sprinkles truck reappearance.

Christmas Comes Early…

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…in the form of the Sprinkles Truck!!!

Today is another beautiful day in Southern California. I was enjoying President’s Day with a lazy lunch in Westwood with my civ pro reading. I was walking down Weyburn and I happened upon the Sprinkles truck! At first I thought it was a mirage. I had heard that there was such thing as the Sprinkles truck, but I never expected it to actually show up in my neighborhood. I hightailed it to an ATM and practically ran back, still thinking it was too good to be true.

There were four varieties on the truck. I decided to get one for now and one for a treat later. I got the Black and White cupcake and the Red Velvet cupcake. They come in little boxes, perfect for saving for later!

Anyway, I went on to have my lunch and when I got home I had my first cupcake, the red velvet.

Oh my god, do I love cupcakes. The frosting is perfect. Sugary, fresh, not too much and not too little. The cake is, literally, the moistest cake I have ever had. Yes, this cupcakes cost $4, but you know what? Sometimes it’s worth it and this is one of those times.

I literally may never leave LA. It’s 80 degrees and sunny today and this city has a roving cup cake truck with possibly the best cupcake I’ve ever had. Any city with a roving cup cake truck can’t be wrong. I’m saving the black and white cupcake for later. I can’t wait til later.

Dare I say that Sprinkles is better than Sweet in Boston? It’s a close call…

http://www.sprinkles.com/

http://www.sweetcupcakes.com/