GOOD FOOD: THE SMOKIN' JOINT (VIDEO)

My mother actually told me about this spot the other day...turns out one of my aunts is friends with one of the owners somehow.  So she said I should check it out and sent over a link to this video for the restaurant as it has been voted a 2010 nominee for best new BBQ place in Los Angeles on Best of LA TV.  Looking at the video the portions look huge and tasty.  The restaurant is located in West Hollywood on 3rd, pretty much near places like Berri's, the Beverly Center and more.  So when you get a chance peep out The Smokin' Joint and tell your friends.  Seeing it's about lunch time it seemed like this would be the right time to show this to ya'll...

GOOD FOOD: LARDON [THE BACON FOOD TRUCK] (VIDEO)

ATTN: Bacon lovers!!!  I've been waiting to get some photos and things from this new Food Truck but they've been extremely busy, but I guess when you're on NBC in Los Angeles my hip hop site can wait, lol.  Came across these video clips. Check it out, if you're a bacon lover we need to go here and check this out firsthand.

NEW VENUES: TINGA..."THE MEXICAN ROSCOES...?"

So I've been hearing this rumor of a new restaurant that's something between a traditional Mexican food restaurant meets Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.  Seems odd but then again they are food types that us "Angelenos" love to eat.  The restaurant is right there on La Brea near American Rag and all the other festive stores that section of La Brea is known for.  For the most part they stick to the traditional mexican food items and put their twist on things...like the "Dog Snout" salsa...because it's that hot apparently it'll make your dog's nose run.  On Sunday is when they really get festive and give you their take on chicken and waffles.  You get fried chicken with a tequila syrup drizzle served over a bed of buckwheat waffles made with horchata.  Sometimes they even make a french toast or "Pan Dulce French Toast(that would be Mexican sweet bread with homemadedulce de leche)".

142 S. La Brea Los Angeles 90036; Open Now.

GOOD FOOD: FRY SMITH

So the other day I made my own Chili Cheese fries, with some special seasoning of course, and it came out better than a lot of fries out there.  I'm not a huge fry guy except McDonalds really.  Most other places it has to be something extra to it, like cajun, Animal Style, cheese & bacon, chili cheese, etc...so with that I started surfing the web for places with signature fries in Los Angeles.  During that time I came across this mobile kitchen or food truck.  This truck specializes in fries.  Chili Chees fries, even a version for vegans.  Fries topped with steak, onions and chiles, another with kimchi, pork belly and cheese and chicken with tamarind sauce over sweet potato fries.  Sounds interesting.  Their site is here and their twitter is here.  Below is their philsophy:

The Frysmith truck serves fries that eat as a meal. How does that work, you ask? The scientific answer is: we throw stuff on top. Stuff like all-beef chili flavored with chocolate and beer or kimchi and heirloom pork under gooey cheddar cheese. It all gets piled on hand-cut Kennebec potatoes cooked in canola oil (the only oil good enough to be named after Canada).
Frysmith's number one goal is to bring the fine folks of Los Angeles really good, really affordable food made with a modern twist and top-notch ingredients. Our number two goal is to learn how to walk under water while holding our breath and pulling a giant rock tied to a rope. But it's a distant second.

GOOD FOOD: THE SHRIMP GUYS

I had heard about this mobile restaurant last week and decided to do some research on it.  I'm all about these trucks in my city because I've come across some good ones...and since I love shrimp and this truck seems to have it's own lane from what I can see, I wanted to know more.  Here is what it's creators had to say:

The Shrimp Guys is a mobile specialty food vendor with a focus on Island Style Shrimp. For those who have experienced eating at a shrimp truck in Hawai'i, our goal is to bring back that memory. And for those who have not, we want to create a memorable, satisfying experience for you.

The entrees are few but look to be of good quality and quantity from the pictures.  I have yet to try for myself but I will make that happen soon.  Featured entrees are the "Garlic Butter" and "Coconut Lime (Coco Loco)" shrimp offered in regular or spicy versions.  There are the Tequila Lime Tacos and a Hawaiian Traditional entree which is the Loco Moco "a juicy beef patty, an over easy egg, sauteed brown onions and smothered in brown gravy."

For more info and to keep up with the mobile restaurant check them out right HERE.

GOOD FOOD: SPRINKLES, BUT ON THE MOBILE TIP...

Most of the city is up on Sprinkles cupcakes and if you're not...simply head over to Beverly Hills and go on Little Santa Monica, 9635 is the address and get in line.  But the other thing to be on the lookout for if you're feeling a bit more adventurous is find their mobile unit.  Just like Kogi and other mobile food spots, you can follow them on twitter.  Click here and follow up.  By the way, you should probably also follow the company's twitter because you can get the passwords for special deals of the day.  Don't say I wasn't looking out.

GOOD FOOD: THE GRIDDLE CAFE

So I asked my followers in Twitterville what was better The Waffle or The Griddle Cafe and I seemed to get a lot of votes for The Griddle Cafe, partly because more people had tried it already. From what I hear I need to go soon as the portions are large and things on the menu are made for large eaters such as myself. So check out some of the examples above and go to the site right here for more info. And if someone wants to take me to try this place, I'm all for it. To be fair I will do a post on The Waffle soon...I may go there before I do it so I can give you a rating. The Griddle Cafe is located on 7916 Sunset Blvd., on the corner of Sunset and Fairfax.

GOOD FOOD: UMAMI BURGER

So there is malt liquor tempura onion rings, a selection of different burgers, different flavored condiments to keep your burger company such as Umami Ketchup, Dijon Mustard, Roasted Garlic Aioli and more, plus a good small simple assortment of burgers (sometimes it's better when burger places stick to the burgers). Originally from Washington D.C. the LA spot has been gaining some popularity recently so I feel we should check it out. Umami has to do with taste to get the concept go here...whatever that means over there plus the way things look, I'm about it. Check out their website here. Right over here on La Brea between Olympic and Wilshire (points).

THIS WEEKEND - LONG BEACH ORIGINAL LOBSTER FESTIVAL

I put you on to the Crawfish Festival in Long Beach so it's only right I put you onto the original food festival Long Beach is known for. Go here to get tickets or get other information on the event. Also if you're not trying to get loaded and drive home from Long Beach you can always get a room at the Varden.

GOOD FOOD: CALBI BBQ (A KOGI KNOCKOFF?)

So we've all heard about Kogi BBQ, the Korean BBQ 'taco' truck that roams around the City of Angels and makes stops that you have to keep up with via the web. They've integrated with Twitter to pretty much grow their cult fanbase and keep the people in the loop as to where you can find them and get food. Well as of recently a competitor, knock off, whichever you prefer to call them has entered the traveling restaurant industry. This company is called Calbi BBQ and features striking similarities in logo design, menu options and menu look. People familiar with both have said they have mistaked Calbi for Kogi. Well I can say this about Calbi...I've actually eaten the food on this truck. JC and I spotted this adjacent to the 2nd Street Jazz Club in Little Tokyo when we went to see Skeme, Cire & Language Artz perform. We both tried the tacos, the Korean BBQ beef and shrimp were my choices. For $2 each it was very good. A nice taste with the grilled meats, tortilla, cheese and salad like toppings. A sesame sauce/dressing brought a nice flavor out. So if you see it in the streets, keep up with on Twitter or get updates from their site I say try it out. I can say this though, now I really have to try Kogi to see how the originator compares.