event | Noms Not Bombs

The 3rd LA Street Food Fest, held on Saturday, July 16th, brought to life the adage “third time’s the charm.” While the festival’s first incarnation was a food-trucking disaster, the second showed major improvements, and this third street food fest was the best yet. With easy parking, short (or no) wait times and incredibly diverse bites, the LA Street Food Fest impressed on all fronts.

Upon arrival, J and I prioritized our grubbing and headed straight for the Baja section of the festival, which featured several chefs from the region selected by my good friend Bill of Street Gourmet LA.

Pacific Oyster Asada from Mision 19 @ LA Street Food Fest

Pacific oyster asada with chicharron shortrib, Serrano ponzu and lemongrass foam by Javier Plascencia/Mision 19– winner of Best in Show and the People’s Choice Award.

Beef Cheek Taco from Javier Plascencia @ LA Street Food Fest

Mini beef cheek tacos from Javier Plascencia/Casa Plascencia

Uni Torta from La Guerrerense @ LA Street Food Fest

Uni (sea urchin) tostada from Sabina Bandera/ La Guerrerense– winner of Best Original Showmanship

With some prodding from Bill and J, this non-adventurous, seafood-fearing gal even sampled oysters and beef cheek! (Didn’t like either of them, even with a shot of tequila…)

Other dishes we sampled:

Hawaiian burgers with Grandma’s sauce from Waiola Burger

Venison Taco from Cacao Mexicatessen @ LA Street Food Fest

Venison chorizo verde with Serrano relish and goat cheese crema on jicama tortilla from Cacao Mexicatessen

Bibimbap from Moo Dae Po II

Tione's Quality Meats @ LA Street Food Fest

Sonoma Lamb Shoulder from Tione’s Quality Meats

Cochinita Pibil from La Flor de Yucatan @ LA Street Food Fest

Cochinita Pibil Taco from La Flor de Yucatan

Moqueta Teste from Sabor de Bahia @ LA Street Food Fest

Moqueca Teste (Brazilian fish stew) from Sabor de Bahia

Taco from Tacos Cuernavaca

Okonomiyaki from Glowfish

Some of my favorites of the fest included:

Vampiro from Mexicali Taco Co. @ LA Street Food Fest

Vampiro (garlic-infused quesadilla) from Mexicali Taco Company

Quinoa fritters from Border Grill Truck

Tacos Dorados de Camaron from Mariscos Jaliscos @ LA Street Food Fest

Tacos dorado de camaron (crunchy shrimp taco) from Mariscos Jalisco

Peruvian Cau Cau from Picca @ LA Street Food Fest

Peruvian Cau Cau (tripe stew) from Picca/Chef Ricardo Zarate– winner of Best Noveau Street Food

Artisanal shaved ice from Ice Ice Shavie

Everything (alambre taco, mini pambaso and potato taco) from Antojitos Carmen

Julian Cox is, hands down, one of my favorite people in LA because of the incredible drinks he creates. The mixologist was on-hand, serving up two different drinks.

Gin Y Hendricks by Julian Cox @ LA Street Food Fest

I slurped down the first without snapping a photo and returned for seconds– the Gin Y Hendricks, a combination of Hendrick’s, lime juice, sugar and mint topped with a cucumber espuma.

Congratulations to all of the winners and to those who hosted and worked the event. Smooth sailing and delicious eats!

Last month, food lovers descended upon the third annual Gold Standard, a gathering of culinary goodness in honor of Jonathon Gold, LA Weekly‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic. Hosted on the rooftop of the Petersen Auto Museum, the event boasted food from over fifty different restaurant and libations from dozens of wineries.

Meaning serious business, I arrived with an empty stomach but clad in a drapey sweater as a pre-emptive strike against my imminent food baby.