Downtown Miami :: Food Trucks

So I thought food trucks were only a LA/NYC thing... Wrong!

It looks like Miami has caught on to the meals on wheels as well. Aileen, Andrew and I made it downtown and checked out the food truck buffet, if you will. There was a total of 15 -give or take- to choose from... And as much as we wanted to try it all, there was no way our tummy's could handle it. We did our best to pick and choose the "specialties" of a few trucks. I took pictures, but with it being evening time and forcing me to use the flash - I'll keep them to myself aka my i.photo album. Below are just a couple shots of the trucks in Miami :)

Kogi Truck

Good to know my love for Kogi hasn't changed a bit ;)

Grilled Cheese Truck

So.Happy.

One of the best days of my trip so far... Spending the afternoon with Brooke; grilled cheese(s) and chit chats. Eating and talking, the 2 things we've always done best ;)

Komodo

Komodo: Dangerously Good Food

Between Claudia and I, we managed to cover most of Komodo's tacos in one sitting. Hells yeah.

Seoul Food Special - BBQ short ribs dipped in savory Korean sauce w/ pickled cucumber salad

Burgerrito - Komodo's wicked twist on a classic California cheeseburger

Burgeritto - Look above

Cobb Salad - Traditional Cobb salad w/ bacon, champagne vinaigrette and blue cheese

Komodo Signature - Top sirloin w/ homemade guacamole and Cotija cheese

Fish n' Grapes - Deep fried buttery cod tossed w/ fresh grape salad and pickled onions

Fish n' Grapes - Look above

Cool Haus

Who knew that a converted postal van with chrome rims and a hot-pink top would become the hottest destination to cool you down? The best thing about this "destination" is that, it has the ability to be anywhere and everywhere. Yes, another truck. A dessert truck. I introduce to you: Cool Haus!

After lunch, I refreshed my Twitter feed and what do you know, Cool Haus is 3 blocks away from where Jon and I are driving. The day wasn't exactly saying, "I scream you scream, we all scream for ice-cream." The pitter patter of the rain was falling onto the windshield. "Babe, let's just share one," he says. -Silence- "Ok, you can have your own." Yahoo! So we pulled over, Jon stayed in the car, and I returned with 2 ice-cream sammies in a matter of minutes! He didn't think I was gonna forget about him, did he?

Cool Haus proudly serves all-natural ice-cream packed between 2 friendly-sized cookies. They have classic flavor combinations named after famous architects, but you are also free to mix-and-match your own sammy if you like. The ice-cream is of the seasonal variety, so not everything is available at once. Oh, I almost forgot about the edible wrapper... Made out of rice paper and soy based ink, the whole Cool Haus treat is fit to be eaten. My first dessert truck experience - I like!

Follow Cool Haus on Twiter @ www.twitter.com/CoolHaus

Cinnamon Ice-Cream + Chocolate Chip Cookie


Caramel Ice-Cream + Chocolate Chip Cookie

Edible Wrapper Promoting Disney's New Movie

Nom Nom Truck

What happens when 3 UCLA Bruins start a business inspired by the Kogi truck? The Nom Nom Truck happens - and we like it. We like it a lot. Jon and I pretty much like to plan things around food, we are a food enthusiast couple... So when we checked Nom Nom's schedule for the week and saw that they were paying a visit to Santa Monica - the closest town to me that food trucks visit - we planned our day around it. Let me just say, we are so glad we did :)

The Nom Nom Truck, dressed in orange, lemon and lime hues, houses Vietnamese-inspired food. They are most known for their Banh Mi; baguette sandwiches filled with mouth-watering pork, chicken or tofu. The menu is quite simple as they only have one other food item to offer: tacos, with the same choices of fillings. Simple and consistently delicious. If you get the combo option on the menu, you can try the Banh Mi and the tacos. Obviously, Jon and I did just that. We got the monster combo and chose the 12" BBQ pork Banh Mi, along with 3 tacos - lemongrass chicken, tofu and grilled pork. That way, we were able to try all 4 fillings in one combo! (You can get any variation you like) I recommend you for sure get the BBQ pork - it was sooooo good. Om nom nom...

Follow the Nom Nom Truck on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/nomnomtruck

Tofu + Lemongrass Chicken + Grilled Pork

BBQ Pork Banh Mi

Late-Night Kogi BBQ @ Alibi

On Friday night, mine and Jon's love with Kogi BBQ was rekindled once more... We visited the intimate hideaway bar, the Alibi Room, again - not so much for the alcohol factor, but for the food that soaks it all up! All we wanted on Friday for our late dinner was Kogi BBQ, but sadly their Twitter schedule did not coordinate with ours all night. Rather than drive out to follow Azul/Roja/Verde - and now Naranja! - we made it over to Culver City and had a mini foodie feast. Kogi is seriously *the best I ever had* (You have to say that in Drake's voice...) so if you haven't tried it yet, you best get on that! FOR REAL.

(I've blogged about Kogi before, in the same post that I talked about our experience at the Alibi Room. Here.)

Kimchi Sesame Quesadilla | Red Pepper Sour Cream

Kogi Pastrami Sandwich | Pastrami & Persimmon w/ Wild Arugula, Kimchi and Deli-Style Korean Pickle

Kogi 3 Taco Combo | Short Rib x3




We're still workin' on it...

Calbi BBQ

They were exactly where they said they were: Arizona between 2nd & 3rd.

It's not often that a food truck graces Malibu with its presence, so when I saw that CalbiBBQ's next destination was sort-of-kind-of in my 'hood, I decided to head on over. To my surprise there was no line but rather a small crowd - I'm guesstimating 8 people - of individuals about to taste what this hot truck had to offer. People were asking, "Have you tried this before? What's good here?" I didn't know any better than those around me, we were all newbies to CalbiBBQ, so I went ahead and ordered what sounded the best: a kimchi quesadilla with a short rib beef taco. I paid with a $10 bill, gave tip and still had some change! I guess that's part of the food truck appeal; cheap, affordable eats.

My friend Becca and I had intentions of waiting 'till we got home to dine on our Korean x Mexican combo, but instead we ate on our own wheels - in the car! Becca and I added spicy hot sauce to our taco before even trying it, but I'm pretty sure it was already pretty pepped up to begin with. The cooked calbi beef topped with fresh ingredients almost made me forget that I just ordered a taco off the street. The kimchi in the quesadilla was masked over by the cheese - but you guys know me, I loooove cheese, so that's not really a complaint. My pictures don't do justice to the food, I apologize. (I'm mainly talking about the quesadilla...) The lighting just wasn't right in the car; I promise it tastes better than it looks!

Follow CalbiBBQ on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/CalbiBBQ

Menu

Imported Canned Drinks

Becca

Calbi Beef Taco

Kimchi Quesadilla

CalbiBBQ

Excited for my food truck adventure with Becca!! We on the way...

Follow CaliBBQ on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/CalbiBBQ