El Machin Raspado Truck, East Los Angeles

Today I found a raspado truck that was absolutely amazing! It is called “El Machin” and apparently a lot of people know about it because there was quite a crowd of regulars gathered ordering their bionicos and raspados con coco. Check this one out:

I’m a mango girl so anytime I get a raspado it is always mango. When I ordered I think the nice man working was surprised I didn’t want coconut and a mixture of fruits. All of the raspados that people were getting around me looked amazing. I definitely need to get more creative next time I visit Machin. Trust me, there will definitely be a next time. And how genius is it that the raspados are served with Boba straws? Awesome!

This was THE BEST raspado I have ever had in the United States. It was full of fruit and flavors! A lot of times the flavor gets lost in the ice, so after a while all you taste is the ice. With this raspado the mango flavor never ran out. It was amazing!

The truck is really cool looking! Obviously the people behind El Machin are Laker fans (who isnt?) because they even have Kobe on the back! Oh, and a special message about Derek Fisher too!

I found the truck just down the street from Tacos Baja Ensenada on Whittier right in front of Wells Fargo. You can’t miss it, and that seems to be their usual spot too!

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Mentiritas at Grand Performances California Plaza, Downtown LA

The reason I didn’t stay for Ghostbusters last night was because I had to make my way over to Downtown LA for Grand Performances in time to see Mentiritas! Fronted by Wil-Dog and Uli from Ozomatli (my all time favorite LA band) and vocals from CAVA, I could only imagine the type of show they would put on at such a great venue like California Plaza! Did I mention it was FREE?

There were two opening acts, but I went for Mentiritas! By the time I got there it was packed! More packed than the last concert I saw here. It took me a while to find a good spot, but finally settled in front of the light booth. I was on the second level, but had a clear view of the stage. Perfect!

I got there just in time to see Wil-Dog handing out roses to the crowd. Such a gentlemen. And that suit had a tiger embroidered on the back…he was working it!

I had never seen Mentiritas in concert before but it was good times. They totally put on a show and if you like a wide range of Latin music or you are an Ozomatli fan, then they are totally worth checking out. It combines everything, 80’s music, 90’s music, regional, cumbia, and humor.

Make sure and follow Wil-Dog on Twitter! This concert totally filled the void in my heart from not seeing Ozo in concert for over a year!

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Ricky’s Fish Taco Stand, Sunset Junction

On May 30th of this year, I was on my way to Intelligentsia Silverlake for an Angeleno, when a rainbow umbrella caught my eye across the street. As I squinted, I barely made out a sign that said “fish tacos” on a cart outside of the laundromat…

Contemplating whether to get coffee and then cross the street to eat tacos, or tacos and then coffee was a tough call. I’m incredibly loyal to the Angeleno, but I was hungry…so I made my way across the street to see what these tacos were all about.

As I approached the cart, I saw how clean it was and what a nice little set up the owner had. All he had to do was speak two words before I knew this place would be legit. It’s that Baja California accent that did it. And if you follow me on Twitter you saw me going crazy with excitement. Really. I started tweeting pictures and went a little nuts. But you have to understand how major this was! I was suddenly transported to Ensenada!

!Puro Cachanilla!

The owner of the cart (Ricky) is from Ensenada (complete with the accent and great attitude) and uses the recipe passed down from his mother. It is a very simple cart, and has just the basics as far as sauces and condiments. Don’t come looking for mango salsa because you wont find it. This is real Baja style. Trust.

My fish taco was made to order, and that included dipping the fish in batter and heating up the tortilla. It was great! Really great! Better than great? Epic? Yes. Epic. Totally comparable to authentic Baja fish tacos you would eat in Ensenada. And yes, I have had Baja fish (and shrimp) tacos on the other side of the border.

I know that people will immediately compare it to that other place nearby that claims to be “the best”…and yes, I have eaten at that place, and it is good if you want tables and a variety of salsas…but personally? I prefer the cart. I’m one of those people that enjoys authentic street food. “Tacos parados”, as we like to call them.

For a couple of weeks after that visit in May, I could not find Ricky. It made me incredibly sad because I had found something so magical and it was gone! Last weekend, for whatever reason, I decided to drive by and check to see if Ricky was there. It had been over a month since I had seen him, so really it was wishful thinking. Well, guess what? There he was!!!!!!!!!

I practically ran to his cart! The first thing I did was tell him how much I had missed his tacos! He explained to me that he had been busy with his day job (florist) and had been away. But! He is back now! And I even helped set him up with his very own Twitter! Score! Now I can see if he is going to be there before I make the trip from the SCV!

Yesterday I went again…holding my breath that he would be there. And he was! It looks like weekends from 12-4 are going to be his usual hours.

Tacos are $2.50 each and he also has Manzanita Sol and other sodas.

Do yourself a favor and go visit Ricky’s fish taco stand. His usual spot is right across the street from Intelligentsia Silverlake at Sunset Junction. It’s funny. I used to go to Sunset Junction for Intelligentsia, but this weekend I just went for tacos!

Guess what? He told me that he was hired to make his fish tacos at two private parties and everyone was very happy! Isn’t that a great idea?

Lastly…please excuse the camera phone photos. These photos are from the first time I ate at Ricky’s and I didn’t have my SLR with me. Next weekend I will take real photos to share on here.

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The Gastrobus at the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema Ghostbusters Event

Today I ate at the brand new Gastrobus at the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema Ghostbusters event. New to the scene, I did not know much about this mobile eatery, other than that they serve bistro style food. Since I was in the area, after a day of teacher classroom supply shopping, I decided to try it and cross it off my list of new eateries. 

Since I wasn’t going to be staying for the movie, I didn’t have to pay the entrance fee, and headed right for the food. From the side, I was able to hear the happenings and the pre movie fun, including a very creative and entertaining costume contest! There was a pretty decent turn out and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I was already planning on going to the Fight Club screening in a few weeks, and now I know what to expect. I highly recommend it for a night of fun that the whole family can enjoy! Well…maybe not Fight Club…you might want to leave the kids home for that one…

The menu is quite simple, which I like. It consisted of three different sandwiches and two sides to choose from. Sides come out to $2.50 including tax.

They also have dessert and root beer floats. Tonight they had special smores that tied into Ghostbusters, which I thought was cute. The cost of those comes out to $4 with tax. The root beer float is nothing more than regular ice cream and Barq’s from a can, so I skipped it and got Cool Haus instead.

I ended up ordering a skirt steak sandwich which came out to $6. It was good. Really good. From the bread to the steak! It was on par with a restaurant sandwich and it was loaded with meat too! However, it costs about the same as a restaurant sandwich, only the sides are extra.

You can follow them on Twitter: @thegastrobus or check out their website.

As I was finishing my sandwich, I heard a familiar tune as the movie was starting.

Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!

You can find out more about the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema and check out their upcoming schedule by visiting their website.

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Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck, Los Angeles

I initially tried Coolhaus on May 23, during a quick stop in Venice. I was left really disappointed because my ice cream sandwich was no architecturally designed food item. It was messy, it was small, it was melting, etc. Whenever I had heard Coolhaus mentioned it was always with the tag of “architect” so I had it in my mind that I would see it reflected in the sammies. Then I came to realize that the only thing “architectural” about these ice cream sandwiches was the name and it was all just a gimmick. Oh, I get it now! 

Anyway, here is a Blackberry (this was even before I got my iPhone) photo of the very first Coolhaus sammie I ever had. This was $3. If you want an edible wrapper then it is $3.50. Diddy Riese is $1.50 and those are massive compared to this. Anyway…

Let’s just say that I left Coolhaus with a huge sense of disappointment. I had been so excited to try it and it just did not live up to the hype. Between that day in May and now, I had Coolhaus four more times, and each time was (very) slightly better than the first. However, those times the truck happened to be nearby (LA Art Walk, Abbot Kinney, Space15Twenty) so I didn’t have to go out of my way to find it, like I had the first time.

Prior to tonight, I last had a Coolhaus sammie at Wurstkuche on July 23. It is an iPhone photo and yes, it was dark, but honestly? In person, that’s pretty much what it looked like. And, it was really REALLY really small for $5!

That was it. I was ready to give up on Coolhaus. Then a few days ago one of my friends that works at LA Weekly said that the cookie sandwich was good. Cookie? I asked and he confirmed that yes, the ice cream was between cookies, as if it had always been that way. Say what?

Which brings me to tonight. I went to the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema to check out the Gastrobus when I saw CoolHaus parked right behind it. I decided to give it one last go, and THIS is what I ended up with. I present to you, the new and improved Coolhaus Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich (taken with my SLR):

How amazing is that? That’s some Diddy Riese type stuff right there! Although still smaller than Diddy’s and at double the price, this is a dramatic improvement. The cookies and ice cream were okay. I have to give props to Coolhaus for listening to customers and striving to improve their product.

You can follow Coolhaus on Twitter for locations.

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