there's a new fad sweeping the hipsters and foodies of LA, and after reading about it on my various food sites including Eater LA and Yelp, i figured it was time to pursue the Kogi Taco Truck myself.
the Kogi Taco Truck is, in theory, like your standard Mexican taco truck which you can find parked three-deep at night most anywhere in LA east of Highland Avenue. But the Kogi Taco Truck offers something special - it's a Korean BBQ Taco Truck! That's right!! Kalbi tacos! Bulgogi tacos! Kimchee quesadillas!
when Kogi first started rolling around LA, you never knew where it would be, so if it pulled up outside the club, or maybe even in your neighborhood, you were in luck. it was like a secret concert if you found it. but lately Kogi has stepped it up - they added a second truck and they've been posting on Twitter and on their website where they will be and when. however, as i learned last night, this is not always reliable information.
my hunt for Kogi began at around 8pm Friday night - their site said they would be in the Miracle Mile section of LA, giving a specific intersection, at 6pm. then they planned to be in Venice at 10pm. ben and i packed up a couple of beers and a water bottle, having read that their drinks are super expensive, while their tacos are cheap. $2/taco. we got to the location and sadly...no taco truck! not even forlorn and disappointed taco lovers standing on the sidewalk in dismay.
i knew that the OTHER truck was planning to be at a Downtown LA bar, the Golden Gopher, at 830pm. By the time we drove all the way downtown, and arrived at the Gopher, it was almost 9pm. NO TACO TRUCK! we found a parking spot and decided to go up to the bar anyway, just to have a look-see.
what we saw when we got to the bar was the bouncer standing at the front door, and a line of approximately 40 very attractive, young, mostly asian people. however, not a single one of these people was waiting to get into the bar. they were all waiting for the taco truck to arrive! i felt for the bouncer who looked like a bozo standing guard in front of a line of people who had no interest in coming inside. about 10 minutes later, a spark of energy surged through the crowd as someone yelled out "I SEE IT! HERE IT COMES!!". and here it came. and there it went. there was not a legal parking space for the truck, so it kept driving past the bar.
we patient patrons followed it, keeping our line mostly in tact, for about a block. it parked and then the party really began. we made friends in line (we were in line about 40 minutes) with various people, a group of 4 young ladies out on the town, a pair of babes who'd been waiting for an hour for the truck to show.
when it was time to place our order, i had done my research and was ready to go. our order:
4 short rib (kalbi) tacos
2 spicy pork (bulgogi) tacos
1 SPAM taco (the night's special)
1 kimchee quesadilla (another special)
total was $19. we took our grub and tailgated in my mini. each taco was tastier than the next, they top them with (from their website - i'd never be able to tell you what it is) sesame-chili salsa roja, julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, sea salt and they're garnished with lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge. the toppings definitely overpower the sweet sweet korean meat, but it is oh so good. the kimchee quesadilla was hot and spicy, but those short rib tacos were simply divine. the spam was like the long lost taste of childhood, and the spicy pork was good too, but kind of drowned by the sharp flavor of the toppings.
here are some photos from the experience:
Ben and me in line, waiting with our new best friends
here's the menu
this is the kogi man - he told us that 'kogi' literally means 'meat' in Korean. YUM!
thank you kogi man
ben and his tacos
now i've got my tacos!
