Six Taste Food Tours has got it down. They are an organized food marathon company who, in a very short time, have established themselves as the preeminent food tour group in LA. Their restaurant walks are guided by pros who specialize in the neighborhoods that they traverse daily. They do a dumpling marathon that includes J.J. Bakery, Din Tai Fung, Sinbala and more. Their Santa Monica marathon covers Rockenwagner Bakery, Tudor House, Bar Pintxo and other stops. They also do Hollywood, Downtown, Thai Town, Little Tokyo and New Chinatown (the SGV).

I gave them the task of creating a food marathon of off the beaten path places that they don’t typically feature on their tours. This lead to Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, where I met Jeff and Mike. Jeff owns Six Taste and embodies the food marathon spirit.

The first stop was Taiwanese breakfast at Si Hai Restaurant. This place is a locals favorite without a letter of English on the front window.

A common breakfast item in China is hot soy milk. While most people drink it out of a cup, in Taiwan it’s served in a bowl. The sweet version starts off plain and you add sugar until it satiates your diabetes tooth. The savory version sounds scary, with vinegar that curdles the milk, pork and mustard greens.

Pork belly buns are very popular right now, with Flying Pig making them their featured item. As a kid Mike called these pacman, as the dough looks like an open mouth chomping on pork belly, They’re much bigger than anything I’ve seen on a food truck. Mustard greens are a staple of Taiwanese cuisine and would reappear throughout the marathon. They add tang, crunch and a rare dose of vegetables to the starchy, meaty dishes.

There are a number of breakfast burrito-style scallion omelets. They are wrapped around fried dough, which seems like a hangover cure to me. Nothing wrong with that.

In the same strip mall, Cathy’s Bakery is packed with sweet and savory buns, rolls, tarts, cakes and cookies.

I couldn’t bring myself to do it that early in the marathon, but the potato salad roll looked like the perfect football tailgate heartstopper.

Next up was Shanghai cuisine from Southern Mini Town. Yes, the name is a fantastic example of humorous direct translation from Chinese to English. They probably meant Southern Village, but I would have gone for Sparsely Populated Rural Municipality. Maybe it wouldn’t fit on the sign…

As we sat surveying the menu Mike explained that the waitresses were speaking a different dialect than the table next to us, and they were speaking a different dialect than the table next to them. The cultural melting pot of LA extends to all parts of the city.

May favorite dish of the whole marathon was the seaweed fried fish. It’s like Chinese fish and chips without the chips. The batter has seaweed in it giving it a green hue and salty crunch.

The dumplings were sweeter than Mama’s Lu, Dean Sin World and Din Tai Fung. I still like Dean Sin World’s best.

The Shanghai rice cakes fall short of Mama’s Lu’s, BUT Southern Mini Town has a different style that we didn’t order. It’s not a good idea to order two of anything on a food marathon especially not sticky, dense rice cakes.

The boiled chicken was bland and no amount of sauce could save it.

Moving on to the spiciest stop of the marathon, we got Szechwan cuisine at New Chong Qing.

Their house specialty broiled chili fish comes bathed in a cauldron of spice.

I liked it but always get lazy about picking through fish bones. Maybe I’m spoiled. Any struggle with bones was curtailed by enthusiasm with how many peppers could be applied to each bite.

The dan dan noodles were excellent. It lead to a discussion about Dai Ho and the noodle nazi. Rumor is that the owner was such a tyrant behind the counter that one of his customers beat him up. Since then he’s a bit nicer, but not exactly welcoming. I can’t wait to try it.

Just for good measure we ordered some pork belly which was good.

I didn’t tell Jeff and Mike but on the way home I stopped at Tasty Noodle House.

I love their pork bao and couldn’t leave the neighborhood without them.

The other suggestions for next time were the egg rolls from Golden Deli and Lu Gi, the hot pot place next to Si Hai. So as one marathon ends another one is created.

Six Taste is achieving innovative food exploration via food tours. They’re going to expand to other events as well. One such event is a Chinese Market Tour with Chef Sara Johannes from WP24. It’s a great way to learn about Asian cooking, ingredients and more importantly brands that are reputable. 99 Ranch can be intimidating but Sara breaks it down very eloquently.

I’m thrilled that Jeff and Six Taste are working so hard to further the food marathoning mentality.

Sinosoul and I chose four west side locations, three of which served burgers that cost more than $15 each.

First up was Petrossian. I haven’t been back since they first opened in may 2009. The house of fine caviar doesn’t mess around when it comes to burgers. The menu looks like it’s covered in caviar so I naturally assumed the burger would be as well.

At $18 there was a chance…

Setting the bar high, this rich, juicy burger was sweet and oniony with a perfectly light bun.

Although it wasn’t covered with caviar it still was awesome.

The thin, crisp fries were a salty compliment to the sweet burger. The caviar tin of ketchup was only a tease.

Our second stop served a $15 burger. Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills is famous because the woman that owns it is on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. While this makes it a more recognizable restaurant, it certainly doesn’t make for a more flavorful meal.

The best part about Villa Blanca was the diagonal crosswalk outside and the second best thing was the blue Ferrari next to said crosswalk.

The worst part of Villa Blanca was the fries with the burger coming in a close second.

Overcooked, with little flavor, the burger came smothered in oil cheese with a side of limp onions. Although the bun looks the same as Petrossian’s, it was less buttery.

The third stop was Miru 8691, a Korean burger fish bar that is located at 9162 Olympic Blvd. Yes, that’s not the number in the name…

It’s as mashed up as it sounds, with colorful Louis Vuitton print booths and more signage than a picket line.

According to someone, they have the best burger in LA.

The O.G. burger is a sloppy chili burger with seven spice aoli and a house glaze.

It was smaller than the previous burgers but definitely packed in a lot of flavor. Coming in at half the price of Petrossian’s burger, I wasn’t mad at it. If I was drunk it would have been brilliant, but sober I’d give it a solid “good” rating.

For a food marathon, I wasn’t full at all at this point. We split the first three burgers four ways and I didn’t waste a lot of space on fries. I did this knowing we were gonna end at Rustic Canyon.

Not too far from the original burger list-topper, Father’s Office, Rustic Canyon has unleashed their beast of a burger to the top of a lot of people’s gourmet burger lists.

I ordered an entire $22 burger for myself (with bacon, which was more like thick sliced pork belly).

With a burger looking that good you really need another picture.

Note the buttery sheen on top of the bun (and that all four burgers had the same kind of bun). I’m not sure if it makes me weak but after one big bite I had to switch to a knife and fork for this one. It was more important to get a perfectly even swath of beef, pork, bun, cheese, pickle then maintain any semblance of manliness. It was fantastic. It’s such a different burger that it’s hard to say if it’s better or worse than Petrossian’s. It’s more traditional in flavor profile, and definitely messier.

To wash down all the meat we ended with two salads: the beet, farro and feta, and the peaches and burrata.

For dessert we had sardines, because no four-burger meal is complete without them.

I anticipate many more burger marathons this year and next. There are just too many too try and not nearly enough time. Suggestions are welcome.

There was too much food to try it all, even for a professional food marathoner.

One of my favorite parts of food events is to watch the chefs barter with each other.

The highlights were the Baja chefs who brought Mexico’s finest including:

La Guerrerense:  Sea Urchin Tostada

They have a line of salsas including a habanero, peanut blend that started the day off with a kick.

Mision 19:  Pacific Oyster Asada w/ Chicharron Short Rib, Serrano Ponzu Butter, Lemongrass Foam

For Cinco de Mayo a Mexican director and producer made us a delicious dinner. Their friend, chef Javier Plascencia, has a stellar restaurant in Tijuana that my business partner and client visited last weekend. They came back raving about it so I was thrilled to try the oyster.

Manzanilla Restaurante: lengua, beef cheek and abalone

Some of my favorites were actually LA’s Mexican street food.

Mariscos Jalisco:  Tacos Dorado de Camaron

Mexicali Taco & Co:  Vampiros (garlic infused quesadilla)

Antojitos Carmen:  Alambre Taco + Mini Pambaso + Mini Squash Blossom Quesadilla

They have one of the best spicy sauces in LA. It doesn’t look menacing as it’s creamy, but don’t be fooled. It’s vicious and delicious. So good, in fact, that we took a cup home.

The spice required an antidote. It came in the form of Ice Ice Shavie’s sublime Hammer Thyme shaved ice. You know I’m a sucker for 90′s music references so I was happy that the product lived up to the marketing.

Ice Ice Shavie: Shaved Ice: Hammer Thyme (strawberry, thyme, lemon, ginger) + Mojito (mint, lime)

I’ve never heard as many ball jokes as I did yesterday. It seems restaurants have realized balls are the easiest thing to serve at events like Street Food Fest, so Tiara Cafe, The Mighty Boba Truck and:

Starry Kitchen:  Pandan Donut Holes + Double Fried Sweet Ginger Chicken Wings

Great Balls on Tires:  Ballywood  (Indian meatball on rice)

Picca continues its reign over July. Besides the Food & Wine Best New Chef title for Chef Ricardo Zarate
and the successful opening of Picca on Pico, add serving one of the best dishes at Street Food Fest to the list.

Mo-Chica + Picca:  Peruvian Cau Cau (tripe stew)

America loves corn. It’s no wonder Peruvian food is making big strides- they have the biggest corn kernels….

Moo Dae Po II:

Yxta Cocina Mexicana:  Shrimp Taquitos

Guelaguetza: Mole Tamales

Cacao Mexicatessen: Venison Chorizo Verde, Tortilla de Jicama, Serrano Relish, Goat Cheese Crema Mexicana

The Frysmith: Bacon & Port Poutine + Habanero Chicken Chili Fries

Glowfish:  Okonomiyaki

Maggie’s Meat & Bread:  Choripan w/ Tortilla Espanola, Chimichurri + Carbonada Criolla Tacos (Beef Shank, Pumpkin Aioli, Argentine Queso)

Streets of Thailand:  Legendary Thai Iced Tea + Sailor Jerry Rum Mashup

Seoul Sausage Co:  Kalbi Sausage + Spicy Kimchi Pork Sausage

First, I love LA because you can see Elvis, Chong (of “Cheech and …” fame) and a tranny sitting together at a bus stop.
Second, because they’re sitting next to a poster that boldly says This is Stupid.
Third, it’s even more appropriate tonight because of Carmageddon.
Have a good weekend.

The games I watched as a kid were played at Rosenblatt Stadium. This year a brand new stadium debuted, Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park. Same friendly people, considerably more comfortable seats.

While I’m sure some of the character couldn’t be replaced, the new stadium was beautiful, with the same dimensions on the field and good views from every seat.

The thing about college baseball is that it’s really about the team winning. Individual players and performances are only secondary to the win. The national champions, South Carolina, actually made it to the final game without hitting a home run and still went undefeated in Omaha. College baseball is like simple, purist sushi versus the spicy tuna crunch roll of Major League Baseball.

Fine, enough about baseball. The first thing I ate in Omaha was a steak, of course.

This baseball bat sized tomahawk from Sullivan’s was dry aged and enormous. We sat next to Nomar Garciappara and stuffed ourselves with Omaha steaks, blue cheese covered wedges and a side of creamed corn. It wasn’t the best steak I’ve ever had, but damn good.

They’re not known for their barbecue, but in a city famous for steaks you still can get decent brisket, ribs and pork. These were from the fan fest outside the stadium.

The best meal of the trip was at Bohemian Cafe. They serve Czechoslovakian cuisine. Food that requires sitting for 3 hours afterward. Coincidentally that’s the only thing we planned on doing.

The decor and staff are from another a time. A happier time when one didn’t feel guilty eating 4,900 calories for lunch.

This gravy covered brilliance is their special $8 lunch combo. After the liver dumpling soup (not pictured, but imagine delicious liver flavored matzo balls denser than freshly poured concrete) we were served a plate of gravy. Under the gravy was tender Svickova (Czech style sauerbraten), sweet and sour cabbage and Czech dumplings. We also had their Polish sausage and sauerkraut, because we couldn’t not have them.

Next to Bohemian Cafe sits another CWS staple. The little stand called Ethnic Sandwich Shop makes a range of best-in-Omaha sandwiches, with daily specials that include Hot Roast Beef, Lasagna and Mac and Cheese. I kept it simple with the Sparky (a hoagie with hard salami, capicola ham, lettuce, tomato, red onions and Italian dressing).

The highlight of the trip was an off the beaten path dive, aptly called Happy Bar.

Tall boys of PBR for $3. Air Conditioning set to 68 degrees (it was a humid 88 outside). A welcoming, staff and patrons. Happiness defined.

We took a short drive to Wahoo, Nebraska to try a couple of local favorites. Wahoo Locker is a cured meat champion. They win awards for their summer sausage. The lingering smoky aroma of their award winning jalapeno and cheddar beef sticks made the most lasting impression of the trip.

Before we left we got butterburgers and frozen custard from Culver’s. My affinity for Culver’s stems from many post-disc-golf burgers during college. As I introduce it to new people, who are totally underwhelmed and disappointed I realize it’s simply a point of nostalgia as opposed to a great fast food spot.

It’s worth mentioning the crazy storm that blew through at the end of one of the games. We drove straight towards this insanely menacing cloud, before a tree blew across the street. We turned into the first building we could find, which happened to be a hospital, and waited it out. The saying holds true, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes.”

After many days without a vegetable I was ready to return to the arid Los Angeles basin. I can happily check the CWS off the bucket list.

Not holding anything back, on July 16th Street Food Fest is back with a vengeance. And yes, Starry Kitchen is back too.

Buy your tickets today as all three time slots will sell out.

Look at this list of tastes:

GOURMET TRUCKS  
Border Grill Truck:  Quinoa Fritters
Dim Sum Truck:  Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai + “Baked Potato” Dumpling
Flying Pig:  Pork Belly Bun + Duck Taco
The Frysmith: Dish Coming Soon!
Lardon:  Baco Taco
Glowfish (Preview!):  Okonomiyaki + Teppanyaki
Great Balls on Tires:  Ballywood – Indian meatball on rice
Grilled Cheese Truck:  Cheesy Mac & Rib + Plain & Simple MELT
Hansik (Preview!):  Mandoo + Korean Street Finger Foods
Maggie’s Meat & Bread:  Wine Braised Beef Shank Sandwich + Tortilla Espanola + Chicken Milanesa
The Mighty Boba Truck:  Buttermilk Fried Chicken +Boba Milk Tea
Naan Stop:  Tandoori Chicken + Tandoori Paneer
Neri’s Curbside Cravings:  Tocino-Tapa Burger + Tocino-Tapa-Sisig Taco
Steel City Sandwich (Preview!):  Pierogies
Streets of Thailand:  Thai Iced Tea

LOCAL LONCHEROS  
La Estrella: Dish Coming Soon!
Leo’s Tacos: Dish Coming Soon!
Mariscos de Jalisco:  Tacos Dorado de Camaron (hard shell shrimp tacos)
Tacos Cuernavaca: Dish Coming Soon!
Tamales Elena:  Mexican Tamales: Chicken, Cheese-Jalapeño, Pork, Strawberry-Pineapple

CARTS & STANDS 
Antojitos Carmen:  Alambre Taco + Pambasos + Squash Blossom Quesadilla
Jalisco’s Mobile Taco Grill: Dish Coming Soon!
Mexicali Taco & Co:  Vampiros (garlic infused quesadilla)
Sabor da Bahia: Acaraje (Brazilian black bean fritters)
Seoul Sausage Co:  Kalbi Sausage + Spicy Kimchi Pork Sausage
Taste of Tunisia:  Brik (Tunisian meat-filled pastry)
Vici Victual: Sweet Potato Pie
Waiola Burger:  Gourmet Hawaiian Burgers w/ Grandma’s Special Sauce and Seasoning

RESTAURANTS  & CHEFS 
Cacao Mexicatessen: Dish Coming Soon!
CHAM Korean Bistro:  BBQ Kalbi & Spicy Tuna Tofu Pockets
Ayara Thai:  When Tigers Cry & Papaya Pok Pok Salad
Chef Tione’s Quality Meats:  Sonoma Lamb Shoulder w/ Mediterranean Salsa
Chef Dan Moody / Relate: Banana Bread Pudding a la Pecan Pie
Chef John Sedlar / Playa + Rivera:  Maize Cakes
Chef Ricardo Zarate / Mo-Chica + Picca:  Anticucho
Currywurst (Preview!):  Currywurst – sliced pork/veal Bockwurst, curry powder, ketchup sauce, fries
Delicious Wishes LA:  Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake Pop & Bananas Foster Cake Ball
Gleeka:  Spanakopita + Baklava + Melomakarona (honey dipped spice cookies)
Guelaguetza:  Mole Tamales
Guisados:  Dish Coming soon!
IOTA (Preview!):  Korean pastries + Korean pour over coffee
Kings Row Gastropub:  Lamb Merguez Corn Dog
La Cocina del Camaguey:  Dominican Fried Empenadas
La Flor de Yucatan:  Cochinita Pibil Bolobanes (cream cheese stuffed jalapeños)
Moo Dae Po + Moo Dae Po II:  Assorted KBBQ
The Oinkster:  Dish Coming soon!
Pal Cabron:  Dish Coming soon!
Ramen JINYA + Robata JINYA:  Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen
Sedthee Thai:  Prosperous Baby Back Ribs + Spicy Yellow Curry – Vegan & Chicken
Starry Kitchen:  Pandan Donut Holes + Mystery BALLS (oh my!)
Tiara Café:  Slow Smoked Short Rib Sliders w/ Pickled Jalapeños and Cole Slaw
Ti Georges:  Haitian Chicken

BAJA CHEFS  
Diego Hernandez / Corazon de Tierra: Octopus-Pork Belly Tostada + Braised Valle de Guadalupe Lamb,
Potato Mousseline, White Truffle Oil
Javier Plascencia / Mision 19:  Grilled Oysters w/ Chicharron Short Rib, Serrano Chili, Ponzu Butter, Lemongrass Foam
Sabina Bandera / La Guerrerense:  Sea Urchin Tostada
Benito Molina / Manzanilla:  Manzanilla Surprise

ICE CREAM SOCIAL 
Batch From Scratch ft Scoops: Mayan Chocolate Inferno Cookie & Salted Caramel + Cardamom Caramel Macchiato Cookie & Apricot Vanilla
Beachy Cream:  Flavors Coming Soon!
CoolHaus: Ice Creams: pineapple cilantro serrano chili sorbet, beer and pretzels, butterscotch rosemary, strawberry mojito sorbet, orange chocolate cointreau, bourbon pecan + Cookies: double chocolate with sea salt, brioche, potato chip Skor bar
HAUS Dessert Café: Pat Bing Soo – Korean shaved ice w/ fresh fruit, condensed milk, red bean
Ice Ice Shavie (Preview!): Shaved Ice: Hammer Thyme – strawberry, thyme, lemon, ginger
+ The Salted Caramel Top + The Humming Bird – Elderflower, Lemon, Grapefruit
Longboards Ice Cream:  Flavors Coming Soon!
Mother Moo Creamery (Preview!):  Ice Cream: Thyme + Freshest Peach
Natura Bar:  Flavors Coming Soon!

TEQUILA TASTING TENT
Angel Bendito Tequila
Agave de Cortes Mezcal
Inocente Tequila
Reserva
QuinteroSacacuento Ultra Premium Mezcal
Tequila 55
Tequila 1519
Tequila Abondonado
Tequilas Bracero
Tequila Capaz
Tequila Corrido
Tequila El Agave
Teteo Tequila

PARK BARS
Singha Beer Gardens (Two!)
Sailor Jerry Rum
Sailor Jerry  Airstream Photo Booth
Milagro Tequila
Hendrick’s Gin

TEST KITCHEN LUXE LOUNGE
Hendricks Bar ft LA’s Top Mixologist, Julian Cox
Chef Farid Zadi
Dr’s Massage Station ft Pasadena’s Dr. Kevin Cressey
DRY SODA

AHN-JOO (Korean “pub grub”)
BAKERYTRUCK (sweet treats from a bakery on wheels)
BARBIE’S Q (famous hand-pulled BBQ sandwiches)
CHUNK-N-CHIP (delicious ice cream surrounded by oven-warm cookies)
COOLHAUS (architecturally-inspired ice cream sandwiches)
DA MUNCH BOX (hearty comfort cuisine)
DOSATRUCK (a Southern Indian take on the crepe)
FRESH FRIES (french fries with unique toppings)
GO COUNTRY 105 CHUCK WAGON (Southern, Country and Tex-Mex)
INDIA JONES CHOW TRUCK (Indian street food)
KONA ICE BEACH CITIES (refreshing treats for kids of all ages)
LOBSTA TRUCK (New England style lobster rolls)
LOUKS (gourmet Greek food)
LUDOTRUCK (fried chicken from Chef Ludo Lefebvre)
NO JODAS KITCHEN (authentic Cuban cuisine)
ORGANIC OASIS (organic smoothies made on a solar-powered truck)
PANFINITI (paninis and beyond)
PIAGGIO ON WHEELS (Argentinean cuisine with touches of Brazil)
RAGIN CAJUN (an authentic taste of the Bayou)
SEABIRDS (OC’s original veggie truck)
SHORT STOP BBQ (real Southern California BBQ)
SLAPFISH (masters of sustainable seafood)
SPUDRUNNERS (great spuds and grilled sandwiches)
THE GREASY WIENER (loads of fun in a bun!)
THE GRILLED CHEESE TRUCK (you don’t need an explanation)
THE OC FOOD TRUCK (innovative sandwiches and burgers)
TORNADO POTATO (a twist on the average fries)
TROPICAL SHAVE ICE (Hawaiian style shave ice)
UNCLE LAU’S ISLAND BBQ (loco moco, spam, Hawaiian favorites)
WHITE RABBIT TRUCK (Filipino fusion cuisine)
And more to be announced soon!

The marathon takes place at Oak Canyon Park in Orange County on July 16. Buy your tickets here.

2011 paired with 2010

Veev Cocktails

Starry Kitchen

Pandan Banana Leaf Chicken paired with Pandan Flan

Malo/Mas Malo

Reservoir

Pure Cheesecakes

Blue cheese cheesecake. I like the adventurousness…

Cast Iron Gourmet

Bacon trail mix could have used more adventurousness…

Bangers & Smashed

Duvel

Auntie Fruf’s Aahsome Fudge

Macarons paired with fudge.

The Farm of Beverly Hills

Dry Soda

Earlez Grill,
Canele,
Momed,
Upstairs 2,
Jar,
Brats Brothers,
Michaels,
simpethings,
Public Kitchen and Bar,
Rush Street,
Angel City Brewing,
Firemans Brew,
and more….

General Admission tickets are $80 until July 1st, when they go up to $100 and VIP tickets are $200 until July 1st when they go up to $225 (and get you free valet parking, an additional hour of sampling food and wine and entry into the VIP lounge and more).

Buy tickets now and I’ll see you there…

Focusing on artisanal and organic gourmet food, drinks and gifts it embodies the current trends in cuisine and shopping. The opening night party attracted attractive westsiders who sampled goods from the many purveyors.

The highlight was Norcino Sulumeria and Cheese Bar.

Who can resist an overflowing stock of meat and cheese.

They were slicing fresh mortadella, prosciutto, salami and more.

They were even hand-pulling fresh burrata.

Norcino is the perfect place to come for a sampling on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Another Italian option is Primi al Mercato. Serving as both a retail outlet and causal trattoria, Primi dished up piping hot al dente pasta.

Rockenwagner is a beachside staple. They have a bakery at The Market, serving pretzel baguettes amongst a variety of other items.

They even adorned a mannequin in pretzels, because salt is the new black.

Venokado wine shop has armies of bottles standing at the ready.

Their tasting room and gifts make this a good pre-dinner stop.

There were plenty of desserts. Nice Cream, The Cookie Guru and Beachy Cream all will vie for your sweet tooth.

L’Artisan du Chocolat and Groundwork Coffee round out the after dinner offerings.

Magical Blooms is the sole flower shop in The Market.

The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories will host three and four hour cookie classes, demos, signings and special events. The culinary stylings of Kleiman and Gold took their Good Food banter on the road for a special demo in front of a packed house.

The Curious Palate seemed very busy cooking but I didn’t see any food so I didn’t try anything. Here is a sample of their menu.

Overall The Market at SMP could use a catchier name like Eataly. However, it does serve as a nice place to spend an afternoon or evening. It’s certainly a step up from Sbarro and Hot Dog on a Stick.