Here, Eat This! The Adventures of Kiki Maraschino

The trucks just keep on coming. This weekend we were able to sample a few newcomers and a few old favorites. At the LA Weekly Weekend the Rock & Roll Pizza Truck run by “real New Yorkers” delivered a very authentic New York slice.

People are predicting that trucks are on the way “out”. True, the novelty is waning. But ice cream trucks and taco trucks aren’t exactly extinct. Trucks are convenient, and for the most part, the food is delicious. Remember the crappy plastic-wrapped sandwich trucks of just a few years ago?

I think the issue is that there are more and more trucks every day. They are reaching maximum capacity. And not all of them are good. So, according to the law of natural selection, only the strong will survive. In a few years the trucks will still be rolling, and the ones that make it will be goooood.

The promoters at Silverlake Jubilee were savvy with their choice of food vendors. The ever-popular Dim Sum Truck, Buttermilk Truck, The Flying Pig, and Dosa Truck were joined by a dozen other trucks, including the unfortunately-named Mister Coolie Ice Cream Truck which actually had fantastic dipped cones. Is it ok to not be politically correct if it is innocent? People still buy Spic n’ Span and Cheese Nips, right?

The butterscotch dip was very thin but had a nice crack and it was so sweet a thicker dip would have been overpowering.

OK, I thought it was strange to order fries from another truck 2 trucks down from Frysmith.

But she offered me some of her garlic fries, so who am I to say?

Our darling Dosa truck was there, sharing masala fries and the Slumdog Dosa with the world.

Speaking of politically correct, whereas Dosa is all peace and love, Fatburger went a little over the edge here. God damn, they ruthless.

The Flying pig managed to make a sandwich wrap out of bao dough that was exactly like a bao but slightly airier. Delicious! bob preferred the tacos.

The truck of the moment, the Dim Sum Truck, was closing down, but gifted us with their very last bao, siu mai and shrimp har gow. We savored them all, and yes, we shared.

Everyone loves trucks. Even little puppy dogs.

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We used to make fun of my Canadian grandmother for coming down to the states and going on long soliloquies about the price of peas. When one of us was on a particularly impassioned rant about something dull, the rest of us would tease them by inquiring about the price of peas. But nowadays grocery shopping IS interesting.

I was so excited to see the shining new Fresh & Easy just down the street from my house. When I was in England I found the grocery stores made more sense to me, both in layout and selection. Of course it was too much to hope they could kick me down some Heinz Baked beans or Tetley Tea. But I knew they would have lots of ready-to-cook options and I haven’t been cooking much.

Fresh flowers at the doorway were a good sign. Yams so spoiled that they were bursting and turning to liquid, swarming with fruit flies, was a very bad sign. They must have gone unchecked for days to that to happen. But, these things happen, and so onward. Their fresh-cut fruit was at the peak of ripeness and looked beautiful.

They had lots of what I expected to find, these little instant meals that far surpass American instants in flavor, and more Indian flavors. You can buy them already cooked or ready-to-cook.

Besides the ready-to-cook meals, and Indian flavors, there was a wider variety of dried beans and whole grains, which alone would bring me back.

There were a few other signs of British influence, like more fresh lamb. I do have to confess that some of the meats were just not the right color. The sausages and ribs I bought expired two days after I purchased them and had to be thrown away. In the market I had heard someone explaining to an upset customer, “We are a new store, so we don’t have enough clientele, but the computer orders more automatically.” Still, that’s no excuse. Send me through that meat section and the veg with a big trash bag and problem solved.

They did kick me down one Brit giftie…English bacon!

I like the check-yourself-out kiosks because they have a little cartoon version of me showing my movements. And that version is thin and attractive. I still managed to walk out without paying in spite of the cool virtual me because I was so chatty with the employee.

I did return to pay, and I will say that I expected 4 dinners, a week of lunches, some snacks and the usual to be about 40 bucks more than it was. (I haven’t deducted the meat I had to throw away.) I will return for some items, like their delicious hummus, but I’ll avoid the meat aisle until they have built up a bigger clientele.

As I drove home, I was calculating the savings in my head, and tallying up my booty. In my count I realized there were frozen peas in the grocery bag. So grandma, where ever you are up there, I am carrying on the tradition.

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1 sandpail

fill 1/3 way with decorative (washed) rocks

Cut out florists dry foam into shape of pail and wrap with a lot of cling wrap.

Stuff florists foam into pail, leaving about 3″ at the top.

Push in pinwheel into center of the foam until it hits the rocks.

Surround with assorted lollies, especially Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops.

Fill to the top with a few inches of M&Ms, Skittles, or Jelly Bellies.

(You could try using a smaller container and use a big swirl lolly as
the center, and arrange only your lollies around the bottom. Or go
even smaller and only use little lollies and fill the flowerpot with
colored sugar)

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So if you ever have to go to the doctor a lot, Cedar Sinai is the place to go. They are at the epicenter of good restaurants and shopping. I went shopping for a cozy duvet cover after a rough appointment (Westin’s Heavenly Rest is nice, but 200 bucks. Hotel brand is more like $350 for queen size). I closed the stores down and went home empty-handed

After such a long day I thought I needed Animal’s oxtail poutine. I dropped in late without a reservation, and luckily scored a table. When I placed my order and I was told they were out of poutine I was lost. My head swam. Sensing this, the server left to give me more time. It had just been such a stressy day it was the final straw. I turned my face to the wall and wept. I felt so stupid crying in public. One of the waiters came back and coddled me, which made me feel much better.

I decided to comfort myself with marrow, pig’s ear and foie gras. There is really no better consolation in the world. As I opened my mouth to order Miso-cured foie, the server said, “Oh, and we’re out of the Miso-cured foie.” Imagine that movie shot where they pan back while sumultaneously making the camera do a close-up with me going, “Nooooooooooooooooo!”

But they had a second foie on the menu, so I decided to be a big girl and accept a minor change. I ordered the marrow and their trippy Foie Gras, Biscuit with Maple-cured Gravy. It was a dish that could go terribly wrong, but if they had the balls to serve it, I had the balls to try it.

Not only was the foie cooked to perfection, but the maple added that touch of sweetness that foie needs without being cloying. There was a spicy-hot sausage in the rich gravy that added a little spark. Then as the final coup de gras, the biscuit was the fluffiest, most heavenly biscuit I have ever tried. And I am a seeker of the perfect angel biscuit.

It was so good that when the sever asked if I would like another iced tea, I said, “Yes, and another foie gras please.” It was worth it for the look in her eyes for the second before she regained her composure. I figured, what the hell, why not live like it’s my last week because you just never know.

Normally marrow is almost liquified with a thin fatty skin on it. Their marrow was like custard through and through. The use of Chimichurri instad of the standard parsley was a stroke of genius.

The crab’s legs were fresh and doused with melted butter that had been spiked with chili. A harbinger of the fire to come.

Pig’s ear with chili and lime was topped with a fried egg. I was curious to see if the ear would be chewy like in Paris, or gelatinous like in Monterey Park. It was neither. It was more like shredded beef jerky, with a fatty carnitas-style fry. It was extremely fiery and I would prefer it as a bar snack with a cold beer.

I learned my lesson. Always make a reservation at Animal. Don’t slip in as they are closing or they will run out of dishes. (And although Heavenly Rest is all-white and rarely on sale, Hotel Brand changes styles every season and can be bought on clearance for 100 bucks at Macy’s).

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