Long Beach Street Food Festival Oct 9th 2010

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Dominic Lau co Owner of Don Chow Tacos debuting their Famous Chimale

The Long Beach Street Food Festival started on a nice sunny October morning with a line of 100 plus people deep waiting to get in an hour before the gates opened at 10:30 am. I chatted with the crowd for bit and all of the people we spoke with had enjoyed the first Long Beach Food Festival back in July. The event drew in 3500 plus foodies and  raised $17,000 dollars for their local charity Adopt-A-Teacher Program through the Long Beach Junior Chamber Charitable Foundation (LBJCC Foundation). Also, LBJCC Foundation selects at least 2 recipients each academic year for scholarships.

The People seemed excited by the new food event today with great expectations. There were 28 gourmet food trucks with a variety of different ethnic cuisines available for the taking. There was an estimated 4500 plus foodies at this event which included a beer and wine garden, Classic Rock n' Roll  band called Blue Steel, and of course the gourmet food trucks. We started our day with an exclusive interview with the co chairpersons A.J. Dale and Jean Hartman who were delightful and friendly. Enjoy their video interview.

Our first stop was to meet up with new comer David Lee the owner of  The Place LA. The Place LA staff was friendly and inviting, which is always a good start to a delicious meal. We sampled 2 of the signature menu items while we interviewed David. We tried the Pastrami Cheese Burger made with a nicely season burger topped off with David's own homemade Pastrami-cured and brined beef brisket, which he boasts of being succulent and flavorful, which David makes good on his promise. The second menu item was his Kyosha, a fired egg, on top of a mountain of their homemade Pastrami with American and Swiss cheese melted in between toasted sour dough bread with a tangy smooth mustard sauce, that compliments the overall tasty sandwich. Check out the The Place LA and Tell them Big Tony Ragu sent you! Enjoy the food pics and video interview with David Lee.

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Pastrami Cheese Burger made with a nicely season burger topped off with David's own homemade Pastrami-cured and brined beef brisket.

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Kyosha, a fired egg, on top of a mountain of their homemade Pastrami with American and Swiss cheese melted in between toasted sour dough bread with a tangy smooth mustard sauce finish.

Have you ever made three wishes before and they come true. Mine were granted when we asked the food Genie for a great tasting meal for under $10, but be consistently tasty each time. Maher "Max" Ibrahim owner of the Gourmet Genie does just that, by magic you ask?, nah it just comes with experience and follow thru. Max's concept is bringing traditional Mediterranean street food to the modern tastes of angelenos. Max is a lambaholic, yes he loves lamb and when you love it that much the end result is great tasting food. We sampled a few menu items with of course Lamb! Enjoy the food pics and video interview with Max.

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Jasmine Feast- Fresh Hummus with paprika and virgin olive oil, pickles with nice vinegar and heat lip smacking pop, nicely seasoned Falafel, side of couscous, Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves), Cabbage Salad, and Baba Ghanoush. Done right!

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Merguez Sausage is a spicy Moroccan lamb sausage made with paprika, pine nuts, lamb and of course hot chilies or Harissa which is a Tunisian hot chili sauce. A nice compliment to the cool hummus flavor and subtle sour vinegar brined pickle taste to finish it off. Its a great street food snack!

When you hear the name "Gaston" you might think of the Walt Disney villain from the animated classic Beauty and The Beast. You would not be far off. The Crepes Bonaparte truck is named "Gaston" and I'm sure its a beast to drive, the beauty is Owners Danielle and Christian Murcia get to make scrumptious crepe creations from the heart of this beast. We sampled a new item called the Spicy Apple Bottoms. Despite the long line, followers praised the Crepes Bonaparte truck team. Enjoy food pic and interview with Christian Murcia.

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Spicy Apple Bottoms is cooked cinnamon apples, whip cream, and sticky gooey yummy carmel.

You might remember Janel Prator from Nana Queens of the1st season of the Great Food truck Race. I can assure you the pudding was amazing once again. We sampled the signature puddings the new PB&J and Raspberry Banana puddings, which were smooth and creamy with a nice hint of sweet. Janel is also known for her wings, but as usual she was sold out! Next time, there great too. Enjoy the food pic and video interview with Janel.

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PB&J Banana pudding-Creamy peanut butter and homemade Strawberry jam. Mmm Mmm!

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Raspberry-Sweet delicious raspberry drizzle on top of creamy smooth Banana pudding.Simply wonderful.

A special interview wrap up with 5 of LA's hottest gourmet food trucks updating us on new things happening and their overall experience at the 2nd Long Beach Street Food Festival. Its very entertaining and you will love the food items showcased in each trucks interview. Enjoy the video interviews and food!