Great Balls Driving on the Road of Flavor

Once upon a time there were three friends who loved food with a simply concept of creating an international menu of flavorful finger food know as meat balls.  My question is "to ball or not to ball?" After spending some Time with co-owner Michael Brombart at the Long Beach Street Food at Rainbow Lagoon Park I learned a lot about how the Great Balls on Tires team creates an Awesome Menu. It starts with great quality ingredients/products such as; the buttery flavored Toasted Brioche bun made by HomeBoy Bakery in Los Angeles. It's nice to see that they support local businesses and they're customer service focused. I was greeted by a friendly man at the order window who was co-owner Clint Peralta who took my order. The menu was easy to read with nice descriptions of there innovative meat creations by Chef Sharron Barshishat, a Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena graduate.


After speaking with the long line of customers, I found that the IncrediBall was recommended. I brought along a meataholic with me, well after a wrestling match struggle ensued for just a bite of one of the two Gourmet IncrediBalls. I just could not put it down. The kobe meat was well seasoned with a nutty, slightly sweet taste of the gruyere cheese that was accompanied by the peppery slightly bitter wild arugula, smokey and salty apple-wood bacon, a nice sweet punch of garlic with creamy mayo, and a buttery flavored toasted brioche bun totally finished this taste bud delight. Hooray! for you Great Balls On Tires Hooray!

Incrediball:
Ground Kobe Beef, Applewood Smoked bacon, Gruyere, Wild Arugula, Garlic Aioli, Toasted Brioche.

Ballywood:
Garam Masala Chicken, Coconut Madras curry, Crispy Fried Onions, Tomato Chutney, Cilantro Chutney, Saffron Basmati Rice.

The Great Balls on Tires is a must taste for any person looking for great tasting food at a value for under $10. Please see Contact Information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

Great Balls on Tires
Website Address:
http://www.greatballsontires.com
Twitter:
@greatballsot

Danc'in to the beat for TastyMeat

Its Friday night just got paid we're movin our feet to the Food Truck beat. Sounds like it could be a new song, but for now its a new adventure in Eagle Rock visiting the TastyMeat Gourmet food truck. Our friends at the Lake Street Creamery recommended this innovative Turkish twist on hand food called a Bamwich. The Bamwich is based on the Döner Kebab (Döner kebap in Turkish) literally means "rotating grilled meat" (of which any type of meat applies), differentiates itself from the Greek Gyro through the high quality, traditionally Turkish spiced meat, the specialty flat bread, the Döner’s signature salad mix and Tzatziki sauce).  It's really more than a meal, it's a fusion of cultures and ideals stuffed into a grilled flat bread made to your individual tastes (Regular or Spicy).

History: The first Döner kebabs were developed in Berlin by Turkish immigrants for the sake of fitting the food and taste Germans are used to. The Authentic Turkish Döner is made from lamb.The Originator Mahmut Aygun whom was known as the "kebab king." He was born in Turkey and moved to Germany at the age of 16 to open a snack stall. He invented the Doner kebab nearly 40 years ago. The first of the new snacks was served on March 2, 1971, at Hasir, his restaurant in Berlin. It was called a Doner kebab after the Turkish word "dondurmek" which means a rotating roast.

We were met by a very friendly lady by the name of Amy with her Husband Chef Max of TastyMeat. We decided on the 12" Bamwich, 12" the Meatless and Feta fries made Spicy.  You have 2 sizes of deliciousness to choose from an 8" or 12" for under 10$ is a great value, but does it taste good you ask? The food we sampled below was seasoned nicely with a hint of a cayenne pepper kick with the smooth and creamy yogurt based sauces and of course the delightful saltiness of the feta cheese in the fries ended a great night of  tongue tantalizing goodness. I applaud TastyMeat for creating an innovative twist on an already amazing dish. Click on the Full Menu. Please see photos and Contact Information below.

The Bamwich: (Beef and Lamb=BAM)
Mixed Shawarma topped with romaine lettuce, Roma Tomatoes, red onions, Tzatziki (Cool and creamy, this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic, dill, a bite of Vinegar is the perfect compliment to grilled meats) sauce, Feta cheese (is a brined curd cheese made from sheep's milk, or from a mixture of sheep's and goats’ milk traditionally made in Greece.), and Tahini (a sesame seed paste seasoned with Garlic, salt, lemon juice, and Olive Oil) sauce.

The Meatless:
Homemade Chickpea Falafel-All Vegetarian Falafel topped with romaine lettece, Roma Tomatoes, red onions, Tzatziki sauce, Feta Cheese, and Tahini sauce.

Feta Fries:
French Fries, Delicious red Feta spread, and Tzatziki sauce. Yummy!!!









Please see Contact information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

TastyMeat
Website Address:
http://www.tastymeat.org
Twitter:
@tastymeat

Look up in the sky its plane, a bird No Its the Flying Pig Truck!

It was a warm Thursday night and up popped a twit from the Flying Pig Truck (Pig1) who announced that they were in Pasadena for a late night snack next to target on Colorado Blvd. You cannot miss the Big Pink Colored truck with the smiling Pig with Wings logo. I have read numerous reviews on this truck and I wanted to experience this unique pigaliousiness menu.
Hmm is "pigaliousiness" a word well it is tonight!!! LOL.

I was met by Owner Joe Kim and his great Chefs Jamir and Gabe who were Friendly and cool to chat with.

I ordered the sliders, Pork Belly, and Spicy Pork taco. You ask, was it good? well 4 Sliders, 3 Spicy Pork Tacos, and 2 Pork Bellies later. Hell Yes!!! I saw the FlyingPIG truck in Burbank a few weeks later and enjoyed the sliders and Smoked Chicken taco. Sorry for the bite marks in the picture below, it was too good to wait to take the picture....

The Sliders, are made with well seasoned beef & pork blend with red onion escabeche (The marinade is common in Spanish cuisine usually vinegar based, but can also include citrus juice for the acidity.), pickled sesame cucumber, banana mustard (Sweet Tangy compliment to the escabeche marinaded red onions), on a toasted sweet Hawaiian bun to complete this wonderful layers of flavor.



The Pork Belly on a Bao bun served with braised pork belly with red onion escabeche, pickled sesame cucumber, death sauce (a well balanced mixture of sweet and heat) on a steamed bao bun (is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like (i.e. made with yeast) item used in various Chinese cuisines).





Smoked chicken, a hickory-smoked chicken thigh taste reminds me of Barbecuing on an outside grill with the lighly sweet mango slaw, kissed with the honey-roasted peanuts that adds a nice crunch, and the green curry aioli complements this scrumptious Asian Fusion taco.






Spicy Pork Tacos, marinated pork shoulder with green papaya (A slightly tart flavored fruit that is rich in an enzyme called papain, a protease which is useful in tenderizing meat and other proteins), black sesame seeds, cilantro cream, and death sauce complete a spicy porkalious great tasting lip smacking taco. Joe and Team FlyingPig truck have an amazing Menu.

Please see Contact information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

The Flying Pig Truck
Website Address:
http://flyingpigtruck.com
Twitter:
@FlyingPigTruck

Rock'in N Rolling with a 7oz of Chuck on a Saturday Night.

Tonight we were just kicking back and undecided of what to do for a late night meal. Its too hot to cook and delivery did not appeal to us. You guessed it, we logged into twitter to see what's happening in the food truck deliciousness world tonight.

This was our second visit to this Gourmet food truck who puts a twist on the way they serve their Grilled meat. I'm talking about Grill Em All Truck. You're met by Chef and co-owner Ryan and co-owner Matt who are friendly humorous guys.

Since we love the spicy heat, we decided on the "Waste Em All" Gourmet Burger, they start with a well seasoned 80/20 7oz ground chuck meat patty, then top it off with marinated spicy green chilies, pepper jack cheese-creamy and buttery flavor of jack cheese with the intensity of spicy peppers, and beer soaked onions- you can taste the sweet caramelized flavor of the onion enhanced with the mild hint of the beer's hoppy flavor on a fluffy but hardy tasting bun, that brings this palate pleasing Gourmet Burger to the next level.

We got daring and tried the special of the night called the "Dee Snider," it was a delicious patty top with a creamy, crunchy, and salty Peanut Butter with a lovely sweet Strawberry Jelly, Sriracha (is the name for a Thai hot sauce named after the seaside city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of central Thailand, where it was first produced. It is a paste of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Traditional Thai Sriracha tends to be tangier, sweeter, and thinner than non-Thai, which is often thicker in texture.) and of course generous slices of luscious apple wood smoked bacon!! Need I say more. My mouth said Oh yea!! and my tummy said its my turn next baby! We added some scrumptious Truffle oil tossed Gourmet fries to the end of a wonderful and satisfying Gourmet meal at a reasonable price. Ryan and Matt bring back the word "Gourmet" to an amazing Menu with a hint of Love! Yumilious scale 10++. Don't miss this wonderful Gourmet burger experience. We didn't!
Please see Contact information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

Grill Em All Truck
Website Address:
http://www.grillemalltruck.com/
Twitter:
@GrillEmAllTruck

Hungry, Hot, and Looking for Danger in Eagle Rock Last Night

You all know how Hot it was yesterday in Southern California! I jumped into my topless chariot and off I drove looking for danger and good eats. As any good tweeter I checked out the available action happening in the Gourmet Food truck world on a hot Thursday night. I found my danger on the 1600 Block of Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock.

I saw a Large Dragon Figure painted on the side of a Gourmet Food Truck by the name of Komodo and then I smelled the most wonderful aroma of asian spices filling the surrounding air space. I just had to explore further. I was met by one of komodofood's owners Mike Cho who told me that the the Meatballs with Romesco sauce was spiced right and delicious. I had 2 orders of that wonderful Pork meatball which is spiced nicely with a hint of garlic, onion and pared with Romesco, that is a sauce originating in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) that is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyoras - a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper.
It was amazing!


I spoke with Irwin one of the Chef de partie (Saute/Head Chef) behind the tantalizing tastes of Komodo who brought us out an order of Fish N' Grapes, a Deep-fried Alaskan Cod tossed with Fresh Grape Salad, my mouth and tummy were happy with the combination of a fillet that was moist, firm, with a slightly sweet flavor surrounded by a Crispy shell of goodness and top with a delicious creamy sweet tart grape salad. We had the pleasure of trying two other menu options;
The Blazin' Shrimp, a Spicy Singaporean-style Shrimp with a Sour Cream Salad and the Java, an Indonesian Beef Rendang with a sweet Fresh Cucumber Salad both were a real hit! You can have these menu items as a taco or burrito either way, you will just love it.

Great food and friendly service, you cannot beat that on a hot California night. I give the Komodo Menu a 10++ on the Yumilious scale. Please see Contact information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

komodo

Website Address:

http://komodofood.com
Twitter:
@komodofood

Its Hot and Up pops the Lake Street Creamery on Twitter

When it comes to today, it was hot 95º in Burbank. I just shared a nice lunch at the Dim Sum truck and I was looking for something sweet and refreshing. Yes i know I could get a plain old soda but I wanted something to tantalize my tastebuds.... I found it alright at the corner of Orange/Lexington in Glendale. What you might ask I found? It was an experience I was not prepared for.

I parked my truck and off I went to explore what this light blue truck had for me. Well, I must say it was so incredible I still smile as I read this.. I was met by a nice lady by the name of Beth and her partner Tim whom were eager to help me decide what I should order (Menu). The trucks name you ask? "The Lake Street Creamery Truck (TLSCT) of course. They have a very unique menu of Gourmet Ice cream pared with wonderful flavors of Cane Sugared based sodas to make their incredible delicious floats. When I say Gourmet Ice Cream, its sophisticated, exotic flavors presented in an artful way. The TLSCT does just that by mixing Homemade smooth velvety soft creamy ice cream made from the freshest ingredients such as Organic Stremicks heritage foods Milk. Yes, there is more but shhhhhh!!! Beth and Tim are keeping it a secret for now...

For example, the California Zephyr flavor starts off with a Hint of Tahitian Vanilla, with a sweet tart taste of a Meyer Lemon and finishes off with a smooth cool Mint flavor, it was just wonderful, tried the Holiday Chocolate, which made me want to stay on a vacation at the TLSCT, you can taste the sweet flavors of the nutmeg paired with the sweet Cinnamon and Tahitian Vanilla but then there is that spicy kick at the end to wake up my Taste buds and say "Wow! Hit me again Sam!" We then tried the signature float called the Runaway with Cherry Bomb Ice cream with Boylan Black Cherry soda just smooth and delicious with that nice sweet cherry pie taste, Yes its was the Da Bomb! The kicker was the Jelly Donut Ice cream float Yes, You read that right, how you ask, well they have figured out how to make donut flavored ice cream OMG!! and pair it with Boylan Black Cherry soda and its was the most amazingly scrumptious Ice Cream soda I have ever had in my life! Hands down an experience you should not miss! Please see Contact information below.

Contact Information:

Company Name:

The Lake Street Creamery

Website Address:

http://www.lakestreetcreamery.com
Twitter:
@lakestcreamery

Welcome To My Food Adventures

I started this Blog to share my love of Food and the adventurers I encounter while on my journey to eat the best food while meeting the coolest and craziest people along the way.

I have been cooking since I was 5 years old with a great Sicilian Mother who loved cooking and making the people who ate her food very happy. I grew up in NYC with a melting pot full of different ethnic dishes such as Italian, Puerto Rican, Chinese, Polish, Irish, Scottish, Jewish, Mexican, German, Trinidadian, Korean, Etc ... to name a few.. LOL!

I love Spicy food, but food with well balanced flavor is best. What I mean is sweet and heat, sour and sweet, savory, along with some crazy off the wall concoctions. I am not classically trained, but I can Throw down against the best of them . You hear me Bobby Flay!

Bobby Flay is one of my favorite Chefs, The great and late Julia Child was amazing in many ways thank the food god for her, she gave a novice cook the confidence to think out of the box with great results. The Food network is a great medium and has influenced my cooking point of view with many great chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Paula Dean, Rachel Ray, and many others.

With that said, I will take you on different food adventures throughout California and ... You will see and virtually taste with me the great food finds I find through my network of fellow foodies like you and I, along with my accidental finds. Now that sounds like Yumilious FUN!!!!