Birds of a feather flock together or, as MW would say, ornithological creatures of a similar plummage congregate in chorus. My friends and I have gone on a hunt for our favorite (Parisian-style) macaroons and cupcakes in the city but in the recent months, EK, our dishwashing gnome, has gone off to Atlanta, Tanzania and Kenya, SH is busy with wedding prep and as for CN, well, she’s in Melbourne now. This time round, I was hanging out with LL, a newly minted MBA and we decide to check out Urmerican food since he’s leaving the country soon. We drove all the way to North Hollywood to ‘The Swinging Door’ to try Texan style (dry rub as opposed to a sauce marinade) ribs. Our quest for BBQ hit an unexpected snag, we got there 4 mins too late… Now which restaurant closes at 8.30 on a Fri evening?!? In hindsight, it might not have been the best neighborhood to be hanging around in after dark since the guy at the gas station would only interact with me through the little cashier’s window. It fits the bulletproof BBQ theory that’s been put forward by enthusiasts though.
http://professorsalt.blogspot.com/2005/10/bulletproof-bbq-theory.htmlHungry and frustrated, we surveyed the area and decided to try the taco truck that had set up shop at the opposite street corner. It’s a car wash by day and a Mexican hub by night. It even came complete with vendors selling illegal DVDs. All the customers were Mexican/Latino and they were
sniggering at us cos we looked completely out of place.
I’ve always been intrigued by the taco truck, a humble enterprise that’s both an interesting food establishment concept and multiple hygiene violations on wheels. These taco trucks are often parked outside construction sites and/or dark street corners and my self-preservation instincts have always been stronger than my greediness and curiosity. Eating from what’s often referred to as a roach truck is also too much for the sensibilities of many of my friends. However, the steady stream of patrons driving high-end SUVs gave La Fonda a modicum of respectability and made their food seem safer for consumption. Plus this time, I felt bolstered by the company of someone who’s schooled in the art of ancient Chinese martial arts. While not exactly throwing caution to the wind, I figured that if we do encounter an angry mob defending their turf, LL can first try pitching a business deal to convince the La Fonda people of their potential for larger scale commercial success and avert a bloody showdown. At the very least, LL can put his fighting skills to some use and save us from getting tarred and feathered.
At the time of publication, LL had not uploaded any of the pictures he'd snapped so instead, here’s a review by a taco bounty hunter (
http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/2006/09/tacos-la-fonda.html). I have to add though that this blogger was probably so focused on tacos that he/she failed to sample/mention La Fonda’s quesadillas. They’re not unlike the El Salvadorean pupusa. La Fonda uses the same maize flour dough used to make the corn tortilla, fills it with a delicious meat/cheese/onion mixture and fries the whole scrumptious pocket to a crisp. Be warned that it’s really greasy and not for the health-conscious but those who overlook its humble appearance will be rewarded with what must be close to a taste of Mexican paradise. According to LL, it even keeps and reheats well.
Between the two of us, we tried almost two-thirds of La Fonda’s menu. After we had used up all our cash, LL discovered that they sold tripas. Intestines! He swore to make a return trip to try both the Texan BBQ and the intestinal tacos. I wish him well on that adventure that he will have to undertake without me.
Perhaps this food madness will subside when LL leaves the US since I’ll have one less makan kaki (Southeast Asian vernacular for dining companion or foodie buddy) to hang out with. Maybe then, I will focus on graduating... ;)
~ s
Side note: ‘Baby Blues BBQ’, a dive-y ribs joint in Venice (Rose and Lincoln) is really quite good, cute servers, sweet tea, awesome sides and fall-off-the-bone meat, what else can one ask for?
.JPG)
