LA Street Food Fest

This past Saturday we headed up to Pasadena to attend the 2nd Annual LA Street Food Fest. The whole week with all the talks about "carmageddon", I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive, but there was no way that we were not going to attend this food fest. Yes, of course we had alternative routes planned out, and "what if's" running through our heads, but as it turned out there was not an ounce of traffic. I have actually never seen the freeways so empty in my life. "Carmageddon" made the drive to LA an absolute breeze. With our stomachs and tastebuds curious, we were ready to eat and drink for the next three hours.

I have to admit that I was the most excited about seeing the Baja Chefs and restaurants at the event. We headed right to the Mision 19 booth, where we saw Chef Javier Plascencia dishing out his Smoked Oyster Asada with Chicharron short rib, Serrrano Ponzu butter, Lemongrass foam and Sea Beans. This oyster  had such beautiful flavors to it, and the chicharron added this crunchy texture to the silky oyster, that which together, it was an excellent combonation. This was the first time that I  had ever been introduced to  sea beans, and with further research I learned that they are edible salt tolerant plants that grow near beaches or salt marshes. The sea salt flavor is what made  it such an ideal garnish to the oyster, and it had just the right right bite and flavor. This was one of my favorite bites of the whole day, and little did we know that later on he would go on to win "Best in Show"  and "People's Choice" for his oysters. Congratulations Chef Javier Plascencia for this award, it was well deserved! Later this month we have plans to go out to dinner at Mision 19 for our first wedding anniversary. I can not wait to experience and taste more dishes that Chef Javier has at his restaurant.

This beef cheek taco was from another one of Chef Javier Plascencia's restaurants called Casa Plascencia. 

I was so happy to grab a photo with Chef Benito Molina and his wife Solange Muris of Manzanilla Restaurant. They were serving lengua (tongue), beef cheek, and abalone mini tostadas. They called it the Manzanilla Surprise. I very much enjoyed the flavors and textures of these little bites.I would love to take a trip down to Manzanilla in Ensenda, for my birthday in late August.

Sea Urchin tostada from La Guerrerense. This won the award for Best Original Showmanship.

I also got  to grab a shot with Chef Marcela Valladolid, who was one of the judges for the food fest.

This little bite from Cacao Mexicatessen was so packed with flavor, and another one that was at the top of my list. It was Venison Chorizo Verde, tortilla de Jicama, Serrano relish, and drizzled with Goat Cheese Crema Mexicana. I think that the Tortilla de Jicama is a genious idea! You get a nice cool and crisp crunch when you bite into the venison chorizo. So delicious!

Tequila Tasting: Angel Bendito Tequila. For any of you that know my Dad, this was of course one of his favorite stops.

Of course we had to try the ice cream sandwiches from the Cool Haus truck. We got there before the long lines, and I am so glad that we did, especially in the heat. We enjoyed the Potato Chip and Skor bar cookie with Orange Chocolate Cointreau ice cream, and the Double Chocolate sea salt cookie with Butterscotch Rosemary ice cream. These sweet treats are truly delectable.

Walking around in the middle of July with the sun beating down on you calls for an ice cold beer right? Singha beer was a lovely and surprisingly light  thirst quencher. I am not a huge beer drinker, but I found myself being very fond of this beer.

This is my little foodie in training. Giovanni loved being out and about taking in all of people around him, and even though he can't talk yet, I am sure that he loved the delicious smells as well.

The Ballywood Meatball from the Great Balls on Tires Foodtruck.

Cake Balls from Delicious Wishes LA.

This was a tasty hot dog from Dog Haus. The caramelized onions on top added a delightful richness to the dog.

We unfourtunately did not get around to every single food booth, but it was an experience that I will never forget. I am already looking forward to attending next year's event. It was three hours dedicated to good bites and good times.