[Updated] Kogi BBQ

[Update]: Thank you so much to Aliiiiiiice for the feedback! Review stands corrected ;) btw I had to go again today for another taste @ the LA Mart lunch time stop.

(Pictured above: ‘Verde’ truck setting up shop in Hancock Park)
All around LA
http://kogibbq.com


How do I find this thing again?

If you haven’t heard of the Kogi Taco truck, here’s the short history: the ‘Kogi’ taco is a taco which is made with Korean BBQ meats such as short ribs and chicken, served with ‘slaw’ and spicy sauce. It's a fusion of Korean and Mexican food at it's finest. They began selling tacos at the Alibi Room and then expanded around LA in taco trucks, and after taking some time to catch on in popularity, now have (at the current time) three trucks, Roja, Verde, and the latest Azul. These three travel around LA serving up their tacos to hungry and waiting customers. And boy do the customers wait. As in hours. And hours. At some locations, you’re lucky to get food if you show up 90 minutes before their closing time, its that ridiculous. Why would people do this? Well for one, the tacos are great. However, they’ve created an interesting appeal in that the trucks are never in the same location day in and day out -- the locations for the trucks are posted on their twitter feed (http://twitter.com/kogibbq). You can, however, cheat and check their website, which they update weekly, but that takes the fun out of it. Alice maintains both and runs them efficiently and keeps them well up to date. So then -- its hard to find, the lines are long, and its a taco truck -- what’s the big f’n deal? The taco.

Meat
The meats are an original and inspired choice. There have been variants of the meats and locations claiming to have ‘invented’ the Korean BBQ taco (I won’t name them to help them in any way, but I’ve had them and they’re awful). However, the Kogi taco is where it’s at. Tender and flavorful short rib meat that's been marinated perfectly, juicy and slightly spicy BBQ pork, and although I didn’t have it myself, I have it on good word that the chicken is damn good as well and worthy of being lusted over. (There's also a tofu option, however I can't vouch for it. Anyone had it???)

Short Rib - 10/10
BBQ Pork - 9/10
Chicken - 9/10
Score: 9.66/10, for originality and how damned good they are…

Tortilla
Plain and basic, and not greasy nor overly toasty. Just right.
[Update] The tortillas are fresh and hand-made every day from Romero's. I've also got it on good word to ask for the tortilla 'raw' to experience a whole different taste, heh ;)
Score: 8/10, for doing it right with Romero's fresh tortillas, but next time I'll have to ask for them 'raw'....

Toppings
Toppings are interesting with the ‘slaw’ on the taco that’s comprised mainly of cabbage and a bit of pickled onion. Tasty and complimentary, its matches the meats well. There’s also a sauce which varies based on your meat, and is slightly spicy, but not terrible at all. I did find it particularly helpful though to toss some Sriracha onto the taco (which they provide at the truck).
Score: 10/10, memorable and perfectly complementary...

"After-effects"
None, except for the itch for more Kogi.
Score: 10/10 for making me want it again unlike any taco before...


Bottom line, The prices aren’t the cheapest, and depending on the location/time, the wait times can be utterly ridiculous, but if you can make it out to one, its more than worth your time. Get to a truck as soon as they’re opening, and check up on their status on Twitter (the trucks run late sometimes and updates are provided there). They will also occasionally have a “chef’s special” for dessert or entreés, such as sliders or quesadillas, etc., but you’re really going for the taco. You may find competitors or imitators serving up this style taco, but you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re getting the same deal anywhere else.


Bonus Points: (0) None =( A ‘Mexi-Coke’ would go great with it, alas only cans of soda, and none from across the border...
Price: $2 / taco, $5 / burrito, $1.50 / drink (I suggest you get drinks elsewhere)
Wait time: 5-90 minutes
Distance (from downtown): Varying on the day and location, anywhere from 5-60 minutes
Total Score: 35.66/40 , and this is just about right, all things considered, including its elusiveness and the fact that you have to plan your day around it to get it.
What I would order next time: 2&2 of short rib and BBQ pork with plenty of Sriracha :)

El Taco

(Pictured right: Various tacos in their aluminum foil wrapped state)

7665 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA

(562) 806-0672 

Would you like a ‘sloppy joe’ with that?...

Traveling around the neighborhood, I noticed a couple of older looking spots that bill themselves as being the “original” taco stand in the area for decades. Simply titled ‘El Taco’, I wasn’t too swayed by their originality. What stood out more however was the constant lines of people no matter what time of day. On top of that, their menu proud lists the popular combo plates; one with a hard shell taco, which is their specialty, another with soft taco, and another with..a sloppy joe. I was sold by this point and had to try it. 

Meat

The meats were interesting and delicious! Their hard shell taco, which they call the original and what they bill themselves on, is filled with ground beef. This tasted what Taco Bell would like to think their ground beef to tastes. Not salty by any means, and the “grounds” were big enough to actually bite into, not get stuck in between your teeth. Heavy on the meat flavor light on the grease.

The carne asada was in thick chunks reminiscent of the asada I had at Mango Mango in Ensenada; nothing too special, but decent enough, and without any large chunks of fat sitting on the side.

Where it got interesting was the chicken and pork. The chicken is slow-stewed in a red tomato-based sauce, which gave it a great tangy flavor. The meat fell apart easily, even slightly gooey. I would’ve liked it to have been slightly firmer, but it wasn’t too bad. 

The pork meat was also stewed, but in a green sauce. Typically these sauces can be overpowering and spicy, but this was neither, with the green tomatillo-based sauce only complimenting the meat almost in an afterthought. Just enough spice to let you know its there, but not enough to take it over. This was a great taco meat, completely different from how pork is prepared for al pastor, but good enough to have been used in a warm stew for a cold winter night.

Ground Beef - 9/10

Asada - 8/10

Chicken - 9/10

Pork - 9/10

Score: 8.75/10, for being none too spectacular, but not overwhelming either, just ‘good’ but not great… 

Tortilla

First review where there was a hard shell taco! The ground beef taco, which is their go-to taco is prepared in a hard shell. Not salty at all, not the crispy type to cut up your tongue. It was heavily corn based which made it flavorful and not without its own charm.

The tortilla for the soft shell tacos was obviously store bought, but wherever they’re getting it from isn’t a large-scale production that sells to stores. The tortillas are are good and soft, but succumb to getting too soggy due to the sauces on the meat and the cheese on the tacos. It didn’t completely fall apart in my hands, but it came close.

Score: 8/10, for having a good hard shell, and the decent tortilla “soft shell”. 

Toppings

The toppings are the more ‘American’ version of taco toppings, with the ground beef, pork and chicken being topped with lettuce and cheese. The carne asada was the only one with lettuce and tomato. The toppings were just decent, nothing special about them. There can be a bit too much cheese on them though, which makes the overall presentation gooey and evokes memories of Taco Bell (not a compliment).

Score: 6/10, forgettable and nothing special ‘Americanized’ version of taco toppings... 

"After-effects" 

None in a bad way, in fact, they were very pleasing and comforting. More on this in the ‘bottom line’. 

Score: 10/10 for not giving me making my stomach turn (I’ve had it happen elsewhere)... 

Bottom line, these tacos were good, and I was more than satisfied with them. I even had to try the sloppy joe since they have it referenced to on all their menus, and it was pretty damn good. To be honest, it was a taco on a hamburger bun, since it was the same ingredient, but it was actually pretty good, just like the rest of the food. The tacos keep reminding me of what Taco Bell intends to be, but falls short at by having low quality ingredients. Save for the cheese, I didn’t feel guilty for eating here. Maybe poking some of the cheese out will make for even better tacos.

Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!

Price: $1.75 / tacos, $2.89 for the hard shell ‘El Taco’ combo with a side of rice and a large drink

Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 45mins during

Total Score: 33.75/40 , which seems just about right for a superior Taco Bell, which I’ve now visited more than a couple times in the past few weeks.

What I would order next time: ‘El Taco’ combo with a pork soft taco on the side…

Taqueria el Sabrosito!

(Pictured left: Storefront as seen from sidewalk of the taco stand)

14320 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower CA 90706

(562) 867-4383

I seem to have stumbled onto something here...

The trip out here actually started looking for another taco stand, which after several turns and turns, I couldn't find. Incidentally, I came to a corner to make a final u-turn and spotted this little stand on the corner next to a mini-mall. It reminded me of so many shacks growing up that offered a little of everything, but started with the tacos. Perhaps it was the nostalgia, for maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was good, but this place certainly offers a little for everyone.

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Meat

The variety of the meats was abundant. The kitchen is in plain view from the ordering counter, with various pots boiling, stewing and warming the choices.

The asada was _the_ asada. I can't remember the last time I had it this good. Meaty, juicy, well chopped and without any fat, there was something in particular that struck me of the meat. It reminded me of the one decent offering at King Taco, the asada meat, only it was done better here. I remarked to my review partner that it really tasted as though the chef once worked at King Taco and left working there to improve on it. If I only knew how right I was...

The al pastor was...King Taco al pastor. Down to the seasonings. Only slightly better. I swore I was on Washington and San Pedro in the old-style restaurant biting into one of their offerings. To be fair, I don't care for that style al pastor, but this was decent, albeit not the best. It was certainly an improvement on the comparison I made to it.

The chicken was a pleasant surprise, being really chunky and tasty, without any fat and dry, allowing the rest of the taco to drive the higher notes instead of sitting in more brothy juices, which only serve to detract from this type of meat.

The cabeza also was of decent quality. It had no fat to be found anywhere, and was cooked just enough (if you cook it too long it can get stiff or dry instead of being slightly chewy, more akin to pulled pork than steak). It was held back though due to the fact that there was not much flavor to it. I remembered the cabeza from Super Tacos Culiacan and realized, this was no Culiacan.

Asada - 10/10
Al Pastor - 7/10
Chicken - 8/10
Cabeza - 7/10

Score: 8/10, being helped significantly by the strong score form the asada

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Tortilla

The tortilla was lightly oiled and heated, but not overdone. It was tasty without being sickening as some places might make it when it's dripping with grease from the skillet or range (King Taco), but better than a dry re-heated tortilla.

Score: 8/10, nothing too special, nothing terrible, but good.

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Toppings

The salsa was good, alternating between green and red appropriately between the meats. They reminded me too much though of something out of a jar instead of being home-made, but truth be told, you can't expect everyone to make salsa from scratch on a daily basis. I would only dock them points here if the salsa weren't good, but it was tasty and not too spicy. The rest of the toppings were standard onion/cilantro which were mixed just right and in the right amount. Basic stuff over all, but worthwhile and tasted great.

Score: 7/10, with the curve being set just that high after the trip with 'El Chino'...

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"After-effects"

After a while I did feel it with these tacos a bit. I felt over-stuffed and like there may have been too much grease in the tacos after all. there wasn't much of a greasy taste to it, but certainly heavy enough to make itself felt afterward

Score: 6/10 for the unpleasantness and needing a Pepcid afterwards...

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Bottom line, these were some good tacos, as well as having the best asada i've had. I split the meal with tacos and a burrito with al pastor to try out what they had to offer since the prices were great, and the burrito holds an absolute ton of promise. Now I'm anxious for a burrito of asada and possibly more tacos in the future now.


Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!

Price: $4.25 / 4 tacos and a drink

Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 1hr during

Total Score: 30/40 but don't get me wrong -- the best carne asada tacos I've had anywhere! It just didn't measure up to itself beyond that is all....)

What I would order next time: 4 tacos de asada (and maybe even a burrito -- the rice, beans and tortilla were the shit!)