Kotoya (Los Angeles)

Continuing my journey throughout Los Angeles I quickly noticed that I yet to sample a ramen house despite the fact that they a dime a dozen on the west side. It has been almost a year since I have moved here and I had not been able to coral any friends to go. I was finally able to check this off my list last month when I had some family visit town. 

As we galavanted around town my sister had requested getting ramen because there are only a handful in DC. I decided on Kotoya which is right off of Santa Monica Boulevard by the 405. Kotoya opened its doors in 2011 by Shinsuke Horinouch who came from Asagaya which is a suburb of Tokyo.

Since opening its doors two years ago Kotoya has quickly become one of the most popular ramen houses on the west side. Not knowing how long a line would be I decided on taking them on a Sunday night to be safe. Luckily my tactic worked and we were able to get a table upon our arrival. 

My sister and I decided on the red ramen which comes in three ascending spice levels while her boyfriend went for the original ramen. The former consists of Tonkatsu which is a pork based broth, the latter also includes miso flavoring. Each bowl comes includes pork chasmu, green onion, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and nori. I added an egg and some corn to mine to give it some extra flavor.  

(Level 3 Red Ramen)

Loving spicy food I decided on going all out and ordering their spiciest broth while my sister went for the least. Once the piping hot bowls came in we all briefly stared in awe at the beauty of the presentation. We then began devouring our bowls, I tried to take it in slowly to appreciate the interaction of the various flavors. The broth was rich and full of flavor and while the spice level was hot I kind of wished there was a higher level for me to conquer. The pork was fantastic, I combined it with the richness of the egg yoke and a mouthful of broth that brought me to culinary heaven. 

We all left very delighted with the choice, each bowl was around $10 which is perfectly fine especially for what I got. I highly recommend giving this place a try. If it is your first time eating ramen or if you are a seasoned veteran you will be delighted by the quality of food here. 

Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (Los Angeles)

A week or so before I moved out west a friend of mine who had lived in LA for a few years saw it necessary that I visit Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. Being a fan of the famous sweet and savory combination I added this establishment to a long list places to try.

Ten months later I finally got around to trying this famous restaurant. A couple of my best friends were in for the weekend for a concert so I suggested a number of places to try while they were visiting. The day after the event our mutual friend from the area volunteered to take us all on a tour of some of the more historic and hidden parts of Los Angeles which included a stop at Roscoe’s.

(Photo via Yelp)

We all had the privilege of driving through Santa Monica where I live then going through Venice Beach followed by Marina Del Rey and then into South Central LA. We visited the epicenter of famous Rodney King riots and then went to Downtown to visit Koreatown, City Hall and the Financial District. We took a lunch break in Inglewood to try Roscoe’s famous Chicken and Waffles.

Originally opened in Hollywood in 1975 by Herb Hudson Roscoe’s has become an institution in the city of Los Angeles. Hudson, who was originally from Harlem brought this traditional southern cuisine to the west coast and introduced his restaurant to a number of his friends in Motown. Word spread quickly and since its inception Roscoe’s has opened five more stores in the metropolitan region.

While the origin of this odd combination of foods is shrouded in history Roscoe’s is one of the few establishments that has brought it into vogue. Anytime someone mentions chicken and waffles one of the first thing that comes to mind is Roscoe’s. I am well aware of its popularity so I was more than ecstatic when I heard that we would be going.

As we drove into the parking lot I could already feel my tummy rumbling in anticipation. We walked in and were immediately seated and handed our menus. I scanned the menu for about a millisecond before making my choice. I went for the classic Scoe’s # 1 which consists of a 1 /4 of a chicken served with two waffles and a side of syrup. I also paired that with a sunset which is a combination of fruit punch and lemonade to balance the massive sugar and salt intake with an extra lethal dose of sugar or as I like to call it breakfast in the South.

(Scoe's # 2)

The rest of the table followed suit and our food came out before anyone could even think about how hungry they were. Once the food hit the table I had visions of my trips down south. I don’t know if it was the Frisbee sized waffles, the ice cream scoop of butter lathered on top of it or the delicious scent of fried chicken but this definitely wasn’t a prototypical dish served in Southern California. Before taking a bite my arteries began to quench at what would be a meal that would shave a couple years off my life.

Each bite delivered a wave of intense flavor; I could literally feel a sugar high with every bite I took. I calmly cut off each piece of chicken and wrapped it in the butter soaked and syrup lathered waffle to make a miniature sandwich which was to die for. I got three quarters of the way through my meal with tears of gluttonous joy before I had to stop myself. My stomach could not handle any more so I left what remained to be taken away. I left the place feeling ten pounds heavier, sleepy and bloated. But the meal was well worth it, I also managed to sample some mac and cheese which was fantastic but probably not the best idea being in the state I was in.

We continued our tour for a couple more hours and found it almost impossible to eat anything for dinner. It was a fantastic day that was topped off with a grand meal that was well worth the slight pain that ensued. I highly recommend trying this place if you have a change, their chicken and waffles rank among the best I have had and at a reasonable price.

Gravy Train Poutinerie (Los Angeles)

All aboard!!! Our next stop on my never ending food adventure takes us to another food truck in the Los Angeles area. The Gravy Train Poutinerie is another of the multiple food vendors that roams around the greater Los Angeles area. This particular truck serves patrons a number of different takes on poutine.

For those who are unaware of what poutine is, it's a fantastic and scrumptious snack from our peaceful neighbors to the north. In its most traditional form poutine consists of french fries lathered in gravy and cheese curds. The dish has become wildly popular over the years and is very famous in Jersey diners. I have had quite a few experiences with this dish and have come to love it, in fact I reviewed a truck similar to this in DC which has since closed.  

Every Wednesday a few trucks congregate in a lot near my apartment in Santa Monica. This hump day festival draws sparse crowds throughout the night and has become somewhat of bi-monthly ritual with two of my friends. Last month we attended because one of my friends, a native of New Jersey was dying to try this truck.

We arrived around seven to get a quick bite to eat before watching a movie nearby. I hadn't had my mind set on this truck so I perused around to see if there was anything else I would rather have. After a quick go round I decided to try this truck with my friend. They offer a variety of different takes on this dish including an Americanized version with tater tots and a fried egg or a Philadelphia style with grilled peppers, onions and steak both of which had me salivating.

I decided to go crazy and order their poutine sliders which consist of to miniature burgers topped with cheese curds, gravy and a side of fries. Being the glutton that I am I decided to cram as many fries as I could into each bun and eat with reckless abandon. 

The patties were a bit bland but the poutine enhanced the flavor and complexity of the dish. My friend had the traditional poutine by itself and allowed me to sample. I then had a few moments of nostalgia, times past with my old roommate who introduced me to this food and all the times we devoured in after a night of debauchery. I also remember the DC truck which had poutine on top of a hot dog which to date is one of the most disgusting/amazing meals I have had. 

(Poutine Sliders)

All in all I was satisfied with my meal. It was filling, well priced and tasted good. While I liked what I had I don't think this truck particularly screams for my attention. I wouldn't die to try this again but would recommend giving it a try if you love poutine or are interested in stuffing your face with fries and gravy. 

Dogtown Dogs (Los Angeles Food Truck)

The food truck scene has been latest fad in an ever changing industry. I documented it well in DC where it is still in its infancy and now that I live in LA I get to explore the birthplace of this industry. 

Currently I live and work in Santa Monica without a car so getting to any food trucks during my lunch break is a bit difficult and I have also been a bit lazy in finding online trackers as well as researching any particular trucks I wanted to find. Living here for just about 6 months now my sole experience with the mobile food industry came during a random outing on a Saturday night in Culver City. 

I knew this had to stop so I made a real effort to reserach any gatherings that take place nearby. While consulting with some friends I found out that there was a huge gathering of them on the first Friday of each month along a prosperous street called Abbot Kinney in Venice beach.  

(Image Via Yelp)

I walked after work along the lovely beach neighborhoods and through main street until I hit the famous stretch. In the past I used to go to food truck festivals every Friday in Downtown DC and be amazed at the 20 or so food stands that encircled the park. But after a couple of  I became a bit bored because I knew every truck there and had either tried them or had no inclination to. This was not the case here, in fact it was one of the few instances in my life were I felt overwhelmed at the shear amount of options I had in front of me. 

I did not let it overtake me because I came destined to try the famous grilled cheese truck which I had watched on Food Network. I started from the beginning of street and walked down what seemed like an endless array of shops, bars and food trucks. When I came to the end of the line I saw a small lot where a couple of trucks had aggregated. The first truck I laid my eyes on was Dogtown Dogs which is one of the more famous ones in LA that serves hot dogs slathered with variety of off the wall toppings. 

(Tater Tots)

After briefly scanning the menu I instantly became torn. If you do not know I absolutely love hot dogs and find it paramount that I meet a quota, if not I start to viciously crave them. It had been a couple of weeks since my last dog so once I saw the truck my cravings for one reached a 10 on the Oscar Mayer Scale. As hard as it was I decided to stick to my guns and look for the grilled cheese. I found it in the same lot and was ecstatic until I realized the line stretched longer than the sands of time. 

I knew then and there that it was my destiny to get my fix tonight and this truck would provide it. I gave the truck another quick scan and ended up ordering their Morning Commute and some tater tots. The Morning Commute consists of a dog wrapped in bacon which is adorned with a fried egg on top. I felt a bit devious ordering this, once it was handed to me I looked through my peripheral vision in search of anyone who would judge me for what I was about to eat. 

(Morning Commute)

I did my best golem impersonation (kidding) and took refuge to a place where I could enjoy this cylindrical concoction of mysterious ingredients wrapped in bacon with a runny egg. Having little to nothing to eat the whole day I bit in with reckless abandon. The dog was juicy and well flavored, the bacon wrapped around it made it even better and the egg wrapped everything together. Before I could even blink I finished the whole thing. I then proceeded to text any friends that have a similar passion for hot dogs this picture while I munched on some tater tots. I then stood there contemplating getting another hot dog but decided to pass.

I left feeling good with the decision I made. While this was not the path I had chosen, I ended up at a crossroads and changed course which is what happens to all of us everyday. Not only did I have a great meal, I now know of another truck that I will be keeping my eye on. If you love hot dogs like me and are in the Los Angeles area I recommend giving these guys a shot. They have a number of other flavor options that are sure to raise your eyebrows.