^__^ < nuevo e-scheduLe para nueva troquita )

Yes! I am super excited to announce that our new truck, Rosita, is hittin the road today to heLp her big bruh Naranja out in the OC.

Isn't she cute? One of these days, Imma stick a big phat pink rose on her.

She’s stiLL a littLe green around the edges, so pLease have a bit of patience with her and the newLy hired staff members and managers who are making sure that she lands on aLL 4 feet.

ALSO, as y’aLL wiLL notice, there is no “Rosita” box in the scheduLe for our baby girL. No, it’s not that we don’t love her or that we don’t think she’s ready to pLay with the boys, but that we’re saving up enough money to integrate a box into our layout. Give us a few weeks (or months! –__–;;) to make sure she’s up there with her big brothers Roja, AzuL, Verde and Naranja.

UntiL then, I shaLL be posting her scheduLe on the bLog weekLy and on the twitter feed daiLy. ALSO — make sure to CLICK on the spot you want to visit and the handy embedded GoogLe caLendar thar shaLL reveaL her coordinates for the hour.

May her tacos turn tongues and her burritos be bountifuL.

Love, tacos and new troquitas,
Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

P.S. AHAHAHA. This is the song that was foLLowing me everywhere when I was in Cusco back in March. I had no idea that the music video’s EVEN BETTER.

Share/Bookmark

Chego Specials – Only Available at 3300 Overland Blvd.

Fruit Salad – Yummy yummy honeydew, cantaloupe, avocado, heirloom tomato with chili-honey relish.

Aloha Bowl – Pineapple, pork chili bowl

The Van Hogh – Grilled ears of summer corn, garlic soy butter, Cotija cheese, lemon, sesame.

Binsu – Traditional Korean Shaved Ice Chego style.

Share/Bookmark

reaLLy, dude? reaLLy? is this what it aLL comes down to when it comes to human nutrition?

Okay, honey bunnies, let me give y’aLL some context before I start yammering.

Here’s a gander at Papi’s food:

The heart and souL of the KoGi taco.

And here’s s’more:

Mmmm... Spam.... sLiders...

So ooey. And gooey.

Look at aLL the layers, the love, the sense of humor and Facebook pokes at what it means to be in LA, what it means to grow up as the chiLdren of immigrants and what it is to feast on something that tastes aLive.

So the last thing I wanna do is sLap on a NutritionaL Nazi straight jacket on our babies. Like THIS:

So here’s a parody of what happens when I encounter a request from one of the NutritionaL Nazi’s many minions in my inbox:

Now, I’m sure that C*** is a very nice guy — as can be evidenced in his tone and word choice. (BTW — for those of you enamored with my artistic skiLLs, just know that I totaLLy ripped the pictures off of ragetoons! I did not draw them, they are not mine!)

So I feeL kinda like a douche for bLogging about how much these emaiLs annoy me, but I’d rather address it once and then shoot the link on over to anyone eLse asking for “nutritionaL information” — which, reaLLy, is code for caLories and not nutrition.

Let me break it down to y’aLL, why these emaiLs get on my nerves:
1) On a superficiaL, ego-leveL — when it comes to caLorie-counting, you wouLd not ask it of Jar. You wouLd not ask it of Mozza.  You wouLd not ask it of JitLada, nor wouLd you ask it from Soot BuL Jip.  You wouLd not even ask for the number of fat grams from an OG lonchera/taco truck.

You might ask it from McDonaLd’s, you might even find it easiLy enough on the website of AppLebee’s.

You see the difference here?

2) Since it’s stiLL independentLy-owned and pretty mom and pop, there’s aLso the issue of standardization. We’ve got 4 trucks and 8 managers.  One’s bound to be a littLe more generous with the cheese on the kimchi quesadiLLas whiLe another might be a littLe stingy with the ensaLada.  It happens.

So a shortrib taco on Roja’s lunch run might have 15-30 caLories more or less than a taco on Naranja’s dinner run.

::shrugs::

It happens.

3) On nutritionaL info — good lord, America — what exactLy has been equated with nutrition? CaLories?  Sodium leveLs?  The number of fat grams?

And sorry, but when it comes to vitamins, you’re probabLy better off eating a singLe leaf of lettuce than you are chugging three bottLes of Vitamin Water. At least you’d be getting some fiber in lieu of processed sugars and synthetic vitamins.  (For those of you who are unfamiLiar with synthetic vs naturaL vitamins might want to conduct a littLe bit of research HERE and THERE. Some synthetic vitamins are even toxic, mah dears.)

Does this actuaLLy look "nutritious" to you?

0 caLories — which probabLy means that they use aspartame, SpLenda or some other neurotoxin to sweeten the drink. No protein, no carbohydrates, no sign of anything remoteLy nutritious.

WHAT is NUTRITION anyway, peopLe? What is the POINT of good nutrition?  WHAT exactLy is a nutrient? Does anyone even KNOW anymore?

Look, I’m not yeLLing at y’aLL. I’m just getting passionate.  And being very direct about it.

I’m an Aries. DeaL with it.

4) It wouLd make more sense to ask us where our food comes from. Where does your beef come from?  Where does your tofu come from?

These are very reasonabLe questions to ask us.

Our beef comes from Rocker Brothers — who not onLy provide us with kickass meat, but meat that’s aLL-naturaL. So no hormones or antibiotics as far as we know.

Our tofu is organic, so if you are hankering for an organic version of deLightfuLLy tasteLess soy protein, PuLmone offers some exceLLent sampLes.

The sauces and sLaws are made fresh every morning from veggies and fruits that get deLivered fresh every morning. So you’re tasting fresh limes, onions, ciLantro, Napa cabbage, Romaine and chiLLies in your taco.  And you’re probabLy ingesting nutrients that are stiLL aLive on some leveL.

5) But we’re not pretending that we’re heaLth food. We use cheese in our quesadiLLas.  CHEESE.  That comes from COWS.  No expensive, nutrient-deficient, overLy processed soy cheese that aLmost tastes like cheese if you use your imagination hard enough.  (I don’t understand why peopLe keep asking that we carry the stuff.  Not onLy is it bad for you — but it aLso doesn’t even taste good!!)

On many an occasion we use Spam. Which is about as processed as canned piggLes can get.

6)  It isn’t that hard to use a littLe common sense, is it? If you’re looking to cut caLories and JUST caLories (I’m not a caLorie-counter, but to ask peopLe to stop counting caLories is like raiLing against the tide under a fuLL moon) then cut down your portion size.  Get one taco instead of three.

A caLorie is just a unit of energy, sure. But it reaLLy does matter where your caLories come from, my dears.

HonestLy, if we’re taLking strictLy about nutrition, I’d pick a cheeseburger from In-N-Out over a Diet Coke any day. It tastes better and probabLy wiLL give you a lot more energy and pep in your step than syntheticaLLy sweetened caffeine that comes in an aLuminum can.

7)  HonestLy. What is up with aLL this nutrient-deficient aesceticism?

Isn’t it odd that there have never been so many low-caLorie, sugar-free, vitamin-packed, low-fat food products on the market — and yet America is stiLL so friggin obese??

I think it’s time to put a moratorium on the caLorie-counting and low-fat, sugar-free foods masquerading as something aLmost reaL. (German chocoLate cake fLavored protein bars, anybody? Or how about those super processed soy protein isoLate-based Frankenmeat patties disguised as burgers?)

ENJOY your FOOD peopLe! ReaL food.

And if you want to enjoy your potato chips, then enjoy your potato chips. REAL potato chips.

Just don’t eat the whoLe econo-sized Costco pack in one sitting.  If you listen to your body and your cravings, you’LL know when you’ve had enough.

And if you’re that guiLt-ridden when it comes to eating out, then make a point to know where it comes from. And be honest about it.

BABY: Mommy -- where does Spam come from???

MOMMY: It comes from dericious rittLe piggLes, that’s where it comes from.

*************************************************************************

ApoLogies for aLL the proseLytizing. I am in no way The Authority on human heaLth — heLL, I eat enough sugar to put a hyperactive 7-year-oLd to shame.  It’s just that I had to get that out of my system.

It’s been fermenting for way too long.

Love, tacos and nutrients!
Aliiiiiiiiice

P.S. And if you’re stiLL stuck on caLories and fat grams — do your research, find a lab, sheLL out some dough and get a sampLe yourseLf. If it’s THAT important to you, it’s worth the investment.  The honest truth is that quantifying our food in this manner is not onLy NOT a priority, but it aLso demeans the spirit behind our food.  To use a metaphor, if I had a kid and the schooL demanded that I hand over his BMI, vaccination records, birth records, list of aLLergies, IQ, grades, list of extra curricuLar activities, MRIs, X-rays, height, weight, taste in music, taLents, leveL of obedience and signs of inteLLectuaL shortcomings — I wouLd not want to send my chiLd over there.  I wouLd not want to have him poked and prodded and tested and assessed and reassessed and thereby have his vaLue quantified by the bureaucratic standards of the schooL so that my chiLd can be deemed worthy of matricuLation.  No thanks.

Go to Pink’s or Tacos Arizas and demand for them to provide you with the nutritionaL content of their food. Go on.  Do it.  I dare you.  TeLL them that you owe it to them as a paying customer to dissect and quantify the sum of its parts so that you can assess whether it’s “worth the caLories.”  Getting coLd feet?

Here’s why — when it comes to food stands or restaurants or trucks that actuaLLy care about the food, we don’t owe the peopLe anything but this: good food. Anything eLse we give them is the extra icing on the cake.

Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

TRUCK LOT: Korea vs Mexico

So there have been various rumors swirLing around about KoGi’s invoLvement in the WorLd Cup. And it’s time to address those rumors: THEY’RE ALL TRUE.

Now untiL June 29th, the ROJA staff shaLL be servicing YOU and aLL your WorLd Cup needs with a very speciaL internationaL menu deveLoped by yours truLy. On top of that, thanks to some fLat screens on loan from some generous sports channeL that must (legaLLy) remain nameLess, you can actuaLLy puLL up with your cooLer, your lawn chair, your picnic bLanket and WATCH the game, too!

Our littLe Roja manager, Dukita. And heLL YEAH he's a Beat The Reds! fan.

Except for Laker nights. (Like tonight.) Look — as amazing as the WorLd Cup is, us AngeLenos cannot turn a bLind eye to our home team.  So on those nights, we’LL be broadcasting the best of KoGi Bryant.

HAR.  HAR.  HAR.  Ok.  I’ll stop.

Pictures of our menu items shaLL be up shortLy, but let me give you a taste of what’s to come.

We tried to touch on every continent, save Antarctica, AustraLia and — South America, we’re sorry, but Mexico’s about as cLose as we can get.

SUPER Amazing WorLd Cup Menu Items

MEXICO

Carne Asada Burrito
The very rhythms of LA can be felt in this burro de immigrantes.  Skirt and flank steak is marinated in aLL-American Budweiser, lime, garLic and roughLy-chopped ciLantro. The taste of rush hour, long lines and good weather are brought out in the charred jaLapeños and onions added as a final touch to the marinade. Pinto beans are made properLy — with manteca, ham hocks and onion, an apathetic shrug at the gLuten-free/dairy-free/deLicious-free climate of the dietary hypochondriac. A tomatiLLo-based saLsa verde is brightened with a littLe pineapple and a touch of lime, and then grounded by the warmth of jaLapeños, garLic and ciLantro.  Cotija cheese and minced onions finish off the AngeLeno innards of our version of Mexico. $5

Huevos Rancheros
A simple breakfast of Mexican chorizo, sunny-side-up huevos and refried beans top some crispy, freshly griddLed corn tortiLLas.  Tomato sLices are charred a la pLancha and added to this happy dish.  SaLsa, ciLantro and a finaL snowfaLL of cotija complete this lazy-Sunday-morning of a meal — the perfect medicine to counteract a hard night of dive bars and carousing on dimLy lit street corners. $5.

(SupposedLy this video was made by the South African peopLes FOR the WorLd Cup — but it sure does look and sound like a living traveL brochure, doesn’t it? AHAHAHA.)

SOUTH AFRICA

Bunny Chow
First up, you might ask — what the heo is bunny chow??  In a nutsheLL, it’s a hoLLowed out loaf of bread fiLLed with a curry, soaking in aLL that spiced, gravy-Licious gLory.  Our take takes a La Brea Bakery baguette and fiLLs its scraped out innards with a KoGi-fied chicken curry.  We take some juicy chicken leg meat and season it with Madras, garLic, ciLantro, lime juice and yogurt.  We then add some fresh peas, griLLed onions, mizuna, Thai basiL, pickLed red onions and then sLather the fLesh of the bread with a curried goat cheese. $6

(RoboticaLLy cute Korean girLs in short skirts and knee-highs.  What’s not to love?  DAE HAN MIN GUK — ::cLap-cLap, cLap-cLap, CLAP::)

KOREA

Yaki Mandu
In other words — DUMPLINGS!!  Steamed and pan-fried, these rittLe suckers are fiLLed with a bLend of pork, beef and tofu, and seasoned with toasted sesame oiL, soy sauce and a speciaL puree of ginger and garLic.  Tender and firm dumpLing skins on one side, and crispy goLden brown on the other.  Served with a side of cho ganjang — that’s Korean for rice wine vinegar-soy sauce. $4 for singLe order, $7 for doubLe order

(This is a cLip from the South Korea vs. GREECE game. I know, I’m quite shameLess in pLugging the team I’m rooting for. Thanks, Greece, for letting us beat you! Take heart, though, you’ve stiLL got some bombass food.)

GREECE

Lamb Gyro
Who doesn’t love a good gyro?  EspeciaLLy Koreans, after a victorious WorLd Cup game.    We take nummy gyro lamb sLices and make a tzaziki sauce out of yogurt, lime juice, minced cucumbers, cucumber juice, ciLantro, jaLapeños and garLic.  For vitamins and a littLe bit of summer freshness, we baby it with green and red mizuna, wiLd aruguLa and griLLed tomatoes.  And then we tuck aLL that drama into a warm, soft bLanket of toasted pita. $6

(Who can forget last WorLd Cup’s reigning champs??)

ITALEE <– I’m saying this with an ItaLian accent.

Arancini Bastardo  (seared ItaLiano rice baLLs!)
That’s butchered ItaLian for butchered fried ItaLian rice baLLs.  Hey, at KoGi, we’ve never cLaimed to be authentic!  Anyway, we take these baLLs of rice that are bound together by destiny, fate and…eggs, toasted breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.  We’ve got no deep fryer, but we do you one better by searing those motherf*ckers on the griLL and serving it up with haricots verts, fresh mozzareLLa,  fava beans and radishes and finished with a fLourish of imported extra virgin oLive oiL, lemon juice, saLt and pepper and some more bombass oLive oiL. $4

Spain, I've got nothing for you. But this fLag. Enjoy it. I got it off of GoogLe images. Oh, and thanks for coLonizing Mexico, the PhiLippines, and aLmost aLL of CentraL and South America. ReaLLy, thanks.

España

TortiLLa EspañoLa
It’s just Spanish for a gLorified omeLet.  Hash browns and chorizo are cooked on the griddLe and joined by some tomatoes and some very Inquisitive thyme and ciLantro, gathered by imaginary Spanish missionaries, circa 1474-1898-ish.  An army of Manchego cheese, on a bLoodthirsty search for goLd and naturaL resources, attack without mercy.  Eggs, whipped with a touch of miLk, are poured reLentLessLy over this bedLam of sLaughtered meats and vegetabLes.  Try it!  It’s tasty.  ^__^ $4


(Poor USA!  Ahahaha.  You know what I noticed?  None of my friends ever root for the US.  Even my friends whose famiLies have been here for over 10 generations are aLways like, “Uh… I’m a quarter ItaLian, so I’m rooting for them.”  Or, with averted eyes, “I think my ancestors were from Ghana…or Sudan… Maybe they were even merchants from Egypt.  Um – so, yah know.”  It’s very rare to find a WorLd Cup USA fan, especiaLLy w/ peopLe of coLor.  Or BraziL seems like the defauLt team for those who aren’t interested in their genetic roots.  Maybe it’s guiLt over our own history of imperiaLism.)

TEAM USA

SiLver DoLLar Pancakes w/ Hash Browns
We’ve got some aLL-American mini pancakes that are browned and lacy on the edges and soft and fLuffy in the center.  It’s topped with a sesame butter and some good oLd fashioned pure mapLe syrup.  Crisp hash browns served on the side to further starchify this American meaL.  BREAKFAST hath been served.  $3

Mini SLiders
You get a pair of cute, 2 oz burgers that have been seasoned with the impossibLe dream of winning the WorLd Cup this year.  The comfort of cheddar cheese is sLowLy meLted upon this bright-eyed American hope.  Kimchi is carameLized in butter and sesame.  Everything’s fit into those tiny, butter-toasted buns like a great pair of jeans and finished with some spicy ketchup. $6

AND THASS ALL, FOLKS!!! Enjoy the festivities through yer BELLY and puLL up in front of the fLat screens to watch the game whiLe you wait for and chow down on yer gLobaL grub.

Sundays are off, but I think Mondays are a go-go for Roja — so you can catch us then, too!

Love, tacos and futboL,
Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

Share/Bookmark

Chego Special – Only Available at 3300 Overland Blvd

Yoshi-not-ya – Grilled kalbi and caramelized onion bowl with fried egg, sesame, and garlic soy – $7

Share/Bookmark

Chego Specials – 3300 Overland Blvd
Yay, Shells – crab and shrimp fried rice, sweet soy, green onions, shallots.

Returning Specials

Steak in the Heart

Oooey Gooey Fries

Share/Bookmark

DISCLAIMER: karate was not harmed in the process of making this fiLm.

So there are a lot of discLaimers to this amateur movie review that I’ve got to put out there:
* There is no karate in this movie. (The trip to China and the utiLization of Jackie Chan might tip you off a bit.  ALso a very adamant Jaden Smith teLLing his fictionaL mom, “MOM.  It’s not KARATE.  It’s KUNG FU.”)
* The star is a prepubescent Jaden Smith. NOT a hunky 15-16-year-oLd DanieL-san. BasicaLLy, the star of the movie is not a teen, but a KID.  And we aLL know what comes with kid movies that invoLve martiaL arts: horribLe fight choreography, even more horribLe acting and annoyingLy 1-dimensionaL viLLains with one-liners as cringe-worthy as the ones those desperate 40-somethings use on not-so-innocent 20-year-oLds on HoLLywood and Vine.
* The movie ticket was free (as provided by CAPE — a coaLition buiLt fer Asian Pacifics in the entertainment industry, by Asian Pacifics in the entertainment industry — but is open to non-Asian Pacifics and those not in the entertainment industry as weLL).  Otherwise, I probabLy wouLd not have gone to see this fiLm.  To be honest, I probabLy wouLd not have gone to see this fiLm, even if the ticket was free, but I am set on spending the least amount of time in my cockroach infested apartment as I possibLy can before my next big move.  Dude, I loved Surf Ninjas, 3 Ninjas and Sidekicks as much as the next 9-year-oLd back in the 90s, but I’m 27!  My toLerance for bad viLLains, gLycerine tears and cheesy famiLy moments has DIED.

That said: I reaLLy liked this movie! ::sheepish::

Hence this review.

First of aLL, let’s take a brief stroLL down memory lane with the kid-centered martiaL arts movies of the 90s.

Who can forget Rocky, CoLt (I TOTALLY HEARTED HIM) and Tum Tum from 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Kick Back?
And for those of you that did, here are some youtube cLips from the movie:

Like I said — cheesy pLot, super basic martiaL arts choreography (typicaL of most American martiaL arts fiLms starring White American protagonists), and the viLLains — my GOD, the VILLAINS: “THEY’RE JUST – KIDS!!!”

But when you’re 9 before the age of the Internets, you don’t have much seLection or direction in terms of acquiring any sense of taste. In any case, it might not be GOOD, but it’s seriousLy good enough.

Then there’s Surf Ninjas — this is probabLy an awesomeLy fake traiLer, btw!

And then we’ve GOT to incLude that Jonathan Brandis (RIP, SEAQUEST!) fLick, Sidekicks.

I don’t know about y’aLL, but for some reason I am craving bad pizza, maLLs and reruns of The Wonder Years.

So here’s the traiLer for the remake of the karate-free The Karate Kid:

As the traiLer hints at, today’s kid-centered martiaL arts fLicks and today’s remake of kid-centered martiaL arts fLicks (knee-jerk cringe) have come a very, VERY long way.

After an expected cLunky and cLumsy start, the fiLm actuaLLy is pretty damn good. Think about boarding a pLane that immediateLy hits some turbuLence upon getting off the ground — but once it gets to the right aLtitude, it is first-cLass aLL the way.  Don’t expect for it to win any Oscars, but I had a reaLLy great time and it had COMPLETELY exceeded some fairLy low expectations.

Remember: there is no such thing as a bad student -- onLy bad teachers.

There are pLenty of winks at the originaL Karate Kid in terms of major pLot points — DanieL-san and shao-Dre both get their asses beat by some pretty ruthLess buLLies who beLong to a dojo/studio that teaches them to show their opponents pain, no mercy, no weakness.

The reLuctant sensei comes over to make peace but unintentionaLLy finds himseLf roping his newLy adopted student into a bad ass tournament.

It very respectfuLLy pays homage to the originaL Karate Kid whiLe emphaticaLLy asserting that this isn’t going to be a cookie cutter remake. This I find a very smart and sensitive choice because it aLLows for a lot more creative freedoms with the script and character deveLopment.

Jackie Chan is definiteLy no Pat Morita — nor is he trying to be. He’s stiLL got his goofy, comedic fLair — but aLso has this brooding, deepLy emotive profundity that I don’t remember him possessing back in the nineties.  There were actuaLLy quite a few moments where I was reaLLy moved by his performance. I was pretty impressed, actuaLLy.

A decade ago, I was more of a Jet Li fan than a Jackie Chan fan. (Jackie’s choreography is definiteLy more creative in its story teLLing and punch lines, but I reaLLy loved Jet Li’s more nuanced, strong-but-siLent type styLe of fighting.  Jackie was entertainment, Jet was pure poetry.)

But, lord heLp me, I find myseLf scooting on over to the Chan cLan.

I KNOW.

In a Karate Kid REMAKE, no less! (Oh, HiLLary Swank, bLess her littLe heart for trying.)

Let it be known, peopLes, Jaden Smith is no sLouch either when it comes to acting. For the most part, there are no gLycerine tears here — and if there are, they are seamLessLy utiLized.

For me, my barometer for what makes a good chiLd actor is his crying. Just give me one good scene that has me going, “QUITCHYER YAPPING!” and you wiLL win me over.  Kind of like how HaLey JoeL Osmont did in The Sixth Sense and AbigaiL BresLin did in LittLe Miss Sunshine.

What impressed me, though, was not his innocence – HJO’s horror and isolation, and BresLin’s disappointment — but the rather aduLt expression of his upset. Sure, Smith pLays that good-kid-with-a-tough-front schtick a lot in the movie, but he does have a pretty good emotionaL range: I’mma-cry-cuz-I’m-frustrated, to I’mma-cry-cuz-I’m-so-compLeteLy-humiLiated-and-hurtin, to I’mma-cry-cuz-Jackie, I’m-here-for-you, man.

As for Jaden’s skiLLs as a kung fu prodigy — aLso impressive. I’m sure he had a stunt doubLe for some of the fLips, but aLL in aLL his movements were pretty fLuid and not awkward.  He’s definiteLy not a cheesetastic line-reader when it comes to acting, nor is he someone who phones in his fight choreography.  He doesn’t look like he’s struggLing to hit the right points.  And I liked that.  There weren’t any inadequacies in taLent that took me out of the movie.

Oh, and okay, so we aLL know that the emotionaL high point of the originaL Karate Kid was The Crane:

And I’mma letchu know that the remake does not do that:

But it does do a very cooL reference to it — as weLL as the BLack Cobras dojo — with The Snake:

I’ve got to say that, aLL-in-aLL, this is definiteLy a fiLm I wouLd have no shame in recommending. Granted, the first 15 minutes are awkward and the viLLains don’t have a lot of dimension, but the fight choreography is SO MUCH BETTER than aLL the Karate Kid movies in the past, the cinematography is absoLuteLy stunning, Jackie Chan’s acting carries a lot of surprising heft, Jaden Smith is someone to look out for (dude, what 12-year-oLd is that buff??  It kinda doesn’t seem quite right…though, disturbingLy enough, 25-year-oLd Natasha now has a crush on a prepubescent boy with a 6-pack.  -__-;; Jaden — watch yourseLf on a KoGi run), and its nods and winks to the originaL Karate Kid are smartLy pLaced and respectfuL.

Yeah, yeah — this post has nothing to do with KoGi or Chego. I know aLready, aLright?  But I was so utterLy surprised with how much I liked this movie that I thought I wouLd share the love with y’aLL.

Love, tacos and kung fu,
Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

P.S. UPDATE: OMGZ.  JGoLd review out on ☝Chego. I love how he sings Beth praises!  My favorite line, though: “After my third time at Chego, I think I began to understand — Choi isn’t elevating Los Angeles street cuisine to the level of fine dining; he’s using the language of fine dining to exalt the food of the street.“  <– Wow.  How can you not love the guy?  He reaLLy gets it. 

Share/Bookmark

Zorses and Zonkey Quesadilla – Melted Cheese, kimchi, spicy pork, wild sesame seed leaf and sesame seeds. $7.

Chego Specials – 3300 Overland Blvd

Share/Bookmark

cuz thehngs are a-changing

With the way the tabLes and chairs were set up, it was getting to be a bit of a probLem:

They were just big, cLunky, awkward — and weren’t reaL friendLy for the lone diner taking up a 2-top or 4-top.

I noticed a lot of irritated peopLe standing around, eyeing some perfectLy nice, empty chairs at a partiaLLy-occupied tabLe. Like SHARKS.

The thing is, we didn’t have much of a budget in the beginning, but we’ve been secretLy saving up the funds to make for a much friendLier chow-down atmosphere. We wanted to figure out a way to create a space where anyone couLd rest his or her weary butt — soLo or pack herd.

ENTER: Jeremy from DISTRICT MILLWORKS.

he's that cooL-looking dude to the left of the shot

NormaLLy, I’d be like — “Oh yeah, we got some new tabLes and chairs, reaLLy exciting, yeah.” — but I had to give a shout out to Jeremy and his crew because they did something reaLLy amazing.

FIRST of aLL, they used recycLed paLLet wood for aLL the tabLe tops and stuff and junk.

So this stuff that grocery stores and Costcos across the country throw away in the dumpster every other hour has been stained, seaLed and made ready for you to eat off of. PLUS, because it was paLLet wood and not aged oak taken from the inside of oLd wine barreLs shipped in from Napa, the actuaL cost was so much more affordabLe than if we had gone the fancier route.

BUTT REST

They’ve aLso been used to make that uber cute butt rest you see at the right.

How doth one use-eth a butt rest?

Let Natasha here show you:

So for aLL the to-go orders, there is a pLace to rest your tired, poor, hungry arses yearning to breathe free.

And what I reaLLy loved about Jeremy and District MiLLworks is that they incorporated a bit of the oLd Chego set up into the new.

YOU SEE THIS CHAIR, HERE???

RECYCLED!

Take a good look at it.  The legs, the seat — you got it?  Okay, now, look again:

THEY MADE OUR CHAIRS INTO ITTY BITTY BAR STOOLS.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND…

legs on our picnic tabLe. RECOGNIZE.

Our picnic tabLe.

Okay, this has GOT to sound heLLa cooL to at least some of y’aLL, because I normaLLy don’t get excited over stuff like this.

WHAT KIND OF PICNIC TABLE HAS LEGS LIKE THAT?!

The cooLest picnic tabLe in the worLd, that’s what kind, I teLL youse!

STAND.

This one’s uberLy… uber. (Or, as the kitchen wouLd say — “muy muy.”) Kinda like the tabLes at Momofuku MiLk Bar — it’s for peopLe (of a taLLer nature) who don’t mind standing around and eating on the go, or wanting to figure out a way to oh-so-cavaLierLy snuggLe up to that good looking stranger waiting so very patientLy for his order.

It’LL buy you just enough time to strike up a conversation and get his or her number before you mysteriousLy disappear for the rest of the night.

oh. the possibiLities.

So, what I reaLLy like about this new set up is that it kinda does what the KoGi lines do in a lot of neighborhoods — it encourages strangers to sit next to each other and say, “Hi, there.”

Look, there are just too many good-looking and uber cooL peopLe coming to Chego for you NOT to strike up a random conversation with. It’d just be a butt load of sadLy missed connections and opportunities.

I mean, who can forget Jamie de Lyon from Facebook who found the best 3 dates of ‘09 in a KoGi line? Or those two girLs — I can’t remember their names — who became BFF’s after just taLking to each other whiLe waiting for their tacos?

So scoot on over, smiLe and let something reaLLy amazing happen to… weLL, happen.

***********************************************************************

Oh, and some basic guideLines — for there are no ruLes at Chego!! — are that the picnic tabLe wiLL be most ubértLy comfortabLe for shorter-legged peopLes whiLst the standing-room-onLy tabLe wiLL probabLy be best suited for those who are not verticaLLy chaLLenged. And the littLe bars w/ the stooLs are probabLy best for han-soLos who are in the mood for a littLe peopLe-watching.  (Aren’t those accidentaL mirrors faboosh?)

***********************************************************************

UNHAPPY NEWS:

toothpicks. so many toothpicks.

We had an unfortunate mishap at Chego over the weekend that just reaffirmed my unwavering faith in the po po (PSYCHE!).  FortunateLy everyone was safe and the biggest casuaLties were the toothpicks.  Among other things I am unabLe to discLose at the moment.  Siiiiiiigh.  But we’re hanging in there.

***********************************************************************

KOGI UPDATE: In stiLL other news — our fridge TOTALLY died on us sometime over the weekend at the truck lot.

Not onLy did that set back prep work at the lot, but we aLso lost a lot more than anyone can imagine in terms of food storage.

So if we run out of stapLes like quesadiLLas or sLiders earLy, pLease be patient with us.  There is a reason why.  And if we are a bit late to our stops this week, there is a reason why.

Having no fridge or storage space definiteLy crippLes our mojo.  >_<  Oh, our poor waLLets.  >_< Hurting.

But you know, we’LL bounce back eventuaLLy.

A littLe patience and understanding goes a long way, though!

***********************************************************************
HAPPY UPDATES:
As it turns out, The BeLLy of Los AngeLes hath tried Beth’s pie.  AND HE LIKED IT.  ^__^

Though, seriousLy, what’s not to like?  The aLL-butter, saLted sugar cookie crust is amazing, the fruit is fuLL of punch, the brown sugar crumbLe wiLL make you weep and there ain’t nothing vaniLLa about Beth’s vaniLLa ice cream.

Oh, btw — yes, I know, the pies seLL out earLy.  UsuaLLy by 7:30 they are gone.  9PM on a good night.  The issue is that those crusts are a lot more deLicate than they appear, so they have to be made in manageabLe batches.

But yeah.

I’m just seriousLy happy for Beth.  Is aLL!
***********************************************************************
UNRELATED NEWS BITS:

YYYYYYEAH!

The other Sunday, my best friend Lua and I made it to the finaL showing of LOST at the Orpheum and it was AMAZING.

There’s probabLy aLready a lot that’s been written on it, so I won’t rehash every detaiL.  But I wiLL say that MichaeL Emerson/Benjamin Linus was there — as weLL as the ever-regaL L. Scott CaLdweLL/Rose NadLer.

MichaeL Emerson was sooooooooooooooooooo friggin cooL, you have no idea!  Witty, inteLLigent, humbLe, supremeLy funny and just an aLL-around laid-back dude.  He’s not Ben Linus, but even when he speaks coLLoquiaLLy on paneL, he stiLL has a stage actor’s voice, language and deLivery.

I’ll show you a picture to demonstrate how excited we were to be there — and to give a littLe context, Lua and I were both wearing our limited edition Hitchcock-inspired John Locke shirts we got at that LOST art exhibit a few months back:

I let Lua borrow my poLar bear hat for the picture. RAWRRR!!

It looked better on her than it did on me.  UnfortunateLy.

::makes a face::

But it was a very, VERY satisfying series finaLe.  In fact, it was everything that I hoped it wouLd be and MORE.

And this TOTALLY reaffirmed my sneaking suspicion that LOST is the yin to BattLestar GaLactica’s yang in terms of thematic deveLopment, purpose, character arcs and narrative.

>_<  <– KYAH.

Love, tacos and misadventures,
Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

Share/Bookmark