LA Street Food Fest: Oh, the Gluttony

Last time I went to the LA Street Food Fest, I didn’t even get in. This time, it was more organized, and I actually ate some food. The lines were pretty long, but spirits were high on the Rose Bowl field, and I was able to try some great stuff.

Here’s the rundown:

First up was Boyle Heights’ Antojitos Carmen, formerly a popular Breed St. vendor and now a brick and mortar presence on Cesar Chavez Ave (map it). Well worth the wait, they were serving up potato tacos and enchiladas. The tacos dorados, filled with a mixture of potatoes and cheese, were the highlight. I couldn’t help but flood the plate with the delicious salsas.

Downtown Dogs’ hotdogs remind me of Chronis‘ on Whittier Blvd. Maybe it’s the snap that happens when you take a bite. Whatever it is, it’s a good dog, and tater tots are always an easy sell. I wanted to try the Dogzilla stand as well since their doing their version of Japa Dogs, but the line was excruciating.

Finally, I get to try Manila Machine, and thank goodness they were serving lumpia (filipino egg rolls). I think they were the best thing I ate all day. Scrumptious. I can’t wait to hit up the truck and try their chicken adobo and sisig.

Long Board’s Ice Cream was also at the fest, and we didn’t even try to resist. I loved the Bar Fight, a chocolate ice cream bar with almonds on one side and pretzels on the other. Salty plus sweet always does it for me.

I really love chili fries, but I almost never eat them, so this was a treat. We didn’t get the actually chili-cheese batch, but the Rajas Fries, with shawarma style steak, poblano peppers, carmelized onions, and jack cheese, weren’t a letdown. I admire the unapologetic decadence.

I’m still full.

-Valentina