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FEATURED

FEB
13
2012

Roy Choi's Kogi: Finally!


The truck that launched a chef, his empire, and a nationwide furor
In 2008, something truly remar-
kable happened. No, I'm not talking about the election of our nation's first President of color, Barack Obama: Kogi Korean BBQ-To-Go - "America's first viral restaurant"* - was born. Owners Mark and Caroline Shin Manguera and Chef Roy Choi transformed a humble taco truck into a culinary force through effective use of the Internet and the propagation of avant garde food that delivered the flavor that food lovers craved. It was a huge phenomenon, but for

some reason, I missed it.

On Saturday, I hung out with The Original "P". The first thing "P" and I did was go out to dinner at Dog Haus in Pasadena. While we were eating dinner, somehow the topic of Kogi came up. (I love talking about food while eating!) I suggested that we find a truck and after a clunky search on my cellphone, we discovered that a Kogi truck was going to make an appearance later in the evening in our area. So to kill some time, "P" and I went to my house and played a boardgame called Axis & Allies. (Because A&A is a Great way to spend an hour or two. Or eight.)

"P" and I drove to Home Depot in El Monte at ten post meridian. We drove into the parking lot, scanned it for a ravenous-looking crowd that marked the presence of the Kogi truck, and parked several feet away from the action.

What I ate:

(Fail re: camera. I forgot my Canon PowerShot SD780 IS again!)

Short Rib Tacos

Short Rib Tacos (2.29 USD each): Grilled Korean style short ribs and a cabbage-lettuce Korean style slaw. I liked the taco, but it failed to blow me away. I thought the dressing in the slaw was too strong: it overwhelmed the other flavors in the taco. "P" thought the same; in addition, he said the dressing was too sweet. Overall, we were both underwhelmed.

Parking: Since the location varies, there's no way I can clue you in re: parking.

The Bill: 10 USD.

My Ratingone star out of four stars (good). Although I was underwhelmed by the tacos this evening, to be totally fair, I'd have to try the rest of the menu before I award less than a star. Hours of operation and location varies. CASH ONLY. www.kogibbq.com

Kogi Korean BBQ on Urbanspoon

Last Word: Although the party is in the eleventh hour, I'm feeling peckish for more truck food! 

* Romano, Andrew. "Now 4 Restaurant 2.0". The Daily Beast. The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company  LLC. 27 Feb. 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2012

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