They oughta be fyred.
I’m having a good time here, at the $10 and all the LA times favorites are there. Sorry…drunk posting
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Take some drunk pictures, please.
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Just got back. Quick post for now. Didn’t pay the $10 for Supermarket VIP. Was told wasn’t worth it. The lineup posted was nothing I hadn’t tried before.
The rest of the stuff was average. Usual food trucks, no super outstanding booths.
Bottom line, not worth a special trip just for the food. But if in the area or want to wander around before moving somewhere else it’s fun. But don’t do the VIP. Definitely take the train, parking and traffic is a pain. The train stop is right there in middle of everything.
Will post tomorrow on what I had.
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Had a wonderful time!! I wish the communication and the scope of the event was better! There are just so many event sites going on and lack of details! I would have loved to know EXACTLY who was there today and tomorrow! I might go back instead of just one night!!
We did the Supermarket and honestly, we didn’t think it was necessary. There was some good stuff but mostly it’s stuff we had before and there were equally good stuff outside too.
My favorite thing was the Pepperoni Pizza from Prova Pizza. Good size for the price and so well balanced. The crust was great. The sauce delicious, just enough toppings and still highly foldable! It was served HOT! I don’t remember receiving a pizza that hot from any place recently.
P really liked the huge and highly Instagramable Mandoo from the SuperMarket area. I found it too doughy however.
We also enjoyed the generous portions from The Prince of Venice Truck. The pasta was impressive, the sauces were well made.
Finally if you go to the Knob Creek booth. The drinks are okay, but the small plates are worth the $4! Generous portion of steak and duck.
On its surface its a well curated food truck festival. And you will spend a decent sum to get a taste of this and that. but there are good reasons to attend, especially if the crowd isn’t as crazy as it was last night (I was a bit concerned it would be with Art walk being so nearby)
–Dommy!
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Thanks - what’s the toothpick dish?
OK so my take on Night Market: great ambiance/space. It’s very spread out. I think the food truck component is kind of blase with a few exceptions like Pico House and NoMad. The food itself was very good. I tried Louise’s (which was manned by Cento pasta…kind of funny), Chori-Man (excellent), and the gelato burger from Gelato Messina. It’s basically a pay-as-you-go food event, which is nice if you’re tired of paying $100 for things like that. A lot of the options you’d also find at Smorgasburg. It’s basically a giant five day Smorgasburg in Downtown that runs into the evening. Parking is annoying and costs $9 at the Music Center. Otherwise, take the Metro.
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Regarding the $10 supermarket, I find it worth it if you want to try Chengdu Taste, Kato, Hanjip, and a few others. Remember the rest of the event is free so…you’d be hard pressed to spend $40 pp if you eat and drink well.
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Thanks - what’s the toothpick dish?
The famous Toothpick Lamb from Chengdu Taste. It was a bit luke warm so not as good as it is it is in the restaurant, but still good and highly addictive! Pretty good portion for $10. And you can consider the $10 entrance free to the Supermarket as a premium to not have to wait an hour and half in front of the REAL restaurant.
–Dommy!
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Yes! The whole thing came together and was organized a lot better than I thought. They had several ID check areas, plenty of security, a coordinated flow. The only thing I would ask them to improve is something that is at all festivals, needs non-alcoholicdrink stands. A boba truck would have done a killing. Heck, if I was was younger I would take a cooler full of Pellegrinos and make some serious $$$.
–Dommy!
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So you have to pay $10 for the privilege of buying food at places that are already in LA?
Pretty much. Which is why I said (and recommended to friends) they skip it unless they really want to try something then and there. There is PLENTY of great food in the free area.
–Dommy!
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You can take the girl out of Mexico but…
And, when you do, she’s upgrading to Pelligrino!
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LOL!! Give a Mexican a Career in Marketing and she’s catering to her audience. Besides… no matter how hipster… Pellegrinos sell for a higher cost than Topo Chicos… so… $$$$. 
–Dommy!
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How was the gelato? When I tried Messina in Vegas it was way too sweet.
Impressive! That was the other thing I liked about this event vs. food festivals. Food festivals generally it’s a ‘taste’. Here the trucks and all the stands were offering actual portions. I shared the Prova Pie with four people!
–Dommy!
Yeah, I just couldn’t justify that. It’s not the money it’s the principle dang it! LOL!
I would have been right there slinging it with you! Back in college, I was the first person in our club to come up with selling combo meals at the lunch court for our fund raisers. Clubs were only allowed to sell one item due to school regulations. I came up with the loophole of giving away the drink and side items as “free with purchase” When the inspector came around, I successfully argued that we were not in violation and shouldn’t be shut down. They closed the loophole after that, but boy did we make a killing before that and the other clubs hated us!
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Ok, the follow up more detailed report
Overall, I will agree with the sentiment that it was well organized. Possibly I was just more tired when I wrote last night and it might have come across more harsher than I intended. The four sections were all well organized, plenty of security and crew walking around. Everything was well lit, lots of places to sit and eat. Live music at different spots. I wandered around for a good 3+ hours and enjoyed myself. If you’re an experienced attendee of these types of events, then you know what type of pricing to expect and you can budget accordingly. You can wander around easily and see what appeals to you. That said, there also was not a huge crush of wall to wall bodies and all the lines were easily manageable. It was great weather and a very pleasant evening to walk around. I might have had a different opinion if it was a lot more crowded and a hot day.
There were some good food trucks. I got to try the pork belly tater tots from a Japanese food truck whose name escapes me now. $10 for a generous portion. The tater tots were fried very well, crisp not greasy. Lots of pork belly bits that were meaty and not just fatty. Tasty gravy covering everything and sprinkles of pickled ginger on top was the perfect acidic component to complement the flavors.
I also got to try the fresh made pasta from the Prince of Venice truck. Had the ravioli in a cream sauce and rigatoni in a sausage sauce. $13 and $14? Generous portions, good pasta, sauces were well balanced. I’d happily eat those again.
I heartily second this. I ordered three items there. The duck breast tacos, the rib eye and the carmelized peaches. They had Big Green Eggs set up to do all the cooking. I can see them being overwhelmed if the crowds got bigger. Last night they were just on the verge of being in the weeds as the food coming out barely managed to keep up with the orders. There was some unorganized milling right in front of the bar and the counters as people waited for their food. People coming up to order, had to fight through the waiting crowd to order their food. As the food came out, the staff would just randomly start pointing at people waiting to confirm what they ordered and hand it out. Big potential there to be a mess if the crowds got any larger.
I would pass on the peaches. I love grill carmelized peaches. These didn’t have any carmelization at all and the smoky taste was very faint. The duck and ribeye were much better. The portions generous as Dommy mentioned. The rib eye had some char and smokiness, tender with just the right amount of fat to give it that pop. The duck breast was also prepared well, although I’d quibble about the size of the two pieces of jicama provided. They were big and thick (insert NSFW joke here) and threw off the balance of all the ingredients somewhat.
Still, if the crowds aren’t bad, I’d say hit them up and get those two dishes.
Thing is, the crowds WILL descend tonight…and Saturday. I hope they can handle that volume.
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