The classic grilled cheese sandwich. With bacon, of course. Comes with tomato soup and a salad with sesame dressing.

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After months (and maybe years) of seeing this truck featured on the Food Network and chasing it down on the freeway, we finally spotted it at LA's ArtWalk!

Duy had the special, the Spam bun, which was pretty moist and flavorful. He and I both had the kalbi bun, which was pretty dry, since it was sliced thinly then cooked. Flavor was fine, but the meat left a little to be desired. I enjoyed my Dweji bun, which was spicy pork with scallions and the whole shabang. Good flavor, juicy meat, and a nice spice kick.

Duck fat fries were also pretty tasty, albeit covered in rosemary (which is not on my top spices list). All in all, a great tasty experience, definitely deserving of its food truck lore.

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While in Long Beach last week, we decided to have a sunset happy hour out at Yardhouse. We were pretty psyched to discover they had a new street tacos menu. We ordered the marinated beef and the pork tongue, both of which were pretty tasty. The tongue was tender but the rest of the ingredients were overpowering. The beef was fairly tasty, with a good overall balance with the rest of the ingredients. Overall winner goes to the beef taco.

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Oh it was ON. After hearing good reviews about two BBQ joints, Bludso's in Compton and Gus's in Pasadena, we decided to do a side by side comparison of the ribs and brisket. (And tossed in some beer growlers from Golden Road for good measure.)

The verdict? Gus's was better seasoned, but Bludso's was more tender. Both of them would do in a pinch, but depending on your preference, you can pick one over the other. I'm loving the one piece of fatty brisket from Gus's, since it was the perfect balance of flavor and moistness!

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We've all been to Manna, this tiny, kinda dingy but lovable spot in K-Town, where you used to have all-you-can-eat K-BBQ for a mere $15. Well, they finally upped their game and went high-end, buying a huge space in the Little Tokyo Mall that used to be a martial arts studio. The result? A fabulously trendy, ultra-lounge looking spot with an occasional trance music night, smoke hoods at every table, an expansive buffet bar with a wide variety of offerings (including some sushi rolls) and a really high quality of meats that stay tender and moist during cooking.

The best part of all? Because of the change in the cooking surface, from a flat grill to a grate surface, they lather the surface with a huge chunk of FAT (pictured in the middle). Unbelievable. All-in-all, a must-return, if only to see if the shabu-shabu half of the menu is just as worthy... Stay tuned!

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After waiting the usual forever and a half for an Umami burger at its latest opening in downtown, we were lucky enough to be seated in front of the PIGG counter, since the restaurant is shared between three concepts, Umami and PIGG amongst them.

We ordered our favorite from The Lazy Ox, pig ear chicharrones, only to find ourselves crunching on hard, flavorless pieces of blandness. Even the dip didn't bury the fact that this wasn't savory nor innovative. As a point of comparison, the pig ears at Lazy Ox are sliced thickly enough that you get a crunch on the outside and a soft, delicate cartilage layer inside. Texture is perfect and flavor hasn't been fried out of it.

The guys at PIGG were diligently slicing away at slabs of aged pork all night, including a hand-slicing of a gigantic pig leg. We tried some of it, and it was phenomenal. Probably some of the best charcuterie you'll find anywhere and worth the price for the quality.

I can't really say the same about Umami, which was so busy that night that they burned my burger so that it didn't even taste like beef anymore. As huge an Umami fan as I've been for years, this was a major disappointment. I'm looking to be coming back for the PIGG for sure, but I'll hold off on the pig ears or the Umami.

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Oddly enough, the wild boar consommé didn't taste that different from your standard ground beef when mixed in a chili... Still yummy though!

Wild boar consommé, onions, garlic, and a slew of seasonings!

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This is what half a pound of foie gras looks like, bought from Bristol Farms and seared at home! Needless to say, it didn't last long! Time to throw down the dinero at $80/lb to buy a whole 2lb lobe before Cali's foie ban takes effect!

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This used to be my mom's easy food option, just order two fish at number 6 and call it a day! I'm dying to go back and get some catfish at number 1 to bring home and roast for table side spring roll night!

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Freebird is a new Chipotle-like spot, allowing you to choose your destiny in terms of what goes into your burrito bowl, salad, or, apparently, your "Super Monster." I'd say seasoning of the meat was better at Chipotle and negative points to Freebird for squirting the guacamole out of a bottle and making it look like baby food, but otherwise not a bad option in a pinch. Within a couple miles, I think I'd still drive to the nearest Chipotle.

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The foie gras presented at Michael Voltaggio's Ink. Foie surrounded in waffle pieces and my all time favorite, Sriracha dots!

This was part of the nine course meal my friend and I enjoyed before being greeted by Mr. MV himself, who wondered when we would tap out. Lol!

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So simple since its literally meat and cheese, but it was literally one of the best tasting nachos I've had in a really long time!

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