Having broken no laws the LAPD decided it was time for the food trucks on Sawtelle to leave. And what the LAPD says goes.
It was a busy Thursday night along this stretch of Sawtelle blvd just North of Olympic that has been a popular parking spot for many of the cities gourmet food trucks. I was attempting a trifecta of sorts - rajas fries from Frymith, a duck taco from Dim Sum truck and a Frankie from India Jones. Sadly this gastronomic quest was cut short when the LAPD forced India Jones to get a move on.
Yes my friends the LAPD harassment of mobile food continues. Miracle Mile may be ground zero for anti-Nouveau food truck forces but this stretch of Sawtelle just north of Olympic is the new battleground. Or maybe it isn’t. Maybe tomorrow the LAPD says it’s ok. When laws are forced so arbitrarily who knows what is aloud and what is not. What laws did the trucks break? As far as I know pissing off the local brick and mortar restaurants isn’t against the law.
If I had any advice for the nouveau food trucks it would be to find a stretch of boulevard that isn’t so close to so many other restaurants . Take a lesson from the traditional taco truck which typically seek out a location where they will find the least resistance from other restaurants.
(peking duck taco $3)
I wasn’t even aware that the Dim Sum truck had tacos. They even offer a spicy tofu mulita. I like how many of the new trucks show respect for LA’s street taco by offering their own take on the taco. At Dim Sum truck they have two tacos- kung pao chicken and peking duck. I ordered the peking duck.
The duck is tender and topped with cucumber, onion and a sweet tangy sauce. Crispy duck skin was laid on top of the taco. The duck skin was a little fatty but was interesting nonetheless. I added a little chile sauce which provided a good mixture of sweet and spicy.
The raja fries at Frysmith were fantastic. There’s a lot going on here- fire roasted poblano chile pepper, jack cheese, caramelized onions, grilled skirt steak, and of course fries. These are somewhat like carne asada fries but the high quality of the beef takes them to another level.
(rajas fries from Fry Smith $6.50)
India Jones
Fry Smith 4/5
Dim Sum truck3.5/5
I've gotta agree with you that the food trucks would probably be doing themselves some favors by staying away from most brick-and-mortar eateries.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the surge in interesting food trucks, but I can also see where the brick-and-mortar restaurants are coming from. With their rent and other higher costs, they're bound to get bent if a truck sets up shop nearby. If the restaurants and trucks can figure out how to coexist peacefully, all the better for all of us.
Cheers!
Druu
Bite Me TV
Hm, unless Frysmith left and came back, they were not kicked out. I came by at 8:50pm last night to get food from them. Unfortunately they were already packing up. But that means the police must not have forced them to leave.
ReplyDeletejay,
ReplyDeletethey may have just moved location on Sawtelle. Even if it was 100 feet.
when we left the police had already forced India Jones to move on
Those fries look outrageous. I might have to do a post on the best meaty fries in town. I might have a heart attack from the research, though.
ReplyDeleteso lame! i love the food trucks on sawtelle!
ReplyDeleteso lame! i love the food trucks on sawtelle!
ReplyDelete