Ludo's Fried Chicken Truck

Los Angeles, CA

twitter.com/LudoTruck
http://www.ludolefebvre.com/ludobites/ludo-fried-chicken

With all the fame and fortune Ludo Lefebvre has recently garnered, he decided to splurge and buy a car. Well, a truck to be exact. And thousands of foodies, bloggers, and socialites have waited in infamous 2 hour lines to try the one Ludobites dish that has stood out and could easily be converted to street food...the Fried Chicken.

(Original Ludo Fried Chicken)

The truck was going to be at the Dodgers Stadium Flea Market on July 18th at 9AM, so I felt I had a good chance to catch it with a short line. After the $5 entrance fee to the market, there were roughly 15 other trucks and a 30 second wait at Ludo Bites.
$7 Ludo's Signature Fried Chicken (3)
2 pieces with piquillo sauce and honey mustard sauce. First, the chicken 'nuggets' were tiny for $7. Second, The batter was similar to Chile's Chicken Crispers (it's an insult). Third, The piquillo sauce was reminiscent of ketchup and I don't put ketchup on my chicken. The honey mustard was reminiscent of Ralph's, you could get this anywhere. The seasoning was very light, about the only good thing was the use of dark meat lent to a tender finished product. This is not the Ludo Fried chicken at Breadbar that we have all fell in love with.

For a $1 extra, we got a honey-lavender biscuit (7)
The biscuit was well worth the money and I could see this being a side to a Ludo Bites dish. Sweet and rich denseness to it.

Yatai Ramen Twist at Breadbar

8718 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
(310) 205-0124 Cancel Reservation
www.breadbar.net


Warning: The following post is written by a non-Asian with extensive travels in Japan (about a week). Any ignorance of the ramen history or stereotypes of the Japanese culture should be excused.

The Japanese inspired pop-up concept was running through July 24th. We got a quick reservation before it ended since we don't get much ramen on the west side. Plus, although I enjoy ramen, I do find it to be rather boring. So, the idea of a "Twist" on ramen was pleasantly welcomed. The concept was created by Chef Kazuo Shimamura.

$8 Kale GYOZA - kale vegetarian pot stickers (5)
We went kale over pork gyozas as we wanted the "Twist." Granted, it was the first time I had kale gyozas, it will probably be the last. The kale was just too bland a filling. The crisp texture was the only aspect salvaging the dish.

$11 Spicy Miso Ramen - marinated poached egg, kurobuto pork belly, nori, bamboo shoot, kikurage Tokyo negi (7)
Better than most ramens I've had and I enjoyed the spiciness complemented by the tender p0rk belly and egg.



$14 OX tail Ramen - rich ox tail soup, truffle oil, marinated poached egg (10)
If Animal did Ramen, this is what it would taste like...perfect. The long braised oxtails just added such a sweet richness to the dish.



$18 Foie Gras Ramen - rich master stock consomme soup, chopped chives (2)
If I would have bought this dish on Ebay, I would have filed a claim as the product was not accurately described. I was expecting a rich, luxorious broth, but what arrived was Foie Gras flavored Cup Noodles. Just plain noodles with a piece of foie gras on top.



$0 Petit fours, butter balls (6)
Simple, but good.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. The pop-up was exactly what it was intended to be, a glimpse into an individual chef's take and vision of their cuisine. A couple missteps along the way, but when it worked, it was well worth it.