Last weekend, my girlfriend and I went to the horsey racing thingy where the surf meets the turf at Del Mar. I don't bet on the ponies, but I enjoy watching them run fast. We usually go to the races at least once a year. It is only five miles away from our house, so it is pretty convenient. We usually go when there is a cool concert. Last year we saw Weezer. It was ridiculously crowded, and the sound system was horrible. So this year we decided to pass on any post-race concerts.
We probably would not have gone at all this year if it wasn't for this past Saturday's enticement:
We have watched the Food Network's
The Great Food Truck Race religiously, and we both enjoy gourmet food, so this one was a no brainer. With more than 40 trucks from Southern California, there was plenty of great food to be had.
The concert area where they lined up the trucks was packed with people, but we were on a mission. After spotting the truck in the far corner, Kerri immediately got in the line for the
Nom Nom Truck. The runners-up from the 1st season of the show, specialize in Vietnamese-style banh mi sandwiches.
The line was so long, so I had plenty of time to wander around and check out some of the other trucks. I was happy to spot the truck of local favorites
Tabe BBQ. The line wasn't nearly as long as Nom Nom, so I joined the queue.
I wasn't all that hungry when I got in line, but by the time I got to the front (about 1/2 an hour later) I was a slobbering, starving mad-man. Kerri was going to get me a pork banh mi, so I knew that I didn't need a lot of food. The amazing food coming from the line in front of me made me lose all sense of reason. I ordered a little too much: Fries smothered in BBQ pork, melted cheese, savory sauce, and a tangy sour cream drizzle; A seafood taco in a fresh-grilled tortilla, lightly battered fish, fresh veg, and an amazing salsa; and to cleanse the palate... The beast they call the OMG Burrito.
I watched carefully as they prepared this monster burrito, and (since I know it could never be duplicated) will share their secrets here. The OMG starts with a flour tortilla large enough to swaddle a baby... baby ELEPHANT! They cover the entirety of the blanket (errr... tortilla) with shredded cheese and melt it on the grill. Once the cheese melts, they pile on a mountain of the meat of your choosing. I chose the Korean BBQ Beef (It was only so-so... SO tender, SO delicious!) On top of the meat they mound a heaping layer of french fries, and smother it with a generous soaking of the most amazing spicy-sweet sauce.
(I found this pic on the internet... I was too busy eating mine to take a photo.)
I'm not sure what else they throw in this monster burrito, but after it is rolled up and wrapped in foil it weighs well over a pound. Ridiculous!
Okay. Enough of the food talk... On to the cards.
The founders of the Nom Nom truck are a couple of lovely, young ladies that met as undergrads at UCLA. If you watched the first season of The Great Food Truck Race, you know that their business savvy is as much a reason for their success as the delicious food. (They are also pretty darn adorable.)
PRP Food Trucks - #1 Nom Nom Misa
PRP Food Trucks - #2 Nom Nom Jenn
I am not sure how far I'll go with this set, but these two cards are a pretty good start. In researching the designs, I was introduced to the world of NASCAR cards. There are some pretty cool designs out there! If they threw burritos out of the cars, I could probably get into the sport a little more...
Oh, by the way, the pork bahn mi from Nom Nom was delicious!
