The $30 Kogi BBQ Dinner

Unless you’ve been living in a mile-deep cave on Neptune, eyes and ears taped shut, and in a constant REM sleep for the past year, then you have no doubt heard or seen the food-truck phenomenon known as Kogi BBQ. What started out as a single food truck roaming the streets from downtown LA to Venice serving Korean-Mexican fusion has grown into a small empire of three Twitter-fied trucks and a permanent outpost at Culver City’s Alibi Room.

Kogi's menu of short-rib tacos, spicy pork quesadillas and other fusion bites has been drawing hordes of followers who wait upwards of two hours in lines to place their orders at one of the trucks. Is this level of commitment necessary?

Sure I've been to the Alibi Room where one can eat the same Kogi BBQ in a bar, sitting down with tall cold Hite, but I was curious to see if the food truck could equal or better my Kogi experiences at Alibi Room.

And so last night I was craving some Kogi BBQ and I knew from Twitter that a Kogi truck would be parked within a mile of our house from 7pm - 9pm, and thus my plans were set in motion. Actually, our plan was to eat on site near the truck, but I decided to trek there and bring the goods back home so that I could provide you with these properly exposed photos (*kicks self* for not using higher f-stops.)

I arrived at 7pm—the time advertised on Twitter—and noticed about 20 or so followers congregating at the expected landing spot for the truck, which hadn’t arrived yet. Really, someone is late getting to West LA during any time of the day? Truly unheard of.

7:15 -- No truck yet and a few people just called it quits and bailed. Are those the weak or the smart? Hmmm...

7:20 -- The truck pulls up and the crowd start forming sort-of-a line. A person whom I will only refer to as the ringmaster instructs the crowd that the truck will be parked on the other side of the lot. The crowd madly disperses as if they just heard Michael Jackson will be laid to rest over there.

7:22 -- The truck appears to be parking, a line appears to be reforming, no--wait for it--the ring master directs the truck to a brick wall about 100 fee north. Near-chaos assumes and the crowd rushes frantically to said wall.

7:25 -- The truck parks, the line forms, and I’m saying to myself “where the hell did all these people come from!?” because the line was instantly one-hundred or so deep. I’m about 15 back.

7:35 – We’re still waiting as the truck is prepping for the mad rush. A girl in front of me waves the white flag and leaves in disgust. Score! I'm now 14 back!

7:40 – Finally! They’re open. The truck's awnings expand and a glow emerges from the kitchen.

7:45 – I get to the window and place my order for 4 tacos, 1 burrito, 1 quesadilla, and 1 torta special. I hand over $30, get a ticket and wait beside the truck while the Kogi chefs hustle inside.

7:55 – Word. I have Kogi BBQ in my possession. Back to home I must go--Fonda is awaiting ever so patiently and I can almost hear the "WHERE'S MY KOGI?! " from a 1/2 mile away.

Wait an hour and the Kogi wizard awaits you.

Here’s what I brought back to the danieleats household:

Kogi Tacos. Tofu, short rib, pork, and chicken:


These are a must have if you’re new to Kogi as they best exemplify the Korean-Mexican fusion. Short rib and pork are by far my favorites. The corn tortilla says Mexican, and the Korean-spiced short ribs (kalbi) are straight out of K-Town. The chicken is a little bland and overcooked, while the tofu was lacking flavor other than the intense heat from too much spice. I enjoy spicy foods but only when the spice complements the overall taste of a dish. With the tofu taco, all I could taste was heat.

Black Jack Quesadilla:


Spicy pork and caramelized onions wrapped in a tortilla with a green chili sauce and sesame seeds. This is wonderful and the heat and spices were just right. The pork is juicy, very flavorful and plentiful, while the addition of sesame seeds gives a nice texture to each bite. This is delicious and also a must try for the first timers.

Grilled chicken and pineapple torta:


This was the special of the day and was the main reason I wanted to visit the truck as opposed to the Alibi Room. For you see, the trucks serve specials not available at the brick and mortar location. I asked the person taking my order what the special was, and I really couldn’t hear what he said but it didn’t matter because I was going to order the special regardless of what it was. I've told you I'm a foodie and I mean it. Some of you have seen my Facebook wall; and that's all I'll say.


Short-rib burrito:



Beef short-ribs with eggs, hashbrowns, and shredded cheese. I felt the flavors from the meat and the sauce overpowered all other items, and I would have liked more cheese, but otherwise this was good.

And there you have it. Our $30 Kogi BBQ dinner:



Now the question I must answer: is all this worth waiting an hour or more for in line? Well it's tough to say Yes because you can get the same food and other not-available-at-truck items like Korean spiced fries and lotus chips at the Alibi Room, and wash it all down with one of Alibi Room's many beer offerings. That said, if you happen to cross paths with one of the trucks and are hungry, and the lines aren't too long, then by all means give it the college try. Some of you will refuse to walk up even if no line exists, and others will drive to the truck to wait two hours.

But regardless of your opinion, there's no denying that the Kogi phenomenon is real and it clearly doesn't seem to be losing its cult-like status. Kogi has sparked numerous knock-offs from other trucks and restaurants all wanting to cash in on this sudden interest in Mexican-Korean fusion. And now there appears to be an uprising in food trucks serving grub from all corners of the culinary planet—India Jones (Indian food), Nom Nom (Vietnamese sandwiches), Sprinkles (cupcakes) to name just a few.

Hate or love them to your heart's content, but it's us consumers that are winning with this sudden surge in variety and accessibility of foods from around the world. I am itching to try Nom Nom and India Jones and hope to be reporting on those soon.

KobiBBQ
Follow them at twitter.com/kogibbq for truck locations.

Also served at:

Alibi Room.
12236 Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066