Philly Steak Depot

Photos: Courtesy of "Cutlass Supreme"

PHILLY STEAK DEPOT: (Located @ Santa Monica & Vine)

6254 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

Telephone: (323) 467-1215

Business Hours: Monday-Saturday (10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.)

Growing up as a child, I would always hear, "When you eat food, you want it HOT - so hot it burns the roof of your mouth - you don't want food that's been sitting around..." Could this be true? Well, if you ask some people, they'll say it's all relative. A bit masochistic? Well, maybe a bit. LOL! So what's the point of all this, you ask? Simple. If you want fresh, hot, sizzling food, PHILLY STEAK DEPOT is your spot.

Situated at the corner of Santa Monica & Vine, this purveyor of "meaty goodness" serves a monstrous 14" Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for the glutton in you. Of course, there are variations which are left to the patron to choose. I, myself, opted to go with the "SUPER STEAK." (You got to love the use of superlatives... LOL!) And, just what is the "SUPER STEAK?" Well, if you listen, I'mma tell ya. SUPER STEAK is a 14" monstrosity filled with ribeye steak, provolone cheese, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Hold on now. I'm not finished. I still have to give you the details...

Initially starting out as a brick of sliced ribeye, this bio-mass of beef manifested itself into a symphony of flavors, as the FOOD TECHNICIAN stirred in copious amounts of grilled onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers into a generous heaping of carmelized ribeye steak. The "pièce de résistance" of this hedonistic endeavor? 3 or 4 slices of Provolone cheese! Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know. I'm being trite. What can I say? It happens.

Anyway, all b.s. aside, this sandwich was delicious. It was hot. It was juicy. It was DEFINITELY meaty. What else could anyone ask for? Simple. A fork. There's so much residual meat pouring out of this sandwich, you can't help but to use it. AND, as you relish in the flavors of this masterpiece, you'll find yourself picking up on the subtle nuances of a grilled steak accompanied by the sweetness of mushrooms, onions, and pepper (The cheese just binds it all together). Yum? You better believe it.

Wait, wait, wait! What about the bread, "Cutlass"? Oh, yeah, the bread. It was fresh, crusty on the outide, and nice and soft on the inside. Let's just say, it sopped up ALL the juices of everything I just described in the paragraph above. Nice, huh? My sentiments exactly.

Now, I'm no connoisseur of Philly Cheese Steaks, but this sandwich did alright by me. If it's good, it's good. I'm not here to nit-pick and compare it to anything on the East Coast. With that said, STREET TREATZ gives "PHILLY STEAK DEPOT" a gut-busting 4.125 stars out of 5. (****.125) Let's just say that the next time I get a "jones" for some Cheese Steak, I'm going back to PHILLY STEAK DEPOT for more.

P.S. Request a lot of napkins. You're going to need it. Trust me. I know.

NOTE: If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see the hot steam wafting from these delectable "treatz"... All you have to do is click to enlarge.

The Nom Nom Truck

NOM NOM TRUCK... The Vietnamese response to the "Kogi Truck? Hmmm... It just might be... LOL! It just might be...

Photos courtesy of "Nom Nom Truck"

Vietnamese taco & sandwich combo

Vietnamese tacos? Apparently so...

"THE NOM NOM TRUCK": (Location: To Be Announced)

We are currently awaiting the official launch of the NOM NOM TRUCK. Until then, here is some press to stimulate your curiosity:

"Nom Nom truck is a mobile food truck that will serve “Banh Mi”, or Vietnamese Sandwiches, and other Vietnamese-inspired dishes to West Los Angeles and the greater Los Angeles area. We plan to launch our truck some time this August, so keep your eye out for us!" - Nom Nom Truck

Sidral Mundet

SIDRAL MUNDET... WTF is Sidral Mundet? Wikipedia defines it as such: Sidral Mundet is a Mexican apple-flavored carbonated soft drink produced by FEMSA S.A de C.V and distributed in the United States by the Novamex company, which also distributes the Jarritos and Sangria Señorial soda brands.

I'm going cut all the bullshit and say this: SIDRAL tastes like carbonated apple drink. Not apple juice, but apple drink. BIG DIFFERENCE. Does it taste good? Hell yeah, it tastes good. So good, I'm going to get me one on the next tour.

Shout out to the homie who introduced me to it... That's some tasty shit... A "Treat" to the say the least. LOL!

La Hamburguesa Loca

Photos courtesy of TBA

LA HAMBURGUESA LOCA: (Located @ 7th & Alvarado)

La Hamburguesa Loca... The Crazy Hamburger, huh? Well, don't let the name fool ya. This mobile hamburger hut makes a pretty mean Al Pastor taco. Perfectly charred and caramelized, the meat was on point - juicy and full of flavor. With each occasional bite, small chunks of pineapple would reveal themselves creating the salty/sweet combination many of us foodies enjoy. Garnished with the usual fixings of onion and cilantro, these tacos have the option of being blanketed with hot sauce or not. At this particular location, we opted to have it on the side, with the exception of one taco which my friend ate (See picture above). To paraphrase his reaction to the sauce, "It's kind of like an Indian chutney." Nevertheless, we both agreed the Crazy Hamburger or "LA HAMBURGUESA LOCA" was a "TREAT!" Keep up the good work, guys. We'll be back to do a follow up.

STREET TREATZ gives "La Hamburguesa Loca" a crazy 4 out of 5 stars easy (****)

Tacos Los Dos Compas

Photos courtesy of TBA

TACOS LOS DOS COMPAS: (Located @ 8th & Bonnie Brae)

Tacos Los Dos Compas... *Sigh* What do I say? I don't want to be scathing, but I just wasn't feeling this spot. A number of factors may have contributed to this sentiment. I was full, tired, and buzzed. BUT, aside from that, I'm just not a big fan of beans. Though beans were the element which made LOS DOS COMPAS unique; they were also the element which took points away from its score. Tacos are small as is, they don't need filler. Putting all those beans just killed it for me. I didn't know if I was eating a bean taco or an Al pastor taco. Nice try though, guys, but no dice. You get an unenthusiastic rating of 2.5 stars out of 5. (** 1/2)

NOTE: For people who like beans, this might be the taco for you. As for me, if i wanted beans, I would've ordered myself a burrito.

Cemitas Poblanas

Photos courtesy of TBA

CEMITAS POBLANAS: (Located @ 8th & Burlington)

In all honesty, CEMITAS POBLANAS was just the standard taco joint. It was simple. Nothing stood out in my mind worthy of praise. I will, however, note that the hot sauce looked orange. It almost had an aioli like appearance. Taste wise, it was just another taco - mundane.

STREET TREATS gives "Cemitas Poblanas" a flat 3 out of 5 stars

Hennessy

Consider me a fan. Just reverse the ratios of Hennessy to Coke.

Tacos La Fonda

TACOS LA FONDA: (Located @ Seventh & Vermont)

Upon completion of our second "taco tour", "TACOS LA FONDA" stood out as the star of the lot. The other trucks, we had stopped at prior to LA FONDA, paled in comparison. This was so much in fact that we decided only on reporting on this particular truck.

The Al Pastor & Carne Asada Tacos:

Tacos La Fonda dresses their tacos with the run-of-the-mill relishings: cilantro, onion, and radish. Interestingly, there was a negligible amount of lettuce sprinked on each taco. As for hot sauce, a contrast of red and green blanketed each individual taco. But, that's only the visual part of it. As for taste: after taking our first bites, my friend and I both agreed that the subtle nuances of the tortillas and the meat were something worth mentioning in the blog. In terms of the tortillas, a certain char to them made them a cut above the rest. The meat, or the centerpiece of the meal, was charred nicely - sealing in the juiciness of a well-cooked pastor. (All too often, taco trucks will serve meat that's been sitting around or cooked to death - all dried out and shit) Collectively, these elements made for a rating of: 4 stars out of 5 (****) - A definite spot to revisit in the future.

Culinary addendum: The "Red" sauce, standard on all tacos, was tomato based - rich and thick. This element unquestionably distinguished LA FONDA from the rest.

P.S. More photos will be uploaded upon completion of our in-depth follow-up report.

Taqueria El Pecas

Photo: Courtesy of "Young Yoney"

The Conception of the Taco Tour:

After a long and seemingly fruitless excursion for food through the heart of Huntington Beach, my friends and I decided to head home (Los Angeles) in hopes that we would get a substantial bite to eat. Deciding on tacos, we ventured forth into the heart of Downtown Los Angeles to see what the night would hold for us. What initially began as a quick stop for food became what is currently known to our inner circle as the "TACO TOUR": a tour composed of 3 or more random stops at various taco trucks in the greater Los Angeles area. Within each of these stops, 4 tacos are sampled, as well as critiqued.

TAQUERIA EL PECAS: (Located @ Arizona & Cesar Chavez):

Quietly parked at this intersection, "Taqueria El Pecas" serves probably one of the best Al Pastor tacos I've had in a while. Carved from a spit (a.k.a. shawarma), the El Pecas' Al Pastor meat and grilled onions find themselves julienned into fine caramelized strips accompanied by the usual accoutrements, cilantro and diced raw onion (all of which are served on warm pillowy corn tortillas fresh off the grill). Crowned with a dash of hot sauce and twist of "limon", "Taqueria El Pecas" presents a sublime treat for the senses to behold. Sweet, savory, juicy, and spicy; it is no wonder why this gem of East Los Angeles finds itself preceeded by its reputation as one of the top contenders in the culinary world of tacos. In so many words, "Taqueria El Pecas" is simply street gold. It is with this that STREET TREATZ proudly awards "Taqueria El Pecas" with a STRONG four out of 5 star rating. Keep up the good work, fellas... We'll be back for more... (* * * *)

NOTE: The "Carne Asada" tacos were equally as good. (STREET TREATZ uses Al Pastor as the litmus test of taco greatness... LOL!)

P.S. Stay tuned for more pictures of "Taqueria El Pecas", as we intend to do an in-depth follow up report.

Street Treatz: Under Construction

This food blog is currently under construction. Stay tuned.