A.L.J. Catering Food

A.L.J. Catering Food: Located @ Wilshire & Vermont
(213) 393-1170

BONUS STORY: "The Mexican Hamburglar: One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch."

Disclaimer: The content below contains explicit, vulgar, offensive, and base language. In some instances, they serve as hyperbolic accents of the individual's affect at the time. Read at your own discretion. Thank you.

Photos: Courtesy of "Tha Deejay"






After finishing our reconnaissance mission to EL CHATO, we cruised the streets for the first taco truck that would grab our attention. Fortunately, for our hunger's sake, our street surveillance was brief. This was due in part to the visual aids posted upon the back of the A.L.J. CATERING TRUCK.

Pray tell, "just what was it that caught your attention?", you ask. Simple. Inviting Korean characters of red and green streaming across a dot-matrix board of lights like a news crawler. And just what did these characters say? I-DON'T-KNOW. I'm not Korean. BUT, if I was, I'd assume they were saying some shit like, "Come here, give me your money, and eat my food." LOL! But yeah, we pulled over and parked beside this trap to see what this truck would have in store for us.

Opting for a little variety, I decided to order the Chorizo, Buche, Cabeza, and of course, Al Pastor. Boy, were they delicious. For the life of me, I can't remember what was what, but if my intuition serves me right, the Buche and Cabeza were the tacos that came out with the perfect crispiness that words would only fail to express (e.g., "Fuck! This shit's pretty fuckin' good"). The flavors and textures were ethereal. My initial bites were met with a slight crisp crunch, the buttery richness of the meat, the pillowy goodness of the tortillas, and finally the muted bite of raw onions and cilantro. The limon, as we all know, just brightened the flavors of the meat and spices - bringing forth the perfect amalgam of culinary genius. I could've stopped at my usual four tacos, but the glutton in me decided to "gut-bust" and order some Tortas.

Now, I've never had a Torta before, so for this review, I have no point of reference to draw comparisons. All I can say is, "I'm glad I had my first Torta here." As I reiterate time and time again, Al Pastor is the litmus. AND YES, A.L.J Catering Food Truck had a tasty "Pastor." So naturally the Tortas with Al Pastors would taste pretty good too. Is this truth you speak, Cutlass? You damn right it is. These sandwiches were mind-blowing. The bread was so buttery or saturated with some type of fat or another that it tasted almost as if it were a dense oven-baked croissant. Adding to that were the sandwich's elements. The Pastor, the mayonaise, the avocado, the fried egg, the bean spread, the spicy chili spread, ham, and other fried cured meats. I'm sure I'm leaving some stuff out; SO, by no means, is this list exhaustive.

Bottom line - You have to TRY this sandwich. It is SO GOOD! A little salty, but you kind of know that when you're ordering the shit. Keep in mind, this joint has SIDRAL MUNDET. You know, the carbonated apple drink. So if you have a problem with the slight saltiness of this sandwich, this drink will remedy that which ails you. Other than that, the Torta from A.L.J. Catering Food truck was the way to go. In some respect, it overshadowed the purpose of "Taco Tour #4" - TACOS. But these things will happen. After all, this is STREET TREATZ. Anything is game. Just remember, "Don't forget to be good to yourself" and try one of these bad boys out. You won't regret it. With that said, STREET TREATZ gives A.L.J. Catering Food truck 4.25 stars out of 5. Yeah, I liked it that much.

Now, for the bonus story:

"THE MEXICAN HAMBURGLAR: ONE BAD APPLE SPOILS THE BUNCH"

As we finished eating the first halves of our Tortas, we decided to take some pictures for the blog. (See how thoughtful and considerate we are?) Due to the fact that much of our dining excursions take place in the wee hours of the night, illumination is often a problem in respect to capturing "the moment." SO, in search of light we moved as close to the truck as possible. With our backs turned to the remaining halves of our Tortas (sitting on the table we were dining at), SOME MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE took it upon himself to steal one of the remaining halves of our tortas. Of course I didn't know this until I sat myself back down at the table and noticed that there was only one half left. "Wait minute? I'm pretty sure I didn't finish my other half. Where the FUCK is it?" As I turned around to scope out my periphery, I couldn't help but to notice some FAT FUCKING VACUOUS SHELL OF A HUMAN BEING or COMMODE FILTH scarfing down something in the shadows of the night. Now, I don't know for certain if he was the perpetrator, but why else would he be eating perpendicular to his friend (back facing me) when all the other chairs of the vendor/establishment are situated to face the street. The fervent voracity of this soulless creature only made him all the more suspect, as he compressed food into the trap he calls a mouth. Livid, I tried to rationalize the situation. Should I tell my friend or leave it alone? I knew I couldn't leave it alone. BUT, I also knew if I said something, I'd probably set my friend off too. Guess what I did? I opened my big mouth. LOL! Silence betook us. I could see my friend's contemplative mind at work. There was no doubt in my mind, I had set him off. Trying to defuse the situation, I asked him, "you ready to go?" Only to be responded with a "I don't know." I could tell he wanted to do some "dirt." It was as if there was an internal conflict festering inside of him. Needless to say, in the end, he did the right thing. Hopefully, now (a week later), the situation seems humorous, trivial, and ridiculous to him (just like I said it would be). Anyway, to make a long story short, this anecdote serves as a testiment to how good A.L.J's Tortas are. They're so good, people will steal them right before your very eyes. LOL! So go and get yourself a Torta or taco from A.L.J.'s Catering Food truck.