One week later, it’s hard to decide which was more impressive about OC Foodie Fest: the grub itself or the sheer numbers of it all. Eighty-five hundred people lined up at 49 food trucks might sound like a recipe (oh no, no pun there) for a very bitchy Yelp review—not to mention a line cook’s friggin’ nightmare—but somehow (despite what can only be described as an abusive lack of shade) the organizers of this first-time fest executed a borderline-anal-retentively organized and (at least to this pescetarian’s tummy) well-curated food truck festival.
Pairing up with photographer Jeff and Ice Cream minion Cory—each of whom would likely race to propose to a fat slab of bacon if man/meat unions were ever legally recognized, and were thusly charged with telling me all about whatever meats they shoved in their meat-holes—we set off to discover the fest’s untold treats, kicking things off at 10:30 a.m. with Fresh Fries‘ trio of Indian-spiced French fries—tucked beneath a blanket of curry mayo, curry ketchup and mango chutney—better known from now on as the cure for every other common, stupid breakfast. Following this, I dropped by eventual Yelp “Best of the Fest” winner the Lime Truck for a three-course bite of lobster-scallop-crap ceviche; a tangy, refreshing carrot-tomato gaspacho; and a wondrously delicate roasted beet (with mint, orange and walnut) salad. Meanwhile, Cory hit Dos Chinos‘ truck and returned with a Bolsa BBQ pork taco (Vietnamese roast pork belly with Cambodian tomatillo salsa) that was appropriately bomb. From there—and it begins to get a little hazy here–there ensued a chickpea cutlet slider (on Hawaiian bread, with chimichurri cream) for me and a braised beef slider (same fixins) for the meatheads (both delicious, and by far hitting the higher notes of the day) from Vizzi, topped off by (in no particular order) yellow watermelon, beer-battered avocado and jerk-spiced jackfruit street-style tacos from SeaBirds; a just so-so order of spicy garlic shrimp from the appropriately-named Shrimp Guys; and some sort of delish chicken something or other from LudoBites, which quite unexpectedly delivered my favorite forkful of the fest with its clean, extra spicy pepper slaw. (Oh, and there were some stops by the craft booths along the way—particularly for one of Lil’ Bit’s lilly-pad-shaped hair clip, some honey from Backyard Bees, a jar of habenero Fire Jelly from Backyard in a Jar and one of By Belinda‘s hand-stitched greeting cards.) I headed toward the exit full of excellent food—and fear. Namely: of pregnancy (certainly a woman can only eat so much in so little some without *something* amiss, no?) and . . . port-a-potties (for number two!).
