This past Halloween, thousands of Angelenos gathered at the beautiful Legendary Park Plaza near MacArthur Park for KCRW’s Masquerade: A Halloween Costume Ball & Dance Party.  With one look at the massive two-story venue (several large wings and two outdoor areas for lounging and dining at some of LA’s premier food trucks), the set list (DJ Shadow, Sea Wolf, Little Dragon, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, various KCRW DJs) and the full costume participation of the guests, we knew this was going to be a stellar night. 

»continue reading KCRW’s Masquerade: A Halloween Costume Ball & Dance Party, October 31, 2009

We can’t actually tell if Mike (a) is tired of shelling out $3.50 for his Coolhaus ice cream sandos, (b) has a crush on the owners, (c) is jealous of the truck’s tar-architecture- asphalt-and- cream-laden business model, or (d) is completely and wholly spot-on, in the right, in his op-ed below regarding the Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwich Truck duo’s failure to openly confess to a presumed Diddy Riese/UCLA collegiate inspiration at some level, having in the last few months shoved their version of the venerable Westwood institution’s non-architecturally-themed-yet-peculiarly-overly-familiar $1.50 sandos into a trendy li’l chrome truck, slapped punny architectural names onto them and tweeted them away all o’er town for $3.50 a throw, an astonishing markup in our frugal books. Who’s to say? That’s why they call it op-ed! Feel free to share your own opinions following the below tirade. The more vocal of you, g’head, send us a fully-fleshed submission for op-ed consideration on these pages (yes, Coolhaus, we’re looking directly at you for rebuttal). -ed

Above close-up of one member of Coolhaus’ $3.50 summer product line replete with edible “500 Days of Summer” wrapper courtesy intellichick (some rights reserved)

Coolhaus not so cool
By Mike

I live in Los Angeles and I eat a lot. I drink a little, too. With this highly dignified and prestigious culinary resume I’ve accumulated some opinions over the years. From time to time I will share them here. Bottoms up.

Dear Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwich Truck Ladies,

Look, I like you ladies. Natasha and Freya – those sound like hot names. Your truck, it’s silver – that’s fucking adorable. It’s even got rims. Totally bad ass. Your sandwiches are named after one of the most overlooked professions of the modern day … architects.

That’s all well and good.

It truly is. But, I think your shenanigans have gone on long enough. It’s time we discuss the frozen white elephant in the truck.

»continue reading “Truck Talk” Op-Ed: Coolhaus Not So Cool

Mayhap you have been following the saga of The Green Truck And The Plight of Trendy Gourmet Mobile Food Providers Along Miracle Mile, The Grouchy Local Purveyors, The Incensed Office Workers and The Man in the last couple of weeks. Mayhap not. Still, mayhap you have. At this time, we can now finally and truly report that there be Nothing Of Interest Whatsoever To Be Gleaned From This Post Regarding The Green Truck, The LAPD, Museum Square’s Grouchy Restaurant Row And Its Nearby Office Tenants. Ready? Begin.

FROM: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TO: Bob N/A
TIME: 11:59am 28 Aug 2009 Fri
What’s going on down on The Mile?

FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TIME: 12:01pm
Barbie’s Q, Marked 5 are here. No sign of the police just yet. Eating some lunch. Will it be a peaceful day?

»continue reading PROBABLY NOT DEVELOPING: Nothing Of Interest Whatsoever To Be Gleaned From This Post Regarding The Green Truck, The LAPD, Museum Square’s Grouchy Restaurant Row And Its Nearby Office Tenants

Following our recent, topical, txtmsg-suffused posting about the LAPD’s targeted harassment of the gourmet food trucks near 5750 Wilshire Blvd, the inbox has been flooded: carbon-copies of outraged letters to Tom LaBonge, gratuitous linking from angry yelpers, 5750 Wilshire office resident petition signers (120 sigs at press time!) requesting mentions, at least one LA Times piece (wherein The Man pooh-poohs last week’s fiasco as a simple, one-day, non-permit-having-truck-targeted sting) and more than a few recently-submitted food truck reviews and op-ed pieces that I still have yet to parse, process and post live to the site. Meantime, Bobby’s back on the scene down Wilshire way, right now:

FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TIME: 11:49am
I am at museum square stop now to scope things out. Here come the cops

More as it develops; stay tuned.

Green truck photo by jojomelons

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