Day 88: First Fridays on Abbott Kinney

Mark and I decided to head down to Abbott Kinney tonight for First Fridays.  The first Friday of every month is food truck night on Abbott Kinney - an awesome mingly, people-watching street festival evening when you feel like you actually live in a walking city.  This is the first time we made it to First Fridays together.  I did come once with Stefanie, which was a great night, but we ended up at Primativo, not eating food from the trucks.  The only time Mark and I ever came down and attempted we gave up when we couldn't find a parking spot.  Well, tonight the weather was not too cold, so our strategy was to park half a mile away, behind Main Street, and just walk over.  We checked out two or three trucks until we got to a Korean BBQ(the first of three!).  Mark got a barbecue beef taco (only 2.50) which took forever to make.  We were a little annoyed waiting, but we noticed an "A" in the window of the truck, and it seemed like they were specially preparing each order, so we cut them some slack.  It turned out the taco was delicious.  We wandered on, pushed along in a sea of groovy young hipsters.  We window shopped, and checked out the street vendors.  First Fridays, as I also noticed when I was here with Stefanie is a major hook-up singles scene.  Still, great people watching.  There were a few troubadors and I also noticed this funky, furry, tricked-out red pedi-cab -- something I've never seen in L.A.  (See pic.)

The truck I decided to give a whirl was India Jones.  I ordered a shrimp Frankie and some samosas.  Unlike the truck Mark ordered from, the food was incredibly fast.  The man told me not to go far, it would be ready at the next window very soon.  He said we only call it out once or twice, then you're out of luck.  I was getting really hungry, and I was going to go Brooklyn up in this guy's face if he gave away my frankie.  Well, I stayed close, took my food from him when he barked out my order.  It was excellent.  A frankie is a roll/wrap type of thing with egg, onion, and incredibly tasty shrimp.  The samosas made me remember with a smile the ones I got on street corners in London long ago when I was a student there.

It turns out we arrived just about at the hour (8:00) where it was starting to get crowded.  We did fine on the lines, but when 8:30 rolled around the lines got longer and longer.  When we got to the Brig parking lot, the lines were completely insane.  There is a truck that serves a grilled cheese with macaroni and cheese inside, and a layer of pulled pork.  People were lined up for a quarter block for this concoction.  I asked a girl on the end of the line if she had actually had this grilled cheese.  Yes, she assured me, it is amazing.  I asked how long she thought she might have to wait, and she told me probably an hour.  Mark and I were floored.

We ran into a director friend, and his friend, and meandered back with them.  It turns out it was already 9:30 when we got to our car. We considered going out to an actual sit-down place, but we decided instead to go home, have some leftover kick-ass risotto that I made, and watch Bill Mahr.  Mark told me that his brother told him no matter how long that wait was for the grilled cheese, it was worth it.  It's one of those you've died and gone to heaven plates of food.  Hmmm...I can only advise get there at a really uncool, early hour and you just might get to the order window in less than 20 minutes.  If you get one, save me a bite.