The Mandoline Grill Truck rolls in trendy Vietnamese cuisine with a healthy edge

BY SUZY LI

I have to admit I’ve gotten a little caught up in the whole gourmet food truck craze. Although the food is generally fantastic, I have been getting a bit turned off by the fact that I have to stand in line for 40 to 90 minutes and then sometimes have to pay close to full-service restaurant prices — yet I continue to go.

I recently discovered the Trux Map website, which posts food truck locations around Los Angeles once the trucks have tweeted where they will be.  You can  find the most popular trucks (with massive lines) as well as the new emerging trucks (with lesser lines).

On a recent Wednesday,  I noted the Mandoline  Grill Truck was in North Hollywood.  Needing a quick outing, I decided to do a drive by, telling myself that if the line was short, I would stop, and if it was long, it simply wasn’t meant to be. To my delight, there were only a handful of people and by the time I’d examined the menu (which was very well priced— $6 average), there was no line at all.

The truck serves Vietnamese based food with a Hawaiian twist — and an added emphasis on healthy food. They offer several Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette;  Bun-rice noodle salads, each with a vegan option along with grilled beef or pork or a Chicken Curry; and Cha Gio — a vegan crispy spring roll.

There was a special Banh Mi featuring a Hawaiian BBQ Short Rib. When I couldn’t decide between that and the Chicken Curry, I was graciously offered a  sample of each. Both were delicious, so I ordered both the Short Rib sandwich and the Curry Chicken Bowl (the Curry is also served as a sandwich on a 12 inch baguette).

The Short Rib sandwich is made up of an almost 18 inch long baguette (and I might add that it was one of the best baguettes I’ve had since the last time I was in Paris) filled with meat and veggies, cucumber, shredded carrots, shredded daikon radish, cilantro and fresh chili pepper slices. It was quite filling and might be enough to share, especially if paired with the Spring Roll ($4 for 2).

I saved the Curry bowl, similar to a Thai yellow curry, and filled with chunks of carrots, onions, and tender boneless chicken, for my teenage “curry-fiend” son when he came home from school.”This is REALLY good,” he kept repeating. Sadly for me, he inhaled it so quickly that when I went to check on him (okay, I was really hoping to sneak a bite), there was nothing left to sneak!

Sandwich combos served with one Spring Roll and either a soda ($9) or iced coffee ($10) are also available. I was really pleasantly surprised, not only at the excellent flavor and quality of the food, but the good-sized portions and the reasonable prices.

A plus about this truck is that it is based in the 818 and comes to this side of the hill regularly. The truck is somewhere in the Valley, for now mostly East Valley, every other Wednesday.

I’m planning to return the next opportunity I get…I haven’t tried the Noodle salad or the Spring Roll yet and honestly can’t wait to do so!

This week, The Mandoline Grill will be at Lankershim and Magnolia in North Hollywood on Wed., May 5 12:00pm – 2:30pm and on Friday, May 7 at Universal Toyota 3550 Cahuenga Blvd. West on Friday  12:00pm – 2:30pm.

Website: www.mandolinegrill.com

Suzy Li is  a pediatrician and the mother of two boys — Walter Reed Middle School (8th grade) and Harvard-Westlake (10th grade).

Say Cheese Please! The Grilled Cheese Truck rolls into the San Fernando Valley

BY KAREN YOUNG

I love cheese. No two ways about it. My basic philosophy is that life without cheese would be bad. Well, let’s just say that life without cheese and tomatoes would really bad.

Perhaps it goes back to those childhood memories of grilled cheese with a slice of tomato in the middle or grilled cheese plain paired with a bowl of tangy tomato soup. Good old comfort food.

Whatever it is — cheese makes me feel good.

So, when I heard there was a Grilled Cheese Food Truck roaming the L.A. streets a few months ago, I got pretty excited. I’d heard they had competed in the Grilled Cheese Invitational (now that is one sporting event I can wrap myself around) and were rolling out a truck.  I was ready and waiting. Only problem, like most of the food trucks, they take a while to get to the San Fernando Valley.

What? We don’t eat in the 818? C’mon, people—move those trucks!

Fortunately, the Grilled Cheese Truck was fairly quick on the draw and made its first appearance in the Valley a couple of weeks ago on Cahuenga Blvd. West in Universal City.  I’m hoping they can roll out to the West Valley very soon too.

I’d been logging into their Twitter feed and checking their website hoping that a Valley appearance would be imminent. I saw the date was set and then serendipity arrived a few minutes later when I was excitedly notified of the truck stop by a note on my Facebook wall by my friend Suzy, who is also a grilled cheese lover.

We agreed to meet at the truck that Thursday at 1 pm.

When I arrived, Suzy was already standing in a long line. People were buzzing and milling about.

We perused the menu in all its cheesy glory. Suzy decided to order two to bring home to her family and I ordered three.

Suzy ordered “plain and simple” with sharp cheddar cheese with an added sliced tomato ($4) as well as the Mac and Cheese Melt ($5). A grilled cheese and tomato aficionado, she gives the truck version a thumbs up as “excellent and definitely above average.” She added, “What sent it over the edge into the realm of excellent was the quality of the tomato. It was just the right thickness, sweet and juicy and not cooked and soggy.” As for the Mac and Cheese melt, she said “it was a layer of really well executed macaroni and cheese stuck between two pieces of bread and then grilled.” To get some additional perspective, she saved a quarter wedge of each melt for her two teenage sons, and although one ate them cold, and the other ate them heated up (for a couple of minutes in the toaster oven),  Suzy said they both gave the melts “resounding thumbs up.”

As for myself, I chose three melts that I wouldn’t ordinarily make quickly at home. The first was the Caprese Melt which was filled with fresh mozzarella, a slice of a red heirloom tomato, minced fresh basil and a touch of balsamic syrup ($6) — it was perfectly melted, and like Suzy said, the tomato on this melt was thick and not soggy. The mixture of the basil and balsamic made it taste a bit more like a very flavorful checca with cheese because the ingredients are more integrated than a traditional caprese. Next up was the  Harvest Melt with gruyere, roasted butternut squash, sauteed leeks, and balsamic and agave syups ($5) — a  perfect sweet and savory melt with thin slices of butternut squash on  grainy wheat bread. I was questioning whether to order it, but I’m glad I did. It’s richer than the other melts, but my personal favorite, especially because of the bread which matches the heartiness of the ingredients. My third sandwich was the Special of the Day ($6.50) — a roasted fennel melt with provolone, gruyere, arugula and tomato was deliciously original, although the fennel and arugula are strong flavors and overpower the cheese a bit. More cheese please.

And like Suzy, I took the melts home to share. Just a shot in the toaster oven and they were perfect. My teen daughter agreed.

But what good would any grilled cheese sandwich be without tomato soup? The Grilled Cheese Truck offers a tangy  tomato basil version prepared with a vegetable base and no cream. It’s sold by the shot (.50) or the cup ($2).

Add sweet or savory additions to your melt: BBQ pork ($2.50), Mac&Cheese ($2), bacon ($2), marshmallow ($1.50), nutella ($1.50), roasted banana ($1.50). Or order up some sides, like tater tots ($3).

“I feel very strongly about using very fresh ingredients in our melts as well as having choices that fit the needs and tastes of different people,” said Michele Grant, who co-owns the truck with Dave Dahni. Both Grant and Dahni are chefs and have worked in restaurants as well as gigs as personal chefs.

“We want to leave everyone with cheesy smiles,” said Michele.

I was surely happy with my Grilled Cheese Truck outing. And so was my friend, Suzy. Although, we didn’t get to the Dessert Melt with roasted banana puree, nutella and marshmallow ($6).  Next time…like tomorrow.  Who’s coming?

Note: Only five melts can be ordered at a time.  Be prepared to wait in line.

The Grilled Cheese Truck will be in Universal City on Tuesday, February 9 from noon -2:00. In front of VIVID PRODUCTIONS 3599 Cahuenga Blvd. West. www.grilledcheesetruck.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/GrlldCheeseTruk

Karen Young is the Publisher/Editor of My Daily Find