Midtown Lunch

This was the scene on Saturday in MacArthur Park, as over 250 people (and 6 finalists) gathered for the the first ever Los Angeles Vendy Awards.  The judges (Evan Kleiman, Bill Esparza, Javier Cabral, and Jon & Vinny from Animal) had a tough tough job (after all, how do you compare a short rib stuffed grilled cheese with a chile dipped pambazo) but in the end Nina’s Food, a  Breed St. vendor who specializes in Mexico City style street food, took the top prize.  Music was played, beer and wine was enjoyed, and nobody left hungry… but most importantly, money was raised for the organizations that advocate on behalf of street vendors all over the city- like Los Loncheros.

Check out scenes from the day, after the jump…

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from the Grilled Cheese Truck.  Pear + Brie = Delicious. Mac & Cheese + Short Rib (not shown) = Best… Sandwich… Ever.

Food from the India Jones Truck (I love their butter chicken, but on this day the lamb frankies were the faves)

The Judges check out the Hot Dog Kings

The before…

… and after. (My lord this was good.)

Chef Evan Kleiman and Emcee Jeff from Thrillist taking a look at Bigmista’s Garbage Can Smoker. Their ribs and pig candy (aka the most delicious bacon I’ve ever eaten) is worth a special trip.

Nina cooking up some of her famous quesadillas (although it was her pambazos and salsa seca that put her over the top)

It’s a tough job, but in the end…

Nina’s was the big winner.

Can’t wait for next year!