A Top Chef runner-up is bringing her dumpling game to a brand new Los Angeles food hall, including an exclusive wonton stuffed with mac and cheese that’s part of a limited collab.
Located at the new The Fields LA food hall in Exposition Park, Ms Chi is Chef Shirley Chung’s playground to transform Chinese-American dishes to new heights. One of the ways she’s doing that is with Mac N Cheese Wontons, stuffed with creamy, cheesy pasta and served with a spicy chili oil ketchup.
To celebrate the new food hall, just outside of downtown Los Angeles, and Chef Chung’s newest spot, she’ll be giving out these wontons through the Hubert’s Food Truck on Friday, November 9th, at The Fields. They’ll be paired alongside bottles of Hubert’s Blackberry Lemonade.
If you’re interested in trying out this spin on wontons for yourself, head to foodbeast.com/huberts for more information on how to get in on this exclusive culinary drop.
This year, the LA County Fair is going on a bit of a nostalgia trip with a Route 66 theme. As an homage to the iconic highway, several vendors at the fair will be serving up special items that cost just $6.60.
We’ve eaten our way through the entire fair and found some of the wildest $6.60 deal options that you can find. Each of these has visual pop and loads of flavor, making them worth putting both in your mouth and your Instagram feeds.
Of course, there’s also plenty of regular items at the fair that are just as out-of-bounds, and you’ll want to check those out too. Below is a list of both $6.60 and other festival foods that are worth heading to the LA County Fair for.
$6.60 Items
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Waffle Cone | Chicken Charlie’s
SoCal fair food legend Chicken Charlie is back at it, this time with a spicy, creamy mac & cheese waffle cone. It’s a combo of spicy buffalo chicken with cheesy mac, piled inside of a hot rod-red cone that’s sure to catch some eyes.
Texas Panhandle Pastrami Fries | C&C Concessions
If you’re looking for loaded fries with a twist, these pastrami fries will satisfy that craving. Crispy spuds are loaded up with hot pastrami, a blend of shredded cheeses, and pickles.
Nitro Popcorn | Nitro Snack Dragon Breath
Nitro Snack Dragon Breath is bringing back this viral item from last year’s fair. The kaleidoscopic popcorn is served after a dip in some liquid nitrogen, so you’ll be breathing “smoke” like a dragon when you take a bite.
Deep Fried Pecan Pie | Fried-a-Fair
It’s not a fair unless something outlandish heads into the deep fryer. This time around, it’s a hefty slice of pecan pie that’s getting the treatment.
Sour Bombs, wafer-like candies with sour powder in the middle, are also getting the liquid nitrogen treatment. Nitro Snack dips a stick of them into liquid nitrogen so they’re served at temperatures way below freezing, creating a smoky effect.
Cowboy Sundae | Chuckwagon
If you’re looking for dessert, this is not the treat for you. But if you want BBQ, this IS what you’re looking for. Chuckwagon’s “sundae” consists of beans, slaw, mashed potatoes, meat, BBQ sauce, and topped with a “cherry” tomato.
Giant Rib | Biggy’s
Biggy’s is selling a MASSIVE beef rib that you can show off to everyone. Mad props to anyone who struts around the fair chomping on this like a carnivorous badass.
4 On The Floor Pizza | Absolutely Italian
Pasta and pizza unite in this creative mashup of Italian foods. A creamy penne pasta is loaded onto cheese-covered pizza dough before taking a trip through the oven.
The classic combo of peanut butter and jelly gets piled onto a funnel cake, but with a spicy kick. A hit of sriracha is added to take this fair food classic to the next level.
The LA County Fair runs through September 23rd in Pomona, CA. You’ve got until then to check out all of these crazy eats PLUS everything else the fair has to offer.
If there's one area of food we here at FOODBEAST have yet to fully explore, it's vegan food.
In an effort to become a bit more educated, we invited our friends Margarita and Natalia to show us the best spots for vegan food in Los Angeles.
Margarita and Natalia, a.k.a. "Las2winZ" are twin sisters and Spartan Race athletes. They also own their own gym! Super legit. While we wish they could just be our full-time personal trainers, we learned a lot about eating vegan and general health as we trekked around Los Angeles for this vegan episode of Chomping Grounds.
First up is Sweetfin Poke. You might be thinking...isn’t poke made with fish? Sweetfin is actually one of the only poke spots in LA that offers vegan poke. We chowed down on their Miso Eggplant & Mushroom bowl with the twins after a workout.
Margarita & Natalia mentioned the hearty veggies in the bowl, along with the electrolytes in their go-to FITAID are perfect for restoring muscles after going hard at the gym.
Next on the list is Beelman’s in DTLA. Beelman’s has a cool and quirky bar vibe with an Asian twist. The twins’ favorite thing to eat here is the Viet-nom-nom Wrap. The star of the show in this dish is the vegan “citrus spare rib.” It’s crazy how this tastes just like meat!
Because even fitness gurus need to indulge time to time, Natalia and Margarita’s next spot on the list is Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
Van Leeuwen invests a lot into their vegan ice cream, and use pricey but worth-it ingredients like coconut cream, cashews, cocoa butter, and organic cane sugar to make sure their treats are rich and creamy.
The twins were craving savory food again, so they took us to By Chloe in Silverlake for their signature Guac Burger. You can’t go wrong with fresh guac, right?! Pro tip from Natalia & Margarita: don’t forget the fries!
Last but not least, the twins showed us their favorite spot for a nice dinner before a night out with their friends – Boa Steakhouse. Surprisingly, this steakhouse has a pretty substantial vegan menu, making it the perfect spot to eat with other friends who might be meat-eaters.
Before arriving, the twins guzzled a PARTYAID to prepare for a fun night out.
Natalia & Margarita’s favorite here is the Nidi Bolognese. Boa starts with homemade vegan pasta, layers it with almond ricotta, wraps it up in a nice little bundle, and tops it all with their rich mushroom bolognese.
After lots of eating and hanging with the twins, it’s safe to say there really is some incredible vegan food out there. Thanks for showing us around, Natalia & Margarita! Kick butt at the Spartan Race next week!
Because we’re feeling extra generous, we’re giving you the chance to try LIFEAID for yourself! Just head to lifeaidbevco.com/foodbeast and get two cans of your choice for only 99¢.
We love California here, but it's true that those living in Southern California say some pretty unique things. Residents in Southern California just have funny ways of acting and saying things. Just like any other state, you adapt to your surroundings. For most of Southern California, that's a laid-back, beach-culture that takes a relaxed approach to life. We've compiled a list of some of the more popular things Southern Californian's say and do. If you're from Southern California, you will definitely be able to relate to this list.
You may be from Southern California if...
You say: "I am so cold right now"
...and that's because it's below 65 degrees. Most of us living in Southern California just don't know what real cold is.
Flickr- Juliana Beletsis
You indicate directions by saying: "THE >>insert freeway number here<<"
In Southern California it's not uncommon to hear a phrase like, "Take the 5 to the 405 and get off at Sunset Blvd." We've adopted adding "the" before our freeway numbers. Don't ask why, we just do :)
You know what Carmageddon is.
Yep. Carmageddon. It's a thing. And if you're from Southern California you've probably heard of it. A while back, the 405 Freeway was closed a few times due to construction. The residents of Los Angeles who frequently (and dependently) use the 405 termed it Carmageddon...and it was awful.
More than 75% of your closet consists of tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops.
When it's close to a 100 degrees in February, and you technically live in the desert, what else are you going to do but pack away your light sweaters and break out the tank tops?
You say "no worries" on a regular basis.
It's no secret that people in Southern California are known for being relaxed, go-with-the-flow type of people. Some would say that translates to being perpetually late, dressing casually, or having a laid back attitude toward life. We would just attribute it to a "beach-living" mentality that says, "It's all good, go with the flow."
Flickr-Brian Wallace
You love In-N-Out.
In-N-Out is an obsession for almost everyone who lives in Southern California. You're probably familiar with phrases like "animal style", "double double", or "protein style" and, chances are, you have an unhealthy addiction to their secret sauce.
Find yourself thinking it's "normal" to see celebrities--everywhere!
For the rest of the U.S., it's not typical to be out to lunch and see a celebrity sitting two tables away. For us in Southern California, it can be a common occurrence, especially if you hang out at Hollywood hot spots like Nobu Los Angeles, Tavern, Pizzeria Mozza, or the ever-popular Intelligentsia.
Use the word "like" more than, like, necessary in a, like, sentence.
It's true. For us in Southern California, we like the word like. It, like, naturally drops into, like, conversation. It's like, weird.
Flickr-Laurent_Imagery
You've been called dude (no matter your gender).
This also works if you've called someone else a "dude" no matter their gender. It's common place for us in Southern California to use the term "dude" whether you're a guy or a girl. Dude, don't take offense. It's just the way we roll.
What about you? How many of these do you identify with?
Aside from getting some sun on your face, some sand between your toes, and the seas to splash happily in, you can make your trip to the golden state worthwhile by getting some shopping in. And while you’re getting a cardio workout hopping from one shop to another, a great time and money saver is checking out the numerous outlet malls in California. Don’t knock it till you try it – shopping in outlet stores doesn’t mean you have to go into messy warehouses to peruse defective or damaged products and settle for cheap-price-for-cheap-quality goods. Outlet malls these days are exactly like your usual retail malls, minus the fancy-schmancy décor and hoity-toity ambiance. If you’re a seasoned and serious shopper who’s on a mission to find more bang for your buck, these outlet malls are crammed with stores you can check out:
For people with a heightened appreciation for designer fashion, bargains from brands like Armani, Coach, Kenneth Cole, and Ralph Lauren may be too hard to pass up. Sporty adventurous types will just love checking out last season’s athletic shoes from shops like Nike, New Balance, Puma, Reebok, and Saucony. Boasting a total of 160 stores, this outlet mall located North of Los Angeles is a popular stopover for out-of-town road trippers and locals alike.
Looking for something to give your mom? Get her classic pieces to wear from Ann Taylor, shoes from Aldo, a handbag from Kate Spade, or lotions and fragrances from L’Occitane. Check out Bose and give your dad the gift of home gadgetry. Is your gal-pal beauty conscious? Get her a goodie bag of assorted cosmetics and skin care products from Clarins or Crabtree & Evelyn. Whoever it is that you’re shopping for, there’s a little bit of something for everybody in this outlet mall comprised of over 130 stores located within the Los Angeles area.
If you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay Area, this outlet mall located South of San Jose is one of the more popular outlet malls to hit – you’ve got over 140 stores to choose from. Go nuts and hoard your favorite scented products at Bath & Body Works for both yourself and your friends. Binge-shop for baby’s clothes at Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Gymboree, and The Children’s Place and never come empty-handed to baby showers, birthdays, and baptisms. And for the teen girls in your life, you can get cute outfits from shops like Juicy Couture, Justice, Rue21, and Wet Seal – you’ll surely be a hit!
San Diego is a major surf city and home of the very first triathlon held in the country, making it the ideal destination for athletic adventure-lovers. So of course, if there’s anything you should shop for in this outlet mall, it would be tons and tons of sports apparel and accessories! Go to Adidas for their latest discounts on footwear. Head to O’Neill or PacSun for your surf apparel. If you need sunglasses, there are at least 5 stores you can check out for that. Out of over 125 stores, you can rest assured that you will come out of your shopping spree decked in your sporty best.
