By Garrett Snyder | The Los Angelicious Times
Has the whole LA food truck scene in LA jumped the shark? All signs seem to point to a resounding yes. Pan-Asian Caribbean Fusion Truck? Sure. Doughnut Burger Truck? Hells yes. Deep Fried Ice Cream Mobile? Bring it on. For every successful food truck venture such as Kogi or Nom Nom, a dozen imitators spring up, armed with only a twitter account, a gimmicky concept and a flashy paint job on a P.O.S. van. Can a city, even one as big as LA, really require five Indian food trucks? or four Filipino trucks? The firm laws of economics dictate that all this surplus food-truckery coupled with trickling demand will probably not end well for the both parties. But perhaps there is hope: a food truck so seemingly hair-brained that it succeeds by sheer hutzpah, reawakening the youthful possibility that lies in mobile food. Enter the Jogasaki Truck, home of the Sushi Burrito.
Having been open for a little less than two months, Jogosaki has garnered quite a large share of attention for such an crowded field. The pairing of sushi and burritos may strike some as odd, but in reality the result is quite practical. The burritos are simply large sushi rolls enveloped in a flour tortilla, though a better choice may to order the paper-thin soy wrap which cuts down on the mass of carbs that can overwhelm the burrito’s contents. The best thing on the menu here, to concur with Midtown Lunch, is one of the Jogasaki special burritos: mayo-blended imitation crab, a scoop of minced spicy tuna, slices of avocado, cucumber wedges, a sweet thickened soy sauce, and a choice of shrimp tempura or grilled eel. The resulting mass is wrapped delicately in a sheet of sesame-studded soy paper and bound in foil, making to far easier to be eaten single-handedly than a traditional sushi roll. The ingredients are fairly basic and, with the exception of some superbly-cooked sushi rice, the burritos impress more in terms of concept than in quality. For $7, the burritos makes a oddly-satisfying lunch when compared to other truck options, and provides a delightful hodge-podge of flavors that you will find yourself craving sooner than you would expect.
So is Jogasaki the first of a new wave of audaciously delicious food trucks, a second coming if you will, or just the final sputterings of a trend that has run of out gas? Only time will tell.
Interestingly enough, the origin of the phrase “jumping the shark” refers to a late-run episode of Happy Days in which Fonzi attempts to jump a shark tank on waterskis. Fonzi, sharks and waterskis? Sounds pretty awesome, to be honest. Maybe jumping the shark isn’t such a bad thing after all. Give me a heads up when the Deep Fried Ice Cream Mobile rolls out.
Jogasaki Truck
Find them on Twitter for their daily location
twitter.com/jogasakiburrito
http://losangelicioustimes.com/2011/02/26/jogasaki-sushi-burritos-jumping-the-food-truck-shark/
