In Search of Taco Nirvana

Its been haunting me for days. A word. An idea. A dancing shadow just out of reach. My friends have already experienced it. Strangers have raved about it. The Internet was abuzz with its enigmatic practices. What is this great mystery that has plagued my thoughts for over a week?

They call it Kogi.

It is a food truck that hit almost ironic fame with its use of twitter to help potential customers find its new location where ever it might end up. The food is a fusion of Mexican and Korean. So the menu is intriguing. They have short rib tacos, spicy pork, kimchi quesadillas, tofu taco, and so forth. I have consistently heard good reviews on the food, and I will admit... the silly "quest" aspect of it entertained me enough to want to give it a try. I usually had to hunt to find good food, but this time that was half the point.

Before I had to go to work, I sent out a mass text to all potentially interested parties. For I had one goal that night: Kogi or Death. And by "Death", I meant "No Tacos, then I'd settle for pizza." Not as dramatic sounding as Death, but it was basically the same thing. I got a few nibbles of interest, and slowly put together a search party for Kogi.

Norwalk actually had an interesting City Council Meeting. Not only were people especially long-winded, but one fellow who is known for calling the Council on anything he could get away with, really went for the gusto. He brought up some really sticky stuff that usually would be avoided at all costs. He didn't care. And awkwardness was awarded to all. I can't go into it here, but it involves some bad legal mojo.

As I got out off work, the Search Party roster came into complete focus:

Colin
Patrick
Anson
Wes
Nate

I headed to Colin's place and we headed out in search of taco nirvana. We found the Kogi Truck in a poorly lit section of industrial buildings in Garden Grove. Honestly, it looked like they could have set a trap for us, using short rib tacos as bait. But it was on the up and up, and I finally got to partake of the vaunted Kogi. I bought:

2- Short Rib Taco
1- Chicken Taco
2- Kogi Sliders
1- Short Rib Burrito

I shared my purchases with everyone. And the big hits were all of it. Seriously, not one thing disappointed. I guess in the end, I was really happy with the tacos, but only because I've always been partial to tacos. The short ribs were sweet and had the awesome taste of Korean BBQ, as did every meat on the Kogi menu. The kimchi was really good, and each sauce just added entire new levels to everything they touched. My only complaint (and its not Kogi's fault at all) was that there was too much onion and kimchi on everything. But I completely contribute this to the fact that I'm a sad, whitebread feeb when it comes to food. The kimchi and onion was good, I'm just not a big fan of them.

After the Kogi success, we headed back to Colin's to hang out and catch up some more.

Topics of Conversation @ Colin's: Old bastards, stealing music, the Caveman diet, painful memories on the internet, questionable degrees, drug tests, broccoli, swap meets, the intensity of a dog's love, pajama pants, people who should never be parents, etc.

An awesome night with awesome food and awesome people. Mission accomplished.

-Nate