Bandini was one of the first-ever online taco journalists, a man dedicated to expanding his knowledge of local taquerias, trucks, restaurants and tables and sharing it with the city he loves. He's just completed 30 Taco Trucks in 30 Days, a self-imposed challenge that electrified the taco community. We caught up with him just after the final truck was sampled and reviewed...
What was the inspiration for the 30 days project?
My goal is to catalogue as many taco trucks as I can. So I figured this kind of thing where I would try 30 trucks that I had never blogged about before in 30 days was a good way to help build up that catalogue. I also liked the challenge of it.
What was the hardest part about hitting 30 trucks in 30 days?
I had to change my whole method of blogging . Normally I eat from a taco truck then blog about it when I feel like writing. It could be that night, or the next day, or days later. But since I had to get every review in before midnight often I would have about an hour to write the review. I wasn’t always pleased when I hit submit but there was no time to be neurotic about it.
I noticed you stayed away from the fancy, new-fangled food trucks. Why was that?
For the most part I was looking for trucks that no one had reviewed or blogged about before. My favorite part about being on the taco beat is to just go to a part of the city I’m unfamiliar with and check out the taco scene. I think it would have been too easy if everyday I just went on twitter to see where the closest food truck was.
You've been in the taco game for a long time now, what are the biggest changes you've noticed on the streets of LA?
The customers are more diverse. I think there’s been some crossover from the gourmet truck scene. We don’t see the same negative stereotypes being placed on gourmet trucks that in the past branded taco trucks. People used to joke that the only reason they ate off a taco truck was because they were drunk after leaving the club. But no one says “damn I got drunk and ate off the Nom Nom truck.” Well maybe they do but it’s not given as an excuse for why they chose to eat off a food truck.
Do you ever tell a taquero that you are "Bandini"?
No but sometimes I just wink and they know.
Which of the 30 trucks will you be going back to regularly?
Probably Ruben’s Tacos in West LA because it’s relatively close to where I live. They have an al pastor spit in the wagon which is pretty rare for the Westside. The problem is they have no competition and on my last visit I saw that some corners were already being cut. Instead of al pastor being carved to order the pork was already on the flat grill. So until there is competition on the Westside there’s never going to be the kind of taco scene we see on the Eastside.
One great part about the taco lifestyle is the random happenings that take place around taco trucks. What was your favorite from 30 days?
Probably the fat little chihuahua at tacos el gordo. I wish I would have taken a picture of him but I didn’t want to spook him and have him run into the street. He probably ate more tacos in September than I did.
Plus an Roman chef veteran in a Hollywood apartment, chocolate Cuba Libres, Uzbeki plov with lazer rice, and cochinita melts in a Silver Lake yard. Here are the best things to eat around Los Angeles (and San Juan Capistrano!) this weekend.
When your company sponsors L.A. TACO, you receive a variety of quick and cost-effective benefits for far less than what we price our traditional advertisements and social media mentions at.
The month-old strip mall taquería in Anaheim make all their flour tortillas from scratch using both lard and butter, resulting in an extremely tender vehicle for their juicy guisados like carne en su jugo, carne deshebrada, chile colorado, chile relleno, and chicharrón. Every tortilla is cooked to order, too.