Kogi BBQ For Lunch in El Segundo

It all started with a tweet:

kogibbq VERDE LUNCH RUN: 12PM-3PM@El Segundo – 1850 Walnut & Sepulveda

I wasn’t on twitter but thanks to fpugirl for being attentive:

fpugirl lets go!! 1130!! RT @kogibbq: VERDE LUNCH RUN: 12PM-3PM@El Segundo – 1850 Walnut & Sepulveda

It was already 11:20 so there was no time to lose.  I connected with @thenak, picked up fpugirl and headed to the tweeted destination.  A line was already forming.  As we waited, more taco truck followers arrived and milled around in anticipation.

The truck arrived right at noon but sadly the crowd was gathered on Walnut west of Sepulveda, where both sides of the street were staked off with signs reading “No Parking Any Time”.

The truck turned a few times, searching for a place to park, as they were aided by a guy from Cars Direct.  He said he had been emailing them for month’s to come to El Segundo during lunch time.  Turns out, today was his last day.   Even as his employment was ending, a dream had been realized.  What sweet irony!  The beloved truck found a spot on Walnut east side of Sepulveda and the crowd orderly crossed the street.  Everyone was eager to chow but it was nice to see that everyone’s place in “line” was respected.  Except for one dude that dashed across the street from some unseen location and reached the truck window for a first-in-line WIN.

The line quickly stretched out behind him.

Thankfully we were close to the front and got our order in quickly.  A short wait and our korean short rib tacos and “Black Jack” quesadillas were ready to go.  It had been about eight months since my last Kogi taco at the Doheny Club so I didn’t know about the Black Jack.  Quoting Kogi, the Black Jack  “Caramelized Onions and Spicy Pork married together with Cheddar and Jack cheese bathed in our new Salsa Verde.”  Quoting The Nak, “its better than anything else they make”.  ‘Nuf said.

The pork was gently spicy, no heat but all savory flavor.  The salsa verde did add a nice punch but, for me, it was the toasted sesame seeds that brought everything together and took this combination over the top.

Sadly, my Black Jack quesadilla tasted great but wasn’t as pretty as the one of the pics from the Kogi website…so I totally snagged their picture. All credits due to Kogi.

My short rib taco, on the other hand, photographed as well as it tasted. With its crispy cabbage (nicely dressed in chili-soy sauce) and lime, orange, and radish wedges, it was literally finger licking good!

I’m glad that Kogi is making its way down to the South Bay.  Recently they’ve beens serving up their trend setting fare to crowds in Torrance.  Their stop in El Segundo was a much welcomed surprise.  With the warm response they received, I’m sure they’ll be back.