L.A.: La Estrella #3

This whole food truck craze has been going on for a while without me, but a year ago in NYC my bro-in-law initiated me into the wonderful world of fast food on wheels in his neighborhood. It was a fun way to get a hit of Mexican food on the Upper West Side. When I got back to LA, I read  blogs about the food trucks in LA, dug a little bit more, and finally got around to chasing a truck here for dinner today. The Nom Nom truck was slated to roll into Old Town Pasadena after 6.30, but I wait and wait…and it’s a no show. I had a light lunch today so I am way too grumpy to wait any longer, and it’s on to the second choice, the highly popular (on Yelp) La Estrella truck  in Highland Park.

But it turns out that the truck doesn’t have the seafood dishes, so we head over to its stand-alone diner, La Estrella #3.

My eyes, definitely hungrier than my belly, order everything that remotely looks like seafood! I have no idea how big the portions will be and the pictures on the glass window do not look like they’d be huge servings.

Highland Park is a mostly Latino neighborhood bordering Eagle Rock and Pasadena. Looking at the  fantastic mural across the street from La Estrella is a fun way to kill time while waiting for the food to be prepared. About ten minutes after ordering, the food is ready, and in the car I can already smell the wonderful aromas of paprika, cilantro, and other steaming hot ingredients. When I get home and open up the “surprises,” I am bowled over by the sights and smells of the food.  There was the shrimp taco with a kick of paprika, the succulent, sweet ceviche tostada, the ceviche mixed with fish, shrimp, and octopus…

I have to tell you, I struggled to finish everything. It was A LOT of food for just $20. The seafood tacos I had on a beach in Mexico are still the best fresh tacos I’ve ever had in my life, but La Estrella is as good as it gets this far away from the ocean. I recommend an ice cold beer with the ceviche. Yum.

April 9, 2010