We’re not big into chasing down nouveau food trucks and generally hate blatant displays of nationalism. Still, we get desperately hungry on occasion and All-American Gourmet Grill, which launched about two weeks ago, just happened to be in our path. So it was kind of a surprise to find the truck offering more than mere sustenance or zany mash-ups. In fact, for a brief moment, the blue cheese and bacon burger was everything we’d been recently seeking in a cheeseburger that we’d disappointingly been denied over the last few weeks. And then there are the sweet potato tater-tots!
All-American Gourmet Grill comes from a veteran of the truckin’ trend, who says he split with a partner on another food truck, but won’t say who exactly. The menu here carries about five burgers, five sandwiches, three hot dogs, and three salads, along with some side munchies and burger add-ons. While you can get a caprese burger, roast beef sandwich, or opt for a bacon dog, we munched on the blue cheese and bacon burger and are happy with the choices we’ve made in life.
The blue cheese and bacon burger (which comes from a recipe by the chef’s dad) is thin, with a rather classic look and structure (much like that burger Wimpy always dreams of) that ensures it’s not going to be falling all over the place. It has a few noticeable strengths right off the bat. Patties are formed to order here (meaning they do take a little longer) and both the bacon and blue cheese are mixed into the beef instead of causing conflict on top of it, giving it a pronounced and consistent flavor. Gorgeous Rockenwagner brioche buns lend a sweetness and softness to the experience, much as the sandwiches come on baguettes from Manhattan Bread and Bagel. The sweet tuber tots that came along for the ride were extra crispy and spiced to a shade of red, about as far from the cafeteria as one can get as they explode in the mouth with a slight candied shade.
So, despite all the recent bluster about it busting, the food truck trend, just like L.A.’s restaurant scene in general, still has worthy gems worth uncovering, despite the crab bucket of competitors. In fact, we’re again renewed to finally track down Jogasaki this weekend and see what’s up with the sushi burrito that continues to evade us like the tortilla-wrapped white whale to our Ahab.
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