Back and better than ever, LA Food Fest has revamped itself and is making a triumphant return this weekend for two days and three nights of gluttonous eating. Some of LA's best restaurants and chefs will be offering top-notch dishes through dinners, brunches and samples; depending on what kind of ticket you purchase, you can choose your own adventure at the fest. We found out exactly what attendees can look forward to this weekend, and let's just say that we're already salivating.
Diners who are attending Friday night's kickoff party will nosh on scallion salad, panchan, Starry Kitchen's chili crab, Howlin' Ray's Nashville hot chicken, Hanjip's kimchi braised short rib, almond tofu in soy milk and salted chocolate chip cookies. Going to the Rose Garden brunch on Saturday? Republique's Walter and Margarita Manzke will be serving stone fruit and brioche bread pudding, kale salad and shakshuka with soft poached farm eggs.
If you bought a ticket to the MRKT portion of LA Food Fest, you're in for a treat—more than 100 food, beverage, beer, wine and cocktail vendors will be offering signature bites and pours, and there will even be a few special dishes for those who opted into the VIP Golden Hour, which allows for unlimited bites for two hours prior to MRKT officially opening. Check out what some of the vendors are planning on serving for Saturday and Sunday's smorgasbord:
Bling Bling Dumpling: Ginger pork dumplings (Golden Hour); Taiwanese popcorn chicken, fried tofu, dumplings (ginger pork, chicken and Thai basil, shitake mushroom)
Cento Pasta Bar: Chicken liver toast (Golden Hour); Uni spaghetti, porchetta sandwich with cherry pickles, Cento corn dog (Italian sausage and polenta)
Chef Fred Eric + Fred 62: Dr Fred's Miracle Cure All Hunter's Broth (a beef based bone broth with oxtail, tongue and fennel), Dr Fred's Miracle Cure All Gatherer's Broth (a vegan summer broth with beets, summer corn, peppers, sweet potato, beets and fresh turmeric)
Knead & Co.: Mini pork meatballs (Golden Hour); House pasta salad, meatball sandwich, cannoli
India Jones: Cocktail samosa (Golden Hour); Vegan Blue Plate (vegetable coconut curry, saag dahl, aloo mattar)
Petty Cash: Salsa water shot, tortilla chip (Golden Hour); Pork belly tostadita, chilled aguachile
The Rooster: The Rico Suave breakfast burrito with bacon, eggs, cheese, cilantro crema (Golden Hour); The Basic Bitch (brioche topped with avocado over medium egg, cilantro), The Bodega (bacon, egg and cheese on a grilled ciabatta)
Little Ethiopia: Segawot (Golden Hour); Segawot or dorowot with collard greens and injera
The Halal Guys: Hummus (Golden Hour); Platters served with salad, rice, pita and chicken, choice of chicken or gyro or combo
Fritzi Dog: K-Town dog (Golden Hour); Black garlic fries, veggie chili dog and K-Town dog
Knuckle & Claw: Lobster roll shooters (Golden Hour); Mini lobster roll, mini shrimp roll
The Brooklyn Pig: Asian pear, ricotta and amaretti cookie wonton (Golden Hour); Grilled Spanish tuna pizza with capers, olive tapenade and garlic aioli
Sandwich Slayer: Skirt steak tagalog sandwich with soy marinated steak, grilled onions, chimichurri aioli, fried potatoes and arugula tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette; vegan shroomwich with sherry marinated mushrooms, olive and roasted pepper tapenade, avocado and arugula
Richeeze: Bacon Mac Slider (Golden Hour); After School Special (grilled cheese and tomato soup)
Walrus and the Hedgehog: Smoked BBQ pork on Texas toast (Golden Hour); Farm to table salad, smoked pork bahn mi, breakfast burrito
Crème Caramel LA: CCLA Cloud/mini pavlova (Golden Hour); Ube upside down pie, Cafe con leche de caribao (cold brew Shave ice with water buffalo gelato), fried custard (vanilla, buko pandan or Mexican "hot" chocolate custard breaded with "Unicorn Dust")
Head to the Ice Cream Social section for sweeter items, like s'mores glazed donuts with vanilla ice cream from Square Donut Ice Cream, waffle nacho sundaes from Peddler's Creamery and pie pops from Hello Sweetie Pops. For a complete list of vendors, check out the full lineup here.
What are you looking forward to eating at LA Food Fest this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!