New(er) & Improved: LA Street Food Fest Brings Summer Tasting Event to Rose Bowl

LA Street Food Fest

If you missed February's first-ever LA Street Food Fest, here's your second chance. On Saturday, July 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. if you're VIP), more than 60 gourmet trucks, old-school stands, some of L.A.'s top restaurants and their chefs will join forces at the Rose Bowl for LA Street Food Fest's official Summer Tasting Event.

Let's cut to the chase: If you were one of more than 10,000 attendees of February's event that waited two-plus hours in line to get Ludo's fried chicken, a grilled cheese or ice cream sandwich, we've got great news. Event organizers Shawna Dawson (SauceLA) and Sonja Rasula (UNIQUE LA) have retooled the event to cut down on crowds and long lines. Attendance is capped at 5,000 - in a stadium that holds 90,000, no less - and all tickets will be pre-sold. That means no tickets at the door, so plan accordingly.

Vendors include the Grilled Cheese Truck, Coolhaus Truck, Brian Hill's (of BRAVO's Private Chefs of Beverly Hills) Comfort Truck, street eats from Starry Kitchen, Scoops and Fred Eric, chef/owner of Tiara Café and Fred 52. That's in addition to debut appearances from trucks not yet on the road like Whisk LA, The Fox Pizza Bus, The Mighty Boba Truck and The Creole Truck. Once you've sufficiently stuffed yourself, check out live entertainment from Warpaint and The Deadly Syndrome or take a seat at the event's Cook-Off Competition, judged by a panel of experts led by Top Chef Master, Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Ciudad, STREET).

General admission starts at $45; you get 5:30 p.m. entry, free parking and unlimited eats, drinks and entertainment (photo booth, anyone?). A $65 VIP ticket gets you in at 4 p.m. plus access to a private VIP parking lot. A portion of every ticket sold will benefit St. Vincent Meals on Wheels & Woolly School Gardens. All-inclusive tickets are available online now through the LA Street Food Fest website and Eventbrite. Don't forget, they're pre-sale only. For more details and updates, follow @LAFoodFest on Twitter.

Christie Bishop can also be found blogging at PardonMyCrumbs.com.