How to Be Bold at Smorgasburg: A Guide to LA’s Best Weekend Food Event

[dropcap size=big]B[/dropcap]eer and food go together like Lennon and McCartney, and this Sunday Tecate is making sure Smorgasburg is the Rubber Soul of food festivals. It's going to be bold, unparalleled, and a stunning collection of  some of the best food and drink Los Angeles has to offer. Throw in I Love Micheladas and a little Broken Spanish and you got yourself a masterpiece.

This Sunday, Broken Spanish's master chef Ray Garcia is presenting a special menu featuring an aguachile of grouper, mango, carrot-ginger leche de tigre, and toasted corn. Garcia is also firing up the Tecate truck grill for a bright and bold dish of esquites with grilled corn, bone marrow, chile guero, cotija cheese. Be there– Your taste buds will thank you.

Make sure to wash it all down with the Tecate / I Love Micheladas collab which will feature L.A.'s best michelada, made from a proprietary blend of spices and umami-rich flavors by Fernando Lopez, whose MicheMobil will be delivering both ice-cold drinks and cumbia-laced beats all day long.

Cheezus - Come for the hypnotizing lava flow-like raclette as it’s scraped onto a bed of Weiser Farms potatoes and stay for the bold, buttery gourmet sandwiches, such as the “Incredible Hulk” which comes loaded with perfectly melted aged sharp cheddar and provolone, Belcampo smoked bacon, avocado, and a fried egg.

Ugly Drum - If masterfully pit-smoked, tender, juicy, beautifully crusted pastrami is what you’re craving on a Sunday, make sure to arrive to Smorgasburg before 2 pm, as there is a high likelihood that everything from Erik Black’s menu, including “hot heels and uglies” (bread heels swept over bits of pastrami and burnt ends) will be sold out. You simply cannot go wrong by starting your day off with some of the best pastrami in Los Angeles.

Todo Verde - As one of the original stands that popped up in the summer of 2016, Chef Jocelyn Ramirez and the rest of the Todo Verde team have continued to provide healthy, flavor-packed vegan dishes like heart of palm ceviche and delicious jackfruit tacos topped with a cashew crema, mole verde served on handmade non-gmo corn tortillas. While you’re there, be sure to try one of their always refreshing aguas frescas.

Lobsterdamus - If you’re looking to make your Sunday a bit bolder, drop by this food stand that not only offers whole mesquite-grilled lobster; they also serve up garlicky, parmesan cheese fries topped with lobster and truffle mayo.

Porchetta Republic - The only thing better than watching succulent pork being sliced in front of you is actually biting into a beautifully constructed, slow-roasted porchetta sandwich on a Boulart artisanal roll. All of your senses will be grateful that you chose an Italian street food staple.

Burritos La Palma - No matter how many food stands you may visit at Smorgasburg on any given Sunday, there are some offerings that your body always has room for -- beef birria burritos wrapped in incredible flour tortillas is one of them. The slender burritos sitting in a Burritos La Palma-stamped paper tray look unassuming, but one bite is all it takes for you to understand why bigger isn’t always better.

Rooster Republic - It looks like Nashville-style hot chicken is here to stay in L.A. Aside from the crisp, juicy chicken that’s loaded with flavor and spiciness level to your liking, it’s also admirable to have a team dedicated to keeping those fryers running despite the ever-increasing summer temperatures. A visit to Smorgasburg’s beer garden is the perfect place to be to offset that intense, but delicious hot chicken.

The opportunities to be bold at Smorgasburg are endless. The best thing is to make your own way, try a little bit of everything with the help of a group of friends, but make sure to hit at least a few of the spots we've mentioned above while the event is open, 10am to 4pm. This Sunday (July 29th), you're not going to want to miss the Tecate grill truck and a special appearance by Ray Garcia, who the late great Jonathan Gold called "the perfect chef for Los Angeles."

Wash it all down with an ice cold Tecate or michelada and it's pretty much a perfect Sunday.

For more info on Smorgasburg visit their official website. Follow I Love Micheladas on Instagram.