As luck would have it, on the very first day of the new year, the Lardon Truck parked its wheels a short drive from my home in Pasadena. The Astronomer and I had spent the morning hours stalking Paula Deen and gawking at floats at the Rose Parade, so when lunch time rolled around, we were more than ready for a big hit of bacon-inspired fare. Never one to miss out on good food finds, my mother arrived in town just in time to join us on our first truck chase of 2011. Party of three, please.

Launched last fall, the Lardon Truck is the city’s first mobile venture showcasing the versatility and deliciousness of bacon. Jeremiah Crowley, one of Lardon’s co-owners, was on board the truck when we visited. What I really liked about Jerry was how he interacted with diners beyond just taking orders. He playfully bantered with the crowd and even asked bacon-related trivia questions during our meal. To increase audience participation, Jerry handed out bacon-scented car fresheners for prizes! This was certainly the best customer service I’d ever encountered at a truck.

The first item served up were the bacon pancakes with bacon bourbon maple syrup ($5.50). Embedded into the pancakes was a generous sprinkling of smoky bacon confetti—just the right amount to assure that each bite was both fluffy and meaty. The syrup’s sweetness tied everything together into one tasty package.

Hitting a similarly satisfying sweet and savory note was the brioche French toast sandwich with slices of bacon and bacon maple syrup ($5.50). The egg-dipped and fried slices of brioche, which soaked up the syrup with ease, gave this dish a slight edge over the previous one.

My pick of the bunch was a wholly savory and slightly bitter frisee au lardon sandwich ($6), which was served on toasted brioche with a fried egg and vinaigrette. From the runny yolks to the caramelized lardons to the buttery bun, I loved everything about this sandwich.

Fianlly, we ordered some chicken wings ($5), which were covered in bacon hot sauce and topped with hot sauce-covered bacon. A bacon blue cheese dipping sauce was served on the side.

Lathered up in plenty of tangy hot sauce, the entire dish was a mess to eat. The wings and blue cheese dressing  tasted fine but weren’t bursting with as much unique bacon flavor as we were hoping for. The hot sauce painted-bacon, on the other hand, brought enough smoke and spice to make everything nice.

My mom and I were both stuffed after four courses, but The Astronomer insisted that we share a Lark brownie ($3.50). The gigantic square was dressed in Nutella and prettied up with bacon to order. It was a dense double dose of chocolate and fat, and we liked it a lot.

Follow Lardon Truck on Twitter @GetYourLardon.

POWER RANKINGS

The Manila Machine > Lardon > India Jones Chow Truck > Lobsta Truck > Dim Sum Truck > Great Balls on Tires > World Fare Bustaurant >  Ahn Joo > Border Grill Truck > Cool Haus > Lomo Arigato > Don Chow > Kogi > Yatta-! Truck > Marked 5 > Dosa Truck > Phamish