Chef Ludo Lefebvre of Ludo Bites fame (II, III, IV, V, VI) is currently traveling across America starring in a reality show about pop-up restaurants for the Sundance Channel. As a big fan of the chef, I am extremely proud that he’s been given this opportunity to share his inventive and delightful food with eaters outside L.A. The good folks of North Carolina, Alabama, New Mexico, Baltimore, Colorado, and Texas are in for a real treat!
As happy as I am for Chef Ludo, a small part of me (mostly my stomach) wishes that he would ditch his commitments, hurry back to the town that adores him most, and pop-up with something delicious for us to eat. It’s been a long couple of Ludo Bites-less months.
Until Chef Ludo returns home and orchestrates the next installment of Ludo Bites, the second best option is dining aboard the Ludo Truck. Chef Ludo launched the Ludo Truck following the tremendous success of his fried chicken balls at the inaugural LA Street Food Fest.
The Astronomer and I chased down the truck last month at downtown’s Art Walk. The line for the chef’s famous fried chicken was the longest in the lot. Thankfully, service was quick and efficient, and we had our food in less than fifteen minutes.
We ordered a two-piece serving of the Provencal Pepitte ($6). The first batch that we received was over-browned, so we exchanged it for a less overdone set of balls. The chicken was served with homemade barbecue sauce and “Ludo Slaw.”
It takes three whole days to prepare Chef Ludo’s rosemary- and Herbes de Provence-infused fried chicken. Each ball is comprised of juicy, boneless dark meat magically bound together by a crisp and golden batter. Both the meat and batter are so flavorful and well-seasoned that sauces aren’t really necessary. The “Ludo Slaw,” a mix of savoy cabbage, celery, red onion, chives, and Italian parsley, offered a hit of freshness in a sea of deep-fried goodness.
The highlight of the Ludo Truck experience for both The Astronomer and me was the Honey-Glazed Garlic Wings (two pieces for $6). The sweet and savory marinade coated the chicken’s taut skin, penetrating straight through to the meat. After polishing off the wings and licking our fingers clean, we scraped up every last bit of the glaze from the box.
The Ludo Truck was sold out of Honey Lavender Biscuits ($1.50) by the time we placed our order. A word to the wise, come early to guarantee a biscuit in your belly.
Follow the Ludo Truck on Twitter @LudoTruck.
POWER RANKINGS
The Manila Machine > Lardon > India Jones Chow Truck > Lobsta Truck > Ludo 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
That looks pretty good, although what a bummer to miss out on the biscuit. I actually know very little about Ludo, except that he’s married to a woman who is good friends with a good friend of mine, b/c they both appeared on The Apprentice together. Glad to see he’s doing just fine, since she was “fired.”
If only he were coming to Atlanta. The chicken and slaw look delicious, and the lavender in the biscuit intrigues me.
Hi! I’m a long time reader/fan of your blog and super jealous of your travels!
Did I just see you on Top Chef Masters??
Keep up the great work/photography/ and eating!!! This grad student stuck in the midwest is living vicariously 🙂
mmmmmm…honey lavender biscuit. i missed out on that one, too.
Sarah – That was me! Sadly, I don’t have cable so I have no idea what soundbite they used 😉 Thanks for reading!
this is unrelated, but, did i perhaps see you on tonight’s episode of top chef masters?!?!?! if not, my bad haha…
I don’t eat fried chicken, or really chicken for that matter since I had them as pets growing up, but I would make an exception for the ludo truck… and whoa baby, hook a sister up with one of those biscuits!
I loooved their Honey Garlic wings. It was timestoppingly awesome.
Michelle – Yep! That was me on your TV screen 😉
Ludo truck is on the top of my LA food truck list. I need to take a day and just go chase all the trucks.
Oooh, you were on tv? How awesome. I’m going to have to hunt down that episode online. Which ep are you on?
I think the cock is calling my name. Cock-a-doodle-do!
I need me some Ludo chicken stat! And a biscuit to match!
That biscuit intrigues me. Such an interesting combination. Also, lets not forget about the chicken. I too, am on a mission to hunt down the Ludo truck.
When I first had Ludo’s fried chicken, it was possibly the best fried chicken I’d ever had. Unfortunately, I’ve found the pepittes to be rather inconsistent at the truck, and even at its best, not quite as good as the ones made by Ludo’s own hand.
Darin – I’ve only visited the truck once, but I agree with you about the inconsistency. The first batch we received was almost burnt. And while the second set was better, they still weren’t as perfect as the ones from the LA Street Food Fest. Still, sub-par Ludo balls are still damn tasty.
darn, still haven’t checked it out yet. but 2 balls ain’t gonna be enough for me
Oh dang does that sound good… I want one of everything and a extra biscuit
These balls look delicious, as do those wings.