Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Event: Ludo vs. Greenspan Food Fight

*Post by Mark.

While passionate gourmands may geek out over food, it's not often you see those geeky interests crossover into say, the world of gaming. It's also safe to argue that most gamers are more familiar with the Taco Bell Value Menu than haute cuisine. This past Saturday, Capcom, SA Studios and LA Street Food brought those two worlds of geekery a little bit closer with a VGA pre-party and Food Truck tailgating event to promote the upcoming release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

While two of LA's hottest chefs were parked in food trucks outside (above), the crowd of mostly gamers (below) were treated to advanced Marvel vs. Capcom 3 gameplay on the inside with an array of free food, and live DJs. A line of hundreds of avid gamers stretched down the street just hoping to get inside. Of the early-birds who did get in, some had even camped out over night.   

Snacks were provided by Gram & Papas (the downtown lunch spot that formerly played host to Ludo Lefebvre's LudoBites 5.0). Slinging hearty comfort foods like Mac & Cheese with Brisket, Gram & Papas kept the packed house satiated until the main event. Undercard noms included a bean salad (below, left) and grilled peanut butter & jellies (below, right).

After perusing the floor, we made our way back to the food trucks. While Capcom and Marvel had brought out some of their biggest stars, some of the gamers didn't know just how good they'd have it, as some heavyweight chefs had been brought in to do battle.

First on the docket was Chef Ludo (below, at right). Having graced Los Angeles with the most sought-after reservation in town at his pop-up LudoBites, Ludo Lefebrve has challenged standard restaurant practices with one of the country's most inspiring and innovative concepts. For the food fight, Chef Ludo would be repping the red Marvel truck and was challenged to create a food inspired by a Marvel character. 

Ludo tackled Marvel's imposing green giant, the Incredible Hulk (below, left). His 'Hulk Hamburger' (below, right) was served with pomme paille (super skinny fries) and radioactive green ketchup. The juicy and flavor-packed patty was made from three different meats and stuffed with Velveeta cheese. 

Topping it were two different types of onions and jam. The burger was then served on a green bun (below) made from spinach and potato. Between LudoBites and the fried chicken served on the LudoTruck, I'd say that Ludo's doing just fine. But, were he to make a side venture into the world of burgers, this was clear evidence that he'd excel in that arena as well.

Next up was Chef Eric Greenspan (below, right), head chef of The Foundry on Melrose, whose been getting some recent Food Network airplay with appearances on Iron Chef (defeating Chef Bobby Flay, no less) and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. For us, this would actually be our second Eric Greenspan meal in just three days, as we were lucky enough to catch his six-course Hanukkah dinner at Test Kitchen this past Thursday (post forthcoming).

Representing the blue Capcom Truck, Chef Greenspan dug into the realm of Street Fighter to create the Ryu Fireball. Served on a perfectly proportioned griddled Bao, the spicy sandwich featured seared tuna, pork cracklings, cabbage and a spicy miso sauce. Ludo's burger may have been awesome, but I was actually more impressed with Greenspan's spicy tuna creation - all the ingredients came together to form a deliciously fresh and flavorful bite. This one left me craving seconds. 

Chef Ludo wound up winning the challenge. I think his burger (which was legitimately awesome) catered to the specific crowd a little better than seared tuna. It was a call too close for me to make, but I think I'd lean towards the Ryu Fireball if push came to shove. Either way, we were happy we had the chance to try both inspired creations, and to take part in the geekdom of both foodie and gaming worlds.

Comments

[Big Tony Ragu]

Nice Pics and article of Marvel Vs Capcom3, and it's not just cause you have me in a pic on your site. Lolz. I will have mine up tomorrow. Check it out!

Take care,
BTR

[Mark]

Ha. And there you are! Looking forward to it.