Liquid nitrogen otter pops + cheeseburger dumplings = best festival ever

Delicious eggs

Returning for its fourth incarnation at the Rose Bowl this Saturday is the LA Street Food Festival, which, this year, has drastically expanded its scope, inviting pop-ups, restaurants, and carts to join its previously truck-only vendors. They've also got drinks from master barmen and three bands rocking the Rose Bowl. So, what exactly does $50 get you? All you can...

LA street food fest

Eat: There're over 100 vendors doling out tastes of insanity, but here're three fat-dude must-tries: the new mostly-catering truck Bling Bling Dumpling's gonna be serving up cheeseburger dumplings, Short Order's got mini pork belly BLTs, and Starry Kitchen's rocking crab gumbo. In addition, they've got a shload of vendors from Mexico amazingly dodging cartel bullets to come up for the fest, w/ totally legit operations slinging oxtail tacos and pico de gallo fruit bowls.

LA street food fest

Drink: You'll get unlimited Singha and booze from Sailor Jerry, as well as also-unlimited artisan cocktails, w/ local booze blogger Caroline on Crack curating sippers from the Black Market and Bar 1886 guys, plus a team of top mixologists from the collective Soigne (including Julian Cox, above) busting out otter pops made w/ liquid nitro.

LA street food fest

Rock: They're bringing back a live music stage after a couple-year hiatus, with the rising, Killers-esque, Santa Barbara band Tommy & The High Pilots closing the day out; there's also music from soul-singing Voice contestant Jessica Childress and indie-rock tribute band Black Crystal Wolf Kids.