attack of the asian burgers!

There are those who would say Las Vegas has no signature food item to call its own, nothing to compare to the Philly cheesesteak, the Chicago dog, the slice of New York pizza, etc. (Nevermind the fact that we have all of those.) To those doubters I offer this: the gourmet burger is all Vegas, baby. Sure, it may not have been invented here, but that doesn't matter. We've got the greatest burgers from across the country, from California's In-N-Out to Illinois' Steak 'n Shake, and that's just the beginning. Almost every hotel-casino on the Strip has its very own upscale burger joint, from Hubert Keller's Burger Bar to Kerry Simon's KGB at Harrah's. Americans never seem to get sick of eating burgers, and Vegas is the most American city you could ever hope to visit. So take that.

But ... I do get sick of eating burgers. I didn't even want to try all the new cowdisc emporiums popping up all over the place. In fact, I was completely burger'd out, until something magical happened ... something Asian happened ... something new was born. The first time I tried an Asian-flavored burger, it was disappointing. The attempt: combine a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich with a hamburger. The flavors were muddled and messy, and it didn't come close to working.

Then I tried Bachi Burger, and despite the previous banh mi letdown, I took a risk and ordered this version from a very interesting menu. Despite a lot of positive buzz about this small-but-hip neighborhood restaurant, I wasn't expecting much. But I was blown away by the flavor explosion of Bachi's banh mi burger, a super-meaty patty of beef, pork and shrimp with a sweet-and-sour tang. The bun is slightly sweet, those necessary pickled veggies and fresh jalapenos are served on the side so you can add as much as you need, and there's even a slice of porky pate to bring some extra authenticity. It's beyond juicy, and really represents the flavors of this Vietnamese standby without sacrificing beefy goodness. And Bachi's menu is full of other Asian-inspired burgers, like the Ronin, which has a fried egg, Japanese coleslaw and miso sauce.

With these awesome new options, I was back to loving burgers, as long as they were Asian. So it was okay, again, to go to some new, fancy, Strip casino's burger place, like Holsteins in the Cosmopolitan, as long as I could order something awesome like the Rising Sun: teriyaki-glazed Kobe beef with threads of fried yam, furikake, spicy mayo and tempura avocado. Holsteins also appears to have mastered the subtle art of infusing Asian flavors into our iconic American sandwich without fucking up what we love most in a burger -- big beef in every bite.

But this blog entry is a PUNCH OFF! and you know what that means ... there was to be a winner. There has to be a king crowned in this Vegas Asian burger battle, and I don't think it gets any better than Fukuburger. Now, keep in mind that when you're eating from a food truck, you can't let hipness be a factor. It's fun to order from a truck, hang with the homies in the parking lot and eat outside, but none of that stuff changes the fact that Fukuburgers are delicious. The number one, standard Fuku is a good starting spot for this menu, with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickled ginger, American cheese and special sauce. The ginger, contrasting nicely with the miso and other flavors in the beef, throws everything into another world of flavor. I also deeply love Fuku's version of loco moco, that Hawaiian gutbuster of a burger over rice with a savory brown gravy. But definitely do not miss the Tamago burger (pictured), with a perfect, oozy fried egg, crispy onions, a little teriyaki and a little furikake with the special sauce. The egg brings a potent richness, and the combination really brings out the fact that Fuku cooks their meat perfectly. It's juicy with a great burn on the outside and pink on the inside, exactly the way a burger is meant to be. That's why these guys are one of the top food trucks in the burgeoning Vegas scene. But wheels or no, Fukuburgers can go head-to-head with the best in the city.

vegas gets mobile tasty.

Fueled by Twitter and persistent word-of-mouth, the gourmet food truck trend has officially arrived in Las Vegas. "Local" cuisine is but one of a million ways Vegas is under the influence of Southern California, and at least two of the street food carts/vehicles I'm about to shout out are directly inspired by the famed Kogi BBQ Korean taco trucks of Los Angeles. Nothing wrong with that.

But this ain't L.A. Even though we've got plenty of transplants in Vegas -- people from every major city and every point in between, really -- there aren't as many hipster foodies dwelling in the desert. This group is growing, no doubt, but Vegas gets knocked for lacking culture and the same criticism can be levied here. It's the only explanation for the notorious dominance of chain restaurants like Olive Garden and P.F. Chang's in the daily newspaper's annual Best of Las Vegas reader poll. So ... can the concept of gourmet roach coach succeed in Las Vegas? Is the populous willing to endure blistering heat, stand outside and munch on mini-burgers and Asian tacos? Does the city have enough ambitious innovators to build an exciting, all-access street food tribe? So far, it's looking good.

It starts with Slidin' Thru (pictured), the slider-slinging crew on patrol all over the valley in a truck emblazoned with colorful illustrations. Its young creator, Ric, blasts out the day's location online, sweats through lunch and dinnertime shifts in the cramped, oven-like environs with a couple of dedicated cooks at his command, and gives plenty of "window love" to his faithful following, which seems to be growing exponentially by the week. They love the attitude, they love the novelty of hunting down the slider truck, and they really love the great grub. Freshly formed Angus beef burgers come in a variety of flavors, like barbecue with crispy onions, bacon, sweet sauce and caramelized jalapeno, or Greek-style with feta cheese, ripe tomato and cucumber dressing. Specials include pulled pork mini-sandwiches or baby French dips, and the sweet potato fries are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It's simple, good food, sharply conceptualized, and if this food truck thing does take off in Vegas, you gotta hail Ric as the godfather of it all.

Burger truck number two is called Fukuburger. The offerings here are full-sized and somewhat Japanese, perhaps because its creators, Colin and Rob, were servers at the most money-makingest Pan-Asian restaurant in the country. These guys may also be bringing that edgy, after-hours vibe from Tao, since they seem to be targeting the late-night crowds and recently set up camp in their big red truck near the Hard Rock Hotel when the Sunday Rehab pool party let out. The burgers are marinated in mirin, sake and yuzu for a unique beefy taste. Toppings can be pickled ginger and daikon, fried eggs, crispy onions, bacon or wasabi mayo.

On the cool and sweet side, Philly's Famous Italian Ice is run by an incredibly friendly couple named Jim and Tanya, and they serve some pretty great treats out of a truck or a cart at various events and gatherings. They've been around a bit longer than these new guys, a couple of years now, but they're moving around more and capitalizing on the splendor of social media. Light, refreshing Italian ice (I like banana, sour apple and pineapple a lot) is not a tough sell in Vegas, as it hits the spot in a way the old ice cream truck never could.

There are more trucks and carts serving up street food (and stuff you don't usually get on the street). There are quite a few burgeoning taco carts sprinkled about. A few hours ago I ate some delicious Korean tacos, flour tortillas stuffed with marinated, grilled pork, kimchi, a crispy and sour Asian slaw and a handful of cilantro, from a six-week old trailer posted up at Lee's Liquor on Lake Mead Boulevard near Buffalo Drive. It's called HanShikTaco, and it's a one-man show. His name is Ron and he's too busy making tacos right now, but soon he'll have a website up and I wouldn't be surprised if there are several red taco trailers all over the place in a matter of months. It's good stuff, and it's really too cheap to be this good, and that's kind of the thing with street food. It's too good to be true. It's 110 degrees out there right now, but I think I can take it for a couple more tacos.