1st Annual Los Angeles International Tamale Festival

All weekend long, they're having a tamale festival over on Spring Street north of Downtown L.A. and Chinatown. I went there for dinner tonight and had a great time. It's tucked over in front of some warehouses and it was far from the biggest local festival I've been to, but the food at this one is the real deal. Lots of different tamal vendors, most with the classics--- chicken, pork, elote, etc. but some with a bit of a twist. I had a mahi-mahi tamal, for example. Admission and parking is free, tamales are between $1.25 and $2.00 each, and there's even a petting zoo. Much better than the overrated, crowded, and unappetizing Tofu Festival in Little Tokyo, and cheaper, too. Open from noon 'til 10 PM on Saturday and 10 AM 'til 6 PM on Sunday.