This weekend was packed and the crazy weather led to lots of activity, some food-related and some not.
Front Porch: after years of passing by (it's right next to Mitchell's) I finally went. We avoided the 40-min wait by nabbing a seat at the bar. We got a few freebies (jalapeno cornbread, tomato "tartare" crostini) during the 20min wait for the food. Fried chicken was nice and crisp, but could've used some more seasoning. I wanted to try the shrimp and grits, but I only have one stomach and had to save room for some grasshopper pie. It was nice to finally try it, but I don't really have a desire to go back.
Mitchell's: yes, even after polishing off the fried chicken on my own, of course I had to get some grasshopper pie! The 30+ min wait was enough to digest my dinner, anyway.
Le Cheval (Oakland location): pretty standard Vietnamese food, very spacious and perfect for Cyn's post-graduation lunch despite the slow service. Yay you're a lawyer (almost)!
Sketch: <3
La Mar: finally gave the US version a try and had a great time. However, the original location in Lima is definitely better. As to be expected, in Lima the ingredients were just fresher, the prices were lower, and the service was better. Business was also a bit slow which was surprising, especially given their great location and the hot day!
MR: I'm over the club/bar scene and usually limit those visits to happy hours. However, my friend's friend was having a get-together here and it totally reminded me of Freemans Sporting Club, except it was a bar and not a clothing store. Definitely a boys club but I was also very much tempted to get my hair washed because it was so freaking hot!
B2B: omg so hot. My group of friends likes to run it, but it was really difficult with the temp pushing 90 at 8am and the severe lack of water stations! If you saw Dharma scientists, that was us! ("What's Dharma? Must be an Asian thing") LOVED the beaver dam on Fell.
Underdogs: post-b2b lunch and watched the beginning of the Rockets/Lakers game. Fish taco Nick's way is so satisfying!
OK back to 60-degree weather.
It seems like I've been trekking out to the outer mission a lot lately, but it's mostly been clustered. The same day Stacy and I went to Humphry Slocombe, we spent most of our long lunch at 22nd + Harrison, the corner where El Tonayense's taco truck is parked.
They serve tiny street tacos, similar to the style of Tacos El Gordo in SD, along with some burritos, tortas, and other fare. I got a taco al pastor and a torta with carnitas (torta is pictured below), and Stacy got a taco w/ carne asada, and a carnitas burrito. The carnitas were definitely the winner - so juicy and soaked in the fatty pork drippings... it was quite heavenly. The carne asada was dry, and the al pastor was good (pictured on the right), but a bit too BBQ-ish for me. The onions, cilantro, and lime were a nice balance though.
They also had this white milky drink thing that I think Alice would've liked. It looked delicious.
This was a nice, messy lunch, but too bad it's so far from Financial. The only real destination place in that area is HS!
For the holidays, my family and I went down to socal to bring in the new year amid great weather, roses galore, and of course lots and lots of eating.
I got to sneak away for a day and went to SD to have brunch with Wendy in Hillcrest. We went to Hash House, which was packed with post-Holiday Bowl Oregon people. We both ordered hashes, because, well, it was the Hash House! They give you a lot, served in cute skillets, with gargantuan biscuits. This isn't a great picture of the food, but you can see the huge stalk (too big to call a sprig!) of rosemary and Wendy's adorable self.
Later on, I met up with Mike and he showed me around Chula Vista/Bonita, where he grew up. Awhile back, I wrote a post about El Farolito and how Mike is completely elitist when it comes to Mexican food, so he took me to get some of the "real stuff" he grew up on.
First up was Lolita's, supposedly the best carne asada fries in town. I had only had carne asada fries once before in college at Cotixan, but from what I remember it was just fries, carne asada, and some kind of white cheese or cheddar. The fries at Lolita's are totally different - with just the addition of queso blanco (more powdery/melty), guac, and some good salsa, it was a meal all on its own. Actually, while we were waiting for the order, Mike went to get the salsa ready and I was like "Are you supposed to put salsa on carne asada fries?" He just shook his head and rolled his eyes.After eating about a fourth of our ginormous order, we headed to Tacos El Gordo for some TJ street-style tacos. We shared one carne asada and one adobada, which is this marinated pork. The adobada was definitely the winner with its creamy avocado sauce, fat drippings and all. It was an interesting setup - the shop was like an old school fast food joint (for some reason Wienershnitzel comes to mind) but the counter was divided by stations so you ordered from the section you wanted. Tortillas were fresh and one lady was just banging them out every 3 seconds.
We were about to get some flautas and tamales at Cuatro Milpas, but luckily for us (and our stomachs) it was closed. Instead, we went back to Hillcrest, where a friend of a friend recommended Mille Feuille, a newish dessert bar/tea salon/bakery/patisserie. We just bought some pastries to go - the classic of which they are named after, and their "paradox," an almond/hazelnut/chocolate confection. I only tried the latter, and the prailine had a very nice crunch... the glaze, however... well, let's just say that I didn't know it was supposed to be a glaze. It was strangely rubbery, as if they put wayyyy too much gelatin in it. The shop in general was kind of disappointing, but then again, we didn't actually experience the whole "afternoon tea" or "chocolate buffet" concepts they advertised, so I can't really say I know what they're about apart from what I tasted.A bit underwhlemed, we drove down the street to our old faithful Extraordinary Desserts. When my interests in the pastry world were just beginning to develop, I was completely enamored by this romantic dessert cafe (referring to the original). No trip to SD would be complete without a visit to one of their two locations. It is still what it was, but I think my tastes have changed. It's been consistent throughout the years, but I guess actually working in the industry has exposed me to so much, and XD just isn't as exciting to me anymore. Don't get me wrong - it's still a nice place to go to. But... yeah.
So yes, all in all it was a great day (despite the hours and hours of driving to and from LA). I made it back in time to drive around Pasadena for 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get back to my sister's place with all the roads closed and drunken crowds holding up traffic. Yay 2009!
Not my home, but Mike's (Chula Vista, south of San Diego). I asked Mike to post about our meal here, but he said blogging was lame. Well, that makes him lame by association! Ohhhh snap! Moving on.
If you think I'm a food snob, just bring up bay area Mexican food with Mike. He is about as elitist as you can get (since he grew up next to the border, he's spent a lot of time in Mexico, eating real Mexican food. From Mexico. Made by Mexicans. Oh wait, that's not that different). However, we were in the Mission the other night after watching Call and Response at the Roxie, and I hadn't eaten dinner and wanted some tacos. With Mike's nose scrunched up and the whining commenced, we took a short walk to El Farolito since I had never been there.
Now, Mike judges a Mexican burrito/taco place by its carne asada, and to do that, he always gets the same thing: a carne asada burrito with guac, and everything else on the side (the rice and beans filler masks the taste). They forgot his, so mine was sitting pretty as we waited. Finally, with the salsa cups and marinated carrots ready, we dug in.
Apparently, the "correct" way to eat a [good] burrito is to let the juices that are dripping all over you come out from the bottom and straight into your salsa, which you pour back into the top with each bite. And how those drippings taste, according to Mike, will tell you if the carne asada is good or not. The result? "Tastes like home."
His must've been fresh off the grill because it was a lot better and juicier than mine. Mine was still tasty, but a little tough in comparison. Thus, we decided that a good Mexican restaurant is one that makes its meat to order (among other things). La Burrita, La Taqueria, and a lot of other bay area places (including El Farolito) usually grill their meat in bulk and let it sit in a hotel pan before assembly. Letting it sit out will dry it out, and you won't get those yummy meat juices. Mmm meat juices.
So yes, the bay area Mexican food scene is thus redeemed. I'm sure you can ask them to grill it fresh for you, but the person taking your order will probably hate your guts, or will think you're some HM chick/DB from the Marina* and ignore your request. Who knows? Try it and leave a comment haha.
* Sorry, I just can't help it sometimes! Tris???
2901 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Kathy and I took a break from our job in the FIDI (that’s Financial District for those of you not in the know) to grab some pies in the Mission. I donned my North Face Fleece and converses (typical SF yuppie) and Kathy wore her tapered pants and flats (typical SF hipster) and we hopped on the BART.
Located a few blocks from the 24th and Mission stop is Mission Pie. This place is hippie heaven. The pies are made from local ingredients by local underprivileged youth. Every piece of furniture in the establishment is made from recycled materials, including the compostable bag I was given for my to-go order.
Mission Pie offers a limited selection of pies that are sold whole or by the slice. Kathy and I tried the Pear Ginger pie and Banana Cream pie. The PG pie was excellent, light and refreshing. Kathy is usually a ginger-hater, but this pie managed to win her over. The BC pie met all the expectations of the traditional BC pie, but not worth writing home about (as opposed to the BC pie at Liberty Café…which is bomb-diggity).
We also went to a local taqueria (La Taqueria) for tacos. I was skeptical at first, as the tables were dirty but I guess that’s how they roll. Def. another place I’d go back to. They had this white milky looking drink that was cinnamon flavored, it looked delicious.*
And of course, we went to Philz coffee. My #1 favorite coffee place (#2 is Blue Bottle). I won’t go on about Philz, as I came off like a crack addict in a previous coffee review. But y’all should try it if you can!
* Please refer to the recent episode of Check Please
