Mission Mission

Dear El Farolito, Cancun, El Metate, Pancho Villa, et al (except for you Cu Co’s–we’re still cool):

We’ve been through a lot together and I definitely still love you, but I think we need to have a little talk.  You see, I strayed a bit too far this past weekend, and now I’m not sure I can ever go back.  Hey, please don’t cry.  Let me explain.

Waking up to Tijuana sunshine the morning after playing a show with a bunch of Mexican hardcore kids, there was nothing I wanted more than a taco.  And wow, just like Bo knows baseball, Tijuana knows tacos.

Now that’s a taco.  Basically a metric shit ton of marinated shrimp sizzled in spices and served with a dixie cup of tortilla soup broth, a pile of just-fried tortillas (see what they did there?), a monstrous bag of still-hot tortilla chips, ridiculously fresh Pico de Gallo, and the best green avocado salsa that I’ve ever had.  Commenting on the price might seem insensitive given the harsh economic realities of our trade policies, but rest assured the whole thing was cheap as hell.

Even the corner taco stands had the right idea.  You walk up, sit down, and order a few.  The taco chef (love that phrase) slices a few pieces of pastor from his shawarma skewer and tosses it onto the grill.  A minute later he throws it on a tortilla already deftly dipped in the grease catcher and serves it with plentiful portions of guacamole and grilled onions.  You pile on some salsa as you sit on a stool at the stand and satiate the stretch receptors in your belly.

If that doesn’t quite do the trick, simply ask the gentlemen for a few more and he’ll go through the process again.  Once you’ve had enough, tell him how many you’ve had, pay your tab*, dismount your stool, and confidently walk away, leaving fellow patrons muttering in disbelief over the amount of habanero salsa that damn gringo was able to stomach.

*Tijuana taquerias and carts all seem to operate on the honor system.  Even places that have counters and seating.  Go ask  the dude for two tacos and he’ll just give them to you.  Finish them and ask for two more.  Keep doing it.  Once you’re stuffed, saunter over to the counter (not always close in proximity to the taco guys and always staffed by different people) and tell them how many you’ve had.  They multiply that by a dollar (or 12 pesos, the going rate for tacos these days), you pay, and everyone is happy.  I’m not saying this would work in the Mission (it wouldn’t), but it was still neat.

A couple weeks ago it came to light that there is a serious pierogi deficiency in the Mission. A handful of helpful souls have started thinking about how to rectify this injustice, and this week we received word of a couple more possibilities:

Amber wants to have a pierogi party this weekend.

Joe wants to start a pierogi business ASAP.

Get in touch if you’re game!

Photo by _Tawcan.

Grub Street this morning has a bunch of local bartenders telling us why vodka is bunk (it’s flavorless and boring, doye).

Brooke from Range bemoans that the vodka-based Vin de Pamplemousse cocktail remains her bestseller even with a bevy of tastier and more inventive offerings on the menu. And then Neyah from Nopa goes off, explaining what a sham the entire vodka industry is. It’s a good read.

The thing is, I love a big complex cocktail like Beretta’s Improved Whiskey more than anything. But sometimes I crave a simple swallow of vodka too. Like how you love a big multi-course feast out at a Michelin-starred destination kitchen, but sometimes just crave box mac and cheese?

Also, last week in Austin I highly enjoyed a few Tito’s and sodas, all while highly enjoying a showcase performance by *Gin* Wigmore no less. (Tito’s is some kind of artisanal Vodka handmade in Austin, and Gin Wigmore is some kind of Amy Winehouse sound-alike handmade by some guys that used to play guitar for Bryan Adams apparently.)

So, what of it? Can we still love vodka even if we acknowledge that it’s mostly boring?

Photo by brickfrenzy.

UPDATE: Oh! PLUS, Absolut seems to have sponsored this new Spike Jonze movie, which looks like it might be good (or at least, better than that last thing he did), so, cut them some slack or something maybe? Maybe.

He’s back already, wizard staff and all. On top of that, here he is peacefully talking shop with a competitor, the special-brownie hippie lady (SBHL). All is well in the world again. Dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria.

Previously:

The End Of An Era In Dolores Park

Fair warning: you might have to deal with drunk zombies tonight. Zombie Steve F. sends us word of a last-minute Zombie Bar Crawl. They are meeting at Dirty Thieves at 24th & Treat and will supply the blood.

If you’re into totally trolling the unsuspecting public, then Zombie Bar Crawls (Limps?) are probably as good as it gets. I’m personally no so into this stuff since I find it offensive towards zombies. Haven’t they been through enough?

This minimalist menu was observed by @Robertol in front of what I believe is SoCha’s.

Reminds me of the old Gary Larson Far Side classic. Or, “It’s a trap!!“

quite the tasting plate!

Once again, the creme of the San Francisco foodie fanatic crop showed up in droves this past Sunday for the latest SF Food Wars event, this time with chocolate cookies on their minds.  200 tickets had sold out in just about 3 minutes, and I was determined to see just what all the fuss was about.  Hosted this time at Mighty in the burgeoning  SOMISSPO  neighborhood (where SOMA, Mission, and Potrero meet–take that NOPA!), the event drew the City’s most creative cookie chefs (yeah, I just did that). 

Chocolate espresso shortbread? Yes please.

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In the Introduce Yourself section, reader Greg Z Says:

Howdy-how. I do Russian pirogi. I’ve never done anything like food-cart action but could be totally game. Email me! greg (at) urbanesque.org.

Somebody hook this guy up. (Or Greg, just whip up some sample perogi, get on Twitter and show up on the street that shall not be named.)

Just don’t dress like this guy:

(Though to be honest if your pierogi are good enough you can wear whatever the hell you want…)

Fernet is now available on tap. First one to submit a photo of you or a loved one drinking Fernet directly from the tap wins a shot of Fernet!

[Good news via SFist]

Photo by Rouge Tourniquet.

Previously:

Fernet More Popular in Virginia?

Corinna Drinks a Shit-Ton of Fernet

This just in: Mission Street Food is movin’ on up. As previously reported, they’d decided to take their operation full time, and now they’re doing it. The new restaurant is called Commonwealth and it will open this summer at 2224 Mission Street (pictured).

You can follow the place on Twitter or fan it on Facebook. And you can read their full press release after the jump…

Photo by jbeasla.

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