Mission Mission

Time to get our guac on! Here’s the deal:

It’s time for another celebration of the almighty avocado. That’s right, the Annual Indian Summer Guac-off is back and set to be held this Sunday, the 15th of September.

What is a Guac-off? Well, It’s a competition showcasing the best guacamole’s that the City has to offer. It’s also a party where the fine people of San Francisco get to decide who has the best guacamole in town. The winner of this esteemed competition will receive the Guacamole Glory Trophy, bragging rights until the next Indian Summer, the title of “Official Guacamole of San Francisco” as well as a secret mystery prize.

The event will be held at 230 Guerrero St, from 1pm – until the last chip is eaten. Competing guacamoles must use at least 5 avocados. Entry into the competition is free to all. Attendees who do not bringing guacamole are encouraged to bring discerning palettes and good vibes.

More info here.

The press release goes into a bit more detail:

Indulge in a hangtown benedict that pays homage to the original gold seekers “forty-niners” during a time when oysters and eggs were silver and gold. The hangtown is made with their house made biscuits, topped with fried oysters dusted in semolina durum wheat flour, house cured and smoked bacon and hollandaise. For a taste of sweetness, their bourbon challah french toast features challah from Marla Bakery, seasonal fruit compote, real maple syrup. Their rice dish comes with slow cooked “onsen” eggs served in dashi and the guests’ choice of roasted Llano Seco pork belly, Marin Sun Farms chicken thigh or Namu farm vegetable tempura. And there’s nothing better than eggs on toast–their egg sandwich takes care of that craving!

What’s a great pairing for these goodies? Namu Gaji has created a bloody mary, made with heirloom tomatoes from their Namu Farm, two shots of soju, and pickled Namu farm veggies.

Dang.

[Menu photo via Namu Gaji on Facebook]

That’s one of the claims made by Eileen Hassi, co-founder of Ritual, in the above video.  I know that most my fellow San Franciscans take their coffee ultra-seriously, almost to the point that it can be considered something that goes as religion in this atheist town, but that’s quite a statement.  Now, I don’t understand you people, as I don’t drink the stuff myself; and personally, I think you’re all a little crazy, but I’m crazy too in other ways, so I’m not here to poo-poo in your cup (although I’m certain you’d be ecstatic if a certain weasel did).

Anyway, these CAFFEINATION guys are travelling around the nation searching for the best coffee with which to burn their tongues, and naturally their first stop is to our fair city, where one of them ends of drinking seventeen (17!!!) cups of coffee in two days from a myriad of spots.  What, don’t believe me?  Check it out yourself.

[Link]

The bottom layer is is pumpkin ale, the middle layer is chocolate stout, and the top layer is creamy head. And it *actually * glows.

‘Tis Chumpkin season once again, right now at Shotwell’s.

Wanna try the closest thing to #texasbbq in SF, come see me tomorrow 12-?@TheGalleySF for a 14 hr smoked brisket plate. will sell out fast!

— Wes Rowe (@Thewesburger) August 29, 2013

UPDATE: There was some kind of emergency or tragedy and this is no longer taking place

Pal’s Take Away, making great use of their new space on 24th between Folsom and Treat, is KILLING IT lately. Here’s what was up today:

• Dave’s house-smoked brisket/Firebrand roll, spicy herbed slaw, rstd cherry tomato relish, Russian dressing, greens
• BLT Zarella/Bacon, heirloom lettuce, deep-fried green tomato, mozzarella, sriacha mayo/Josey Baker bread
• Rstd. turkey breast/firebrand roll, sharp cheddar-pimento spread, rapini, more greens, balsamic mayo
• Chili-lime Oregon Bay shrimp/Fire brand roll, rstd curried cherry tomato, avocado, cucumber, daikon sprout, arugula, wasabe mayo
• A veggie on Josey Baker bread/herbed dragon tongue beans, ranch egg, tomato, avocado, sprouted broccoli, greens,mayo

Eat there soon if you haven’t already!

[via Amos Goldbaum]

Last week’s Drink of the Week, which as of last week was still in need of a name (in light of the Virgil’s Sea Room tradition of naming signature cocktails after notable San Franciscans), has a name now! Wikipedia explains:

José Julio Sarria (December 12, 1922 or 1923 – August 19, 2013) was an American political activist from San Francisco, California who, in 1961, became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. He is also remembered for performing as a drag queen at the Black Cat Bar and as the founder of the Imperial Court System.

[...]

Sarria became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States when he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. In 1964 Sarria declared himself “Empress José I, The Widow Norton” and founded the Imperial Court System, which grew to become an international association of charitable organizations.

Read on.

(Thanks again, Paul!)

Reader Nick and his chick have a little tale of getting more than they bargained for:

My GF and I bought a dozen “Rainbow” brand eggs at BiRite a little over a week ago. No less than 10 out of the 12 eggs have been double yolkers. It’s bonkers. We did some research and found out that such phenomena tend to happen in groups among flocks of chickens about the same age. Odds are high this wasn’t the only magic dozen sold at BiRite recently. This means the Mission is probably crawling with double yolk madness right about now.

Thanks for sharing, Nick. Anyone else eggsperiencing this phenomenon?

P.S. All that extra black space on either side of the video really gives me room to ponder my own mortality. Just kidding, it doesn’t. Don’t forget to turn your phone!

Those of us lucky enough to have had the fabled Bike Basket Pies/KKR mac ‘n’ cheese pie back in ’09 remember them incredibly fondly. And they didn’t even have bacon.

This one, by our pal Angela, does have bacon, and looks quite dramatic. What a great idea!