Mission Mission

Old World Food Truck will be serving them up at Mission Dispatch today, along with:

tempeh reuben, Chicken schnitzel-wich special, potato and cheese pierogi..and now homemade salt, vinegar and smoky paprika chips…oh and did I mention some SodaCraft soda to wash it all down!

Dang.

[pic by Hélène Goupil]

Mission Local has a write up about last night’s meeting with Supervisor David Campos, local business owners and residents. The owner of La Victoria Bakery wants to turn it into “a Latino-themed lounge and a coffee bar,” and Elixir’s owner wants to expand the 150+ year old bar into a space next door.

There are a whole lot of places to go to in the Mission if you’re looking to get drunk. Would a few more really make more people drink more alcohol? Maybe they would, and for many people from other neighborhoods an evening in the Mission means they’ll be staggering home by the end of the night.

Why is it so crucial to so many businesses that they be able to sell alcohol? Besides the markup, wouldn’t it be nice to think that there could be a thriving restaurant, bakery or foods store that just didn’t happen to have any alcohol? Dosa claimed that they needed to have hard liquor to stay in business on Valencia, and the city agreed. In the case of the corner stores, it really just seems like booze is what drives people in and makes sure they spend a lot more than if they just wandered out with a pack of gum. Considering the high rents in the neighborhood it makes sense that you can’t run a business on gum sales.

Are these businesses offering good enough times without alcohol? Or maybe the question is do they offer something that is greatly enhanced with it, and missing something without it? Would you go bowling if there was no liquor or even beer? Oh, and by the way, have you ever seen a movie . . . on booze?! You would probably go eat a dinner without alcohol, but probably spend at least a third less.

The business owners may have a good point, but in the end I think the biggest issue is that nothing loosens a grip on the wallet like liquor. People will pay more for anything when it’s part of the package, and they’ll do it with much less hesitation. Just throw on some fancy words like “muddled” and “artisan” and you’re in business.

Reader Jason tipped us off to the new restaurant taking the place of Siam Saigon at 29th/Mission. And it’s another Thai restaurant! Just what this city needs, right?

The new place, slated to open on July 1st, is called Thai Idea and is vegetarian/vegan only, and I’m excited because I love me some fake meats (please, save your ammo for taggers). The menu includes exciting offerings such as “Wing Bomb” (crispy veggie chicken and homemade sauce topped with crispy basil) and “Firedcracker Balls” (sic) (veggie Ahi tuna roll, panko deep-fried, mayo mustard & spicy sauce). Sounds fun!

Here’s the deal, straight from Flavorpill:

Join us at the Elbo Room on Thursday, June 14 from 7-9pm when we team up with arts nonprofit Root Division and Southern Sandwich Co. for a Food Truck Happy Hour, and that’s exactly how you’ll be getting your grub on. Better yet, Sapporo Premium beer is on tap, so you can whet your whistle while you chow down and get down to a DJ set from Water Borders.

But you must RSVP here!

Tumblr user stupidexcited (not pictured) shares a fascinating problem:

I’ve observed a local phenomenon and am wondering if anyone empathizes: 2/3 times you order a super chicken quesadilla at Cancun, there will be crispy wonderful chunks of bacon goodness in there. Just, little bacon crunchies that you didn’t ask for but somehow appeared in a miracle of animal cross-pollination. BUT 1/3 times, it’s just a chicken quesadilla with a side of disappointment. If you specifically ask for bacon on your quesadilla the guys behind the counter will act flustered, feign confusion, and sometimes outright deny the existence of bacon in one or even two languages. !?!??! whyyy? why introduce me to the bacon-dilla in the first place if you’re just going to toy with my heart’s stomach like this? [link]

Troublesome! What’s the deal?

[Photo by C.R.E.A.M.]

Is what I’m most looking forward to on tonight’s menu from sous beurre kitchen, which is popping up at Dear Mom every Monday night in June:

Heirloom cauliflower gratin with farmstead cheese something something, grilled broccolini and something!?! Fuck yeah! Starts at 5:00!

Yesterday I instagrammed that I was having brunch at Sparky’s, and I got some opinionated comments in return. Among them:

• MAKE SURE U GET ONE OF THOSE AWESOME MIXED DRINKS! [Lizzy]
• Sparky’s suuuucks. Grubstake is the only 24-hour diner worth going to, IMO. [Carlos]
• It’s Tops will do the trick if you’re in this hood too. They have a burger with four patties. Nuff said. [Christina]

I’m pretty sure the mixed drinks at Sparky’s are gross and Lizzy is just culture jamming. Grubstake seems cool but when the hell are you ever anywhere near Grubstake? Four patties sounds gross, but I love It’s Tops.

Why the hell aren’t there more 24-hour dining options?

Wrap made with Beyond Meat vegan chicken, from their site!

Hey, you! Don’t watch that, watch this!

Beyond Meat will be serving their new vegan chicken at different Whole Foods all over SF next week! Apparently it’s very convincing, as you might have heard… it seems like every time I turn around I hear somebody (NPR, New York Times, and my beloved Vegansaurus buddies) talking about how it’s going to be the patron saint of palates as soon as we all get to taste it. Their rep emailed me today with their tasting schedule (below), and they’re also going to be in the WF hot bars, which I dig as I am a connoisseur (connoisseuse?) of salad bars. Food I already wanted to try at a place I already want to eat: yusssss.

Friends and acquaintances often ask me what I think of vegan meat substitutes. I don’t feel the need to make them a regular part of my diet, for a number of reasons. First, they can be expensive; second, I often find them overly processed– though, as Mark Bittman points out, a chicken and a machine can both take grains in, process them, and turn them into an edible substance that no longer resembles those grains. The difference is that the chicken dies to produce the edible substance, while the machine does not.

In general, I don’t feel the need to include faux meats in my diet because a) the reason I don’t eat meat is that I don’t like it all that much and b) my plant-based diet provides all the nutrients and variety I need; I don’t feel deprived without meat, or even substitutes thereof. That said, faux meats are nice for variety every once in awhile, and they can help ease the transition to veganism. Also, they make the life of the omnivore accommodating a vegan guest or family member easier, which is important to me, since one of the hardest parts about being vegan for me is knowing I’m putting people out. People are animals, too!

June 11th: Franklin store (11:15am-12:30pm); Haight store (4:15pm-5:30pm)
June 12th: Potrero store (11:15-12:30); Noe store (4:15-5:30)
June 13th: SoMa store (11:15-12:30)

I’m going to the Potrero Hill one because it’s closest to the Mission! It’s going to be Madness.

Since none of us can get enough of Danny Bowien, here’s yet another article about him, in NYMag. (Bonus #1: This one was written by Molly Young, a San Francisco native and one of my favorite young reporters today. Bonus #2: Unrelated, but NYMag also just happened to publish a piece featuring one of our very own writers’ feet.)

In this piece, Danny talks happiness, monosodium glutamate, duck blood extrusion, Martha Stewart and her seating requests, partying, puking, and his tradition of pounding Buds in honor of visiting dignitaries.

What does it mean?

[Photo by Adam Thorman]