Mission Mission

One weekend only! To celebrate the release of the lovely new Mission Chinese Food Cookbook:

Here go a few more details:

LE CREUSET PRESENTS:

Three opportunities to celebrate the release of the new Mission Chinese Food Cookbook.

Join us on the morning of 11/15 or 11/16 to get your copy of the new book, meet the authors, and find out what a Tartine bagel with Russ & Daughters toppings tastes like.

Or come on the evening of 11/16 for an outrageous banquet of brand new Mission Chinese dishes, prepared by Danny Bowien and the MCF crew.

Or, hell, why not spend the whole day with us and do both?

~ ~ ~

$60
SUNDAY and MONDAY BRUNCH (11/15 and 11/16)

Holy cow. Come by any time between 10am and 3pm for this very special, never-before-seen collaboration.

Malted Rye Bagels by Tartine
with Smoked and Cured Fish and Spreads by Russ & Daughters
and Coffee by Linea Caffe

Sandwiches:

THE SUPER HEEBSTER
Whitefish & Baked Salmon Salad with Horseradish Dill Cream Cheese and Wasabi Flying Fish Roe on a Bagel

THE CLASSIC
Bagel and Cream Cheese topped with succulent slices of Smoked Salmon

***Each ticket includes BOTH sandwiches, a signed cookbook (retail $35), and coffee!***

~ ~ ~

$85
MONDAY DINNER (11/16)

A sneak preview of the new MCF menu, cookies by Momofuku Milk Bar, and beer from Tiger Beer.

Danny Bowien and co. will be serving a special banquet of new dishes for a very limited number of guests. Try everything before everybody else gets the chance, for the very reasonable price of $85. Ticket is for a reservation to be seated at the specified time. Please specify party size and note the names of your dining companions if purchasing tickets separately.

Menu subject to change, but here are some sample dishes:

BEEF TARTARE, “LETTUCE CUPS”

CHINESE RED CABBAGE SALAD

JAPANESE SCALLOP SASHIMI

SWEET & SOUR PORK JOWL

CHEF LIANG’S BEEF CHOW FUN

BEEF JERKY FRIED RICE

MAPO TOFU

GINGER SCALLION & MATCHA NOODLES

SMOKED TEA RICE, ONION
VINAIGRETTE

STIR FRIED CELERY & HAZELNUTS

CHINESE BROCCOLI & OYSTER SAUCE

Dinner is served family style, so there is a minimum of 2 tickets per purchase. Note that parties of 2 may be asked to merge with another group of 2. Be ready to make friends!

***Each ticket includes a full-on FEAST, a signed cookbook (retail $35), and beer***

Get tickets here, baby.

UPDATE: Just be sure to be on the lookout for phone thieves and tennis superstars.

From a certain news source:

Palestinian Man Marvels At How Much Childhood Refugee Camp Has Changed

AL-SHATI, GAZA STRIP—Saying he hardly recognized some of the makeshift buildings and piles of rubble he played in as a child, Gaza native Ramzy Abu-Dhubah told reporters Tuesday he was struck by how much the refugee camp he grew up in has changed over the years.

As he walked through his “old stomping grounds” in Al-Shati, a 0.3-square-mile camp currently home to 87,000 displaced Palestinians, the 36-year-old remarked how the whole area seemed more bustling and crowded to him now than it did when he was a boy.

“So many of the spots where I used to hang out are gone, and they’ve all been replaced by new homes—I guess this place has really been growing,” Abu-Dhubah said as he pointed out a demolished concrete structure filled with improvised mud-brick shelters that had not been there when he left Gaza in 1999. “This used to be an empty lot where I’d play soccer, but there’s got to be a few dozen families that have moved in here now. They put in one of those big ration-distribution centers, too. My buddy Ibrahim was telling me that’s where pretty much everyone goes to eat these days.”

Read on for lots more.

[Photo by Google Maps]

A sample Off the Beaten Path menu looks like this:

Shared Plates

Bread & Butter
Fluer de Syl, whipped butter
Burrata Plate
heirloom tomato, basil
Apple Kale Salad
bell peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro peanut vinaigrette
Market Salad
greens, berries, goat cheese, candied walnuts, lemon poppyseed vinaigrette
Teriyaki Habanero Wings
citrus, chive ranch, sweet chili sauce
Charred fennel & Cauliflower
garlic mornay, toasted breadcrumbs
Salmon Croquettes
asparagus, bacon, garlic bechamel

Sando’s
W/soup, salad, or fritz

Lamb Sliders
center cut bacon, muenster, grilled onions
Sweet Mercy
bacon, havarti, apple chutney, arugula
The Cowboy
bacon, provolone, arugula, spicy aioli

Entrees

Buttermilk Chicken & Waffles
Mac & Cheese
spiced pork, bell peppers, prosciutto crisp
BBQ Flat Bread Pizza
burrata, prosciutto, fig, arugula, balsamic glaze
Persimmon BBQ Ribs ½ or shared
slaw, jalapeno cheese biscuit
Chimichurri Steak
green garlic, rosemary potatoes
Herb Crusted Lamb
Mashed potatoes, braised greens, pan jous

Not sure if all of that will be on offer tonight, but — there’s only one way to find out.

RSVP and invite your friends.

(Thanks, Paul.)

The Onion reports:

SAN FRANCISCO—Saying that staying in its current location was no longer feasible, sources across San Francisco confirmed Thursday that the popular Northern California city would be shutting its doors at the end of the month due to rising rent.

Residents and business owners of the iconic West Coast metropolis, which has occupied the same peninsula for generations, told reporters that spiraling costs had reached such a level that remaining in its 47-square-mile waterfront space was simply beyond its means.

Read on for more.

[Photo by Allie]

The Onion celebrates this fact in a short article titled “Outdoor Movie Guest Excited To Watch Barely Audible ‘Back To The Future’ While Sitting On Tree Root”:

Thrilled at the prospect of having to constantly reposition himself while straining to hear the movie’s dialogue, local man Sam Weber was excited Friday to watch a barely audible outdoor screening of Back To The Future from atop a hard, knobby tree root, sources reported. “Oh, man, I can’t wait to tiptoe around hundreds of people’s blankets before realizing the only free spot is on some root that sticks a few inches out of the ground and which will dig into my flesh for two hours,” said Weber, adding that while he’d already seen the sci-fi comedy classic many times, he was looking forward to experiencing it faintly projected onto a canvas hung far off in the distance as moisture from the grass steadily soaks through his pants.

Read on for the big finish.

Wes from Wes Burger is doing a Super Bowl themed thing on the patio at Virgil’s during the game:

Seattle Dog
cream cheese, polish sausage, grilled onions, kraut and pickled jalapenos and your choice of sriracha or bbq sauce

New England Crab Cake sandwich
crab, slaw, brioche bun, spicy pickle tarter sauce

Your food purchase of either a Seattle dog or Patriot sandwich will enter in a vote for that team. Each quarter we will draw a two raffle tickets from the pot of the team who is winning and give away a free food item or a drink ticket.

Plus $5 bloody marys?? RSVP and invite your team.

It’s my favorite New Year’s Day tradition ever, and possibly my favorite Mission holiday tradition ever, AND this year it sounds like it’s gonna be even better than ever:

RICE PAPER SCISSORS NEW YEAR’S BRUNCH 2015

New Year’s Day Brunch
Thursday, January 1st
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission Street (at Duboce)
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

On January 1st, Rice Paper Scissors is hosting their annual New Year’s Day Brunch.

It also marks their one-year anniversary at Brick & Mortar Music Hall, where they serve lunch on weekdays.

On the menu is Ma Po Scramble (scrambled eggs, ma po tofu, grilled toast), Steak & Eggs Banh Mi (featuring housemade oyster sauce) and Crab Imperial Rolls because ‘tis the season.

New Year’s specials include Char Siu Pineapple Buns, which is what happens when a cross a pork bun and pineapple bun as well as Coconut Rice Pudding Fritters with pineapple and a coconut jam.

Soup’s on with two hangover cures: Hanoi-Style Beef Pho and Canh Ga, a hearty soup with roasted rice, chicken, Chinese greens and fried shallots.

There will also be Detox and Retox drinks: Vietnamese Kale Smoothie (in case you’re wondering – the condensed milk makes it Vietnamese) and of course Tecates and mimosas to keep you nice and buzzy.

RSVP and invite your friends ‘n’ fam! Full menu after the jump:

(more…)

What’s better than an afternoon of enjoying guacamole? Nothing. There is none a better social option between the hours of 2pm and 5pm on this particular Saturday in September.

Guacamole. It’s made with avocados, lime, bacon, excitement, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, love, and several dozen other food companions. It’s the tastiest green dish to eat on a Saturday with a beer, and sharing it is a proven way to make good friends, better. This Saturday, we’ll eat as much guac as we possibly can consume. We’ll laugh, listen to festive music, and devour what is assuredly sure to be a outstanding interpretations of the word ‘guacamole.’ The winner to be crowned with the guacamole glory trophy, bragging rights until next Indian summer, the title of official “Guacamole of San Francisco”, and a kickass prize!

So if you think that you’re guacamole has what it takes to be crowned champion, or if you simply enjoy guacamole & good weather, go sign up! We’ll provide the chips!

Details from the competition’s are located at the appropriated titled website guacamole.expert.

Check out these other wonderful guacamole related posts!

-Chris Bunting

Feel free to select from this handy list inside the jukebox at Taqueria San Jose:

Not pictured:

• While My Guitar Gently Sweeps
• Eleanor Pigby
• Back in the K.K.K.
• In My Wife
• She Came All Over the Bathroom Window
• Ass Onion
• Frig a Pony
• I Am the Porpoise
• I Want to Hold Your Gland
• I Saw Her Standing Bare
• Revolution 6

[via @blickblondhi]

P.S. …

Last month we took a look at the wild messages hidden in Mission street names. Today, bar names. Behold:

Simian Bros = Mission Bar
Calamine Lubricant = Latin American Club
Teat Itch = The Attic
Be Nerds = Benders
Never Have Tits = Thieves Tavern
Origami Solvers = Virgil’s Sea Room
Swell Host = Shotwell’s
Some Death = Homestead
Smallish Onion Silo = Mission Hill Saloon
Bye, Jean = Jay ‘n’ Bee
Open Mall = Lone Palm
Cold Cocks = Doc’s Clock
Tubby Area = Beauty Bar
Bland Tic = Blind Cat
Thirty-Machete Cheddar Element = Dr. Teeth
Trick God = Trick Dog

Highlight the list to see translations. Which ones are most appropriate?

["Never Have Tits" photo by Maggie]