Mission Mission

This is a strawberry-basil caipirinha. No, there is nothing in a regular caipirinha that makes it non-vegan. This did not stop SF Vegan Drinks at Dr. Teeth and the Electic Mayhem from featuring the same on its menu today, nor did it stop me from ordering and devouring one! I guess they just thought that since vegans love fresh produce we’d appreciate having it served in a cocktail? Whatever their reasoning, it worked on me, and I’m usually a tough sell.

There’s also nothing about tater tots that makes them un-vegan, unless they’re coated in animal secretions, but sweet potato tater tots are another Vegan Drinks upgrade I happily fell for. The first basket of tots to arrive at my table was neither vegan (they were dusted with cheese) nor made of sweet potato. Remember last week when we talked about how it’s tough to rely on things you order in restaurants to be vegan? That’s still true even at an event with vegan in the title! I sent them back politely and waited what seemed like months to get my order. When they came, though, they were great, and the waitress brought me a free vegan white Russian with them for making me wait so long, which was sweet of her and delicious to me.

 
Dr. Teeth:
Kitchen ≠ reliable
Servers = nice
Food and drink ideas = good (especially at Vegan Drinks!)
Back patio = Really nice (cornhole and skee-ball)

This is gonna be big. Ashleyanne was on the decks for last fall’s epic American Tripps Halloween party (pretty party pics here) and she brought the house down. This time, the party’s at Rickshaw Stop, which means dancing on the main stage, two ping pong tables, foosball and skeeball on the upstairs mezzanine, and lots of Rickshaws to lounge in. Plus, it’s just rare that we get to play ping pong along to some classic soul music. All 45s, all night long! RSVP and invite your friends!

(Also, it’s basically gonna a nonstop dance marathon this weekend. Tonight, Ashleyanne guests at Oldies Night. Tomorrow afternoon, it’s Hard French at El Rio from 3-8. Then it’s SOUL AND PING PONG from 8-1. Then it’s full-on rave time at Haçeteria until 3!)

Chef Anthony (of Mission Street Food, Mission Chinese Food, Mission Burger, Commonwealth and Mission Bowling Club) has a grand new plan to open a fully charitable restaurant in the SF Food Bank’s warehouse. To make it happen, they’re trying to get a big grant from Mission: Small Business. Because the nationwide program fields applications from a massive variety of ventures, ranging from independent bookstores and regional hardware shops to digital media teams curating a list of sweepstakes casinos usa, standing out in the crowded field requires we all cast an online vote. Here’s the plan, straight from Anthony:

I’ve been sketching plans to serve food inside the Food Bank itself, in their warehouse, as a kind of a hybrid between restaurant and fundraiser. The warehouse is pretty exhilarating to behold with immense skylights and massive aisles of produce and 2,000-pound bags of rice being mobilized for distribution across the city. There’s a space in the middle that clears out around 6pm each day and could probably fit a kitchen on wheels and about 20 seats, and though it’s just a swath of concrete in a warehouse, I think it could be home to an extraordinary restaurant.

Apart from the dramatic setting and the idealistic nature of the establishment, I think it would also be able to transcend conventional restaurant economics and offer unparalleled value by way of non-profit partnership. Diners could make a donation beforehand to secure a reservation, then reap the benefits of subsidized food and labor, and the absence of tax and gratuity. Meanwhile, the Food Bank would use its savings on food, labor and overhead—all of which could generate over $1000 per night to feed those in need. It’s a win-win.

Read more! Vote here! (Log in with Facebook and then search for “Mission Chinese Food.”)

Photo by Jeremy Toeman.

When it comes to your usual array of Dolores Park activity enthusiasts, you’ve got your hula-hoopers, your tightrope walkers, and the occasional acrobatic troupe which may or may not feature people walking on stilts.  And then you’ve got our pal Chris Kalani, who has a request for our readers:

Find me more people who can do this with me in the park.

As much as I would love to join him, there’s just no way I’d ever be able to attempt that unless a soccer ball was involved (and then I’d probably blow it anyway).  But there must be some of you out there!  I mean, we don’t want Portland to outdo the Mission!  C’mon, who’s up for some tricks in the park?

[Link]

WIKIPEDIA SAYS IT SO IT MUST BE TRUE! EAT A MOTHERFUCKIN DONUT!

(Paul Suway wrtoe this post fyi. DONUTS RULE)

Phew! The Fayes Video sign board once again brings us back from the brink of collapse. This time by solving the age-old question of how toilet paper hangs from its holder. There is a right way and a wrong way. And now we have the proof.

Thanks, Fayes. Specifically for the photo by Mike, of the drawing by Alfonso.

In the interest of disclosure, I worked at Fayes in the years leading up to and immediately following the turn of the century.

The greatness of the signboard previously appeared here, here and here.

The truth is out there. Or was out there. On someone’s driveway. Flickr’r Sangroncito reports:

I walked out of my front door and found this extraterrestrial lying in my next door neighbor’s driveway. When I returned an hour later he was gone.

Has anyone seen any weather balloons lately?

[via Sangroncito]

First it was Occu∏, then it was a tubular rainbow guy, then Occu∏ went over the rainbow guy, then it became a new tubular guy with rainbow pants, and now this.

Say what you will about Clooney’s Pub on Valencia and 25th, but it’s got one thing the other, hipper bars in the area don’t have: a coin pusher game.

Remember dropping your mom’s hard-earned tokens into these at Chuck-E-Cheese while she sat at the table looking tired? This one, decorated with “Just for fun” decals, has a few $5 and $20 bills sprinkled in there too, upping the stakes.

We pumped at least $1.50′s worth “fun” into this baby before some dude outside used the brilliant strategy of “kicking it really hard”, which is in fact pretty easy to do considering it’s right next to the front door making for easy escape. Not that it mattered. Even after this thing let off a shrill alarm sound upon being assaulted, nobody (including the bartender) payed any mind and the guy casually collected his “winnings”.

He kicked it like 3 more times and probably made at least $3.50 for his trouble. Then he proceeded to play the game legitimately with his ill-gotten quarters, continuing the circle of life.

Not bad, but I think he could still learn something from these kids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUAfIcUnxsY

Jason from Popo’s Pizza, the new pizzeria on 24th and Bartlett, invited us down to taste their pizza and drink beer last night. We like pizza and beer. We also like free things. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse (stay tuned for another Godfather reference).

Here’s some general information: Popo’s got it’s start in West Oakland where it has received some undeniably good reviews. Pizza chef Charles Hopkins (who for some reason introduced himself as “Jay”) is a graduate from the SF Culinary Institute and he makes his dough fresh daily. They are closing up the West Oakland location and moving here. He won’t only be serving pizza, either. Jay seems to have a thing for rotisserie-ing every kind of animal, so expect that to come a few weeks after opening day. Apparently, he makes some killer ribs.

On to the pizza, which is what we all really care about right now. Jay’s pizzas are definitely his own creations. If you’re looking for the NY-style Arinell killer, you wont find it here. But hey, not all pizza needs to taste like New York, right? Besides, we already have an Arinell. Bagels, I would argue, do need to taste like NY.

I realize that unconventional ingredients like BBQ chicken, mango, squash, and fresh-sliced gouda scream “California Pizza Kitchen”, but I thought it was tasty and the ingredients were of surprisingly high quality. We sampled  a few pies: “BBQ Pesto Chicken”, “Mango Prosciutto”, “Muzu”, and  ”Ham and Smoked Gouda Goodness”.

When Jay rushed over to drizzle truffle oil over my slice claiming he forgot to do so earlier I said, “that’s cheating”. But I’m not one to turn truffle oil down, so I had him dump it on all my slices, thus deliciously contaminating my entire sample set. Some scientist I am. He also had a side of some pretty mind-blowing blue cheese on the side that I piled on just about everything.

Near the end of our visit, Jay brought out a surprise dessert of cannolis which were so good that I wouldn’t dream of leaving them in the car. Unfortunately, these don’t seem to be on the menu.

Overall, I really enjoyed the za. Nick and Lily thought it could have used some more salt. The guys from Mr. Pickle Sandwich Shop (who were also there for some reason) didn’t stop scarfing down slices long enough to say anything so I assume they liked it too.

That being said, it’s not a quick grab-and-go slice spot common to the area. Their smallest offering is a $7.50 personal 7″ pizza. All their pizzas are priced the same ranging from $22.50 for a 14″ to $26.50 for an 18″. Due to the thinness and softness of the crust, I don’t think it will fill you up as much as a similarly priced Zante pizza (my go-to take out pizza) but will definitely be an interesting departure in terms of flavors. However, their pies to come with free salad and dessert, so that’s a bonus.

The restaurant is still under construction, but they expect to open tomorrow (Friday). Here’s the menu: Page 1, Page 2.