Mission Mission

Just in case you’re like me and Banksy Fever™ still wasn’t enough for you to get out and see Exit Through the Gift Shop, it’s playing at the Roxie through Thursday. Showtimes are at 8:30pm.

It’s hard to believe that our favorite warehouse-occupying, wifi-hating, coffee-snob-making coffee house is only 2 years old today. Happy Birthday, Four Barrel!

To celebrate, they are pouring free coffee until 4pm.

[Hat tip: Mission Loc@l]

I happened upon a photo this morning that threatened to turn the whole Mission upside-down.  Geographic cues indicated that it was taken merely down the street on Valencia, so I just had to investigate, questionable grammar aside.

First, a little back story:  I’ve been searching for a dependable Vietnamese sandwich spot in the Mission for quite a while now, but to no avail.  My interest was especially piqued by the whole street cart movement that started last summer, but the hours of the mobile banh mi vendors were just a little too irregular for my taste.  Which brings us to today . . .

The mystery spot in question predictably turned out to be Thanh Tam II, the other Vietnamese restaurant.  You know, the one you go to on those rare days when the wait for Sunflower looks to be over 30 minutes.  The host gave me the choice of chicken, beef, or pork, but informed me the price would be $5.50 rather than $5.  Nonetheless, I ordered a pork to go and headed back home.

The sandwich was amply packed with a generous assortment of carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapenos, and onions (but no daikon).  Also absent was any sort of pate lining, which would have deftly complimented the well-marinated, tangy pork cuts.  Instead, only mayonnaise coated the bun, which was a perfectly flaky roll similar to those used by the Saigon ladies.  Size-wise, the sandwich looked to be about the same as its Tenderloin counterpart, although it didn’t feel quite as hefty.

To be fair, it was their first day serving banh mi, so they still have some time to work out the kinks.  I do see a lot of potential, however.  All in all, it’s definitely nice to finally have a go-to Vietnamese sandwich alternative here in the Mission, even if we have to pay an extra $2 convenience fee.

[Initial Photo by pagedesign]

Previously:

Inside the Banh Mi Cart Test Kitchen

Banh Mi by Mai

Last Tuesday’s record-breaking hot weather forced many Mission residents to find their own way to deal with the heat, whether it was ironically complaining about how hot it was despite complaining about how cold it was the previous week, or seeking refuge in Dolores Park only to have the party broken up by police.

A few enterprising residents instead decided to take matters into their own hands and held their own Crooklyn-style water party courtesy of a neighborhood fire hydrant.  Luckily, our pal Elizabeth was on the scene and managed to capture the fun!  Why couldn’t the hipsters think of this?

(Thanks Elizabeth!)

Apparently a change is coming at . . . The  . . . um . . . Elbo . . . uh . . . I’m really thirsty for some reason.

Daniel Rehn saw this in SOMA and thought of us. How sweet.

MEGA UPDATE!!!  We talked to Claire for the whole story!

SUPER UPDATE!!!  CREDIT CLAIRE WITH THE PHOTO!!!  ROCK STAR!!!

UPDATE!!!!  WE HAVE A PHOTO!  THANKS RACHEL!!!

Truthfully, our buddy Aaron gave us the scoop back on Saturday, but due to a hectic schedule we were only just able to follow up on corroborating the rumor.  Anyway, we finally spoke with the staff and confirmed that Lady Gaga herself did indeed indulge in a sausage from Rosamunde on Mission at 24th when she happened to be in the Bay Area last Thursday for a show in San Jose.

The pop sensation was in a playful mood, possibly due to imbibing several signature beverages along with her bratwurst [ed. we actually don't know what kind of meat she was eating, but we could ask if you care enough].  She was with her “boyfriend” who also kept reminding her that they had dinner reservations at 7pm at some fancy restaurant downtown.

We have no idea why Gaga insisted on a sausage right before dinner, or how no one thought to snap a picture of her during the duration of her stay (Nice work, CLAIR).  For what it’s worth, only one member of the staff recognized her at all, with one coworker for instance simply dismissomg her as just another “professional.”

We do however know for a fact that Lady Gaga picked up one of those charming Rosamunde t-shirts, so look for her to be wearing that at her next TMZ reveal.  We’ll have accounts from more people who were there coming up soon, so stay tuned if you feel the need to get your paparazzi on.

First it was a monster, then some kind of pipe smoking official, and now I’ve discovered a bro dog hiding beneath our feet.

Walking by this, I couldn’t help but notice that it was actually . . .

Anybody else?

I’m not sure how I missed this one, but Potential Past, or “Brian” as some people call him, grabbed an amazing pic of an amazing street the other night.

Click on these words and view it as it should be seen.

Seeing as how our analytics are telling me that people who are searching for “18th Street Block Party” are constantly being referred to this post about the same block party from two years ago, we felt it would be prudent to provide a little bit of an update.

If you’re not busy from 12-5pm this Saturday, August 28th, 2010, stop by 18th Street between Guerrero and Dolores for the 2nd Bi-Annual Party on Block 18.  There’ll be tasty bites from all sorts of local vendors and restaurants (like Delfina Pizzeria, Out the Door, and Kasa, the Indian place up the street), a pie-baking contest (categories are fruit and other–who knows what savory concoctions will be revealed?), and beer from the SF Brewers Guild (no need to rely on Cold Beer, Cold Water, as Andrew Dalton points out).  All the proceeds go to benefit the Women’s Building (and their daring rooftop dancers), BuenDia Family School, 826 Valencia, Next Course, and Pie Ranch.

Also, I don’t think they will be roasting a whole pig this time around (that photo was from the festivities two years ago), so the actual party should be safe for vegans–unlike this post!

[Photo by Denise]