Mission Mission

This, and the full linguistic deconstruction at MrEricSir.

The Mission SF Federal Credit Union will loan you up to $2500 to buy a bike and the interest rate works out to less than half of what you would pay on your maxed-out credit card. So now is the time to hit the “buy” button on that painstakingly customized, feminine colored single-speed that’s been sitting in your Mission Bicycle cart.

Get the scoop at SF Appeal.

This Mission’s own Revolution Cafe and Zeitgeist were singled out as two of the meanest SF bars in this City Brights post by Harmon Leon. Hey, stop laughing! He’s a really sensitive guy, and they hurt his feelings. Mr. Leon, who at the time of this post was on the phone crying to his mommy, was not available to comment.

Seriously, though. Don’t be mean. Best jerked-around-by-Zeitgeist-’tenders story gets a bloody mary on me.

(via Brizz @ Uptown Almanac)

Concerned Guajolote breaks it down:

Just to quantify there are 2800 hits for “pico de gallo” in the .mx domain, referring mostly to a kind of fruit salad, and 2000 in the .co.uk domain; by comparison there are 263,000 hits for “chile en escabeche” in .mx and precisely 1 in .co.uk. “Pico de gallo” is a bit of a gringo shibboleth, not sure why. Anyway it is good to see attention to the severe mexican food shortages in the mission, tacos are not personally where I would put the emphasis (you can kind of get them in spots), but we are really lacking in the following categories, where the percentages are market share/availability:

Fondas: 20% in Mexico, 0% in Mission
Tacos: 30% in Mexico, 15% in Mission
Quesadillas*: 25% in Mexico, 0.0000% in Mission
Restaurantes: 10% in Mex, 3% in Mission bc of places like Regalito and Poc Chuc
Puestitos: 15% Mexico, .5% Mission

Quite a market niche, whoever wants to bring the other 80% of Mexican food to the virgin streets of the Mission.

*By quesadilla I mean some ingredients wrapped in masa and dropped in a fryer and that has either huitlacoche or flor de calabaza

Is it too late for Mr. Guajolote to make a run for mayor?

Previously:

Everything You Know About Quesadillas Is Wrong

LOVE this. Who else is pumped about Lollapalooza?

Thanks for sharing, Jess!

Well would you look at that. For as long as I can remember, it’s been “Bomb y Ice Creamery“. I guess they they got sick of Spanish-speaking folks asking for explosive ordnance with a side of ice cream.

Anyone get pictures of it being installed?

Previously:

All-You-Can-Eat Indian Buffet Now at Bombay Ice Creamery

“Oh wow. We got caught in the resulting traffic jam along Cesar Chavez on Monday about 5:30pm,” says a comment on this photo by Telstar Logistics.

Previously:

Honda Vs. Lamppost

Moving Van Vs. Garage

Car Vs. Bank

This will not end well.

This one is easy.  Instead of wasting time with salty peanuts and stale pretzels, why not take a page from the book at Tropico’s, a classy Tijuana joint?  Here we have caliente peanuts, wafers smothered in Valentina hot sauce, and Japanese peanuts.  Bartender professionals, we can make this happen, right?

[Photo courtesy of Phil Strnad]

Dear El Farolito, Cancun, El Metate, Pancho Villa, et al (except for you Cu Co’s–we’re still cool):

We’ve been through a lot together and I definitely still love you, but I think we need to have a little talk.  You see, I strayed a bit too far this past weekend, and now I’m not sure I can ever go back.  Hey, please don’t cry.  Let me explain.

Waking up to Tijuana sunshine the morning after playing a show with a bunch of Mexican hardcore kids, there was nothing I wanted more than a taco.  And wow, just like Bo knows baseball, Tijuana knows tacos.

Now that’s a taco.  Basically a metric shit ton of marinated shrimp sizzled in spices and served with a dixie cup of tortilla soup broth, a pile of just-fried tortillas (see what they did there?), a monstrous bag of still-hot tortilla chips, ridiculously fresh Pico de Gallo, and the best green avocado salsa that I’ve ever had.  Commenting on the price might seem insensitive given the harsh economic realities of our trade policies, but rest assured the whole thing was cheap as hell.

Even the corner taco stands had the right idea.  You walk up, sit down, and order a few.  The taco chef (love that phrase) slices a few pieces of pastor from his shawarma skewer and tosses it onto the grill.  A minute later he throws it on a tortilla already deftly dipped in the grease catcher and serves it with plentiful portions of guacamole and grilled onions.  You pile on some salsa as you sit on a stool at the stand and satiate the stretch receptors in your belly.

If that doesn’t quite do the trick, simply ask the gentlemen for a few more and he’ll go through the process again.  Once you’ve had enough, tell him how many you’ve had, pay your tab*, dismount your stool, and confidently walk away, leaving fellow patrons muttering in disbelief over the amount of habanero salsa that damn gringo was able to stomach.

*Tijuana taquerias and carts all seem to operate on the honor system.  Even places that have counters and seating.  Go ask  the dude for two tacos and he’ll just give them to you.  Finish them and ask for two more.  Keep doing it.  Once you’re stuffed, saunter over to the counter (not always close in proximity to the taco guys and always staffed by different people) and tell them how many you’ve had.  They multiply that by a dollar (or 12 pesos, the going rate for tacos these days), you pay, and everyone is happy.  I’m not saying this would work in the Mission (it wouldn’t), but it was still neat.