How deep underground, exactly?: At Citysearch, Patrick Heig pulls up a list of semi-underground snarf spots with a few surprises. Yep, there's the exhaustively written-about Mission Street Food and Kitchenette, but Heig adds New Orleans Original Po Boys and Pal's to the mashup. Check it out.
Suck on this: Just what you crave after a chicken dinner -- a chicken lolly, sweet, savory, and spiked with chile powder. Foodhoe's got the pics.
Pacify them with patatas bravas: What does a corporation do to quell a neighborhood's ambivalence it? Why, dispense street food, of course. Noe Valley, SF passes along a pre-opening invite from the 24th Street Whole Foods, hyping the appearance Saturday of the WF tapas truck: As a very small token of our thanks, we'd like to invite you to join us at our very own "Whole Foods Market Tapas Truck" on Saturday, September 26th from 11a-2p (really it's a Taco Truck, but we'll be serving Spanish Tapas--but you can't miss it in our parking lot.) Good to know -- if only American Apparel had thought of that.
Possibly more exciting news is that plans are in the works for a cooler-equipped bicycle to rove the Mission, Boccalone Salumi Cycle-style. Though it's still a few months out, the bike's being designed and fabricated by Inglis Cycles of Napa. The look will be retro, though we trust it'll look sturdier than the one from The Bicycle Thieves. And, well, that no one will steal it.
Building management learned of the cancellation this morning, according to one source. He speculated that the vendors' use of propane was the culprit. Namu, Tacolicious, and 4505 Meats had signed up. We're doing our own speculating here, but something tells us 4505's Ryan Farr might be relieved to have a little extra at-home time.
• On Monday, September 28, ex-Fifth Floor chef Melissa Perello (she'll be chef at Frances, slated for a fall opening) is doing a special seasonal dinner at Sebo for $55. Whatever you do, don't call Sebo; inquire about reservations at monday_night@me.com.
Experience it tomorrow night at SF Weekly's second annual Dish at City View at Metreon (101 Fourth St. at Howard), a party that mixes food, wine, and charity giving in a way that makes it that much harder to feel guilt. Who's showing up to, um, dish out all-you-can-cram eats? Some 30 restaurants, including Charles Phan's Out the Door, Sam's Chowder House, Papalote, Tres Agaves, Urban Tavern, and Fish & Farm. There'll be all-you-can-taste wines too, from the likes of Rosenblum, B.R. Cohn, and Frey. Beer and cocktails, too. Read the full list here. Check out Tamara Palmer's pic-happy report on last year's party, held at Westfield San Francisco Centre.
It'll cost you $20 to get in (21 and over only), 6:30-9:30 p.m. And since Dish is a benefit for One World Children's Fund, it's a bit like getting a party thrown for you for being all selfless. Order tix here - and start thinking what you'll be doing Friday, after that early morning sick-texting to your boss.
We should tell you there's a heavy-duty geek factor at play: Recommended attire includes Darth Vader, D&D, and old Heavy Metal t-shirts. Those who bare their geeky souls will get a prize (or punishment, depending on your POV): I Want My Mommy hot sauce, perhaps, or a side of No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition pepper plate.
Dinner is 5:30-9 p.m., and costs $60 ($78 with beer pairings) -- reserve at OpenTable, or call 345-3900. Oh, and hey, it's definitely BYOT: Bring Your Own TUMS.
Mai Le seeks to make banh mi that tweak some chord in memory, both as a kid growing up in the Viet-Am community of Azusa (Southern Cali), and in the year she spent in Ho Chi Minh City. For the past two week, the Mission dweller and Fashionist blogger has been making and delivering banh mi based on her mom's recipes and the street experience she tasted in Vietnam, where each micro-'hood had its sandwich maker, and eating one was an act of hanging out with your neighbors as much as annihilating hunger.
"I was telling a friend that I really wanted to do authentic banh mi before the crazy explosion of street food began here," Le told us. She cites housemate pressure as one of the factors that caused her call her mom to request recipes and launch Banh Mai. The proper banh mi mayo. The right way to do the carrots and daikon (in Le's opinion, the most important part of the Vietnamese sandwich) - not grated, but cut into lithe strips on a Japanese mandolin slicer. She scores rolls (they contain a small proportion of rice flour) baked by Bui Phong bakery in San Jose. They're typical for Vietnamese sandwiches, but there's little else about Le's creations that's typical of sandwich-shop banh mi, including the $7 price.We stopped by Le's flat last night to buy a few - she's making chicken banh mi this week. (The banh mi -- including vegan and vegetarian versions --- are available for delivery Weds. and Thu., between 11:so a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; pickups are possible. Follow Le's tweets to find out about minimums, and the how and when of ordering.)
The still-warm pâté was an adaptation of Le's mom's pork version: ground chicken and chicken livers, with a faintly yeasty shadow of fish sauce. Fantastic. The meat proper was chicken floss -- cha bon - boiled chicken shredded and cooked in a dry wok until chewy and slightly crisp. A huge handful of cilantro leaves and stems. Slivers of jalapeño.
The all-important pickled daikon-carrot mix came on the side, in a baggy -- we added it just before devouring in a nearby park, so the sandwiches wouldn't sog. Amazing. And, as far as we're concerned, worth every buck.
