Away from the seagulls and tourist-driven-organic-local-seasonal-sustainable-hubbub that is the Saturday morning Ferry Plaza Farmers Market at the Ferry Building, there is another farmers market going on. At the Alemany Farmers Market, also known these days as "The People's Market," you swap the magical Bay Bridge views for equally magical vistas of the 101-280 interchange. More importantly, El Huarache Loco is one of the food vendors.
As one of the original La Cocina graduates in 2005, the stand offers its famed huitlacoche huarache only on Saturdays and Sundays at the Alemany Farmers Market and Flea Market in the city, though owner Veronica Salazar has expanded across the Golden Gate to Larkspur's Marin Country Mart.
The obligatory comment on a huarache is that it looks like its Spanish namesake: a sandal. It sort of does, but a more accurate description is that of a barely puffed, horizontally stretched, oval. Either way, it's a denser masa tortilla than the ones used for tacos, but not close to a tamale's thickness. The most similar comparison would be sopes. A huarache's unique shape really displays itself after a quick visit to a skillet — the edges crisp up in tortilla chip-fashion and the center resembles a lightly charred gnocchi. At El Huarache Loco, the masa gets filled with black beans and rings up for $7.50.
It's no wonder huitlacoche is often considered Mexico's "truffle," sans the trained pigs and 1,000-euro price tags. El Huarache Loco's version is superb, bolstered by a blast of cilantro, loose corn kernels, a mild chipotle-evoking smoky salsa, onions, and smooth, tangy queso fresco. Ask for just a touch of sour cream so it doesn't cover up the gentle profile of the huitlacoche.
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