Tag Archives: event

Street Food Festival Tomorrow!

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The fad that’s sweeping the city, that swept the world since Roman times, is sweeping Folsom Street, between 25th and 26th this Saturday. The first annual San Francisco Street Food Festival [LINK] will occur this Saturday, August 22 from 11am to 7pm in front of La Cocina.

Some of the touted vendors include:

Absinthe: Cheddar-cheese corn nut brittle, Jamie’s famous hot dog, Peach and sage shrub

Aziza: Squid salad with maras pepper, preserved lemon, cabbage, mint and cilantro, Moroccan “taco”: flatbread with harissa and braised beef cheeks (as well as a vegetarian version)

Bi-Rite Creamery: Strawberry Popsicle, Ice Cream Sundae

Chaac Mool: Handmade organic corn tortillas with slow-roasted and achiote rubbed pork shoulder, Yucatecan sandwiches with milk and cinnamon braised pork, Agua de Jamaica

Delfina/Pizzeria Delfina: Zeppole: fried pizza dough with mascarpone pastry cream, Pizza Fritta: fried calzone filled with escarole, pine nuts and olives, Limonciata

El Buen Comer: Tacos de Guisados; Rajas con Crema, Torta con Mole Verde, Agua de Horchata

El Huarache Loco: Tacos Alhambre: Mexico-City style tacos with carne asada, longaniza, bacon, grilled onions and peppers, Huarache con Nopales; Corn masa cake with cactus salad or steak, Watermelon Agua Fresca

Endless Summer Sweets: Clairesquares: Deep Fried Clairesquares, Funnel cake with strawberries and cream

Estrellita’s Snacks: Salvadoran Plantain Cake, Pupusa Loca (or mixed vegetarian pupusa), Ensalada Salvadorena (Mixed Tropical Drink)

Heaven’s Dog/Slanted Door: Vegetarian Steamed Bun, Lemongrass pork vermicelli bowl, Lychee-infused iced tea and las palmalitas ranch organic lemonade

Kasa Indian Eatery: Pav Bhaji; Spicy potato on grilled white buns with crunchy red onions, Kati Roll; Flaky buttery roti wrapped around charbroiled chicken or spicy cauliflower, Mango Lassi

Laiola: Gypsy pepper gazpacho with almonds, grapes & tarragon, Heirloom tomato “tomàquet” with grilled bread, Summer melon agua fresca

La Mar Cebicheria: Sanguche de Jamon Norteno: Slow-roasted pork leg served on an acme roll with salsa criolla, Ceviche Clasico; Mahi-Mahi served in a lime juice marinade with habanero, nectarines and sweet potato, Chicha Morada

Onigilly: Onigilly; Savory Japanese Rice Balls with Either Teriyaki Chicken or Marinated Eggplant, A Sweet! Handmade Kika’s Treats S’mores. Green Tea

Poleng Lounge: Balinese lamb and pork satay sampi on lemongrass skewer, Vietnamese style BBQ oysters with rendered bacon-scallion oil and lemon pepper sauce, Calamantea (Mactan Island iced tea with pineapple and calamansi)

Sabores del Sur: Chilean Beef or Vegetarian Empanadas, Anticuchos Chilenos; Marinated New York Strip and Beef Heart with Potatoes (or no heart if you please), Chicha

Zella’s Soulful Kitchen: Local Corn with Homemade Honey Butter, Pulled BBQ Chicken Sammie with Spicy Slaw, Southern Sweet Tea

Every dish is going to cost under $8. There is no charge for admission. I plan to attend with a posse, but I have to say that I’m a little skeptical about this whole thing. There are a lot of restaurants featured in that list, but where are the real street food vendors? Where’s El Tonayense? How about Little Skillet? Any of the Thursday farmer’s market superstars, like 4505 Meats, Pizza Politana, RoliRoti, Tacolicious? I’m just saying…..seems like it’d be a different vibe if we could actually get the street food vendors to a street food festival!

Meatpaper at Camino [Fight for your Corndog!]

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The other night I was invited by  my friend Yaella to join her for round three of my birthday celebrations at an event sponsored by Meatpaper magazine. The main draw for me was an opportunity to enjoy a growing trend of the whole-animal movement. Creative chefs find ways to utilize the entire animal in their cuisine, saving waste and pushing the limits of their skills. Pork was to be butchered and served. I was excited as there simply is no better animal to dissect and consume as a whole.

Upon arriving we were greeted and told there was liquor in the front, meat in the back. We queued up for some fancy cocktails that went down way too easily. I immediately noticed that there were way way too many people for my liking. When it comes to food events you’ve got to have a lot of passed nibbles or I’ll start to get surly. It seemed like everybody was well on their way to being surly.

There were buffet tables set up that had scant traces of pork, by means of Fatted Calf terrine, which was rustic and earthy – they never disappoint. Further down the table there was a curious vegetarian offering of potato salad next to a snap pea and asparagus salad. They were tasty and plentiful, but not why anyone had come. Lastly there were unidentified slices of Perbaco salumi of various hues and a bacon marshmallow that Yaella and I agreed would be best served on top of a sweet potato or root vegetable soup. I kept thinking to myself, if this is all we’re eating the natives will get restless.

Camino has a kicking kitchen. I’ve yet to eat off their regular menu, but I suspect I’ll return just to witness their use of the screaming fire pit. Apparently there was some butchering at one point in the evening. That would have been nice to see. Now, there was only a sea of people jostling, reaching and scavenging. It wasn’t pretty. At one point I saw a tray of five corn dogs sneak over the counter and a fight nearly broke out. A massive guy lunged over a spritely hippy chick as she slid the last dog from the tray and darted into the crowd. He looked like he was going to hit her.

This went on for another hour or so until I gave up hope that we would eat at all. I did manage to try some of the pork loin crostini (I think) and some lard-laced cookies. One benefit of everyone hovering at the kitchen was that the bar remained relatively empty. I got shitfaced.

Ultimately we toughed it out and enjoy some solid East-Bay people. But in the end we were still hungry so we slogged across the bridge and ended the night at Beretta!