An occasional collection of bites. Have you eaten anything good or bad, or seen a good scene while you munched? Send in your short bites to missionlocal@gmail.com. Full names only.
A crunchy-noodle-beef-and-a-lot-of-veggies dish from Thanh Tam II, authentic Vietnamese food (577 Valencia). I might have this today. —Andrea Valencia
My first tacos in the Mission District were at Taqueria La Cumbre (16th and Valencia). I got one carne asada taco; the sizzling beef from the grill went right onto my tortilla. I also got one pollo de green chile taco, thick chicken breast chunks soaked in green spice. With a self-serve salsa bar filled with crisp radishes and spicy green salsa, my belly was quite content…and at $5 and change, so was my wallet. —John C. Osborn
Italian robiola in chestnut leaf, Rainbow Grocery (1745 Folsom). I made the mistake/fortunate accident of saying yes when someone at the Rainbow Cheese counter asked if I had any questions. My fancy cheese habit, which Rainbow is entirely responsible for, was waning in the face of baguette fatigue. Did they have any cheese that would taste good on rye bread? Did they ever. The Italian robiola wrapped in a chestnut leaf is mild, a little crumbly and tangy, and awesome on rye. —Heather Smith
Locanda SF (557 Valencia St.) is terrific, but let’s be picky. The cacio pepe needs some work — too acrid in the pepper. The trick of this dish (and I’ve both failed and succeeded) is to make the peppery taste hit with a sharp cheese — pecorino romano or a pungent sheep cheese. Neither cheese nor pepper should dominate. Yes, there are more important things in the world — until you’ve tasted this dish when it’s perfect. —Lydia Chávez
Bagel with lox, Wise Sons Deli Pop-Up (inside Heart). “You should go here,” said the elderly couple walking out of Heart. “It’s wonderful.” They instructed me to order either smoked trout or the chopped liver. I lacked courage and got the bagel with lox.
The breakdown:
Bagel: Not great, but good. Given our nationwide decline in bagel-making standards, you aren’t likely to find much better.
Chive cream cheese: Extraordinary. Better than anything I’ve had in New York. Or anywhere, come to think of it.
Lox: Good, but not sliced thin enough. I actually think the lox you can buy at the meat counter at Bi-Rite is a little better.
The pickles: Fresh, and barely pickled. They are very California, as my friend in New York pointed out when I sent him a gloating phone camera picture.
Verdict: Oh, I’ll be back.
Another take on Wise Sons:
Corned beef sandwich with chopped liver. People I spoke to inside told me they dreamed about the chopped liver, so I had to try it. It’s chopped into small pieces and doesn’t look like the most appetizing thing to eat, but it’s worth trying. Think about a great pâté on top of smoky corned beef — a great combo. —Hélène Goupil
Xanath Ice Cream (951 Valencia). I was surprised to see that there was no line on a warm Saturday afternoon, and decided to give the Tahitian coconut vanilla flavor a try — creamy texture with chunks of coconut. Xanath now on my list of places to go back to. I’m also excited about having found a place that sells vanilla beans. —Hélène Goupil.
Have you eaten anything good or bad, or seen a good scene while you munched? Send in your short bites to missionlocal@gmail.com. Full names only.