Have you eaten anything particularly good or bad lately, or seen a good scene while you were munching? Send in your short bites to missionlocal@gmail.com. Full names only.
Carnitas Taco Plate at El Metate. I’ve come to love the taco plates at El Metate since one can only handle so many burritos. “Carnitas” seems to be different things to different people, and at El Metate it’s an extremely savory, borderline too-salty, heaping portion of marinated shredded pork. Two tacos on the plate with so much goodness you have to eat half of it with a fork. The sides are what make the plate though: refried beans, rice, guacamole, salad, and crema, plus warm homemade chips and the salsa bar here may be one of the best in the Mission (fruit, cucumber, chipotle, and several others). – Carlisle Haworth
Grilled Mac N’ Cheese Sandwich at Benders on South Van Ness and 19th streets. The free Black Cobra show and cheap whiskey drinks may have hooked me, but it was the grilled mac n’ cheese sandwich and tater tots that reeled me in. If you’re anything like me, a poor, vegetarian college student, this sandwich will blow your standard grilled cheese sandwhich diet out of the water. Health conscious consumers may scoff at the dollar extra bacon option, but this meal is definitely worth the splurge. – Jessica Goss
Carnitas Benedictos and Pork Belly Donuts at the Sycamore on Mission and Sycamore Streets. I had heard that the Sycamore had a good brunch so I’ve been dying to try it. We ate our meal in their awesome patio. It is small, but there was plenty of sunshine and available seats. The place had neighborhood people, techies fueling up for a day of sports and some people who looked like they just came out of the club. We ordered the Carnitas Benedictos, which is sopes topped with carnitas, a poached egg, roasted jalapeño hollandaise, pico de gallo and cotija chese. It was fine, nothing memorable. If you want something greasy to soak up the alcohol try the pork belly donuts. They were deadly good, but I only ate one to protect my heart. We didn’t have their $12 bottomless Mimosa’s because we had to work that day, but the servers were very good about refilling empty glasses. – Rigoberto Hernandez
Pasta with Seafood at Fiore Caffè on the corner of 24th and Guerrero . This is a new neighborhood place with a great feel to it – large front windows and a minimalist space. I overheard someone at another table saying, “this has become our new neighborhood cafe.” I can see why. It is lovely with a great interior and yummy food starting with the arancini or rice ball appetizer. This is something I would generally not eat, but knowing it is a Sicilian specialty I wanted to try it and I’m glad I did. It was dangerously good as was the pasta…only the Italians can turn simple ingredients – mussels, clams, parsley and shrimp – into a to-die-for feast. Definitely a spot to try. – Lydia Chávez
Octopus Carpaccio at Bar Bambino. If you’re looking for a great dinner for a special occasion, this is a good spot. Great wines, kir royal cocktails, and a carpaccio unlike any others. Think thin slices of octopus terrine with a mint, lemon and toasted paprika flakes. It was so good, I could have made it my entire meal. The smoked salmon flat bread and the raviolis–simple and fresh ingredients. If you’re ordering wine, try the Stefano Antonucci Marche Rosso 2008, it’s a mix of Cabernet, Merlot and Montepulciano. – Hélène Goupil
Yum, I want to try all of these dishes ASAP!