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.
Holy Etouffée at Dante’s Weird Fish. I was curious to try the recently reopened restaurant, and although the etouffee was a little salty for my taste (and I usually eat salty), I wasn’t disappointed. It’s made with okra, dirty rice, onions, peppers and celery. Friends tried the tuna tartare, which was very good, and the Dijon mustard-encrusted rainbow trout, also good. — Hélène Goupil
Carne asada burrito and chips, and fresh-roasted tomato and chile asado, from Casa Sanchez, 2778 24th St. I appreciated the fresh ingredients in my super carne asada burrito. The memorable part of the meal, however, was the fresh-roasted tomato and chile asado sauce. I’ve had their pico de gallo and their hot salsa roja before, but this one is the best. — Rigoberto Hernandez
Pabellon arepa and yuca fries at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. Everything I’ve had at Pica Pica so far has been good, and given that gluten-free places are hard to come by, it’s an easy choice when I’m having dinner with my sister. This time I tried the pabellon — shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains and queso fresco — in an arepa. Tasty but very filling. The passion fruit sangria was also very good. — Hélène Goupil
Cobb salad at Dolores Park Cafe. A nice place to have a salad on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and the salad tasted fresh. A mix of different types of lettuce tossed with a vinaigrette, blue cheese, bits of bacon and avocado — a filling salad that’s probably a little too good to be very healthy. — Hélène Goupil
Tahitian vanilla and coconut, and espresso ice cream at Xanath Ice Cream, 951 Valencia St. If you don’t feel like braving the lines at other popular ice cream shops in the neighborhood, try this place. There’s rarely a line and the ice cream is very good. Their specialty is vanilla, and with every purchase you get a free vanilla bean. When you get home, add it to your jar of sugar for a little vanilla flavor. — Hélène Goupil