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.
El Castillito versus Cancun. First of all, Castillito has a salsa bar: fresh, spicy and non-spicy. Cancun doesn’t — they have decided that your order can only have a very very spicy pico de gallo and a bright-colored green guacasalsa. The burritos and quesadillas at Castillito are my favorite, and you never have to wait in line! The *only* plus to Cancun is the musicians who make the burrito-eating experience that much more enjoyable. — Andrea Valencia
Mac and cheese at Radish — delicious! It’s $4.50 for a small appetizer, but it’s the perfect companion to Allagash White beer. — Claudia Escobar
The Mission Heat hamburger at Urbun Burger (581 Valencia St.). It’s the best hamburger I’ve had in the Mission so far (I’ve yet to try the famous Mission burger). It comes complete with sauteed green chilies, grilled onions, jalapeno jack cheese, fresh jalapeno and chipotle aioli. It adds a hint of spiciness that I didn’t know I wanted in a hamburger. Another upside, at least for someone who doesn’t work in tech, is the price: $9.50. Sold. — Rigoberto Hernandez
Grilled smoked wild boar sausage with housemade sauerkraut and potato salad at Schmidt’s. The smoked wild boar sausage was so flavorful and perfect with the sweeter mustard. I hadn’t eaten potato salad since I was a kid, and now I don’t know if it’s always so good or if it’s just so good here. The space has a really nice sort of out-in-the-country feel to it. I would definitely go again. Next time I’d like to try the pea pancakes. — Hannah Chavez
Seafood paella at Picaro Tapas Restaurant (3120 16th St.). I had never had the pleasure of eating paella, a traditional Spanish dish. That changed on Friday, when I had the seafood paella at Picaro’s, and let me tell you, I became a believer. I was told by more knowledgeable foodies and a Spaniard that the rice was too soggy. I enjoyed every bite of it, but maybe that was because I was around great people. On that note, this dish is best eaten with a group, as it is quite large. — Rigoberto Hernandez
Turkey club sandwich at Cafe Zazo on 14th Street near Folsom. If you’ve ever walked around Rainbow Grocery, you know that good lunch options are hard to come by. Actually, good lunch options can be hard to find anywhere in the Mission. I may be getting picky, but I like trying different places, and many good restaurants only open at 5 p.m. So for those of you who are considering venturing into the restaurant business, think lunch! But let’s get back to Cafe Zazo. I was expecting crunchy bacon and grilled toast. Instead I got a lot of turkey and a lot of melted cheese on a sourdough roll. Not your typical turkey club, but not bad either. Tables outside are a plus. — Hélène Goupil
Carrot salad and mint lemonade from Old World Food Truck at Mission Dispatch. We get excited about new lunch options around here (see above), so when I heard there were new food trucks coming our way, I let my fellow Mission Loc@lers know and we headed out. The shredded carrot salad with raisins was very good — so good that I wish it could have been my main meal, but alas, it was the size of a side. The mint lemonade was a welcome drink on a hot day. Want to read and see more? Click here to view a slideshow — Hélène Goupil