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.
Philharmonic at Philz Coffee. I’ve been to about every Philz Coffee in the Bay Area except the original location in the Mission. I finally made my way over this morning, and was warmly greeted by a whiff of freshly brewed coffee and spunky baristas. Glad I found a familiar spot for a much-needed cup of joe (er, Phil?). — Yousur Alhlou
Gravenstein apple cake with whipped sour cream and several beers at The Abbot’s Cellar (742 Valencia St.). I am generally not into paying $9 for a dessert, but the apple cake at the six-week-old beer heaven of a restaurant (sibling to mainstay Mission spot The Monk’s Kettle) was a great topper to a night of supremely well-curated beers. The cake portion was perfect for two people looking for a little nosh, and was well balanced with whipped cream. But this place is really about the beer. At the server’s behest, I started with a Pivo pilsner from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. According to the aforementioned server, The Abbot’s Cellar is currently the only place you can find it on draft outside of Firestone’s taproom. I kept the Firestone Walker going with a bottled IPA called Union Jack. Both were light and full of complex flavors. With an ever-changing draft and bottle list, The Abbot’s Cellar has a beer for everybody, in any mood. — Carly Nairn
My favorite dish-of-the-moment is #22, stir-fried corn and peppers, at Mission Chinese Food. The menu lists the ingredients as sweet corn, shishitos (mild sweet green peppers), country ham and chili. Stir-frying the corn with the shishitos and country ham suffuses the dish with an addictive smokiness. Once we tasted, we kept dipping back into it. The chili and peppers don’t torch your tastebuds; rather, the effect is one of sweet, savory heat. The dish is $10 and the generous portion made an ample side dish for a family party of four. Sweeter still: the thought that 75 cents of every entree sold goes to the San Francisco Food Bank. The restaurant’s website tallies $133,830 in charitable gifts to date. — Marilyn Chase
Over-easy eggs with a cup of saucy black beans at La Taza. Sometimes I just crave a normal, simple breakfast. Nothing fancy — no polenta or plantains — just plain fried eggs and coffee. You would think that would be easy to find, but typically the eggs are either too greasy or come with a lot of sides that bring the price up to $8. Well, not at La Taza, my new favorite place. I usually get two eggs, over easy, for $4.95, with a cup of black beans and toast. You can get them with either a cup of fruit or house potatoes. — Andrea Valencia
Special veggie sushi roll and natto (Japanese fermented soybeans) at Minako Organic. I never see this place open, so when I saw people walking inside one evening, I figured I should follow. I was rewarded with one of the tastiest vegetarian sushi rolls of my life: avocado and yam tempura on the inside, grilled eggplant wrapped on the outside, all smothered in a special sauce. The homemade natto was a surprising treat as well. With sushi rolls priced at $12-$17 each, I don’t think I’ll go back often, but I’ll certainly keep it in my memory. — Molly Roy
Burger at Frjtz. I usually go to Frjtz for mussels and, unsurprisingly, french fries, but this time I was in the mood for a burger. Unfortunately, I left wishing I had ordered the mussels … the burger was fine but nothing to write home about. — Hélène Goupil