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.
Mission Chinese Food: A new vegetarian dish from one of the few places in town that makes vegetarian food with actual spices. One of our other writers raved about it, but the cold sesame noodles in soy milk with fermented radish kimchi and chrysanthemum was, alas, a little meek and not the umami bomb that I have come to crave from MCF. It’s cool. I’ll always have the Sichuan pickles. Especially since Mark Bittman printed the recipe. — Heather Smith
I went to Foreign Cinema at Mission and 21st for the first time recently. For starters, the place has a great ambiance, especially out on the patio where movies are screened on the wall after dusk. The menu is pricey but there are a few options for those on a tight budget. The best time to enjoy the patio and its romantic lighting is after dusk. The place is loud (it is always packed) but tolerable. You can also take your own wine to the table but you will have to pay a hefty corkage fee. You’ll get plenty of bread with your meal, though.
I got duck, a dish that costs close to $30. The verdict: Delicious. I was surprised by how good it was, and thought it was worth the price. I would recommend this place for couples looking for a romantic European dining experience and willing to pay for it. A meal for two will cost $70 without drinks. This is definitely the only place I would pay $30 for a meal in the Mission. — Octavio Lopez Raygoza
The best caldo de res is at San Jalisco, or what used to be Los Jarritos, on 20th and South Van Ness. It boosts your immune system like crazy (or at least that’s what I’ve experienced when I feel like I’m getting sick). It’s $7.95, and you get chips and salsa, tortillas, a container with arroz rojo and pico de gallo and, of course, the caldo, with big pieces of tender meat and veggies. — Andrea Valencia
The vegetarian noodle soup at Sunflower Vietnamese on Valencia and 16th is one of the best comfort food dishes in the Mission. They really pile on the veggies: zucchini, yellow summer squash, mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, red bell pepper, cabbage, broccoli and sometimes chard. Add lime, bean sprouts, peppers and basil and you’ve got a delicious, healthy soup that only costs about $7.50. — Rachel Parker
Wise Sons Jewish Deli’s babka french toast. You can get one slice for $6, but you will want to get two for $9. The homemade chocolate babka slices are toasty and warm, with cool cream and sliced peaches on top. Get your fix on Saturdays at Heart Wine Bar on Valencia. — Amy Choi
Arizmendi’s zucchini and garlic foccacia: When I first tasted the pizza from the new Arizmendi, after years of pilgrimages to the East Bay Arizmendi and the Cheeseboard (part of the same cooperative, but with a different name), I wanted to mount a full journalistic investigation into why it was so bad. A cooperative freely shares equipment and information. And their pastries were great — as good as the other locations. So why? Right? Right?
It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t describe it as exactly good, either. It tasted like OK pizza made with good ingredients, then left in a toaster oven on low for a few weeks before being served.
Then, one rainy night when I was really hungry, I stopped by Arizmendi to find a rack filled with squash and garlic foccacia, still warm from the oven. I bought one. Suddenly it no longer seemed like an offense that the Mission has no truly great pizza by the slice. And that’s the story of how I became a foccacia stalker. — Heather Smith