Rincon Nayarit — seafood from Mexico’s western coastline in SF’s Mission!
A “marisquería” is a restaurant specializing in seafood — fish, shellfish, crustaceans — and Rincon Nayarit does that but also from a specific region —...
Maria C. Ascarrunz
Stories by Maria
Cozy La Santaneca de la Mission proves worth the wait
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Editor’s Note 9/25/17: La Santaneca is being honored by the Mayor’s Office for 2017 Latino Heritage Month as a Latino Heritage Business. “La Santaneca de...
Review: Souvla — Opa!
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Souvla opened its third San Francisco storefront in the Mission (the other two are in Hayes Valley and NoPa) just this year. It’s part of...
Red Balloon — Comida Nica in the Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
I started writing these reviews with the goal of bringing under-reported, mom-and-pop/hole-in-the-wall places to the attention of new Missionites, so that they could appreciate what...
Tuba Restaurant & Grill – Turkish Flair in the Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Tuba opened in 2010, and it’s become a mainstay neighborhood favorite. I tried it shortly after it opened with some out-of-town friends. I really wasn’t...
Sunflower Vietnamese – an old friend rises again!
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
What, another Vietnamese resto review? But wait – it’s not just any Vietnamese place… it’s Sunflower! Risen again from its oh-too-long hibernation! We’ve been going...
Media Noche – Cubanismo!
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
You know, even without a single Cuban in sight, Media Noche isn’t half bad. In fact, it’s more than half good. I grew up eating...
Universal Café – Old Timer in the Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Universal may look like a new gentrifier, with its line of single-20-somethings, baby-carriage-pushing-30-something-brunch-goers, and its airy/chic/industrial/schoolhouse interior, but I’ll have you know that they’ve been...
Mau Viet Kitchen – Modern Vietnamese
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Mau’s website says it was conceived by a couple of families, one a San Francisco local with Vietnamese roots, and another who just wanted to...
Mi Yucatan – New Mayan restaurant in the Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Mi Yucatan has only been around since August of 2015, but it’s another one of those places that already feels like an instant oldie-but-goodie. A...
Review: Garçon – Petite Paris dans Le Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Get ready to gain some weight with me… I can’t help but overindulge when I go to Garçon. I’ve been coming here regularly for the...
Mi Lindo Peru – old school Peruano!
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
People sometimes complain when I review new places, and I get it. The reason I started this gig was to highlight all the places in...
Bayou Creole Kitchen – casual New Orleans in the Mission
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
Bayou opened a little over two months ago, and I was drawn to it because I already knew Chef Arthur Wall’s food. Wall has been...
Evergreen Garden – Vietnamese old faithful
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
I’ve driven by Evergreen for many years and never stopped in. The outside almost looks like someone’s low-slung house, maybe a house that hasn’t been...
San Jalisco – an oldie and a goodie!
By Maria C. Ascarrunz Posted
San Jalisco started out as the New Central Café, in the 50s, located on 14th Street, one of two restaurants Anita and Vicente Padilla opened...