People in San Francisco love their Mexican food. Luckily for me, they were also more than happy to tell me of their favourite place and what they recommend.
However, be warned - if you are asking a group of people where to find the best taco/burrito etc shit could get nasty.
People will fight to the death about crispy vs. soft tacos, where has the best salsa, the pros and cons of rice in your burrito and where to get the best frescas (don't even get started on which flavour). I feel confident that with my thoroughly enjoyable research 'field trips' during my time in San Francisco can now at least offer some semi-informed opinions on these very important topics.
Topic of hot debate #1 - The Fish Taco
After much research I decided on El Metate (Bryant & 22nd) and had a fish taco and a prawn taco.
While the fish taco was good, it was the prawn taco that was the real winner (and not just because they called it prawn rather than shrimp on the menu). The fat, juicy prawns combined with a squeeze of fresh lime and jalapeno all wrapped up in a soft taco was just perfect.
Topic of hot debate #2 - the quintessential quesadilla
This one was unplanned. I'd had no time to check on chowhound, yelp or consult the quesadilla oracle for advice. After an evening of open-air ice skating with the delightful Ben Barry we were absolutely starving and in need of a little warmth in the form of alcohol. Pancho Villa (16th & Valencia) conveniently delivered both.
The prawn quesadilla was two toasted, crispy tortillas around prawns, salsa, salad, guacamole and cheese. Teamed with a few selections from the salsa bar and all washed down with a Mexican beer and I was one happy camper.
Oh, and here are my skate clad feet shortly before Ben and I recreated Torvil and Dean's 1984 Winter Olympics Bolero routine.
Topic of hot debate #3 - the biggest and best burrito
Taqueria La Cumbre (Valencia between 16th & 17th) is home to the 2 pound 'Mission Burrito'. Not only large, but rumoured to be pretty damn good as well. Once again, Mexican Food Wing Man Ben accompanied me for dinner. To be honest, we didn't give any thought to the 'Mission Burrito', since both of us have been horrified a number of times by the massive portion sizes over here. We opted to share a regular sized burrito and a couple of tacos.
This place has been around since 1967 and I'm pretty sure the decor has not been updated since then, but that is part of the charm of Taqueria La Cumbre. Our burrito did not disappoint.
This is also the night I say 'adios' to the lovely Ben. He's heading east for a Christmas adventure in New York and in a few days my San Francisco experience will come to and end and I'll head to Toronto. Not wanting to say goodbye just yet we head to a local bar for a couple of margaritas.
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