Best Find This Month: El Sur's Empanadas

I've gotta say, I've had some really fancy food, Korean BBQ, tacos off a food truck, you name it, this past month, but what I'm most excited about is discovering El Sur at the pre-party to the SF Street Food Festival put on by La Cocina. Thank you, AB, for getting me in as your plus-one. I'm much obliged. Especially since we got to enjoy El Sur's heavenly Parisien empanadas.

 

The pretty round pastry pockets, which sport the most perfect buttery, flaky exterior, boasted a beautifully moist interior comprising chopped Prosciutto and country ham swimming in a melting pot of five cheeses and spiked with the sharp bite of scallions and chives.

 

The chef Marianne Depres' Cordon Bleu and French Laundry training clearly shines through.

Besides the Parisien, she's got a few other empanadas on her menu, including a traditional beef version and a chicken one as well. Though I didn't get to try those, I hope to soon.

 

Bonus points for the enchanting vintage Citroen van, which carries El Sur's precious cargo. I'll be sure to seek it out when I finally get over to SOMA Streatfood Park or Off the Grid.

Numero Uno: El Tonayense Tacos

I'm seriously over the moon when the El Tonayense truck cruises on over to the Wharf and decides to park right next to the office. It's a rare occasion indeed; it's only happened twice in the past 6 months. But when it does, you better be sure I'm making a beeline for the black-and-gold roach coach, and I make sure to get out there well before noon (read: before the huge line forms and snakes down the street).

Why am I thrilled with El Tonayense? Well, for a mere $2 each, you can get tacos generously filled with well-seasoned, moist and flavorful grilled meat—I'm partial to the al pastor (spit-grilled pork), though the chicken's also deelish. All of 'em come with a smattering of onions and cilantro, along with a dousing of zesty hot sauce. I asked for spicy pickles on the side, and they piled 'em on. A most excellent and inexpensive noonday meal.

The Chairman's Porky Pig

Mmmm .... pork. The Chairman's Coca-Cola braised pork with savoy cabbage and pickled mustard seeds on a steamed bun is my number one go-to whenever this awesome food truck happens to be in the neighborhood. Which unfortunately isn't often enough.

Sluice it with Sriracha, and it's the perfect midday pick-me-up, guaranteed to fuel you for the rest of the day. And then some.

Bacon Bacon — Not Your Mama's Banh Mi

Bacon Bacon's banh mi doesn't follow any strict conventions of what a typical Vietnamese sando should taste or look like. And it doesn't really matter. Because Bacon Bacon's version—with its crumbly, well-seasoned pork meatballs, strips of hunky bacon, and loads of pickled tangy carrots, fresh cilantro, cabbage and jalapeno—works. Ever so well. See for yourself.


Need I say more?

Hapa SF Does Lumpia Right

Last Friday's food truck hailed from Hapa SF, which makes Filipino food using organic ingredients. I'd heard good things, and since it was parked right next to our office, I of course had to give it a try.


The vegetarian pancit—rice stick noodles sauteed with an assortment of vegetables and doused in soy sauce—was fairly unremarkable. But the crispy lumpia—classic Filipino spring rolls filled with ground pork and vegetables—were delicious. Served up with a side of fish sauce as well as a kind of pineapple chutney, the little nuggets were extra crispy and flakey on the outside, super moist and flavorful on the inside. Made me think of when my queen-of-deep-frying mom learned how to make this tasty snack from her Filipino co-workers back when we were kids. Lumpia was a treat we always looked forward to. I mean, what's not to love, right?

Bacon Bacon Bonanza

The Bacon Bacon food truck parked by our office one Friday not too long ago, thanks to our executive assistant whose got a penchant for good eats and arranges these foodie Fridays for the office. Having heard how tasty Bacon Bacon's pork-laden fare is, I hightailed it to the truck well before noon in hopes of beating the lunch rush.


Ahhh, the line was already 20 deep, but no matter. My meal was well worth the wait. The slightly sweetened sloppy sloppy joe, spiced up with sriracha and dressed with plenty of bacon, was a gut-buster-and-a-half. And man, was it delicious.