San Francisco Street Food Festival

  I avoid going to night clubs at all costs because I don't like crowds and yet here I am flocking to a crowded place for food. Oh the heart (or stomach) wants what it wants.

 Last weekend, we met up with SherBear at the San Francisco Street Food Festival for some long lines and good eats.

 After a short Bart ride ($4.20) and walk to the festival, we began our long wait in line at the Slanted Door booth, the booth of a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco.

 ($3) Steamed chicken bun. The dough was fluffy and sweet and the chicken and fillings were juicy. This was one of my favorite eats of the day.

 ($8) Curry chicken over broken rice. The curry sauce was very delicious with hints of tangy and sour. Broken rice is always a good choice. But the flavor did not absorb into the chicken leaving it bland on the inside.

 We hopped right over to Namu for Korean "Tacos."

 Thanks to Sherry for getting in line for us and also for picture jacking.

 (2 for $5) I don't think this was worth $2.50 each but they were delicious and unique. Once you get to the middle and you get a biteful of nori, rice, beef, and tomato the flavors just compliment each other so well. However, nori taco wrappers don't warrant this price.

 Phil made an impulsive buy at the Neococoa stand.

 ($1) This bittersweet brownie was too dry for my taste and a little to bittersweet.

 Next we moved on to Global Soul.

 ($8) Mojo cuban tri-tip. This wasn't quite what I expected. It's more kabob meets meatball than tri-tip. In this form, the tri-tip lost its tenderness and became tough and chewy. The sauce wasn't too bad.

 ($1) Suicide sticks. Another impulse buy gone wrong. It turns out, the suicide stick is just a roasted pepper on a stick and after one bite, it essentially kills your pallette for all other foods because it is so spicy. It should really be called a homicide stick.

Flour + Water had a very promising appetizer of melon, duck prosciutto and lardo salad.

($3) Too bad there was too much lard in this lardo. Fatty cured meats and melon taste weird together. It would have to be an acquired taste, one that I didn't acquire this time.

 The line was almost around the corner for the popular Kung Fu Taco truck.

Were they worth it? Let's see...

($3) Chicken taco with spicy asian salsa. Phil says it was great, I say it was ok. The salsa was really spicy but very good.

($3) Mu shu veggies taco with spicy asian salsa. Phil says it was ok. I say it was fantastic! I don't know what sauce goes in mu shu items but I have liked every item named mu shu something or other that I've ever tried. I love the mushrooms, they're my favorite!

I stopped Phil from buying these but they were so unique I had to share a picture. They were gelatin deserts with little flower designs (also edible). It reminds me alot of rau cau, a Vietnamese style gelatin desert.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Food festivals are always alot of fun. I encourage everyone to check them out. It gets pricey when you think of the small portions compared to the price but its a great way to sample a little bit of everything.