After a one year hiatus, La Cocina returned with its highly anticipated SF Street Food Festival on October 15, 2017. Though fans come for the photogenic snacks, the members of La Cocina put on this event to create a platform for their up-and-coming entrepreneurs. La Cocina describes this as a “celebration of American food” to emphasize how American cuisine is actually made up of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. In order to truly capture this diversity, I tried food from a variety of La Cocina’s partnered businesses.
Mi Comedor
I love street tacos, but Mi Comedor’s chicken tinga tacos are definitely a level up. The flavorful mix of shredded chicken, Chipotle sauce, and cilantro is held together by a subtle cheese and hand-made masa tortilla. As one of the newer additions to the SF Street Food Festival, Mi Comedor aspires to share more of the tastes of Mexico City with the public.
Mixiote
The only thing I love more than tasty food is tasty food that’s also healthy. The secret is in the name itself; “mixiote” describes a process of how meat is cooked there. Mixiote prepares the meat without any oil and wraps it in a banana leaf before steaming it in an underground pit. The result is a tender, slow braised protein base for the mixiote bowls or mini tacos.
Origen
You may have had tostadas and tamales before, but not how Origen does it. The “rustic" flavors of the Oaxacan coast make a unique addition to San Francisco’s already diverse food scene. Origen’s "tostada de tinga" pairs a satisfying combo of a crunchy, fried tortilla with generous toppings of shredded chicken, salsa, and cheese. For the tamales, the mole is mixed into the masa before wrapping it in a banana leaf to cook. I’m usually skeptical of chocolate in savory dishes, but the walnut and chocolate mole made me a strong believer that chocolate works with anything.
Rasoi
In order to avoid making the same recipes, the owners of Rasoi played with ingredients to serve up Indian classics with a twist. Instead of the chicken and fried potato dish enjoyed in Mumbai streets, Rasoi translated that into a glorious pile of fries smothered in creamy chicken tikka masala and shredded cheese. This street snack definitely puts traditional chili cheese fries to shame.
Mestiza Taqueria x Sariwa
This mash-up of Mexican and Filipino street food could be the most innovative pairing I’ve ever tasted. Mestiza Taqueria and Sariwa's chicken lumpia is a steaming hot, crispy roll that's wonderfully paired with a cooling, sweet chile sauce. Another featured item is the veggie ukoy, a Filipino fritter, that is decorated with a vibrant atchara (pickled relish) condiment and chili vinegar. Trust me when I say you’ll want to eat your veggies.
Estrellita’s Snacks
Estrellita's Snacks quickly accumulated a line for its famed pupusas. This classic Salvadoran dish stuffs a combination of meat, cheese, or beans in a ball of masa dough before it’s flattened and griddled until brown. The curtido slaw that comes on the side adds a nice crisp on top of the warm, fluffy dish. What's the most popular choice of fillings? The cheese, beans, and pork combo.
#SpoonTip: Have a friend wait in line for another booth while you order since pupusas take time to make!
Bini’s Kitchen
Bini’s momos are as much fun to say as they are to eat. The American Lamb Momo came with six mouth-watering dumplings with a tart, grilled tomato sauce drizzled on top. The popularity of this Nepalese dish has allowed Bini’s Kitchen's business to start plans on expanding into another brick and mortar in 2018!
El Pipíla
Of course, I had to end the day with a mango con chile from El Pipíla. The chamoy spice and sprinkled salt, in contrast with the bold sweetness of the mango, worked surprisingly well. It was almost too beautiful to eat, but the juicy petals eventually disappeared one by one.
If you missed out on this year's SF Street Food Festival, you can still celebrate “American” food by supporting local businesses and learning a little bit about their stories. Through events like the SF Street Food Festival, La Cocina hopes to prove that given equal opportunities, local dreams can turn into successful endeavors. Despite cultural differences, these are the entrepreneurs that prove that we can all unite over the shared passion for delicious food.