San Francisco on a budget

[djyee100]

I'm quite intrigued about the food trucks - are there ones that are better then others?

Some feedback from my super-foodie friend about food trucks. She highly recommends the pork belly steamed bun at the Chairman Bao truck. She also says the 510 Burgers truck and the Taco Guys truck are good. Trucks vary in popularity and quality. The ones with the long lines are, you guessed it, probably the best.

An update on Off The Grid at Fort Mason: it will start again on March 23, supposedly. My friend forwarded me an email newsletter with that date. As I mentioned above, check before you go to Fort Mason.

[annachan]

I'm quite intrigued about the food trucks - are there ones that are better then others?

Some feedback from my super-foodie friend about food trucks. She highly recommends the pork belly steamed bun at the Chairman Bao truck. She also says the 510 Burgers truck and the Taco Guys truck are good. Trucks vary in popularity and quality. The ones with the long lines are, you guessed it, probably the best.

An update on Off The Grid at Fort Mason: it will start again on March 23, supposedly. My friend forwarded me an email newsletter with that date. As I mentioned above, check before you go to Fort Mason.

Don't just go by the lines. It indicates popularity, not always what's best. Last time I was at Off the Grid, Chairman Bao had a long line while Taco Guys had no one in line. I usually make a round to check out the menus before deciding on what I get. That also allows you to budget yourself as the food isn't that cheap and you can easily spend more than at a casual restaurant.

I hope Fort Mason is on when you get there. That is the original location and the one with the most number (30 or so) of trucks/food stalls. The other locations don't come close to that.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Oh yes, speaking of weather, what should I expect? Is a hoodie or something doable?

You know all of those "I left my heart in San Francisco" sweatshirts you see on the street? They should say, "I left my warm clothing in St Louis."

[annachan]

Oh yes, speaking of weather, what should I expect? Is a hoodie or something doable?

You know all of those "I left my heart in San Francisco" sweatshirts you see on the street? They should say, "I left my warm clothing in St Louis."

We could always spot the out of towners: shorts with some sort of SF fleece jackets, which the tourist shops sell a lot of....

[djyee100]

For people coming to SF in the summer, the weather may be balmy, even hot, in the rest of the Bay Area, but the famous fog rolls into SF, dropping the temp into the mid-60s or lower. The moist air makes the temp feel even colder. That's when you'll want to have a jacket handy.

[Krys Stanley]

Scoma's offers a three-course prix-fixe lunch for $25 until 3:30 pm.

http://www.scomas.com/

Normally I warn off anything in Fisherman's Wharf, but the prix fixe is a good deal.

If you are here on a Saturday morning, there are lots of food vendors at the Ferry Plaza farmers market.

SF has lots of 'gourmet' food trucks. I'd advise against most of them as the prices are almost the same as going to a sit down restaurant and, well, you are eating from a truck.

You might find some other mid-scale restaurants that you are interested in and see if there are specials or prix-fixe deals.

[djyee100]

SF has lots of 'gourmet' food trucks. I'd advise against most of them as the prices are almost the same as going to a sit down restaurant and, well, you are eating from a truck.

I respectfully disagree. Food trucks vary in quality and price, of course. But for most food trucks, the price of a filling meal is under $10. Of the food trucks I mentioned upthread, the most expensive item is the big porchetta sandwich with cracklings at RoliRoti, SF Ferry Bldg on Saturday. That costs $8.50. If you can find a good meal for under $10 at a sit-down restaurant in SF, including tip, more power to you.

[piracer]

Holy god, the porchetta sandwiches were amazing. The farmers market on Saturday at the Ferry Building was a lot of fun, great produce which i was jealous i couldnt cook with but the food trucks that came out held their own pretty well. I think there was one called Namu that sold korean fusion stuff, their fried chicken was a daishi gravy was also fantastic - that gravy should be bottled and sold.

I tried getting to Saigon Sandwiches but couldnt find any.

Boccalone i went too and managed to get some blood sausage which was pretty good. I bought a stick of their fennel salumi which ive yet to have.

I tried to make an effort to get to the other places mentioned but just wasn't able too.

Oh, blue bottle coffee is very very good (best drip ive ever had) and Azmerendi bakery was great also.

thanks for the suggestions! SF was a lot of fun, too bad for the shitty weather. It warrants another visit

[djyee100]

Holy god, the porchetta sandwiches were amazing.

A friend emailed me the recipe for the RoliRoti porchetta. I definitely want to make it. Glad you liked the sandwich. Just thinking about it makes me want one, now.

The recipe is here:

http://www.7x7.com/recipes/secret-recipe-porchetta-roliroti

BTW, I checked out Saigon Sandwiches & I thought their sandwiches were tasty and a good value for the money. You have to look at Google maps before you go, though, or you'll be wandering all over the Civic Center area trying to find it. Saigon Sandwiches is located close to the corner of Larkin and Eddy Streets, next to the Fox Market.

Another place I tried, Spice Kit, I would definitely give two thumbs up. The sous-vide beef short ribs are especially good. They've started a breakfast menu that sounds good too.

The links to these places are in my post upthread.