The Diva Dines in San Francisco

Who says business travel can't be fun? I recently took in the sights of San Francisco, quite possibly the hilliest, food-filled city in the nation. When not working the trade show floor, it was time to hit the streets in search of two quintessential cuisines San Francisco is known for: sushi and mexican.

After a six-hour plane ride and the harrowing experience of San Francisco rush-hour traffic at the mercy of an unintelligible speed-demon of a cabbie, I entered Barracuda on Market Street in the Castro District. Barracuda offers "Japanese cuisine with influences from Peru and Brazil" enveloped in a swanky and modern bar/lounge atmosphere.

My dining companion and I started the meal with an order of Gyoza, Japanese dumplings filled with a pork mixture and deep fried (yes, we got deep fried dumplings at a sushi restaurant. Just deal.). The dumplings were perfect two-bite portions and suprisingly not greasy, despite being fried.

Naturally, they were gone fast. Real fast. And then it was on to the sushi!

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why the hell would you eat sushi on a business trip? Horrible images of raw fish-induced food poisoning and vomiting all over your client must be flashing through your mind. Don't get me wrong, it flashed through mine...and then I downed some spicy tuna, thanking God for my iron-lined stomach.

The night's sushi was nothing wacky or out of left field: spicy tuna rolls, California rolls and vegetable tempura rolls for a change of pace. Can you really go wrong with battered and fried veggies wrapped in sushi rice? It's like a healthy heart attack. At least, thats what I keep telling myself. The fish in both rolls was unbelievably fresh, and I often wonders why the sushi in Boston doesn't ever come close despite the city's close proximity to the ocean.

The following night it was off to the border to El Farolito in the Mission District, where I single-handedly ate a burrito that was bigger than my head. El Faolito is the kind of place that, if there were one in Boston, you'd find me there at 3 a.m. eating a giant burrito after a long night of drinking.

It's a place where the guys behind the counter don't speak English, you order by number or by pointing to the menu board, its cheap, yummy and you sure as hell don't want to think about what the kitchen looks like. But the food is good. My "con pollo" burrito was top notch and better than anything I've had outside of el Tejas.

Even better, they have three different types of salsa available for the taking, the epitome of which is the green salsa. I have no idea what's in it, but I ate it on chips, my burrito and licked it off my fingers. If the place weren't so busy I probably would have tried to make off with the vat.

Bottom line: best burrito ever. EVER.

Now I'm practically drooling on my keyboard.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.