SF Street Food Festival 2013 + Embarcadero Center/Piers

SF Street Food Festival, we meet again! I look forward to this every year, or at least since I’ve known of its existence about 3 years ago. How can anyone not be excited about a street filled with all sorts of delicious, tasty, and mouth watering treats?! Not to mention also very affordable, prices ranging from $3-$8 per dish. Nothing but good eats, the best kind of festival there is!

This annual event takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco where food enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and vendors all gather down several blocks to celebrate the joy that is food! The streets are filled with people and everyone’s got something delicious to enjoy, foods from all over the world. Infusions of dishes you can’t even begin to imagine.

This year I decided I was going to do a little research before embarking on my journey. I needed to be smart, my stomach can only hold so much (I’m not going to lie, I may have also stuffed a zip-lock in my purse that day…just in case, you never know. Yah, I know I have a problem). I figured it be best that I scope out the potential vendors so I don’t fill my tummy early and not get to eat the starlets of festival. To save you from the grueling details, let’s just skip to the best part: the food!

Here are my personal highlights from the day:

(*) were the recommended dishes from various websites during the researching process

Bini’s Kitchen*: Turkey Momos

Nepalese turkey dumplings, with spicy tomato cilantro sauce, very moist and very delicious

State Bird Provisions*: Garlic Bread with Burrata

Possibly the best garlic bread I’ve ever eaten in my life! No joke, this is a must try. Not only are they visually pleasing, but the bread is amazing. Slight crisp, borderline crunchy, on the outside and soft, warm, and chewy on the inside. I’m not sure I like the burrata (Italian cheese made with mozzarella and cream) as much with the bread but it was pretty good by itself.

Lers Ros Thai: Thai Iced Tea

Thai ice tea was so common, it was nothing special. I was just thirsty and wanted something to start my journey.

Onigilly*: Spicy Shrimp Japanese Rice Ball Wrap

Cooked bay shrimp mixed with spicy aioli and Pollock roe with brown rice.

KoJa Kitchen: Kamikaze Fries & Korean BBQ Beef Koja (sandwich):

Crisscut Fries topped with korean bbq beef, sauteed onions, kimchi green onions, and drizzled with our signature sauce and japanese mayo

Korean BBQ Beef korean bbq beef with sauteed onions, sesame vinaigrette slaw, drizzled with our signature sauce and served in toasted hand-made rice buns

I almost wanted to buy their whole truck…luckily, or rather unfortunately, I was getting rather full by the time I got there. I would go back in a heart beat. So genius to make buns out of rice!

Three Twins Ice Cream: Mocha Difference

Caffeinated coffee with flecks of dark chocolate, gotta finish with something sweet and strong.

Until we meet again food festival, you will be missed.

So after successfully stuffing my face, I suppose it’s only reasonable to attempt to walk around so my appetite will perhaps find its way back to me. The goal is to always make room for more food. 

Where to venture to? The piers by the Embarcadero Center were a nice place to start. I’ve only been in this area one other time and that time, it was dark and closed. Not much excitement or things to see…it was somewhat later in the night when I came. However, near sunset, beautiful!

Took a bunch of pictures and I will let those speak for themselves.

This was my favorite picture of the day, a shot I took standing off Pier 14. Perfect view.

I love the shape of that building on the far left. Sometimes you just have to admire architecture.

Unfortunately because I went out to play, there is no recipe to share for this post, but it does give me a new idea to start a new segment in my blog dedicated to travels and good eats. Hmm...