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Love this. I’m 10 years in SF myself. One thing I would add is the people
Agreed, the dating in the bay is amazing.
I have been on a mission to figure out why Mexican food falls off a cliff after going north of LA. Plenty of Mexicans, plenty of amazing produce and proteins, what happens after LA that says put rice in my burrito?? Exception: Best SF Mexican tacos is of course Taqueria Vallarta in the Mission.
Mexican food seems pretty subjective to me at this point. You probably just associate LA style with “good”. I like tiny $5 artisan tacos sometimes, a giant sloppy burrito from a food truck sometimes, I even get in the mood for chipotle occasionally. I wouldn’t even try to compare any of those places.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Burritos are not really Mexican food in general — they’re the regional cuisine of a region that includes the American southwest and the extreme north of Mexico. You’re basically saying you like regional LA cuisine better than regional SF cuisine, not that one region is particularly more faithfully reproducing “Mexican food” than the other.
Someone pointed out to me the other day that the Bay Area was part of Mexico from 1821 until 1848 (it was under Spanish control prior to that) - so one way to think about Bay Area Mexican food (and Californian Mexican food in general) is that it is it's own regional variety, and has been for a couple of hundred years at least.
So there are families that can trace themselves to Mexican California, but I believe their numbers and culinary influence was overshadowed by the significantly bigger population that came later. But maybe that’s just as authentic. They were bringing and making dishes, not copying them.
I have been on a mission to figure out why Mexican food falls off a cliff after going north of LA. Plenty of Mexicans, plenty of amazing produce and proteins, what happens after LA that says put rice in my burrito?? Exception: Best SF Mexican tacos is of course Taqueria Vallarta in the Mission.
But I hated the Bay Area for the people. Not that anyone was particularly nasty or mean, they were just flaky. The number of cancelled plans, far, far outnumbered the kept ones.
I'm open to the idea it was just me, but I know we weren't the only people experiencing this – and I have a much easier time of it in other cities where I've lived – Amsterdam, London, and NYC.
This post was written by Yitong on 17 Jun 2023 in New York, NY. Hmm
I have been on a mission to figure out why Mexican food falls off a cliff after going north of LA. Plenty of Mexicans, plenty of amazing produce and proteins, what happens after LA that says put rice in my burrito?? Exception: Best SF Mexican tacos is of course Taqueria Vallarta in the Mission.
But Tacos, not burritos. Burritos are their own thing in the bay area so they cater to the local taste.
On Chinese food: Historically the folks who settled in San Francisco came from different areas than those who settled in New York, so the food is different . However, a friend from LA pointed out that there just isn't as much of a restaurant culture in San Francisco as there is in LA. A mediocre Taiwanese restaurant in LA wouldn't survive, but nobody would bat an eye up here because the people that really care are mo…
Agree! I've also noticed that the # of restaurants vs. price distribution for eating out in SF falls off a cliff especially <$25 per person range, whereas there are many more options in NYC and LA. In other words, prepare to pay up, stand in line for hours or be on a reservation waitlist for the most part if you want "good" food in SF.
Food is the one thing I'll give SF and the bay area. I've never lived in NYC, but I can imagine it's the only place in the US that comes close. Things are just at another level there than anywhere else I've seen.