On the Road Eats: San Francisco

After having read about Humphrey Slocombe in The New York Times (and given my love of ice cream), I knew it was a must-try spot during my trip to San Francisco — an ice cream shop serving up some truly wacky flavor combinations that dare you to try them.
 

The shop is located in the Mission District, a newish storefront among the many established places with old-fashioned signage and much of it in Spanish. Though there were just a few people when I first arrived, the line grew quickly behind me. You can try flavors, but it's hard to limit your tastings to just a few of the 10 or so flavors offered on that day. But the staff was patient and friendly, singing along to the pop music playing. And if you pay by credit card, you sign by scrawling your signature with your finger on an ipad.

The final combinations: kumquat poppyseed and cucumber ice milk sorbet, and hibiscus beet and strawberry Szechuan sorbets. My favorite was the kumquat poppyseed — there was a playful balance between the fruitiness and the dark nuttiness of the poppyseed. I didn't care for the cucumber ice milk, but I don't particularly like cucumber flavor except in its original form. The hibiscus beet had a strong beet flavor that worked surprisingly well. The strawberry Szechuan wasn't spicy as I thought it might be but the strawberry flavor had a peppery undertone.

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A visit to the Mission District wouldn't be complete without some Mexican food. By recommendation, Taqueria El Buen Sabor was the representative for this visit. And it did an outstanding job.

A carnitas burrito was hefty and delicious. The rice was flavorful and fluffy and the meat tender. The red and green sauces that came with it added a nice kick. The portion is definitely for sharing. A handful of chips is tossed in as well.

The chicken tamale was also tasty — good masa and moist meat make the difference. I did notice that they reheated this in the microwave, but I don't think it affected the quality.

From what I hear, everyone in the area has his or her own favorite taqueria, so you don't have to take it from me. But if you're coming from the East Coast, this food will probably taste better than most of what we get anyway.