Mission Street Food was back at it again this week, breaking out a “star-spangled menu of national favorites.”  This was also the week I noticed they had an entirely reasonable five dollar corkage fee, and broke out some good beers (and shared with the kitchen to bribe my way in again to grab a few pictures.  But before anyone could get in, they had to brave the line outside.  Apparently, the word has gotten out on MSF. 

 

See a full resolution picture of the line, here.

The wait was long, but the crowd seemed in high spirits.  There were brown bags being sipped from a plenty, and lots of friendly chatter. Once inside, it was worth braving the crowd. 

 

  

 

 

 

The salad was a wonderful way to start the meal, and the curried lardo… hooboy, does this Ryan Farr know his way around a piece of pork (this was a pattern that would quickly emerge from during dinner.  Next up, the Smoked Mac and Cheese. 

 

 

 

This was one of the only disappointments during the night.  The smoke seemed contained to the top layer of the mac and cheese, which was a good thing – it didn’t blend particularly well with the rest.  The smoke seemed to have a slightly ashy flavor (not shocking I know) but wasn’t integrated into the food the way for example the brisket the week before was smoked. In spite of my reservations about this preparation, the bowl was quickly emptied none the less, so it couldn’t have been that bad.   

 

 

 

 

The chicken sandwich had some real heat to it, and was a great play in textures.  The bun was soft and pliable, while the crust on the chicken help up above a small pile of crunchy coleslaw.  We ordered a second round. 

Ad speaking of rounds, let’s talk about beer.  Katie dug deep into her beer reserves, and broke out the good stuff with a bottle of Damnation 23 and a four year old bottle of Temptation.  I contributed a bottle of Saison DuPont (not pictured, it was cleared away by a delightfully attentive waiter) and a 2008 Dissident.  The can on the far left, is Allan’s.

 

 

 

The Damnation on the 23 was my favorite of the night.  The age had mellowed it greatly, and what was left was a creamy, maple syrup hinted brew with just the right level of sweetness and great Belgian mouthfeel.  It was the perfect companion for Anthony’s BBBLT: Braised Benton’s Bacon, Lettuce, Baked Tomato, Aioli on a homemade flatbread. 

 

 

 

Jeremy put it perfectly after taking one bite: “The bacon made my brian explode.”  Next, more pork, courtesy of Mr Farr. 

 

 

 

 

The BBQ Ribs with Sichuan Glaze, Chili Rice, and Satsuma Mandarins was the most refined of the dishes of the evening – and while it was very good, it didn’t quite jibe with the themes of Mission Street Food.  Luckily, there was one more dish coming which really, really hit the nail on the head: Beans and Weenies, made with Ryan’s homemade hotdogs.

 

 

 

 

 

By now we were all very, very full.  Dessert featured the choice Ice Cream from Humphry Slocombe, apple pie, and the return of my favorite MSF dessert ever, butter fried cornbread with buttermilk panacotta.

 

  

 

Apparently they were handing out chicharrones when you paid the bill – but since I was back in the kitchen grabbing a few pictures, I wasn’t there when it happened.  I’m wondering if someone out there had my chicharrones and is holding out on me? 

Finished, we waddled home.  Outside, there was still an ample crowd waiting to get in – and it continues to be worth the wait.  However, I’d highly recommend breaking into a good bottle of wine or beer to go with it, since BYO feels very much in the spirit of Mission Street Food, and spirit is what this operation is all about.  That, and bacon. 

 

 

Tags: mission street food, MSF, ryan farr

This entry was posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 pm and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.