Off the Grid: Picnic at the Presidio: Nopalito

I'm not really into food trucks to be honest, but on the rare San Francisco occasion when the weather is gorgeous outside with minimal wind chill, I succumb to the hype. On this particular afternoon, I ventured out to the Presidio for the Picnic at the Presidio event. It was really difficult to get to this location from where I live and I waited over an hour for the Golden Gate Tour Bus, which literally dropped me off at the Golden Gate Toll Booth.

There were a lot of people, mostly families with kids, and it was great to have an open grassy field to set blankets out on and eat delicious foods. There were farmers market vendors, a bar, music, and about a dozen food trucks with the longest line for Del Popolo. As for me, I went for Nopalito.

I decided to get the Gordita de Campechana, which is chorizo and beef brisket inside a corn flour tortilla pocket. It reminded me of a tamale slash empanada slash sopes. It was way spicier than I had anticipated but so so good. The meat was super tender and flavorful. To counter the spiciness of the dish, I got a scoop of Secret Breakfast (bourbon and Cornflakes) from Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream. Yum. The end.

Gordita de Campechana

Le Creuset French Oven

If there's an emergency and I have to evacuate, this is what I will running out with.

Eleven Madison Park

I had the chance to see and hear Chef Daniel Humm and General Manager Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park at a special Arts Lecture in San Francisco. I definitely know of the restaurant in New York and also recognize Chef Daniel Humm because he uses Victorinox knives. The lecture was enlightening as they talked about how they keep their restaurant relevant and the menu timeless.

Their new book together, I Love New York, is very thick and I don't know how probable the recipes are for the basic home cook, but I still had to buy a copy. Both Chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara were super friendly and signed my book. At the end of the lecture, they also gave out jars of homemade granola! Crossing my fingers that I'll have the opportunity to dine at the restaurant one day.

With Daniel Humm and Will Guidara