San Francisco #4: Snacks for Lunch

I did a lot of walking today y’all, and my feet are feelin’ the burn. That’s even with most of my travel budget going to transportation costs – taxi, bus, mass transit, shuttles. I jogged for (about) twenty minutes this morning, then all but undid it by eating a slice of pound cake left by my bed n’ breakfast proprietor. He finally did pick up my payment, by the way, and let me keep the key to the place for as long as I stored my luggage there

I grabbed an iced tea at the Duboce Park Café on Sanchez Street. This is a fun, sunny place that serves bagel melts and the like for breakfast. I wasn’t hungry by the time I got there. A few dogs, a straight couple making kissy face, a few friendly lesbians and this attractive Australian guy that I think was flirting with me.

I wanted to see if I could walk to the Golden Gate Park, the park in the city that rivals Central Park in Manhattan in terms of size (it's almost 200 acres larger, in fact). Alas, it was too far, and I wound up trudging up hill after hill after steep hill to the Mission District, a place that echoes much of California’s Mexican heritage (to wit, the massive statue of Padre Miguel Hidalgo in Mission Dolores Park). I got a snack, or so I thought, at the Taquería El Buen Sabor at 18^th and Valencia (Reviews behind the link are of burritos, and those San Franciscans seem to love their burritos. I prefer soft tacos myself). For just $2.20 I got a chorizo and bean taco with the chorizo piled high on top of two small corn tortillas. This unassuming little taco was something to eat with a fork. I haven’t had such good chorizo in years. Topped off with a Sidral Mundet apple soda for $1.75, it was a small, simple and satisfying lunch.

Of course, that wasn’t all I had. I set forth up Valencia en route to Japantown and found a delicious Indian ice cream place. Lonely Planet gives Bombay Creamery raves for its sweet and savory offerings. Bombay Creamery offer many flavors that seem simply exotic to us: cardamom, rose, cardamom rose, saffron rose, mango, etc. I tried the rose and the saffron rose. The former had a very strong rosewater flavor, while the saffron rose was milder, saffron-y with lots of rose in the background. I got both, a double scoop for $4.