Mission Mission

Earlier today, Andrew stuck his nose up at a Korean rendition of our official neighborhood dish. Fortunately, that burrito is not representative of all burrito offerings in Korea.

This is a burrito from the Taco Habanero truck in Hongdae, and it was one of my favorite things in Seoul (and there are a lot of good things in Seoul). This wonderful grilled tortilla pocket is filled with seasoned rice, kimchi, Korean BBQ, and the tastiest habanero salsa.

Yeah yeah, I know what you’re thinking. It’s not a burrito. It doesn’t look like a burrito, at least not in the cylindrical form we all know and love. And yeah, there’s no beans. And there’s all that Korean stuff. Fine. Geometry, semantics, and content aside though, this “burrito” was so freakin’ delicious.

Here’s the truck, in case you’re ever in Hongdae and happen to work up an appetite.

[Photos via Taco Habanero and just_a_cheeseburger]

I will!!!

[via schleppin]

I mean, they had me at naming a thing Duck Lake — but Mission CTRL went the extra mile and created some killer poster art (above) and a really killer trailer (below).

Here’s more:

DUCK LAKE is the world’s FIRST Ballet-Horror-Comedy! Written and produced by PianoFight’s sketch comedy troupe, Mission CTRL, it features choreography by the acclaimed Brian Gibbs of TAGsf, 3D shadow puppets, butchered Broadway numbers, and lots and lots and lots of ducks—who may or may not be murderous…

We saw their previous show a few months back and it was so good I was moved to write an actual multi-paragraph review of it. So I’m pretty sure Duck Lake will be an epic tour de force. And it opens tonight! At the Traveling Jewish Theater (on Florida between 17th and Mariposa, in the same complex as Z Space). Tickets here.

Don’t miss out on free stuff as Dianda’s marks 50 years in SF. As a result of their tres leches, cannoli, and famous rumcake, this place already has a loyal fan base, but evidently they’re looking to double down. Come out tomorrow and tip your puff to an SF institution.

One of our readers seems to have a little problem with his musically inclined neighbors:

I live in a house on a purely residential block in the Mission. Like most of the homes in the neighborhood, we have a zero lot line with the neighbors (ie our exterior walls touch). My neighbor is in a band, and they regularly practice at the house on weeknights until after 11pm. Occasionally they will play past midnight. The sound travels quite clearly into my bedroom.

The music, incidentally, is pretty good. The problem is that I have a job that requires me to wake up before 6am. For me, this means I need to get to sleep around 10pm.

Over the course of 8-10 months, I have repeatedly reached out and asked them to music on the weekdays to 10pm. The response is generally friendly, but the next day I need to ask again, and again and again. They clearly don’t care at all.

I certainly realize that I live in a dynamic neighborhood, but it just doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect band practice to stop by 10pm on a weeknight in a purely residential neighborhood.

Am I out of line? If not, any suggestions on remedies. I would like to salvage the relationship, but am out of ideas.

My take on the situation?  This is bullshit.  These jerks need to get a practice space and play their music there.  That’s what bands do in a city where everyone lives in apartments.  If you don’t, you’re a selfish douchebag.

Note:  I am NOT referring to the amazing Dennis Richmond rooftop band that occasionally plays above the Attic.  Those guys are rad and have their own practice space at Secret Studios.

[Photo by Burrito Justice]

While we’re on the subject of burritos in other countries, our pal Ashley reminded us about her first experience with a burrito in Korea.  Let’s see what we’ve got here:  Kidney beans, steamed white rice, lettuce, cabbage, sliced olives, and melted cheddar all contained within a rather hastily wrapped tortilla.  I suppose that if you were trying to describe a burrito in the most basic sense to someone who has never seen or tasted one (“yeah dude, it’s easy–just rice, beans, cheese, and some veggies in a tortilla”), then it’s conceivable that this is something they could come up with.  On the other hand, just no.

Previously:

• This is a burrito in Paris

His name is John Seastrunk, and you’ll recognize his seasonally appropriate handiwork from the windows of Boogaloos, St. Francis, Napper Tandy, a bunch of taquerias, and more. The Bold Italic has just published a piece on him, so you can finally put a name and face to all of that familiar hand-painted lettering. According to the piece, John has been painting signs for over 30 years and has over 120 typefaces memorized!

Read on for more about this unsung local hero.

Our pal Mills captured this video last night, of a MUNI driver fearlessly steering around a neighborhood fireworks show. The video also features dogs barking, Mills screaming, and a healthy amount of pyrotechnics. Woo America!

Although French cuisine may be celebrated as some of the finest and most influential in the world, our pal Natalie discovered that the lofty reputation unsurprisingly did not apply to Mexican food, as she recently endured what appears to be the saddest burrito ever assembled.  When asked what might be found within this astoundingly pathetic tortilla wrap-job (even worse than in NYC), she tentatively replied:

Shredded beef and cheese, there might’ve been beans but I didn’t eat it so I’m not sure!

Smart move, Natalie.  I’m not sure how hungry and homesick I’d have to be in order to scarf down this “wet” burrito slathered in some sort of tomato-esque sauce with a dollop of sour cream, served with a side of burnt white rice and Shirazi salad.  On the plus side, one thing they did manage to get right was the chip-to-guacamole ratio.

Wow, they sure do it better in Berlin.

Previously:

• Guten Tag! Mission Burritos in Berlin!
• Another Mission Review of Dolores Burritos in Berlin
• NYC ‘burrito’
• NYC Burrito Makers Have Weak Arms
• Mission Burritos for Rhodes Scholars

Just a minute or two after they were called.  Nice work fellas.  Everyone seemed to be safe, too.

Be careful tomorrow everyone!