Mission Mission

There’s a familiar local restaurant (that is, its NYC counterpart) reference in Elizabeth Wurtzel’s latest polarizing spew of unhappy humblebrag:

But I don’t think I really want to be going to the new P. T. Anderson movie and Mission Chinese with someone new when I’m 85. And I don’t think anyone will want to be doing that with me.

I sure hope P.T. Anderson is still making movies when Elizabeth is 85.

On Blue Fig’s window.

It’s in the same building as Mission Bicycle, behind a locked door. To open the door, you have to check in using Foursquare or Instagram. (Or just ring the doorbell, I guess.) The door opens, you go inside, up a flight of stairs, and then you’re in Photojojo‘s secret store surrounded by lots of great gifts for the pro and amateur photographers and photography enthusiasts in your life.

[Photo by Photojojo]

Flautas/sopes at SanJalisco. My food photography sucks.

I can’t even keep up with all the new restaurants on Valencia anymore. But who cares because South Van Ness is where it is at in terms of culinary delights (hi, Whiz Burger). SanJalisco (formerly known as Los Jarritos) is an old standard in the Mission at 20th and SVN and a longtime favorite of mine. It is never too crowded, the staff is friendly, and the menu has an illustration of a friendly goat waiter. Oh yeah, and you can get not one, but two dishes made vegan AAAAND you can get them in a combo plate! The potato flautas and cactus sopes combination plate is my jam and I’m pretty sure it will cure any hangover. Just be sure to tell them “no dairy” because both come with cheese and sour cream. They’re used to us crazy vegans at this point so they’re chill and understanding about special requests.

For some masochistic reason, I subjected myself to Yelp and saw that people were hating on SanJalisco due to the fact that they don’t serve margaritas. Shut up, Yelpers! If you’re really desperate for a margarita, just hit up Muzio’s market beforehand and buy a can of The Club Margarita and an airport bottle of tequila and drink it on the way there. OR stop being a dork and order a Negra Modelo or Bohemia–both are vegan!

They also specialize in birria dishes (hence the friendly goat waiter mascot–boohoo) and other non-veg dishes so it is a good spot to go with friends/family of all different eating persuasions.

The Mission Holiday Block Party is tonight! If you haven’t been to this, it’s basically like Halloween except you go to local businesses instead of houses, you don’t have to say anything to get treats, and the treats are often beer and cookies. Oh and I guess there’s sales and shopping if you need to do that. Last year it was a wash (literally) because of the rain, but it should be good this time around.

Looks like most of the participating vendors are on Valencia between 14th and 24th, not actually on Mission St. Bummer, I was hoping to score some extra bargains at One $ Only and Giant Value.

Daniel Quagliozzi wants to help your cat.

Kittens have an enormous power over me. So much power that I willingly BART to Union Square every December, push my way through the packs of tourists and shoppers, and put my nose up to the window of Macy’s to gaze upon them against a seasonal, festive backdrop. I love those SPCA kittens. And I’m not the only one: The SPCA set up a pop-up adoption center at Macy’s for those who want to add a fluffy little addition (dogs included!) to their family. But once that kitten gets out of the fabricated winter wonderland and into your apartment, it might engage in some not so precious behavior. Biting, scratching, pissing on your brand new shoes (my cat did this once–I cried), attacking your significant other…Your kitten is more Stripe than Gizmo and now you’re regretting that adoption. Don’t freak out! Call Daniel Quagliozzi, your neighborhood cat behavior consultant.

Quagliozzi, who has worked at the SPCA as a cat behavior specialist for over a decade, started the Go, Cat, Go! consulting service to help cat guardians deal with these sometime difficult critters. You might be familiar with the Animal Planet show, My Cat From Hell, in which a tattooed “Cat Daddy” named Jackson Galaxy comes and helps distraught owners figure out why their cat is misbehaving and how to help them solve the issue. Go, Cat, Go works similarly except there are no TV cameras and Quagliozzi has “immaculate” hair.

By actually going into the cat’s environment, Quagliozzi can figure out why your cat is acting like a little hellion. For example, one time he was asked to help a cat that was peeing everywhere but its litterbox. When he made his initial visit, he noticed that the cat was immensely stressed out and knew that was the source of its problem. By working with the owners on how to interact with the cat and read its body language, he was able to help both the cat and its owners.

“Cats don’t live to please you, they live to exploit you,” said Quagliozzi. “They don’t come out of the womb knowing about petting.”

If you’re thinking about getting a cat for the holidays, Quagliozzi warns that although cats are easy to take care of, you must be involved with his or her enrichment. In other words, pay attention to your cat! If he or she doesn’t have the right toys, he’ll find other things to lash out on (like your arm). He also offers this gem of cat wisdom:

“Don’t take it personally if the cat does things that aren’t appropriate. He’s not peeing on your bed because he hates you–he’s doing it because his litterbox isn’t up to par.”

Gravel & Gold explains:

We finally got our hands on a new batch of Boobs Pillowcases! They’re now available in the shop and online here so you can go ahead and cross off just about every family member on your holiday shopping list, starting with your 13 year old brother who will not believe his luck! We also got a few more Boob Tops in, in case you’ve been waiting to get a hold of one of those….

Read on for more pics and info.

780 Valencia has had a rocky couple of years since The Summit opened and closed and 780 Cafe picked up the reins. It’s still a great cafe with a strong coworking community – but starting today if your order consists of a single coffee it’s going to come in a paper cup. That’s because 780 has instituted a new $5 minimum to sit – and if your order doesn’t hit it they’ll send you out the door.

(more…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezq_96rookw

As we mentioned last week, the final installment of Vice TV’s Fresh off the Boat: Bay Area series involves burritos. Vice TV’s Eddie Huang concludes his Bay Area tour by sampling several of our unofficial official local dish, comparing them to Asian food, and crowning a favorite. I wish he would have sampled more burritos, but let’s be real, burritos are huge, how many could one possibly eat in a day?

Boba Guys is back in action, and they’ve put together this Royal Tenenbaums-style video to show off their cast of characters. Has it been too long since you’ve had some balls in your mouth? Head to Suika at 18th and Mission, where the Boba Guys (and Girls) have been slinging drinks during lunch hours all week.