Chicago Style Hot Dog

I grew up in the Chicago area so it's hard for me to admit that I did not learn to appreciate a good Chicago style hot dog until I moved away from the area.  Once you've had a bad hot dog, you know when you've had a good hot dog and the Chicago style hot dog at Portillo's is one of my favorite.  For those of you who aren't familiar with what a Chicago style hot dog is, the first rule is that you CANNOT put ketchup on it.  In fact, most authentic places will curse you under their breath if you happen to make the faux pas of requesting ketchup.  Lest you think that there's no flavor if there's no ketchup, here's what's typically included on a Chicago style hot dog: mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun.  Needless to say, there's plenty to enjoy in every bite and so I make it a point to get a Portillo's hot dog when I go home to visit.  Here's a picture from a recent trip:

My mouth is watering already...

Mission Pie

I've lived in the San Francisco area for almost three years now but I have to admit that I don't know San Francisco very well.  Thankfully, a new friend offered to show me around the city, which included a stop at Papalote Mexican Grill (see my earlier post on that), as well as Mission Pie for dessert.  Mission Pie is a neighborhood bakery located in the Mission District that focuses on sourcing their ingredients from local farmers and emphasizes recycling.  My guide recommended it as a good place to grab a piece of homemade pie so I was game.  The pie menu changes daily but they have a good mix of both sweet and savory pies.  I was in the mood for sweet so I ordered a slice of peach pie.  Here's a picture:

Right away I could taste the difference that the fresh ingredients made and the crust was the right amount of crispiness for my taste.  All in all, it was a good piece of pie and I would recommend trying the place if you're ever in the area.

Papalote Mexican Grill

I'm a regular watcher of Throwdown with Bobby Flay and I was delighted to see that one of his episodes featured a local restaurant, Papalote Mexican Grill.  The throwdown challenge was a burrito challenge with Bobby taking on the "Triple Threat" burrito from Papalote.  The Papalote burrito ended up winning, which is a great feat given that Bobby Flay is known for his ability to cook Mexican food.  After watching the episode, I put it on my list of places to try and I finally did so a few weeks ago.

I wasn't hungry enough to try the winning "Triple Threat" burrito (here's a link to what's in it: http://www.papalote-sf.com/menu.html - it costs $25).  Instead I tried their carne asada tacos with a side of rice.  Here's a picture of my meal:

As much as it pains me to say it, I wasn't blown away by my meal - with one AMAZING exception, their homemade salsa.  Here's a picture of the salsa:

Words cannot express how good the salsa is.  It's the right amount of heat and however they make it gives it this creamy texture that is to die for.  Although the location I went to did not sell the salsa in jars, I've heard that the other Papalote location does and I fully plan to make a trip just to buy a few jars of the tasty salsa.  So, even though I did not love my carne asade tacos and rice, the salsa more than made up the difference.