We Recommend: Gordo Taqueria's Mission Burrito

One of our favorite Mission Burritos in San Francisco actually exists outside of the Mission itself.  With locations in the Outer Richmond, Inner Sunset, and Berkeley, Gordo Taqueria consistently delivers one of the best burritos we have ever had.  Their burritos are so on point, that they actually inspired the NYC-based chain Dos Toros (which we also highly recommend).  All of the locations are extremely casual, and we generally get the food to go, but the flavors are consistent and the portions huge... We always get our burritos Super, with cheese lightly melted in the steamed tortilla, then filled with beans, rice, fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce - meat is optional.  Expect to leave satisfied and full for the rest of the day...

The money shot

SF Locations: 

Outer Richmond 

2252 Clement St 

San Francisco 94121

Inner Sunset

1239 9th Ave

San Francisco, CA 94122

The interior of the recently renovated Outer Richmond location

Foodie Favorite: Dungeness Crab & Avocado Tostadas at West of Pecos

West of Pecos, in San Francisco's Mission District, feels almost aggressively Southwestern themed, but its food is far from gimmicky.  The dishes, especially the starters, are fresh, flavorful, and delicious, and we were very impressed by the seafood appetizers, namely the Dungeness Crab & Avocado Tostadas.  Served two to an order (you can order extra if your party is unevenly sized), these perfectly layered tostadas came on a bed of cabbage, which added a nice extra crunch to the toppings, with micro greens on top.  If you're looking for inventive Tex-Mex food in a city full of variations on Mexican cuisine, you don't need to look much further than this spot.

Find more details on their site.

Recipe: Mexican Pinto Beans

Making beans is surprisingly easy and very satisfying... This is a great recipe to make to make on a Sunday to have beans for the whole week - they are delicious as a side or as a base for tacos, huevos rancheros, burritos, or a soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb of dry pinto beans
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Poblano pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt to taste
4 sprigs of cilantro, separated from the stems and roughly chopped (optional)

10-14 hours before you are ready to cook the beans (either the night or the morning before), place them in a bowl or pot and cover them in water, filling it so that there are 1-2 inches of liquid above the beans. 

Once you are ready to cook the beans, you can strain them out of the water into a sieve, rinse them, then put them back into a pot and add the diced onion, pepper, and garlic, and stir well. 

Fill the pot with water until the beans are just covered, and add the pot's lid so it leaves about half an inch gap to allow steam out.  Put the pot over low to medium heat until the water begins to simmer, then turn the burner to the lowest heat that will keep the water bubbling 

Keep a close eye on the beans, stirring every few minutes and adding water if they are no longer covered.  After about an hour, check the tenderness of the beans - depending on how long they soaked, it should take one to two hours on the stove to cook fully. 

Once they are chewy and soft, add salt to taste and allow the water to cook down so that they aren't too soupy.  Remove from heat and garnish with the cilantro if desired.

Note: These can be eaten right away, refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for a couple of months or so - they can easily be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.