Mission Bean Guy Pops Up with Cali-Style Taqueria in Brooklyn

Bean evangelist Mark Andrew Gravel is taking it Cali-local under the Brooklyn Bridge.

​Last time we had a taco in Brooklyn, it came on a crunchy tortilla shell, topped with ground beef and cheddar cheese. We know better Mexican options exist in New York, but anyone seeking a little California in that big, brutally hot city on Monday, Aug. 23, need only look, like Anthony Kiedis, under the bridge.

On that day, Mission bean enthusiast Mark Andrew Gravel is hooking up Black and Cream, a temporary taqueria beneath the Williamsburg Bridge. For $8, customers can enjoy tacos made with local black beans and fresh cheese, pickled vegetables, greens courtesy of rooftop farmers, Blue Bottle coffee, and Mast Brothers chocolates.

Of course, the kind of California scene Gravel's project looks to evoke has more to do with the intersection of Alice Waters and social sculpture than a plate of Mission-style tacos. That shouldn't trouble anyone. The bridge has shade, after all.