Mary Ladd

Chef Tyson Cole of Austin's Uchi & Uchiko makes a good point naming Chipotle as one of the most important restaurants in the country in Bon Appétit. "Why? Their utilization of sustainably sourced goods, food made fresh daily, and, with thousands of locations, their overall reach," he's quoted as saying.

Though some may quibble with the authenticity of their pan-Latin menu, Chipotle has a loyal following and is crowded whenever I visit. "Serious" food lovers may never give the fast-casual chain a chance, but I have; when ordering food for groups downtown, their online ordering system is a snap, and the food has a "something-for-everyone" vibe that makes it reliable if not overly exciting.

This month in the Bay Area, Chipotle is testing a sofritas Hodo Soy tofu-based menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads that is vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. We gave it a try to see how it stacked up.

See also: Soon You'll Be Able to Get Tofu Burritos at Chipotle
Hodo Soy Beanery's 5-Spice Nuggets Transcend Tofu Concerns
Get New Respect for Tofu at Hodo Soy Beanery's Monthly Tours

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Anna Roth

A couple of years ago, Mission Mission conceded that the best burrito in San Francisco wasn't actually found in the Mission at all, but actually resides at family-run Cuco's in the Lower Haight. (On top of that, it's vegetarian, too.)

Made with slightly caramelized plantains, Cuco's massive refreshingly inexpensive super burrito--which is otherwise pretty classic, with sour cream, guac and an optional choice of meat--comes in at only $7. "You going to finish it?" the proprietress, Mrs. Cuco, may ask with an incredulous, slightly flirty smile as she serves it to you. (She will be impressed if you ask for spicy salsa, too).

See also: San Francisco's Top 10 Burritos
Soon You'll Be Able to Get Tofu Burritos at Chipotle
Tasty Burritos Come With a Warm Welcome at Victor's

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Tamara Palmer

Berkeley ice cream sandwich shop C.R.E.A.M. celebrates Taco Tuesdays.

The national Mexican food chain Taco John's holds a national trademark on the phrase "Taco Tuesday," but you'd never know it because the phrase has transcended ownership and it's a common special everywhere in the United States.

Here in the Bay Area, we may be snobby about our food -- but not too snobby to approach Taco Tuesdays ("s" added to avoid infringement) with style and flavor. Hell, we even have a DJ Taco Tuesday who spins in the clubs around here. Check out five notables:

See Also:
- Tacko, the WASPiest Taco Shop in Town (Maybe Even the Country)

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Lara Hata

Since Anna Roth recently put Hangtown Fry back in our brains, we've decided to revive an old tradition at SFoodie called the Dollar Oyster List. Like Taco Tuesdays, cheap oysters are still thankfully available around these parts. Feel free to let us know of any additions in the comments and we'll update the list.

And now, without (much) further ado, here are many places where you can get your bivalves on for right around a buck:

See Also: Re-Visiting the Hangtown Fry, the Dish That Epitomizes Gold Rush California

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Flickr/Laughing Squid

Papalote, the reigning champion.

Burrito Eater, a site billed as "San Francisco's top resource for taquerias and mustaches," hosts a biannual life threatening exercise called Slab Scrum to determine the city's best burrito. (If they did it every year, the site owner's life expectancy would probably be sadly short.)

This is always a fascinating competition to watch unfold on the site because the Burrito Eater is not biased toward the Mission more than it has to be. While it's the acknowledged ground zero for the burrito, other neighborhoods have managed to fare very well in this food-focused process. Just ask the Fulton Street location of Papalote, winner of the the 2010 title.

See Also:
- Papalote Burrito Snags Slab Scrum
- Buy Salsa, Support Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

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Starting Wednesday, the Mobile Academy Food Truck will hit the streets dishing out free lunch courtesy of Dos Equis beer (sadly, the menu doesn't include beer) and will roll around town for ten days. From the 3rd to the 13th, the truck will take your lunch on an adventurous journey with Filipino classic dishes cooked by Hapa SF chef William Pilz.

See Also:
- Lumpia from Hapa SF
- William Pilz: Hot Chef on Wheels

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Bay Ewald

If you're in the Financial District and looking for a cheap way to support your early morning caffeine craving or need for a mid-afternoon metabolic boost, consider venturing to the Hilton. That's right: The heiress-spawning luxury hotel chain has opened the Coffee Shack, a coffee truck on its front drive with a commitment to serving nothing over $6.

See Also:
- Blue Bottle's New Book Features More Than Coffee
- Toast of the Town: Josey Baker's Bread Is Back

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Perhaps it's because it lies in the shadow of The Stud, SO's New Wave revival décor flashed us back to the '80s; we have expected Debora Iyall or Jello Biafra to wander in. That didn't happen, but a scrumptious Asian fusion meal did.

A little bit Chinese and a little bit Korean, this SOMA staple is packed with Bed Bath & Beyond refugees by day and locals by night. The usual suspects abound on the menu, like Broccoli Beef ($7), which is crisp, lightly sauced, and escorted by a mound of rice. The heat level is generally high.

See Also:
- Shabuway's Answer to Arnold Palmer: Half and Half Hot Pot
- Quan Ju Fu's Salt-and-Pepper Fried Duck Remixes a Classic Seafood Preparation
- Shanghai Tries to Break a Restaurant Curse

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Lou Bustamante

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks.

The Truck: Doc's of the Bay
The Cuisine: American comfort food with California tweaks
Specialty Items: Midwestern smash burgers
Worth the Wait in Line? Yes

There is something immediately endearing about the Doc's of the Bay food truck's paint job: bright red and blue with cartoon burgers. If that doesn't draw you in, the steady stream of smoke that oscillates between bursts of fried potatoes and seared beef -- lunchtime pheromones -- will.

The menu revolves around two different burgers: a hearty vegetarian Black Bean Burger ($6.86 + tax, black beans, corn, jicama and red cabbage slaw, green onion aioli, Monterey Jack cheese, Firebrand challah bun), and the Doc's Classic Burger ($7.32 + tax, 5oz. Black Angus beef mixed with onion, Tillamook American cheese, house special sauce, pickles, tomato, butter lettuce, Firebrand challah bun) that gets smashed from ball to patty on the griddle. The onion in the beef mix gives it an old school flavor that reminded me of grandma's cast iron burgers with a nice caramelized layer. The bun has flavor and strength, yet still remains light, but it's big enough to threaten to throw the meat-to-bread ratio off. It's size does better with a double patty, though perfect with the Black Bean Burger.

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Lou Bustamante

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks.

The Truck: The Rib Whip
The Cuisine: Midwest Style BBQ
Specialty Items: BBQ meats
Worth the Wait in Line? Yes, for the pie in particular.

Immediately upon my arrival at the lunch time food truck rally, the smoke and spice signals the Rib Whip truck was sending out overwhelmed my plans to explore a different, more elusive food truck's cuisine. The internal bargaining to figure out if I had enough stamina to eat two lunches was thankfully resolved when I saw that Rib Whip also offered dessert. Who can say no to dessert? Not me.

The last time I had tried the Rib Whip was when original owner Ryan Gessel had launched the truck, and after a long wait in the cold and drizzle I'd checked it off the list. With the truck and operations being sold to and run by Cedar Hill owner and pitmaster Jon Rietz, the brisket sandwich ($8) was much improved, though still not dressed as heavily in sauce as I prefer. But the pie -- my god the pie!

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