Television personality Andrew Zimmerman has a new show called 'Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations". The latest episode he visited the San Francisco's Taqueria La Cumbre. This lit the spark for a burrito adventure.We are no strangers to burritos in the Mission district of San Francisco. All of a sudden it is hip to call these tubes of meat fun "Mission Style' burritos. What ever you want to call them, burritos are fun, delicious, inexpensive and a good excuse to go the 'City'. The Racing Honda was fueled and we grabbed a bucket of quarters to feed the very hungry parking meters.
We did circle the block one time to find a parking spot right around the corner from our destination. We walked several steps to see a bright sign above La Cumbre boldly stating they were the "Birthplace of the Mission Style Burrito. I believe some burrito aficionados may dispute this claim but it works for us..It is the noon hour and we are the first ones to arrive. It was a good thing because within seconds dozens of people poured through the door. A group of a dozen skateboarding kids with a film crew in tow rolled through the door too. We ordered burritos of course, because we were in the Mission district.
You place your order at the counter. Choices must be made of your proteins, black or pinto beans, lettuce & tomato, hot or mild, wet/dry and any extra sides. I prefer the carne asada which is seasoned steak grilled to order and chopped. It is also sacrilegious to ask for lettuce and tomatoes because the salsa is the traditional vegetable additives. Whole pinto beans are another old school component for the burrito. The burrito is made before your eyes and it is ready before you can wipe the drool from your anticipating kisser..
A mandatory trip to the salsa bar to sample the various condiments was the next step. Corn nibblets was a first for this burrito connoisseur. I liked the roasted jalapenos and habanero peppers. This condiment is optional but as you know I am a hardcore Chilehead..The burrito was superb.The ingredients were fresh and well seasoned. If I could find any criticism it would be the meat to filling ration was on the light side otherwise this was a satisfying meal.
We can cross Taqueria La Cumbre off of our burrito bucket list. Are they the birthplace of the Mission Style burrito? My question is; does it really matter and does branding it a 'Mission Style' burrito make it better? We sure enjoyed our meal today. Thanks Mr. Zimmerman.
Taqueria La Cumbre
515 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Looks pretty good. Salsa bars are the best. I like being able to mix and match. Nice find...
ReplyDeleteMission style is a warning for folks from outside of the area. Burritos in San Diego are different -- no fillers, just meat and salsa and maybe guacamole.
ReplyDeleteI have eaten at La Cumbre too many times to count. One of my go-to places.
Three Dogs BBQ, A good salsa bar is the backbone of a tacqueria. I do have to admit that I was a little puzzled by the corn nibblets.
ReplyDeleteDagny, Is the 'Mission Style' burrito like Champagne or Parmesan, a great marketing tool. I grew up on College Ave burritos. Another go to spot was in Oakland; Tacqueria Morella next to "Jesse's Talk of the Town". They served so-called Mission Style burritos over 35 years ago.
I do like La Taqueria in the City with their no rice burritos. I like them all.
La Taqueria definitely wins for no rice but I've found that most places will skip the rice if you ask these days. Mission style is definitely a Bay Area thing. I think the folks in SF just decided to put a name too it first. Most days these days I don't feel like going to SF so I go to Los Pericos.
ReplyDeleteGreat big tube of food!I love carne asada. I have never seen a burrito while visiting Mexico. Lots of tacos with similar ingredients and huge 'salsa" bars. My daughter brought home a burrito from Los Pericos in San Leandro. I fed on it for two days! Viva la Burrito!
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