Night in the Mission with Mission Chinese Food

Being born in mid-January on the same day as the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. has certainly provided some advantages. While I still wish our birthday, and our nation's holiday, was in the middle of April to serve as a buffer between President's Day and Memorial Day; it nevertheless provides an opportune time to take a well-deserved long-weekend after the commotion of Christmas and New Years. So for this year, after finding a $150/night special at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, I decided to stay local a book a room in the city for the weekend.

Arriving Saturday evening, my first stop after getting settled into my delightful corner room, was to head up to San Francisco's notable Mission district for an extremely late (8:45 PM) reservation at Danny Bowien's Mission Chinese Food. But first I had some time to kill, and luckily for me, the Patriots were playing the Texans. Thus, en route to dinner I found a BBQ restaurant and whiskey bar about a block away from the restaurant called Southpaw BBQ. 

In the span of two hours, I was able to try three of Southpaw's craft cocktails. The first was called "A Rub Down," which was their take on a margarita with Tequila, grapefruit, lime, agave syrup, habanero tincture, and Southpaw's dry rub rim. Well balanced, the cocktail had hints of Tequila, sweet from the agave, sour from the lime, tart from the grapefruit, spice from the habanero, and salty smoky BBQ goodness from the dry rub rim. 

Next up was the "Leggy Models," which featured rye whiskey, cilantro/coriander syrup, and lime juice. Another well-balanced drink, I particularly liked the flavors of the rye whiskey paired with the fresh notes of cilantro and earthy tones of the coriander. The lime added that needed sour compliment to make the drink refreshing. 

Earl Grey's Anatomy
2017 Southpaw BBQ. San Francisco, CA

The final drink was "Earl Grey's Anatomy," with house-made Earl Grey infused vodka, lemon, honey syrup and egg whites. This cocktail tasted just like a cup of Earl Grey tea, with nice bite of the vodka to make it a toddy. Southpaw went three for three in the cocktail department, and I almost wish I could have stayed to try their BBQ. But alas, it was time to settle up and head to the evening's focus up the street.

Mission Chinese Food storefront
2017 Mission Chinese Food. San Francisco, CA

Upon arriving at Mission Chinese Food, one at first may not even know they have arrived. The awning of the store reads "Lung Shan Restaurant," which if one does a little research, will realize that Chef Danny Bowien actually partnered with the already existing restaurant when he started his shop. In fact, there are two primary tells that you have arrived at Mission Chinese Food: 1.) the unusually large amount of people waiting outside for a table, and 2.) a small neon sign just left of the door. After checking in with the host, I waited outside for a couple of minutes before being called and led to my seat.

The restaurant is long and narrow, with a bank of tables in the center, two aisle-ways to move about, and small two tops along the wall. The place is dark, with a red hue from the lighting. Spanning the center along the ceiling is a dragon akin to what you see during a Chinese New Year's celebration. The place is teaming with patrons, and is quite loud. About a minute after I sat down, I was greeted by a waitress who provided a menu. After a quick glance,  I ordered the Ma-Po tofu, crispy pork belly, garlic fried rice, and a Tsing Tao to wash it all down.

Ma-Po Tofu
2017 Mission Chinese Food. San Francisco, CA

The Ma-Po tofu had great flavor. A nice touch of spice, by still well balanced. The tofu held its shape nicely, which made it possible to eat with chopsticks for this amateur chopstick user. The ground pork added nice hearty notes, while I detected almost cardamon-like tones, which lent some earthy flavors to help accentuate the spice. This dish went very well with both the garlic fried rice, and the pork belly.

Crispy pork belly
2017 Mission Chinese Food. San Francisco, CA

Speaking of the pork belly, this part was absolutely fantastic. It was cooked perfectly, with a crispy by not burned exterior, and a soft warm interior. Each bite burst with rich, pork flavor that melted in my mouth. It also provided some sweet notes from the pickled pineapple it was served with. In total, it was neutral enough to embrace the flavors of the Ma-Po tofu, yet also provide rich butter flavors to compliment that dish's flavor profile. Simply fantastic.

About the only thing I was disappointed in was the garlic fried rice. While I detected some garlic flavor, it did not have enough to allow it to stand apart or compliment the other dishes. It seemed to be there only to act as a base and soak up the Ma-Po tofu goodness. If I were to come back, I would order the salt cod fried rice.

All in all, there is a reason why Mission Chinese Food sports an unusually long line at night. While a trifle loud, the ambiance was casual and fun. The service was prompt, almost to the point that it was too efficient. And apart from the garlic fried rice being a little off, the Ma-Po tofu and pork belly definitely warrant a re-visit. One cannot ask for much more to start off their birthday weekend!