Food Fans at Food Social

One of our favorite things is when people love the food they cook. We understand the feeling! The pride in serving something you truly believe in, whether it's at an intimate dinner party or work potluck or even if  you've given up your life to have your own restaurant. Food Social allows new local vendors to showcase their food enthusiasm and draw you into a new taste or food pairing.

We arrived on time (in SF this means we were 'early'), but that's good, because that means we get to eat  before it gets crowded! Mel, J.K. and Angela practiced the purchase and share technique we have perfected at various functions over the years. J.K arrived just in time to get the last bite of our first culinary adventure which was a chicken & waffle sandwich. The chicken was good. The maple syrup was wafting around the room when we arrived so we bee-lined over to their table. Sadly, the waffles were premade, so ours were not crisp, but soft and even more sad, the sandwich didn't have any maple syrup taste. The coleslaw was flavorful and crunchy though. Soul Groove brought us this version of the now ubiquitous chicken and waffle. We would be happy to try this sandwich again with Crisp fresh waffles!

We plopped J.K. down on a stool to hold some counter space and went to forage for more treats from the 12 vendors at this event. Next in line was Under a Brick grilled cheese sandwiches from GrilledCheezGuy with a 'shot' of tomato soup (for dipping, good idea!) and a grilled peach for dessert. The grilled cheese sandos were cooked literally under an aluminum foil-covered brick. The grilled peach was the highlight from this menu. The guys behind the table were very friendly and generous, giving us 3 half sandwiches (instead of the one sandwich cut into 3 which we requested/paid for) and repeated admonishments that they use Acme Bread. (Which is very tasty.)

This Real Crab slider was on a Hawaiian style dinner role. Sliders with a kick has a good idea going on with the crab and slaw together.

Vendors in this kind of venue/atmosphere must do a lot with little equipment and space. Our next comestible was a gourmet corndog from Sticks. We tasted a sample and we were sold, not to mention that it was a very reasonable at $5 and made to order! The batter was thick and rich, the hotdog was a delight with artichoke and garlic inside. There was also a selection of dipping sauces, and we didn't have to choose just one. The vendor had a lot of pride and excitement to share over his great idea and flavorful food. Trust us--this tastes much better than it looks! (insert your preferred lewd comment here)

Considering our interest in salads and greens we had to try another slider, this one on is an Arugula Salad slider with beef short ribs as the meat. Crumbly blue cheese (again, more for Angela when you people turn up your nose) made this combo creamy when partnered with the bite from the arugula and rich savory beef.

Dessert was a matcha green tea ice cream sandwich on kouign amann from Frozen Kuhsterd.(Angela voted for them in the SFFF Local Forager contest) J.K. had been wanting to try pastry ever since reading Dara Goldstein's Baking Boot Camp. Ms. Goldstein's recipe seemed too complicated to try, but after tasting this one, we did a search and came up with a recipe from David Lebovitz that seems doable. We'll let you know how it turns out. If they're half as good as this ice cream sandwich J.K. will be forced to slave all day making these delightful flaky, buttery desserts. The rich custard and flaky pastry were a perfect compliment and the size would be great for one person, but also worked for sharing. 

We will see you again food Social, and Happy First Birthday! If you'd like any more info about these vendors, or how to participate click here.  Were there any vendors you think we should have tried? Let us know and we'll hit them up next time they're in our food sights.