Shellie’s innovative take on the classics is just as clever as the menu item names (such as: Parm for Pyros, Eggy Pop) and the eye-catching truck to offer a total experience that is crazy-delicious.

Brass Knuckle rotates its menu daily.

A fan favorite is definitely the Snoop Dogg ($6.50). Shellie basically re-wrote the definition of the hot dog with this dish: a grilled 4505 bacon-wrapped dog topped with slaw, horseradish aioli, teriyaki mayo, sriracha ketchup, furikake, radish sprouts, and bonito flakes. While there’s a lot going on, the flavors bounce off each other in perfect harmony leaving your taste buds dancing.

The Prawn and Roses taco ($3.50) is just as inventive: a prawn wrapped in kataifi — which is a form of shredded phyllo dough — deep-fried, and topped with shredded red and green cabbage, green onions, and cilantro creme.

The taco is flavorful and loaded with contrasting textures to offer a playful eating experience. One of the many highlights to this taco is the cilantro creme, which brings an overall brightness to the taco. The downside? I found the taco to be a bit on the dry side. I wish the shredded cabbage was mixed with the cilantro creme to balance out the dryness from the kataifi-wrapped prawn. But that’s just me being picky.

Overall, Brass Knuckle is truly pushing the boundaries of street food. From the truck’s design to the food Brass Knuckle not only rattles your taste buds but the street food eating experience. For that, Shellie and her team deserver some definite street-cred!

Pros: creative, flavorful, friendly staff

Cons: none

Food: 4

What $10 will get you: 2 tacos and money left over.

It seems like every few months, a new “upscale” taqueria is opening its doors in hopes of proving taco-crazed San Franciscans with its gourmet twist on the taqueria experience. The Marina has Tacolicious and Mamacitas, NoPa has Nopalito, the Lower Haight has The Little Chihuahua…and as of last April, the Pacific Heights district has Tacobar.

Given the name, you’d expect this place to be ALL about tacos. While there is a decent showing of taco variations on the menu, Tacobar extends its California twist to an array of Mexican cuisine staples, including: quesadillas, burritos, salads, soups and sides. And owner, Jack Schwartz knows a thing or two about dishing up gourmet Mexican cuisine — he was born in wonderful Mexico City and has worked at the renown Maya restaurant in San Francisco.

One of Tacobar’s strengths is its whimsical yet bright and casual atmosphere. For that, you gotta give Jack some credit!

So let’s get into Tacobar’s taco offerings…

Tacobar offers a variety of tacos: carne asada, pollo, carnitas, two kinds of fish, shrimp, vegetarian, or a slew of specials that change daily. You you can order any taco “Tacobar especial” for $1.25, which will give you the addition of chicharron cheese and guacamole.

veracruz pescado taco • tacobar

carne asada taco • tacobar

I must disclose that I haven’t tried all the tacos but from what I have tried, here are my thoughts:

• The pulled-pork yucatan style taco (not always available): packed with flavor but the pork was a little on the dry side.
• The baja pescado taco: a nice take on the classic fish taco that so many of us San Franciscans love. Tacobar uses a tempura-beer batter and mahi mahi fish. The shinning element in this taco is the roasted ancho salsa, which delivers a nice finishing note of heat.
• The veracruz pescado taco: packed with a nice level of heat, which is in part due to the tasty veracruz sauce. The mahi mahi fish is nicely cooked, and the flakiness of the fish mixes well with the crunchiness of the cabbage slaw. I did find the cabbage slaw to be a little heavy on the vinegar.
• The carne asada taco is decent but the pinto beans overpowered the taco and muddled the grilled meat flavor. The taco comes topped with pico de gallo, providing a nice freshness to the heaviness of the meat and bean.

Overall…It’s not your Mission taqueria – nor should it be. For what it is – a gourmet taqueria in Pacific Heights - it’s a decent place.

Pros: bright atmosphere, friendly staff, creative menu

Cons: high prices

Food: 2.5

What $10 will get you: 2 tacos and the option to upgrade to the “tacobar especial” experience.

Tomorrow, Off the Grid will kick off its 7th — yes, I said 7th — weekly mobile food festival. Say hello to Off the Grid: Embarcadero Center!

But don’t except Matt to stop here. When I talked to him last month, he mentioned launching events in the South Bay and East Bay. Which is all fun and good eats, but I’m waiting for the news of Off the Grid: Street Food Battle. Matt, let’s talk!

Event Details

• WHEN: Thursdays, 11:30AM-2PM
• WHERE: Drumm Street between Three and Four Embarcadero Center
• VENDORS: Liba Falafel, 510 Burger, Ebbett’s Good to Go, Streetside Kitchen, Seoul on Wheels

All hail the Battle of the Taco Trucks!!

That’s right, Oakland’s legendary taco trucks are battling it out to bring nothing but tasty fun for taco lovers and bragging rights for trucks. Over 20 trucks are participating in the competition, including: El Novillo Taco Truck, El Ojo de Agua Taco Truck, Tacos Estrellas, Tacos Guadalajara Taco Truck, Tacos Mi Rancho, Tacos Zamorano, and Taqueria Sinaloa.

The winner is decided by You! So cast your vote — between now and May 5th — to support your favorite truck! Click here for the full list of vendors in the competition, and to VOTE!

The top 5 trucks will be honored at the Battle of the Taco Trucks event taking place May 7th at the Convention Center in Oakland. In addition to good eats, the event offers: a piñata bash, music by Wild 94.9, and live dance performances. Oh, and did I mention the tequila tasting garden?

Event Details

• When - Saturday, May 7
• Where - Oakland Convention Center (550 10th Street)
• Hours - 8pm to midnight. Doors open at 7pm
• Cost - $25, $15 at the door if you arrive before 8pm. Click here to buy your ticket in advance.
• Age Requirement – must be at least 21 to attend the event
• Event Website - www.oaklandconventioncenter.com/battle/

Could La Cascada Taqueria be a ‘diamond in the rough’?

It depends. It’s not your typical Mission district taqueria – nor should it be. For what it is – a simple, whole-in-wall taqueria – it’s a decent place.

The decor is as authentic as you can get: the walls are marked with vibrate murals; and the menu hangs over the register, hand-written in spanish. (note: english speaking menus are available).

For such a small place, the menu is rather extensive, offering: burritos, tortas, quesadillas, tacos and alambres (similar to fajitas). Meat choices include: asada (pollo or carne), carnitas, pescado or al pastor.

The tacos; however, are average. A taco at La Cascada Taqueria consists of an adequate amount of meat on two wonderfully steamed tortillas (La Cascada Taqueria: you done good with the tortillas!), topped with diced white onions, cilantro and salsa. While this is consistent with most other traditional taquerias in the Bay Area, the meat filling lacked that punch of flavor that makes the taco mouth-wateringly good.

Pros: mellow atmosphere, friendly service

Cons: meat lacks punch

Food: 2.5

What $10 will get you: 4 tacos and free chips and salsa.

CONTACT: 3723 Mission Street (between Highland Avenue & Leese Street) • San Francisco, CA

Their menu — while small and simple — includes tacos, quesadillas, and burritos filled  with pollo asada (grilled chicken), al pastor (pork), carnitas (fried pork), carne asada (grilled beef) or lengua (tongue).

So let’s talk taco…

On a recent visit, I ordered the al pastor taco, carnitas taco and pollo asada taco.

Each taco comes with meat pilled on two wonderfully grilled corn tortillas topped with diced white onions, cilantro, and salsa. I prefer my tacos with a little kick, so I always ordered mine spicy. I have to give props to Los Compadres, the spicy option is actually spicy…SA-WEET!

The al pastor taco is one to dream about. It is flavorful and the meat is nicely cooked. The carnitas taco is good but I would not classify it as the best in town. Los Compadres prepares a spiced-pork-style carnitas rather than the traditional carnitas that contains those delicious carmalized bits us carntias-addicts crave. The pollo asada is good but it lacks flavor.

Would I go back? Yes!

The taco truck is only open from from 11am to 3pm. I recommend avoiding the lunch-hour rush, or expect to wait around 15-minutes for your tacos. But it is worth the wait.

And I must say, they are one of the few taco trucks around to offer a taco deal: 3 tacos for $5, making Los Compadres an affordable lunch spot with top-notch tacos.

Pros: tasty al pastor taco, fresh, clean, ample seating, not greasy

Cons: pollo asada lacks flavor

Food: 4

What $10 will get you: 6 tacos.

CONTACT: Spear Street @ Folsom Street • San Francisco, CA • FourSquare: Spear @ Folsom

Sure, the advancement of mobile devices and new-wave social media tools like Facebook and Twitter make it easier to follow the whereabouts of your favorite trucks. But what if you are in a new neighborhood or city and want to know what trucks are nearby?

Have no fear, Taco Loco is here!

It’s an App available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users that identifies and maps the locations of nearby mobile food vendors, as well as rate the trucks. Sorry all you Android, Windows 7 and Blackberry users, the App doesn’t currently support these devices.

I’ve played around with the App a bit. It’s neat, but it does have a few missing pieces. One: the map just indicates where the taco trucks are located, it doesn’t tell you anything about the taco trucks or its food offerings. Two: the rating system only indicates how many stars the taco trucks’ received — on a scale from one to five — leaving out why people like that truck or don’t. Three: the data provided is reliant on the users…it does not automatically the whereabouts of taco trucks — which is a big shame. So, the more users the better the data.

Hopefully these features will be available or improved upon in future update releases.

The Taco Loco App is available for download from iTunes for $1.99.

One could say that the Fort Mason event is the ’daddy’ of all weekly street food festivals in the Bay Area — it’s definitely one of the most popular.  You can expect Matt Cohen (the mastermind of the Off the Grid festivals) and his team to deliver a tasty time each week with an abundance of taco truck vendors, live music and drinks.

I had an opportunity to speak with Matt this week about the festivals new additions and his thoughts on where street food is heading — here’s what he had to say…

1. Off the Grid saw tremendous growth this year. This idea was obviously what San Franciscans wanted! What was your inspiration for starting them?

I’d been consulting for mobile vendors to help them launch and improve their businesses for quite some time. One of the most often asked questions (from the vendors) was, “how can we find more locations to sell?” Eventually, we decided that rather than waiting for the system to change, we’d go and establish legal locations for vendors to group on our own, and the result was Off the Grid.

2. What new vendors or activities can attendees expect to find this season at Fort Mason?

Fort Mason Center this year is going to be awesome. The bold font highlights are:

• 30% more vendors and 50% more space.
• 12 new vendors.
• Magnolia and Alembic taking over bar in the space.
• One additional hour of service (from 5-10pm) weekly.
• And loads of creative surprises at the season progresses…

3. What are your plans for all the festivals moving forward?

We’re working on expanding to both the East Bay, North Bay and the Peninsula/ South Bay. We’re also working on adding more infrastructure to our existing markets to make them more comfortable and accommodating.

4. Where do you think street food is heading?

We’re heading toward a place where it will be more ubiquitous. Hopefully that means we’ll also be moving toward more adventurous, creative, cool food. But we’ll all definitely be seeing Street Food around more often.

5. Any words of wisdom for those looking to start a food tuck?

Think carefully about it. Have a concept that is easy to understand and a core product that reflects that concept. Find locations, and become intimately familiar with the permit process. Nothing is guaranteed in the Street Food business, but if you like interacting with your customers and owning your own business, then Street Food might be the right choice for you.

CONTACT: Off the Grid: Fort Mason • San Francisco, CA • Hours: 5-10pm • Admissions: FREE • offthegridsf.com • Facebook • Twitter: @sfcarts

NOTE: This Friday, $5 from each Off the Grid t-shirts sold will be sent to support the efforts in Japan through the National JETAA USA Fund.

Señor Sisig [pronounced see-sig] blazed onto the street scene last year, bringing the flavors of the Philippines to the Bay Area by way of delicious “sisig” dishes. Unlike Hapa SF‘s contemporary approach, Señor Sisig spins traditional street food items such as: tacos, burritos, and nachos, to deliver a solid fusion of Filipino and Mexican cuisine.

I have had their tacos on several occasions — to sum it up, these guys don’t disappoint!

I had an opportunity to learn more about the taco truck…here’s 5 questions with Evan Kidera, co-owner of Señor Sisig.

1) What is Señor Sisig all about?

Señor Sisig is a Filipino Fusion Food Truck based in the SF Bay Area. We have taken a traditional Filipino dish called “Sisig” and fused it with various Mexican food like tacos, burritos and nachos. The overall picture is that we fuse Filipino cuisine with Mexican cuisine.

2) Why a mobile food tuck?

We choose to do a food truck for a number of reasons. We saw that this was a industry that was not really tapped in to yet (on a fusion level) and that the industry was on the rise. We also knew that the investment would be less than opening a storefront. On top of that we were intrigued by street food and wanted to make street food our lifestyle because we knew it was something that we would be happy doing.

3) How did you determine your mobile food truck locations?

Trail and error. We try certain locations to see if they are worth serving from or not. Being that we are on wheels, location is something we are always focused on. We like to move around so that we can reach more people.

4) What should non-Filipinos know about sisig?

Sisig is a traditional Filipino recipe that comes from the Philippines Pampanga Provence. It is traditionally made from the fatty parts from the pigs cheeks and snout. We use the pork shoulder instead which is a more meaty, less fatty part of the pig. It is marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, juices and other spices for 48 hours and then grilled. Once grilled, we chop the meat in to fine pieces and re- marinate it in another mixture containing lemon juice, soy sauce, onions, jalapenos, and other spices.

5) Señor Sisig’s been around for about a year now; how would you sum up the year?

Our first year has been great! The response we have received was unanticipated. We love what we do because of how happy we make people. This first year has definitely been a learning process that hopefully leads to only bigger and better things from Senor Sisig in the future.

CONTACT: Señor Sisig can be found in Brisbane, San Mateo, San Francisco’s Off the Grid festivals • Click here for truck schedule • www.senorsisig.com • Twitter: @senorsisig

In 2009, Namu introduced the “real Korean ‘taco’” — which they claim to be a “culinary touche’” to the iconic Kogi taco truck in Los Angeles — to taco-hungry San Franciscan at the Ferry Building’s farmers market. It was an instant success.

I stopped by the other week to see if the taco lives up to the hype…

I have to give props to Namu for their creative twist on the taco. The “real Korean ‘taco’” consists of braised Korean beef short ribs on a bed of seasoned rice that is topped with a kimche and daikon salsa, kimchee remoulade and house-made teriyaki sauce. Instead of traditional corn tortillas, Namu folds the ingredients inside toasted seaweeds sheets.

It truly is a piece of art.The flavors are just as vibrate. The taco offers a nice balance of both sweet and savory that will excite your taste buds. That said, the toasted seaweed sheets were a tad chewy, which made the taco hard to eat. I ended up eating mine with a fork. And the portion size is more suitable for a snack or a really light lunch. Two tacos (for $5) will not satisfy even the lightest eater.

You can try Namu’s tasty taco on Thursdays and Saturdays at the Ferry Building’s farmers market. The tacos are also a hot menu item at the restaurant, which is located on Balboa Street at 6th Avenue in the Inner Richmond District of San Francisco.

Pros: creative, flavorful, good snack

Cons: hard to eat, small portions

Food: 3.5

What $10 will get you: 4 tacos

CONTACT: Ferry Building Farmers Market on Thursdays and Saturdays, 1 Ferry Plaza • San Francisco, CA • 439 Balboa Street @ 6^th Avenue • San Francisco, CA • (415) 386-8332 • www.namusf.com • Facebook • Twitter: @NamuSF