I met up with the rest of the group at the meeting point, the cultural centre of the neighborhood, and we were soon joined by our guide Nathan, a rather friendly Texan in a pink flamingo shirt with a lot to say. He was entertaining and always kept the conversation going but sometimes rambling a little off topic, leaving the food and history behind for other off-subject conversations. I didn't mindso much, but at times, the information in general was lacking.
What wasn't lacking, however, was the food! Wow, did we ever EAT on this tour!!! We began with one of the best burritos in the Mission, a baby burrito with a selections of hot salsas from Taqueria San Jose. Next stop was the Mission Street Oyster Co., to freshen up our palettes with plump, tender oysters and glasses of sparkling Brut wine(I chose the tour with accompanying drinks included). We followed this up with Panchitas Pupusas, round filled tortilla-like breads loaded with Monterey cheese and the Loroco flower, which tasted a lot like mild asparagus. These were topped with spicy red sauce and tangy coleslaw, and the acidity worked perfectly to cut the fattiness of the cheezy pocket. Yummy. They were served with a local brew, which I enjoyed less since I am not a fan of beer.
On a completely different tangent, our "secret" fourth stop was at Curry Up Now, an Indian restaurant and recent addition to the tour. Now, I know that the tour deals with Mission specialties, and agree that there are some many cultures that make up the fabric of this neighborhood, but I felt we had been following a distinctly South American vibe, and was a little thrown off course by the addition of samosas. They were good, yes, and the sweet tamarind sauce served alongside was a revelation, but I felt the theme of the tour dropped at this stop.
All through the tour's walking, we appreciated the art of the neighborhood. The Mission is also known for its murals, done by well-known local street artists, and Nathan was keen to point out every of them that we passed, often interjecting some history and details pertaining to either the artists, or the subject of the art itself. Clarion Alley, a concentration of murals, ever-changing with the theme of the times and the artists at the time, was particularly vibrant and colourful - we even observed an artist, and his family, finishing the colour work of his new tableau.
Our final stop of the tour was at Bi-Rite Creamery, a location know for its flavourful homemade ice cream, and somewhere I had wanted to try. We satisfied our sweet tooth, and our need for a little dessert, with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, accompanied by soft chewy pignoli cookies from Dianda's Italian bakery. Then, knowing our need to "walk it off", Nathan led us up the hill of Dolores-Mission park, for the second most beautiful view of the city, and a grassy hillside covered in the tanning bodies of what seemed like the entire neighborhood - it was quite the show.
So yes, I fully recommend the Mission District tour, as it was a great way to discover a neighborhood I was not familiar with, but I think the line-up needs a little "tweaking".