August 1, 2009

Subtle Satisfaction in Ferry Building’s Mijita

The Ferry Building is one of those unique places in San Francisco that locals and tourists happily share. Residents run in for a loaf of bread at Acme or some oysters from Hog Island while tourists scoop up Scharffen Berger bars and snap photos of heaping market stands. Set back towards the side where the ferry actually lets off is the small Mexican eatery, Mijita, run by chef Traci des Jardins (of Hayes Valley’s Jardiniere fame). On a Thursday or a Saturday when the farmer’s market is up-and-going, it’s tough to get a spot at one of the coveted oil-cloth tables. However, on an off-day this week, there were plenty of free seats right by the window: perfect for a little late afternoon grazing and people watching. A nice pairing.

When you walk in, notice the specials of the day are printed in the chalkboard portion below the posted menu. Ask for a printed menu: it goes into much greater detail than the listed title of the dish alone. Behind the counter, if you peep (which I did), there are orange and yellow Le Creuset pots bubbling away on the stove and colorful dishes stacked neatly, waiting for the early dinner crowd. Looking into the kitchen, it seems more like a Mexican grandmother’s domain than it does a commercial production–certainly part of its charm.

We started with the jicama, grapefruit, avocado, and pumpkin seed salad ($4). It was light and substantial, simultaneously. The subtlety of the jicama, combined with the salty crunch of the pumpkin seeds and the tart acidity of the grapefruit resulted in a refreshing, summer salad. It could’ve been improved had the pumpkin seeds met a little vinaigrette somewhere down the line: they were sprinkled on top, as if only an afterthought. But all in all, it was a sweet, intelligently constructed salad. One I’d like to try and mimic at home.

Next we ordered the queso fundido ($5). You may not know this about me yet, but I love cheese. Especially good cheese. I also, after falling off the vegetarian wagon quite recently, love sausage. So it was with enthusiastic gusto that I ordered the queso fundido: melted Mexican cheeses with chorizo, served with flour tortillas. Unfortunately it fell flat. Perhaps I was expecting more of a creamy, queso-style cheese dish, but the fundido was stringy and difficult to negotiate onto a chip. Think lunch-box string cheese, heated up a bit. Don’t get me wrong: the flavor was smoky and complex–nothing like lunch-box string cheese. But I got the feeling that it was rushed along in the kitchen, the cheeses were hastily combined, and it wasn’t baked long enough. Do know when you order it that it takes about ten minutes to bake, so not the best choice if you’re in a big hurry. Or perhaps, even if you’re not. I’m hoping we caught it on a bad day, and am willing to give it another shot.

Now on to one of the house specialities: the tacos. I recently interviewed chef Elizabeth Faulkner (of Orson and Citizen Cake) for a piece I’m working on and she said mentioned Mijita as one of her favorite places to get tacos in San Francisco. We chose the carnitas taco ($4.25) with braised pork in soft corn tortillas with tomatillo salsa, cilantro, and onions. Chef Faulkner recommended the crispy chicken tacos, but they weren’t on the menu the day we visited. The carnitas taco was flavorful and filling, both sweet and smoky at the same time. I often like my carnitas to be a bit spicy, a bit lively. Mijita’s are not, but they’re still quite nice. The corn tortillas are warmed and served as a pair, helping to cradle the generous helping of carnitas. The pork is tender from slow braising–the kind of thing that’s difficult to replicate at home (unless you’re an expert wielding a pork shoulder, which I’m not). Pickled jalapenos and carrots are served on the side: a welcome, spicy crunch.

For dessert, we ordered the house flan ($3). It was extremely light–more of an American custard, actually. It reminded me a great deal of my mom’s custard recipe which I decided I need to make soon–and which I’ll post here when I do. It’s perfect for late night spoonfuls while standing at the counter or with the refrigerator door open, thinking about…nothing at all.

While I’m happy to have tried Mijita, I can’t say I’ll rush back next week. Although I would love to go again to try and nab some of those crispy chicken tacos. Don’t get me wrong. We left feeling satisfied in a subtle way, not a ‘I must call all of my friends and tell them about this place’ way. Instead, we moved on: browsing books, stopping for a shot of espresso, and strolling through Sur Le Table admiring kitchen gadgets that I’d like to own some day.

For authentic, flavorful Mexican food that is not subtle, that hits you over the head and makes you want to call all of your friends, I would recommend: Papalote or La Taqueria.