street food

We spent last weekend at the San Francisco Street Food Festival and didn't walk away with too much damage to our pockets, but that could be changing. According to SFoodie, the latest event to hit San Francisco is a Street Eats Benefit Gala that'll set attendees back as much as $225.

The price tag — which is awfully steep to pay for something coming out of a cart or a truck — got me thinking about what the price ceiling is when it comes to street food. What seems like a reasonable amount to pay for offerings such as banh mi tacos and caramelized s'mores? I don't think I would spend more than $12 on any single item I've ever seen come out of a food truck. Do you, like me, have a magic number?

Our recent interview with Food & Wine executive wine editor Ray Isle gave us plenty of insight into where to buy value wines, but undoubtedly the most fun part of the chat was the special lightning round we subjected him to at the end.

We named five of our food-truck favorites and asked him to blurt out the first wine pairings that came to mind. Ray's best street-food drink matches:

• Carne asada tacos: "To go with the steak, a Zinfandel, or a Malbec from Argentina."
• Grilled cheese: "Oh, a white like an Alsatian Pinot Gris. Or a rosé; I like the ones from Provence. Either way, something with body that's rich, nutty, and has enough acid to cut the cheese."
• Pork belly buns: "A wine with tannins to counter the fat. Maybe an American Syrah; it'd pair nicely with the hoisin or plum sauce."
• Fish tacos: "Definitely a wine that's nonoaked. A bright white like Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, or an Albariño from Spain."
• Fried chicken: "Sparkling rosé! Bubbles will clear your palate. Like Krug's rosé — only someone else has to fork over the $300!"

Got any food-truck and wine pairing faves? Share them with us below.

Source: Flickr User Bob B. Brown

A craving for Central American and Caribbean food as of late has meant I've scoured the streets of Miami for a decent cubano, as well as the colorful corners of San Francisco's Mission district for authentic Salvadoran pupusas.

Think of the pupusa as a more glorious quesadilla. The people of El Salvador flatten balls of corn dough (made of masa that's been treated with an alkaline solution) into flat filled cakes, each hiding a sliver of refried beans, pork, vegetables, and, more often than not, melted cheese, then heated until warm on the griddle. The end result's served piping hot with piquant curtido (pickled cabbage) and a thin red tomato-based salsa.

On a recent excursion to Balompie Café, the best pupusa I tried was a traditional version filled with cheese and loroco, a Central American flower bud that tasted a bit like bell peppers. If you love Latin flavors and have never laid eyes on the pupusa, it's a Salvadoran street food worth seeking out.

• A collection of sweet and savory snacks for your desk drawer. — Chow
• The FDA on radiation safety: "There is no risk to the US food supply." — FDA
• Was it the Noma book that cost René Redzepi a third Michelin star? — Grub Street SF
• Food trucks have officially jumped the shark: even Jack in the Box has one. — Eater
• How foodies are raising money for Japan. — Epi-Log
• As food prices soar, so will your restaurant tab. — Walletpop
• Amidst Japan's nuclear crisis, Chinese shoppers are stockpiling iodized salt. — Eatocracy
• Must make: Middle Eastern lamb pizza. — Serious Eats