not just pupusas.....gourmet pupusas!
When I had the chance to think about it, feels like I have had as many pupusas in this town as I have breakfast sandwiches. Unlike those, I don't necessarily go out in search of these tasty little Mexican hot pocket like things. And just when I think I've had most everyone in town, POOF! I come across another one.
This happened recently when I found myself killing time on a Sunday by venturing out to the Inner/Outer Sunset neighborhood, mostly because I didn't really feel like getting off the NJudah and just sort of found myself at that 9th and Irving area. Turns out they had a small farmer's market set up in a bank parking lot. Wandering through, it has the usual array of cheeses, packaged meats, fruits, veggies...and what's that? Yum! Pupusas! Cause I'm hungry!
It is a little stand called Gourmet Pupusas and they smell really good. And at 2 for $7, I'm down. (I couldn't find an online presence for them and if you can, let me know!) They had the traditional but they also were serving up a Southwestern, Italian and Mediterranean version. I skipped the traditional and the Med, it had olives in it and, blech!
pupusas from gourmet pupusas
The Southwestern has cheese, chipotle chicken and onions. The Italian has cheese, basil, spinach, sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. Each is hand made to order so you get them hot and steaming off the griddle. Nicely browned on the outside. The cheese all melting inside and that lovely sweet white corn flavor of the pupusa shell. There are chunks of chicken, though I missed that flavor of sausage in the Italian. There was plenty of spinach and mushroom though and I was kind of fine with that. I would say the chipotle could have been kicked up a notch, but their house made hot sauce you see on the slaw more than made up for it.
One thing these didn't lack either was cheese--there was lots of it. And we all know I am all about some cheese. It is all this soft creaminess that makes the vinegar slaw and hot sauce a key component. Adding them in brings some crunch and acidic texture which helps offset all the rich sweetness from the corn and cheese. They just compliment each other so well.
These are just some really good pupusas. It's why I say forget all those $10 sandwiches, get a couple of pupusas and a side of slaw and you've got a great, filling lunch. I'm guessing Gourmet Pupusas goes from farmer's market to farmer's market, so it isn't like you can go to a spot and get them. Maybe that will just add some allure to them and you can turn it into a search and try mission! That is if you don't want to go all the way out to the farmer's market in the Sunset, which in retrospect, isn't such a bad thing. I mean, really, there are worse ways to spend a Sunday in San Francisco, might as well make the most of it and have something yummy and tasty, like a cheesy pupusa.
