Mike Winston’s Best Meals of 2015

Yes, I know this year-end list is beyond belated. Actually, I’m probably over a month late. Normally, I’m not one to make these kinds of excuses, but my life has been pretty hectic lately.

As you may or may not know, I’m getting married in a couple of months, so my time has recently come at an extreme premium and I haven’t been able to commit as much attention as I’d like to this little publication obsession. With that being said, over the next couple of months, I’ll be playing around with post style and formatting a bit in an attempt to find new ways to rapidly pump out awesome food articles with fewer publishing limitations on my end. Please feel free to give me feedback on the new content — I’m planning to review this little experiment in a few months and we can take it from there.

(more…)

Continue ReadingMike Winston’s Best Meals of 2015

Where to Find a School Bus Slinging Killer Street Tacos in Austin

Can someone please explain to me why Austin is utterly overflowing with ridiculously good breakfast tacos and I can barely find expensive, passable versions anywhere else in the country. I mean, it’s not like San Francisco isn’t loaded with cheap and amazing Mexican joints and they certainly know how to put a great taco together. It’s a mystery that I don’t know if I’ll ever solve.

(more…)

Continue ReadingWhere to Find a School Bus Slinging Killer Street Tacos in Austin

Crushing Ridiculously Delicious Filipino Burritos with a Michelin Starred Chef

The San Francisco food scene is full of all sorts of inventive, creative crossover cuisines. And one of the city’s most loved and most delicious integrated creations comes from a beloved Filipino-fusion vendor called Señor Sisig. This city seriously has so much love for this truck – I’ve honestly never heard a negative word spoken against it, and that says a lot in a city so extremely divisive and combative about whose favorite place is best. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they exist in a category all alone by themselves – absolutely no one else is competing in the Mexican-Filipino arena. And why would they? This truck’s reputation alone would be nearly impossible to topple.

(more…)

Continue ReadingCrushing Ridiculously Delicious Filipino Burritos with a Michelin Starred Chef

Incredible, Authentic Tacos in the Middle of Nowhere at La Gitana in Calistoga

Amy and I spent a Thursday up in Napa then made our way further north up to Calistoga for some pampering with some fancy spa treatments at their famed mineral pools. After concluding an incredible session that included a mud bath, jacuzzi soak, sauna sit, hour-long Swedish massage, and dip in their hot mineral pools, we were ready for lunch.

(more…)

Continue ReadingIncredible, Authentic Tacos in the Middle of Nowhere at La Gitana in Calistoga

Epic Deep-Fried Sandwiching at Hey!…You Gonna Eat Or What?

No, really. That’s the name of the place: Hey!…You Gonna Eat Or What? We were wandering around the South Congress Austin neighborhood popping into awesome places like Allens Boots, Uncommon Objects, and Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds. While walking further down the strip we found ourselves up getting hollered at by a food vendor who successfully sucked into a lot full of food trailers including his own – the aggressively named Hey!…You Gonna Eat Or What?

(more…)

Continue ReadingEpic Deep-Fried Sandwiching at Hey!…You Gonna Eat Or What?

The Very Best Airport Food I’ve Ever Eaten

airport_sign

It’s getting to be that time when we look back on the year in review and 2014 was a very big year of travel for me. Between working remotely in Silicon Valley while still officially living in NYC, moving from NYC to SF, and other miscellaneous leisure travel, I spent a lot of time in airports.

I know that airports get a bad rap when it comes to dining options and you know what, most of the time the food really does suck. But, every now and then I’ve been able to come across some truly excellent dishes. Beyond that, I’ve even managed to find a number of dishes served in airports that blew me away – the overacheivers – the kinds of things I would get even if I wasn’t stuck eating in an airport. Without further ado, read on below to see the best of the best to eat before you fly in the sky. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Very Best Airport Food I’ve Ever Eaten

All-American Specialty Hot Dogs at Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, CT

Amy and I have always been hot dog lovers. All it really takes is a simple, well-cooked, snappy mustard covered link and we’ll be perfectly happy, but give us something crazier and we’re bound to fall head over heels.

On this particular weekend, we found ourselves in the Westport, Connecticut area for a wedding and *gasp* got hungry for some lunch. A quick search of the surrounding area and we came across Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield where they serve a vast menu spanning the many regional hot dog topping styles and preparations across the US. How could we possibly pass on the chance to check a place like this out?

(more…)

Continue ReadingAll-American Specialty Hot Dogs at Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, CT

My Favorite Vegetarian Dish in NYC is at Taim in the West Village

DSC_4246_edit

What can I say about Taim that hasn’t already been said. I think at this point everyone has heard of Taim and their ridiculously delicious Israeli style falafel, but there’s another dish they make that I constantly obsess over. In fact, the lesser known Sabich Sandwich is my favorite vegetarian dish in NYC.

(more…)

Continue ReadingMy Favorite Vegetarian Dish in NYC is at Taim in the West Village

Fútbol & Foreign Food Truck Frenzy at SoMa StrEat Food

20140704_152816_edit

If you’re looking to watch the World Cup in San Francisco you’ve certainly got plenty of options. In my mind, the most obvious two would be at home if you want to watch alone or at a sports bar if you want to watch in public. But if you’re looking for something a little different and also want a variety of unique food options and even more importantly want to be outdoors, read on!

In the shadow of both a highway and a gigantic Costco, in a remote corner of town that could barely still be called SoMa, there’s a really incredible place worth trekking to called SoMa StrEat Food. It’s a large, triangular outdoor lot that draws plenty of young, hip yuppies for food, drink, and various forms of entertainment.

(more…)

Continue ReadingFútbol & Foreign Food Truck Frenzy at SoMa StrEat Food

An Amazingly Warped Sense of “Lite” at the Old Traditional Polish Cuisine Truck in West SoHo

DSC_4335_edit

Working in West SoHo has its perks. With so many digital agencies planting roots out on Hudson and Varick, a lot of New York City food trucks have taken notice. Pretty much any day of the week, there will be four or five gourmet trucks serving lunch to the masses, each amazing in their own right. But there’s one I usually don’t see people waiting in long lines for or raving about online that I think deserves some attention, the Old Traditional Polish Cuisine truck.

(more…)

Continue ReadingAn Amazingly Warped Sense of “Lite” at the Old Traditional Polish Cuisine Truck in West SoHo