San Francisco hosted the first Charcoal Food Festival in the SOMA district this past weekend. You’re probably wondering, charcoal in food?!?! Well, read on, because charcoal infused food and drinks are an official thing. If you’re active on social media, you’ve likely seen charcoal-laden foods cropping up everywhere.
I was a little bit skeptical as this was my first foray into the dark world of charcoal. I first heard about this festival on Facebook. Cost for entry was about $12+ (including fees). These fees didn’t cover any food and drink costs. Many local vendors were offering their take on charcoal-activated goodies.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with all of the food I tried. Everything was tasty, and some of the products did have a distinct charcoal flavor, some more than others.
WOOD-FIRED CHARCOAL-CRUST PIZZA (from Firetrail Pizza
I tried the Margherita pizza option with a charcoal crust. This pizza was my favorite out of all the things I tried while at the festival. The pizza was thin, and the crust was really yummy. The coating did have a slightly earthy flavor than a traditional pizza crust would have. The overall taste and quality of the pizza were really delectable. The sauce wasn’t too sour or sweet, and the smatterings of basil and my addition of red pepper flakes (love!) were perfect.
BRAISED OCTOPUS PASTA (from Sip N’ Slurp)
The ingredients in this pasta included charcoal, garlic, and white wine cream sauce. The octopus was tender (as they should be), and the sauce was very creamy and had an excellent buttery taste. The noodles were cooked perfectly. You couldn’t really taste the charcoal in this dish, however. However, all the flavors and textures worked to make this a delicious choice.
CHARCOAL-ACTIVATED OJ (from Black Magic Beverage)
This orange juice was refreshing, but I couldn’t really taste the charcoal in this drink. The drink was just a fresh option on a hot day.
CHARCOAL DOLE WHIP (from Trader Jim’s)
This charcoal dole whip tasted like every other dole whip I’ve ever tried. Good pineapple flavor, but decided to add a little extra kick with some pepper flakes on top. I couldn’t really taste the charcoal flavor, but this treat was a great refreshing treat to stave off the heat at the moment. I probably would have added more of the spice, though, as I couldn’t taste the heat.
BLACK AND WHITE CHARCOAL PASTRY PUFFS (from Choux SF)
Unfortunately, these goodies melted before I could take an excellent picture of them. (insert sad face here)
I tried the following:
-Charcoal Earl-Grey Chocolate: a hint of earl-grey flavor.
-Vanilla Charcoal Marble: not too sweet and tasty cream cheese bit on top and nice light filling inside.
-Charcoal Brownie: you could really taste the charcoal included in this brownie. Out of all the foods I tried, this tasted most like charcoal. The brownie was really moist and not too sweet.
-Marble Black and White Cheesecake: not overly sweet and had a delicious cheesecake flavor.
The festival had tons of other food choices including charcoal dumplings & egg tarts, charcoal-activated lemonade & sangria, charcoal-battered corndogs, and charcoal-crusted quiches to name some other food items. All in all, I thought this festival was a cool stop to check-out the charcoal food craze.
BUSINESS INFO:
SoMa StrEat Food Park
428 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
http://www.somastreatfoodpark.com/
There are always some great upcoming events, so check out their upcoming schedule here.
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For another one of my great San Francisco recommendations, go here.