The Chronicle's 11th annual Bargain Bites issue dropped this weekend, with the added bonus of a subtle little facelift. Among the most prominent "improvements" are a significant boost in the total number of worthy restaurants (over 60 more) and an organizational switch, from filtering by cuisine to by neighborhood. Here are our fittingly economical thoughts on this year's list:
1) Once again, taquerias dominate the list, with perennial Chron-favorite La Taqueria leading the way. Also, after inexplicably getting the boot last year, the El Tonayense Taco Trucks and their cabeza tacos are back in the cool kids' club.
2) Quick: which four San Francisco neighborhoods earn their own Bargain Bites neighborhood listings? Answer below.
3) Another change to this year's list: the hallowed $10 mark has been breached! After 10 years at $10, to reflect "the reality of ever-increasing menu prices," the 11th annual edition upped the maximum dinner price to ... $12.
4) Pray, tell, what does the crayon theme mean? Kindergartners enjoy $4 pho?
5) Off the list due to price increases: longtime fave Tajine.
6) Newly-opened restaurants that made the cut: the Mission's Weird Fish, SoMa's Split Pea Seduction. Redone restaurants: Crocker Galleria's Medicine Eatstation, the Mission's Mega Mouth Burger (formerly Big Mouth).
7) Answer to #2: the Mission, the Tenderloin, the Sunset and the Richmond. Your time will come, Haight-Ashbury.
8) We said the same thing last year: why no In-N-Out?
9) Something that made us think we were crazy and thus delayed this post for a good eight minutes: Charles Phan's prized street-food offshoot, Out the Door, is included in the online list, but not in the print version.
Got thoughts? You know what to do.
· Bargain Bites 2007 [Chron]
