What Band of Horses Eats on Tour: Nopalito, Local Joe, Balls

We ran into Bill Reynolds, bass player for Band of Horses, after the show at The Independent on Saturday, and of course we asked him what he and the band ate in San Francisco. They started this year's tour for new album Infinite Arms in Paris, and they're going to keep it up for a while now; so a good strategy for road eats is vital. Here's what they had to say about their local favorites here and elsewhere.

What's the best meal you've had on the road in the last year? God its hard to say, we try to look for the local flair in each town. Right now Nopalito in SF is the one that is getting the most votes. The carnitas is out of site and they have great vegetarian options. Other than that its prolly a place we ate in New Orleans.

How many days were you in SF and where did you eat? We had time for Nopalito and we went to Tommaso's, which wasn't all that. Don't really get why they recommended it to us.

How do you decide where to eat when you're on the road? Well we have a tour manager named "Balls" aka Rick Marino who I refuse to eat without. His nickname comes from his never-ending search for meatballs. He can just walk into a place, smell it and make the decision if we will eat there. Be careful if you stray from balls.

Are there any cities that you all look forward to for the restaurants? Tokyo, L.A., any port town. Are there any cities you find lacking for good eats? Eastern Europe scared us to death until we brought balls. Some of the guys are non meat eaters; I think Germany must hide food that is green from visitors.

A quick survey:
Best pizza in the country: Ray's pizza in New York and Marco's in Asheville, NC
Best burger in the country: Tyler's in Palm Springs
Best "fine dining" experience: Anywhere the record company pays for
Best Diner: Chelsea in NYC
Favorite Coffee Shop: Anything local, especially near the NW