If you’re a San Francisco local, you’ve probably seen your share of food trucks. My usual food truck spot to hit up is Daly City’s Off the Grid, and every Tuesday night I see the line for Señor Sisig curve and twist with people waiting to get a taste of some sisig.
So what is sisig you ask? Well, it’s pork dish that’s typically comprised of the tougher meats from the head, however, Señor Sisig uses the meatier shoulder pieces. Although recipes may vary according to family tradition, the meat of sisig is usually marinated in onions, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and chili flakes. No matter the variation, sisig is a homecooked classic amongst many Filipinos. Seriously, who can resist the perfect mixture of spicy, savory and sour flavors of sisig served on a skillet?
Evan Kidera and Gil Payumo–creators of Señor Sisig–take the tradition of Filipino sisig and add two tortillas in the mix; thus, creating their signature sisig street tacos.
Señor Sisig has been apart of the food truck scene since 2010 and since then, they have been recognized as SF Weekly’s Best Food Truck for 4 years in a row. With that kind of reputation, it was only a matter of time before Guy Fierri caught on to the deliciousness. Back in 2013, during his Food Network show Diners, Drive In’s & Dives: An All American Road Trip, Guy Fierri made a stop in San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) district to check out what the buzz was all about. After sampling Señor Sisig’s tacos and adobo wings, even the Food Network host couldn’t quite pinpoint the flavor of the sisig tacos and adobo wings. “It’s not too sweet, not too spicy,” Fierri explained. “Not Asian, not Mexican, just Señor Sisig.”
More recently, Eddie Huang, the Fresh Off The Boat author and Baohaus chef, made a pitstop at the food truck while promoting his book in San Francisco.
That time @MrEddieHuang came to SF to say hi, and eat a Filipino burrito from @senorsisig http://t.co/TX0vxl7OPI pic.twitter.com/6v6D5Py2il
– John Birdsall (@John_Birdsall) February 4, 2015
Within his 24 hour layover in the city, Huang had a quick meet up with Chow.com and they both grabbed a bite at Señor Sisig. Amongst the bright yellow and red signage painted on the truck, the word “fusion” caught Huang’s attention.
“Fusion is when something gets appropriated and fused to dominant culture-that’s off-putting to the people it’s been taken from,” Huang explains. “What’s happening here isn’t fusion; it’s localized regional food. Bay Area Filipino is its own thing, like New York Jewish or New York Italian.”
But even with his sociopolitical analysis, he couldn’t deny that his sisig burrito was still delicious.
Photos courtesy of Senor Sisig.
