San Francisco’s Fort Mason is just a couple blocks from my apartment, so I mosied over there Friday evening to check out the Off the Grid food festival. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but a “roaming mobile food extravaganza” is a pretty good description.
About 15 vendors or so circled their wagons (er, carts) in an otherwise non-descript parking lot. Throw in a small booze stand, a band, some chairs and tables, several hundred people and you have yourself Off the Grid!
The vibe was very energetic as people hustled back and forth between the different carts anxiously trying to decide where to hunker down for the next 30 minutes. (And yes, it took that long to get my order of Korean BBQ tacos and my hubby’s Sammy.) Waiting in line was certainly the biggest downfall of the evening, but so was the fact that several vendors ran out of food early on. The freezing wind and fog didn’t help matters either (gotta love SF summers!).
Will I go back? Of course. I just love the idea of a bunch of local vendors getting together to share their treats. But, it is honestly a little bit of a logistical nightmare with the crazy lines and food shortages and frigid air. I’ll come back packing a parka and probably a full flask to at least help pass time waiting in line!
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