Birthday party for Cory. Which could only mean one thing. Drinks at the Attic. Well… two things, actually: The Attic and El Farolito.

The hunt for food started after a bloody mary lunch. A slice of pizza sounded like the perfect thing to hold the hunger until burrito time. I was in the mood for something new and had never gotten around to trying Katz pizza. Closed. Oh well. Even though the best pizza in town – Arinell – was right around the corner me and the man of the hour walked on by. Arinell’s would have been great, but we’ve had it a million times, so we decided to drop in on Julie.

Always generous, Julie offered to split her frozen pizza. Eh, frozen pizza. Oh wait. Amy’s Organic? I never did try that one. Hmm… Something new! Damn, Julie comes through. Perhaps this would stifle that lingering want for new. But, no. For the record, thanks Julie, but that pizza was bland. Crust was good, but overall there was no flavor. The best thing about it was the fresh mushrooms it was decorated with. However, it’s the thought that counts, just like the bday present I got for Cory.

Despite the lack of inspiration offered by the pizza, something was still in the air. When we did hit the bar, it was finally time for El Farolito. In a rare change of form, I deviated from the standard burrito and got a quesadilla suiza with chicken. Forest soon ambled in, apparently affected by the same need for new and carrying a brand new torta. The quesadilla was great and Forest devoured his torta, (plain white bread) but something new and promised on the horizon was what really grabbed my attention. (I mean besides the odd way Forest ate his torta perimeter first.)

As any expat Mex food fan from SoCal can tell you, rolled tacos are sorely missed. Three or five deep fried taquitos, once tried at 2am, never fail to hit the spot again. Like drunks hovering to the White Castle flame back east, the call of the rolled taco brings in the crowds. As great as the burritos are in SF, rolled tacos are sorely missed.

Which is now finally changing. Recently spotted at El Tesoro, the rolled deliciousness seems to be spreading. Standing in line at El Farolito revealed a tantalizing future. Small scraps of white paper taped up on a new menu promised a new beginning… “Soon…”

Soon…soon… “4 rolled tacos, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream” soon…soon…soon. It’s happening. It is finally happening. Rolled tacos are coming to San Francisco. I couldn’t help noticing that the all-important “cheese” was missing from the menu, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? I mean, there is no way they would get the grated cheese blend right, as not even all the taco shops in San Diego do, but still, I’ll gladly take it. Striking the balance between the standard 3 or 5 option, the rolled tacos will no doubt be different, but I just don’t see El Farolito fucking them up. They’re bound to be good, no matter how much they change ‘em.

Of course some things never change. Julie complemented her bland pizza lunch with a bland Filet-O-Fish dinner, eating it at the bar and embarrassing everybody but me, who ate the fries. Oh, and she brought the birthday cake for Cory, cause she rules like that. And nope, it wasn’t vanilla.