International Dreams

On my bus ride to downtown every morning, I pass a restaurant sign that draws my attention. The first few times I saw it I thought, that’s too good to be true. You see, it advertises an international food selection that while isn’t healthy-sounding, does induce ye olde droole glandes to start pumping out spittle.

The International Food Court sign shows they serve not only Mexican food (which is a guaranteed thing to get me to try it), but Pho, Thai(!), Chinese(!), AND lumpia! It’s a junk food lunch dream! The only problem is that when I usually pass by on the bus, the place looks closed. Not closed as in it’s only 8:30am, but closed closed. So I never bothered walking all the way up there for lunch. Until yesterday.. . .

So Kevin and I make plans to meet for lunch. I walk to his office and we start walking to a place that he says has a lot of choices AND a bunch of wide screen tv’s which will be showing World Cup games. I’m in! I tell him about this one place I want to try sometime that I see on the bus but that I thought it was closed and it seems too good to be true. . . He says- that’s where we were going to go eat but that he calls it The Dungeon as it’s underground. It turns out that The Dungeon has another entrance on Kearny(?) which looks a bit more inviting, although is equally hidden.

I’m happy to report that I’ll be going back there soon (and often). I tested the mexi-place with my standard enchilada test. It seems they make a lot of to-go burritos for the güeros. But while I was waiting for my food, they made some big taco plates and some good lookin’ chilaquiles, which I dig. I need to go back soon and have breakfast there just to try the chilaquiles.

Kevin had the chicken Pho and it looked and smelled good. I’d like to go back for that. He also tried an order of Lumpia for dessert from the House of Lumpia, but he said it was a bit cold and chewy. But for $1.50, I’ll have to give it a shot myself to see if it gets better.

btw- in the pic you can see how I thought it was always closed if you look at the windows above the green sign. But the actual entrance (this is Bush St from my bus seat) is to the right where the stairs lead doooooowwwwwnnnn to the dungeon. . . mmmmmm