Everyday Eats: Chilaquiles at The Mission
Erin Jackson
Everyone needs a dependable spot for breakfast, the unfussiest of meals, when what often matters most is efficiently delivering food to a growling stomach. For me, that’s The Mission. The cinnamon swirl French toast is legendary, but for those times when I don’t want to fight the urge to immediately crawl back into bed after a carb-heavy, sugar-loaded breakfast, I’m all about the chilaquiles ($8.50).
It’s a dish that’s never exactly the same from one restaurant to another. Some places go heavy on the salsa, while others shellac the whole plate with a layer of melted cheese, turning it into what looks like a Mexican lasagna. The Mission takes a more measured approach. The chips are lightly coated with a roasted tomato-ginger sauce–not so much that they get soggy, but just enough to soften them–making it taste like they’ve been reversed to their original state (corn tortillas). There’s some seasoned black beans on the bottom, scrambled eggs and chipotle crema on top, along with a few scattered pieces of diced tomato and scallion. Another bonus: because it’s savory, yet still contains eggs, it perfectly straddles the breakfast/lunch dividing line, making it equally great for an early or mid-day meal.
Everyday Eats: Chilaquiles at The Mission
Erin Jackson
With the eggs, beans, scallions, and tomatoes, this dish shares a lot of common elements with a breakfast burrito, but swapping out the flour tortilla for some chips with a slightly spicy kick (and a gob of smoky chipotle crema to tie the whole thing together) really makes all the difference. If you need a bit more protein, or want to split a plate among two people, you can always add chicken and avocado.
The Mission is located in North Park, Mission Beach and downtown, in the East Village see themissionsd.com for a full list.
