There will be over 200 items to eat and drink at Outside Lands this weekend, a recipe for insane indulgence over three days. Luckily, we’ve spent years stumbling across the fields of Golden Gate Park and beyond, stuffing our faces and amassing calories in order to discover the best splurges for your weekend. Here are five items you’re going to want to hunt down in between worshipping at the altar of Yeezus:
Waffle sandwiches by Suite Foods
This Bernal Heights shop offers both savory and sweet waffle sandwiches made with warm and dense Belgian Liège waffles, but we recommend having it all with the Walk-Off Grand Slam, a caramelized, sugar-glazed, bacon-studded and crunchy pearl sugar-dotted waffle filled with a poached egg and flecks of smoked sea salt. If you’re looking for more of a dessert situation, you can get one with ice cream instead. (See photo above)
Fried green tomatoes by Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers
Proper fried green tomatoes are like unicorns on this side of the country, but this truck and self-confessed “world’s greatest high frying act” offers a proper introduction with their own locally-grown produce. The batter, a mix of tempura, panko, and Lagunitas ale, fries up lightly and beautifully and is the perfect foil.
Pastrami cheese fries by Wise Sons Deli
Now we’re talking animal style! This is fairly genius because you’ve got a whole meal right here in a little tray: Thick, soft fries piled high with chopped pastrami, Reuben sauce, green onions, and a kicky relish. There are several fried potato options at the festival, but here is the Wise choice.
Dried porcini doughnuts by Rich Table
If you've never had a savory doughnut, this is the best way to pop that cherry. The dried ‘shrooms add a double crunch layer to the outside of these babies, a great contrast to the airy crumb of the interior. Melted raclette (a cow’s milk cheese) pushes these Rich Table offerings straight over the line of common decency and into food fantasy territory.
Chocolate Gold Rush ice cream by Humphry Slocombe
The mad scientists at HumpSlo have created an exclusive flavor to lick for this year’s festival. Dark chocolate ice cream made with Guittard’s Musique Foncée is studded with bittersweet chocolate covered waffle cones.
Chocolate Gold Rush photo by Humphry Slocombe, all other photos by Tamara Palmer