Where to Savor the West’s True Flavor: From the Best Al Pastor Tacos to Truffle Garlic Noodles

Get ready to drool: Dungeness crab rolls, sumac-spiced chicken, coconut bread pudding—and those are just the appetizers. In this episode, Chef Preeti Mistry, host of the James Beard Award–winning podcast Loading Dock Talks, dishes on what makes the San Francisco Bay Area the most exciting, flavor-packed, and deliciously diverse food scene in the country. 

Together, we dig into the Bay’s secret sauce: unparalleled produce, deep immigrant roots, and chefs who blend it all into unforgettable meals. Never one to mince words, Preeti also slices into so-called “California cuisine” and shares their behind-the-scenes take on Top Chef hosts Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. Come for the food, stay for the juicy stories—just don’t forget to bring your appetite.

Bay Area bites you’ll crave after this episode:

- Truffle garlic noodles at Gigi’s

- Mac 'n' cheese and fried chicken at Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement

- Falafel and the Pali Cali (sumac-braised chicken) at Reem’s California

- Al pastor tacos at Taqueria Cancun

- Porcini truffle ravioli at Bi-Rite Market

- Dungeness crab rolls, Mission District burritos, and more

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.