http://www.cliffhouse.com/
To say that their popovers are "to die for… " may be an understatement ~ well, they may not be worth committing actual Murder over, but they are at least worth breaking a few of the lesser Commandments. (I mean who really knows what "covet" means anyway? And who among us hasn’t broken the 11th Commandment at one time or another: "Thou shalt not use God's name in bed."?) The Cliff House is well-known for their supreme popovers, people come from all over the Bay Area just for these baked goodies. I like to butter them while still warm and fresh, and on the first one add dollops of orange marmalade; for any subsequent ones, I just butter them. The popovers come abundantly with most meals, in place of toast or bread, in a little basket; more can be requested at no extra charge if you go through what they first serve. But please don't be sacrilegious and do not waste these; we can always do with less trees in the Rainforests, but do not ask for more of these popovers to not eat them.
The Bistro at the historical Cliff House: "Where San Francisco Begins"® (… and civilization ceases to exist?), which is their actual "Registered Trademark" slogan. They also use the slogan "Where Geary Meets the Pacific Ocean", while not technically on Geary ~ it is at the end of Point Lobos Avenue, where that street meets the Great Highway. This is right down the street from my apartment (15 blocks or so) and it is a handy place to go if I am too lazy to drive anywhere else. It has been situated in one incarnation or another at this location since 1863. And how many people can say they ate breakfast at a National Park? The Cliff House is located on National Park land in San Francisco; it is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
I had the Farmer's Breakfast Scramble (no ham ~ sorry, Sean and Emeril, with me it is a "no-pork fat" thing). It was a good combination of scrambled eggs, green onions, potatoes, and Cheddar cheese (no need to ask for a side of home fries ~ though their sautéed red potatoes are pretty good, too). As with most restaurants, they only offered the standard Tabasco® sauce (and ketchup) with the meal, so I came prepared with two bottles from my own collection: Roland® "Piri Piri with Lemon" (a semi-spicy Português brand that I got from a local Spanish import shop) and El Yucateco® "Chipotle Habañero" (a little spicier Mexican one). One time I had forgotten to bring my own hot sauces and the waiter went back in the kitchen and brought out a bottle of Cholula® that he "borrowed" from the cook's private stash. They really should have that particular brand on all tables.
As this place has been around for many, many years, they have their walls covered with vintage autographed photos of Hollywoodland celebrities (à la mode the Brown Derby, etc.). The wall closest to me was festooned with the likes of such vaunted stars as Noah Beery (Sr.), Johnny Weißmüller (the only real "Tarzan" ~ How many people, not named Washington, Jefferson, or Franklin, have a town named after them?), Alice Faye, Martha Raye… and Howie Mandel and Kevin Costner(?)! They also have Noah Beery's brother, Wallace, on another wall; however, my favourite wall of theirs has not only two separate signed photos of Clark Gable right next to one of Carole Lombard, but one with the Mark Brothers (sorry, Zeppo's and Gummo's autographs were not included).
The prices and atmosphere (REAL clothe napkins? What are we royalty?) would almost make this place a "Fancy Schmancy Brunch" place, but it opens at 9:00am on Saturdays and I got out of there for just under $20.00 'merican, so I will let it slide, and they do not allow "reservations" at this part of the Cliff House. (Plus, did I mention the Popovers?!)
The views from the large windows on a clear day of Seal Rocks and Ocean Beach are unbelievable ~ one morning I saw some porpoises following some of the surfers around on the waves (I am sorry, I see fins of any type and I am sticking to shore for good).
There is ample (free) parking either on the street right in front of the building (however, these are taken up pretty quickly in the day due to the proximity this is to Ocean Beach) or there is a large (20-30 cars) parking lot located up the street about ½ a block away. After a large breakfast, the walk uphill is not really a bad thing.
Come for the food, come back for the divine popovers!
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Popovers ~ 8.2; Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ 6.5 (They used to have a Greek Omelet on their menu ~ with real Καλαμάτα olives in it ~ it was great and at least a 7.0. For some reason the owners ~ who are actually Greek ~ have taken it off the menu.)
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