Do you love me (now that I can dance)?
Boogaloos is located in the Mission District in a space that once housed an old drug store (the sign on the outside says "Since 1891", so this building survived the 1906 Earthquake). There is always interesting music being played here; today it was 60's Motown: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" ~ the Four Tops; "Where Did Our Love Go" ~ the Supremes; "My Girl" ~ the Temptations; as well as the subtitled song above by the Contours. Good food and good music, what else could you ask for early in the morning?
Boogaloos is a very family- and vegetarian-friendly restaurant. There are toys and books for the kiddies and lots of vegetarian choices on the menu: "Boogaloo Classic" (2 eggs any style, home fries, and a biscuit smothered in vegetarian herb-cream gravy, topped with green onions); "Harvey's Vegan Chorizo Hash" (2 eggs any style in a pile of vegan chorizo hash with greens onions and tortillas); "Desayuno Tipico" (2 eggs any style, grilled plantain cake topped with tamarind sour cream, served with black beans and corn tortillas); along with several other good ones. There are several booths for larger groups and lots of outside seating, too.
www.boogaloossf.com
I have tried most of their vegetarian fare and it was a toss-up today between "Desayuno Tipico" and "Harvey's Vegan Chorizo Hash" ~ I opted for the latter, as it is one of my favourites there; but would have been just as happy with the other. I had it with eggs over medium. This is a pretty hearty meal with lots of diced potatoes and the vegan chorizo. One time I made the mistake of ordering a side order of home fries to go with the meal (what can I say, I like potatoes) it was a little bit too much on the potato side. I think it is kinda funny that they offer a "Vegan Hash" that come with eggs ~ I didn’t notice a "Jumbo Shrimp Omelet" on the menu, though (I don't mind a good oxymoron, but I draw the line at ign'ant cows). Plus, if you knew my friend Harvey, he surely ain’t no Vegan…
I also ordered a fresh (house-) squeezed grapefruit juice and a cup of coffee. I normally take my coffee unsweetened, but they have "real" maple syrup on the tables and it has become a tradition with me to add some to my coffee whenever I eat here. There is only Tapatio® on the tables. Luckily, I had brought along Cholula® and El Yucateco® ~ the hash was spicy enough already and really didn’t need any extra flavour, but I still added some of the Chipotle Habañero anyway.
Again, if I had any "kompyutery no-how", I would have provided a link here with the Contours song.
Luckily, I didn’t have to dance for my breakfast…
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Harvey's Hash ~ 7.0; Coffee ~ 6.3; Music ~ 6.5
… and Blue Bottle Coffee Company
Who says white boy ain't go no Soul? We just have to pay for it is all...
I had fully intended to have breakfast at Citizen Cake over in Hayes Valley this morning; however, after heading over there, I discovered that they had just relocated to Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights ~ where they are set to reopen May 2010. So, no "Rosebud!" for me… but expect a trip there sometime next month.
http://www.citizencake.com/
Instead, I ate at a new-ish "Hole-in-the-wall" (their actual term, not mine) called Soul over on Octavia Street (where it turns into that boulevard-y thing right before the onramp to Interstate 80) in the same neighborhood. The menu reflected just what the name states: good ol' Southern stick-to-your-ribs home-cookin'. They only have seating for thirty-two maximum. The place is so new their website is still not activated. So, sorry, no links to their menu just now (keep checking in the future).
www.soulsanfrancisco.com
I had their vegetarian breakfast special "the African Queen", which consisted of black-eyed pea fritters (stuffed with red & green onions and corn?), with grits, fresh fruit, and toast. I fully expected Kate Hepburn to bring out a plate of (w)Allnut(s), Charlie.
I love grits at breakfast. The first time I had ever had any were when I was a little kid (6-7 years old?). Tom Whitley, who I have known ever since as "Uncle Tom", was from Florida and stayed with us for several months after recuperating from a car accident. He talked my mother into making one of his favourite dishes "greets" for breakfast; and whatever he liked, I had to try also. The last time I saw Uncle Tom was about six years ago at my parents 50th anniversary party. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t ask for "greets" at the reception with his meal though.
Surprisingly enough (for this neighborhood and for the restaurant) my waiter was from Russia ~ Viktor (Виктор), from Saint Petersburg. I regaled (read: bored) him with BOTH Russian phrases that I can remember verbatim: "Я только знаю немнoжочко русского языка. (Ya tol'ko znayu nemnozhochka russkovo yazika.)"* and "Я был шпионом. (Ya byl shpionom.)". The first sentence means "I only know a smidgeon of Russian." and the latter means "I was a spy."; both usually get a chuckle from native Russians for some reason.
I asked Viktor how they now pronounce the new name of the old Leningrad/Petrograd and he told me that it is just pronounced "Sankt Peterburg" ~ pretty much the same way it sounds in English. I thought this was pretty funny as "Peter" in Russian is pronounced as "Pyotr" (Пётр). Viktor also informed me that to the indigenous populace the city is simply known as "Peter" (and I guess to the really hip locals just plain ol' "Pete").
After breakfast, I had to head over for another cup of coffee at the Blue Bottle Coffee Company. On the way, I passed through the little parklet on Octavia between Hayes and Fell Streets and came across my very own African Queen statue. They have rotating local artwork at this park, this current one stands about two stories tall (and now is home to a lot of the local birds in the neighborhood).
Their San Francisco kiosk is just down the street from Soul in a little alley, but they are always busy. I had a "New Orleans Style Iced Coffee" ~ not quite sure what that entailed (some roasted chicory in it, or perhaps they just import their ice from N’Orlans?), but it was very good and hit the spot with the day turning out pretty sunny and all.
http://bluebottlecoffee.net/
After all the good food and coffee, even this skinny, no-butt, white boy seemed to be able to walk with a little bit o' Soul in his step (but I still can’t count to four rhythmically)…
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Breakfast ~ 6.3; Their Coffee ~ 5.5; BBCC New Orleans Style Iced Coffee ~ 7.3
*(While these sentences are not technically transliterated correctly, they are easier to read for the average stupid ’merican. Plus, I am not even sure any more that the Russian is grammatically correct or spelled right.)
Scones, Coffee, and Bobby Darin (but still no Clam Chowdah)
Laundry day again and I found myself back at Nibs Bakery & Cafe (see April 4th post). I had already had breakfast earlier, so I just got a coupla scones ~ one for now and one for later ~ and a cuppa coffee.
I went with the Apricot Brandy (again) and a Jalapeño-Cheddar. The Apricot Brandy was great (again) ~ chock full o' apricots. The Jalapeño-Cheddar looks good, too, with lots of jalapeños viewable.
For the coffee, this time I chose the "Heart of Darkness" coffee from Due Torri (which translated means "Two Towers" ~ maybe the coffee roastery is owned and operated by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson?). It was strong and good.
While doing my laundry, I was listening to some Bobby Darin on my iPod. (Thanks Greg & Cindy!)
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Scones ~ 7.0; Coffee ~ 6.6; Bobby Darin ~ 6.3
Where were you on April 18th, 1906 at 5:12am?
(If I really had any "kompyuter-no-how", here is where I would have had a cool video link of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" by Jerry Lee Lewis; but, unfortunately, "Eye bee ign'ant" when it comes to these thingys ~ Sorry, J.T., one of these days I might "figger it owt".)
Lotta's Fountain is where the survivors of the 1906 Earthquake met and left messages for their loved ones; and now it is where they hold the annual commemoration of the earthquake. I have been attending (off and on) since 1994 when my brother ("Hi, Kerry!") came out for a visit and talked me into getting up at 4:00am to check it out. What sorta idiot gets up at that hour while on vacation?
This year there was a pretty decent turn-out for the 104th Anniversary. The weather was beautiful for a change (clear and warm). There was even a large (20+ piece) German Oom-pah band playing bright (well, actually it was before sunrise) and early. Unfortunately, actual survivors have been attending less and less each year. This year only Bill Del Monte (104 years young, I think they said he was only 3 months old at the time) was able to make it; they did mention that there are one or two others still alive that just couldn’t make it. Wild Bill is pretty spry and good looking for 104, and he seemed to be having a great time, too.
There was free coffee, tea, or hot chocolate provided by the American Red Cross along with informative brochures for just such emergencies. They used to provide donuts, too, but didn’t this year. And years back, there was even another volunteer van (I can’t remember who it was, though) that had $1.00 Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers. I don’t know why they stopped doing it, maybe the City decided people getting drunk and disorderly (for under $10.00) that early in the morning was not exactly the best way to celebrate this somber and sobering occasion.
I even ran into someone (a customer) I used to know from my old job (about five years ago now). Fred owns a moving company called One Big Man, One Big Truck ("… and one big dog, Beau", I always used to say to Fred; as he used to have this great big, friendly Golden Retriever, Beauregard, that rode with him when he was working; Beau passed away several years back). Fred actually has a number of trucks in his fleet now and doesn’t actually do much of the moving himself any more.
http://www.onebigman.com/
Speaking of dogs, there were several in attendance with their humans. There was this really cute dog that seemed to care less about the happenings. As his human put it: "Dogs have no sense of history…" (Can you blame them? This event would have happened 728 years ago to them.) I asked what breed of dog it was and was told that it was a Tibetan Terrier ~ I had never heard of that breed; heck, it could have been a "Buddhist Beagle" or "Dalai Dachshund" for all I knew.
As for the breakfast portion of this posting, Lefty O’Doul’s Restaurant & Piano Bar* (three blocks West on Geary near Union Square) opened early at 5:30am today for their "Annual Bloody Mary Survivor Breakfast". It was really nothing special; I simply had two eggs over medium, home fried potatoes, sourdough toast, and orange juice, as that was the extent of what they were offering at this ungodly hour... at least they were open and the food was hot.
I could just picture Jeanette MacDonald standing in the rain and singing proudly:
"It only takes a little corner of
This great big world to make a place you love
My home upon the hill
I find I love you still
I've been away, but now I'm back to tell you
San Francisco
Open your Golden Gate
You let no stranger wait outside your door
San Francisco
Here is your wandering one
Saying 'I'll wander no more'
Other places only make me love you best
Tell me you're the heart of all the golden west
San Francisco
Welcome me home again
I'm coming home
To go roaming no more!"
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Coffee ~ 5.2; Breakfast ~ 5.4; Earthquake ~ 7.9
*(Francis "Lefty" O'Doul was a local San Francisco Baseball hero. He played professionally for both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants… as well as those D*mn Y*nkees and da Brooklyn Bums ~ no one is perfect.
http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=119941&HS=True
Lefty still holds the record for 3rd Most Hits in a Season, 254, behind only Ichiro Suzuki, 262, and George Sisler, 257. He was one of the first Major Leaguers to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area ~ he predates some skinny Italiano kid named Joe; Joe is best known as the slightly less talented brother of Boston Red Sox Legend, Dom DiMaggio, and being married to Marilyn Monroe.)
Where the Pain Perdu is truly a great find*…
I had breakfast this morning (because breakfast at night is really called dinner) at a nice little French bistro** called Baker Street Bistro located in the Cow Hollow/Marina area, over on Baker Street (hence the name) by the Lombard Street gate to the Presidio.
http://www.bakerstreetbistro.com/
I had the Pain Perdu, which is not only the best non-egg variety breakfast I have ever had in San Francisco, but just possibly the best French toast I have ever had ("A votre santé!" not withstanding). I have had this dish several times before and it is what I always come back for.
As described in their old menu:
"Two Slices Of Our Panned Pain De Mie with homemade crème fraîche, fresh fruit & orange/cinnamon syrup - our yummiest specialty!"
It really was "yummiest". The bread is thickly sliced (at least ¾-1" thick) and it is served with fresh fruit on the side: watermelon, cantaloupe, orange slices, pineapple, and apple slices (all seasonal; one time during the Winter they had honeydew melon instead of watermelon and spiced pears in place of the apples). It's hard to do justice to their orange/cinnamon maple syrup, but it should be bottled and sold separately; plus, the inclusion of the crème fraîche with a strawberry coulis really puts this dish on the map…
I have always wondered: What do they call "French Toast" in France? Is it simply called "Toast"? On one visit, I asked the waiter, but he was from Peru and told me that en español "French Toast" is "tostada francesa" ~ not much help there. The best I could come up with from a Babel Fish search was: "pain grillé français". Last year when I ate here the menu read just "French Toast". The owner happened to be eating a few tables away from me and I jokingly asked him what the French call "French Toast" ~ "simplement Toast"? He then explained to me that it is actually called "Pain Perdu" en Français, which translates as "lost bread". Now, the menu actually states "Pain Perdu", I would like to think that I was responsible for this savvy change… but, more than likely, it was just a coincidence.
I also had a side order of house potatoes ~ nicely roasted red potatoes with fresh rosemary (and some other dried herbs ~ herbes de Provence, peut-être?) and lots of garlique. I know this may seem like a lot of carbohydrates, but what do I care, pretty much all I eat are carbohydrates. Plus, as I have stated before, it really ain't breakfast without potatoes on the side. I once ordered a potato hash with a side of home fries at another restaurant just because I could.
The coffee they serve is also first rate ~ very strong and thick (my fork stood straight up in it with no wavering, and when I pulled it out, it was melting). I asked what brand they use, but really couldn't understand what the waiter said (Damn fuzzy li'l ferners. Cain't they learns to speak 'merican like the rest of us'n?!). I remember he said it was a local coffee roastery, though.
The other major plus of going here for breakfast is the close proximity to the Presidio of San Francisco (one block westward on Lombard Street). There is a small dog park that is surrounded by several eucalyptus trees that are home to one of the flocks of Wild Parrots of San Francisco. I think it is pretty ironic that these non-native birds roost in trees that are also not indigenous to California. Unfortunately, by the time I had finished breakfast, they were already up and gone this morning to other parts of the City. One visit here, I saw about ten of these pigeon-sized birds fighting off a much larger hawk. These mini-parrots are a pretty feisty lot and very territorial.
For more in-depth information check out this website:
http://www.markbittner.net/parrot_pages/wildparrots.html
Baker Street Bistro has this listed as "Brunch" officially on their menu, but they open at 9:00am and that is early enough for me to forgive them for their "fancy-shmancy Frenchified" ways… did I mention the Pain Perdu?!
You really can’t spell "breakfast" without "Baker Street Bistro" ~ well, you could, but it would only read "..…fa.." ~ Bon appetit!
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Pain Perdu ~ 8.2; Potatoes ~ 6.6; Coffee ~ 6.5; Wild Parrots of San Francisco ~ 8.5
*(This is not their official motto, but ought to be. And I expect 100% credit if ever they decide to use it… a free breakfast of Pain Perdu will serve nicely as payment.)
**(There are a few different explanations where this word comes from. The one I like the best is that it comes from the Russian word "быстро" ~ pronounced "BEE-stra" ~ which means "quickly". Perhaps the Russian Cossacks relaxing during the off-days of the Napoleonic Wars would try to hasten the "lazy Parisian waiters" at outdoor cafés with shouts of "Quickly! Quickly!" and it stuck.)
Chloe's Cafe is in Noe Valley way down on Church Street. It is located in an old Victorian house (because the new Victorians really aren't much to speak of). It is a really tiny place; it only seats 20 inside with another 4-5 outside tables (weather permitting… or whether permitting). Get there early on the weekend, as you will probably have to wait at least 20-30 minutes for a table, or longer on a particularly nicer day. It was raining this morning, but I got there right when they opened and had no wait whatsoever.
I have noticed a pattern with my favourite breakfast places: the top three all have female names, and seem to have non-existent eponymous owners. Dottie's is owned and operated by Kurt; Ella's has new ownership and just kept the old business name; there may actually be a Chloe involved with this place, but I have never met her (in the dozens of times I have eaten there in the past 15 years or so).
Now would be a good time for a Baseball analogy (not that I ever need an excuse, this opportunity just seemed like "a can o' corn"*). I have six favourite breakfast restaurants that I usually go to several times a year, rotated with new (and old) places I want to check out (or re-check out). My "Starting Line-Up", so to speak, is: Dottie's, Ella's, Chloe's, Baker Street Bistro, Boogaloo's**; and the Cliff House would be my "Closer".
My breakfast today was the Scrambled Eggs with Avocado and Jarlsberg. They did not scrimp on the avocado at all; it had LOTS of avocado, at least ½-1 whole avocado. Plus, Jarlsberg is one of my more favourite cheesy comestibles. This was served with their White Rosemary toast ~ with butter and jam. I don’t know if they bake their own breads or not, but this one is excellent. The rosemary actually goes great with a raspberry jam on it. Their Home Fried Red Potatoes are perfect ~ crispy and blackened enough, just the way I like 'em. I also had a glass of cranberry juice and a cup of their house coffee (which really is nothing to speak of ~ I always go back for the great breakfasts, toast, and potatoes).
This was one of the only times I have not ordered off of their "Specials" board. Today's scrambled eggs special included "the vile weed" ~ ugh! Even with the additions of dill, tomatoes, and a choice of Cheddar, Jarlsberg, or Feta, I really couldn't bring myself to order it. What kind of sadistic bastages would ruin a perfectly good breakfast like that?!
They only have regular Tabasco® as a hot sauce condiment on the tables… and I completely forgot to bring any of my own "Heavy Hitters" with me as I left pretty early this morning to get there when they opened. With all the mentions of Tabasco® in my 'blog (whether positive or negative ~ free publicity is still publicity), you'd think that the McIlhenny Company oughtta be giving me a little kick-back here and there… ("Hey, McIlhenny, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know?!" And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive a Scoville rating of 16,000,000." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.)
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Scramble ~ 7.0, Toast ~ 7.2, Potatoes ~ 6.9, Coffee ~ 5.4
*("A can of corn" in Baseball-ese usually means a routine/easy catch. The explanation I have heard about this term comes from the old general stores where they would usually stock cans of certain items up high on the shelves and, in order to get them down, they would nudge them off the shelf with a broom handle or something and be able to make an easy "basket catch" into their aprons or hands.)
**(My auto-spellchecker thingy ~ the actual technical term, by the way ~ does not seem to like this word and is offering me several alternatives: "Bugaboo's", "Bungalow's", or even "Beefalo's" ~ because all of those are much better sounding breakfast joints.)
No good deed shall remain unturned!
Eats is over on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond.
I have been meaning to check out this "new-old" spot for a few months now since they reopened under new ownership; they kept the old name and same location. The old Eats was more of a little family-owned breakfast joint. The new incarnation is part of the Burma Superstar/B Star Cafe "chain" of eateries all located along the early avenues on Clement Street ~ just no specific Burmese breakfast items on the menu (I asked).
Their breakfast menu was a nice mixture. For which, I had trouble deciding on what item to choose. I like those kind of problems. I finally went with the Poached Eggs Italian:
Poached eggs over spicy tomato sauce topped with sautéed red bell peppers, broccolini* (which they had "mispeled" as "brocollini" on the menu), (crisp Prosciutto ~ which I skipped) and toast.
The spicy tomato sauce was good ~ not that spicy, but tasty. I also ordered a side o’ home fried potatoes to round it out; made with red potatoes ~ nice. The meal started with a fresh baked mini-scone (bite-sized little thingy) with fresh raspberry jam.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the meal today… oops! I am sure I will be going back again one day, so, no worries.
There were some nice pluses (other than the good food). They offered a few different types o' hot sauces: (plain ol') Tabasco®, Cholula® (both regular and a new "Chili Lime" flavour), and Tapatio®. I wasn’t planning on them having this many choices, so I had come prepared with a couple from my own stash: El Yucateco® Chipotle Habañero and a Piri-Piri Lemon one (a Português import). I didn’t notice the new Cholula® until after I had already applied some of my own to the potatoes. I would like to have tried it; I will look for it the next time I am out of my own bottle of Cholula®. Also, they have pepper mills on every table ~ which is great as I love fresh-ground pepper!
Just a few negatives, they had also "mispeled" "shitake mushrooms" on the menu (it should be "shiitake" and the "mushroom" part is kinda superfluous… needlessly excessive and unnecessary even). Their coffee was just okay, not that great (however, better than the swill I usually make, and it really didn’t stop me from getting a couple of refills); because of which, I felt it necessary (not superfluous) to get another cup of coffee further up on Clement Street at Martha & Bros.® (always a decent cuppa).
http://www.marthabros.com/index.html
Eats was pretty packed even at 9:00am on a Saturday morning. There was a couple at the next table (that could have held four people) and after already ordering (but not being served yet) they moved to a table for three to make room for a group of four adults and one baby. So I sneakily paid for their meal and left… that'll teach 'em to be nice to people!!! (The waitress almost wouldn't let me pay for their meal, but I insisted and told her to make sure that the couple give them a better tip in return.) I like to do this once in a while, it messes with people and they can’t figure out what my motives are. Simply put, I just like to mess with people and have them try and figure out why a complete stranger would pay for their meal.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Eggs ~ 6.7; Mini Scones ~ 6.5; Potatoes ~ 6.2; Coffee ~ 5.5; Martha & Bros.® Coffee ~ 6.7
*(Not to be confused with its cousin, that “vile weed” broccoli, broccolini is a much better vegetable in my not-so humble opinion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccolini
As a long-standing vegetabletarian, I have never hidden my dislike for the vile weed; I will begrudgingly eat it, but normally shy away from it on menus if possible.)
Scones, Coffee, Clean Clothes… and Clam Chowdah? 
Nibs Bakery & Cafe is located in the outer reaches of the Richmond District where the fog banks meet Balboa Street ~ over by the Balboa Theatre, the Hockey Haven (Since 1949), and Gus’ Discount Fishing Tackle* (‘cause full-rate tackle is just too darn expensive).
I was not planning on going here this morning. I was fully expecting to go to Simple Pleasures again, but there were no parking spots nearby, and, as it was Laundry Day, I didn’t feel like schlepping my baskets a few blocks away. So I went to another local laundromat** which is about three blocks down the street. And as luck would have it, it is right next door to Nibs.
Nibs has excellent scones, pastries, and coffee. The scones are usually fresh and warm right out of the oven. Soft and moist ~ not your brick hard standard coffee shop variety. I bought both a Crystallized Ginger (chock full o’ nuts… or ginger, so to speak) and Apricot Brandy.
The coffee that they sell is from Due Torri Coffee (a local Artisan Roasted/Handcrafted roastery). They have 4-5 different flavours (blends, whatever) from which to choose. I had the Ethiopian today. It is a medium-roast, but was actually very strong and full of flavour.
http://www.duetorricoffee.com/
Nibs is both a dog-friendly and smoker-friendly place (“Hi, Dave!”). They have a nice bench seat out front or some small tables inside. They are only open for breakfasts (Clam Chowder?) seven days a week. I really can’t comment on the clam chowdah; but, who am I to talk, I like hummus on my bagels better than cream cheese. 
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Scones ~ 7.0; Coffee ~ 6.5; Clam Chowdah ~ ?.?*(I just hope this isn’t where they get the clams for their chowdah, as it is directly across the street.)
**(I remember when I was living in Berlin, there was a laundromat right next door to a place I used to get my car washed. The name of the place was “Wash-o-Mat”, which auf Deutsch is pronounced "Vash-o-Mat". I always thought that if I ever opened a laundromat, I would call it "Ваша Mать", which is pronounced the same in Russian and means "Yo' mamma!".)
(Come here… to eat)
Ella’s ~ "Neo-classical American Cooking".
I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, but I just know I like their breakfasts.
http://www.ellassanfrancisco.com/
Ella’s is located in the Laurel Heights neighborhood on the corner of Presidio and California Streets. This is a kinda upscale place ~ almost a Brunch-y type place ~ but they do open up at 8:30am on Saturdays and Sundays, so I will let it slide; plus, their breakfasts are always great: very interesting with fresh, tasty ingredient combinations. Their weekend “Brunch” menu varies weekly depending on what fresh ingredients are available/in season.
I had the Potato Scramble: asparagus, shiitake**, grilled red onions (and these were actually “grilled” not sautéed ~ a small point, but makes a lot of difference in the flavour), and Havarti. I had them add a couple of eggs to the mess to make it a complete breakfast (or even a “compleat breakfast”). The Potato Scramble is my normal fall-back, but the extra added benefit of fresh asparagus was the clincher; and this bad boy had lots and lots of fresh asparagus, Gus. Always a plus and determining factor with me when having to choose from a number of good breakfasts.
I also had a glass of their Ginger Orange Juice Punch (today made with Blood Oranges ~ looks bizarre, tastes great). This is a drink concoction that I have not seen anywhere else in San Francisco. It is made with fresh-squeezed (because unfresh-squeezed would just be wrong) orange juice and ginger juice. It has a bit of a bite to it, but in a nice way.
For my toast choice I had the Honey Oat Raisin bread. All of their pastries and breads are baked fresh daily on the premises. Sitting at the counter, you actually get to see the bakers preparing the breads and baked goods. No extra charge for the show while eating. Their toast is thick-cut slices, and they have four types of bread from which to choose or buttermilk biscuits. I really can’t comment much on the other breads as I always seem to stick to the same one… if it ain’t broke already, don’t bother asking maintenance to try and repair it.
Unlike most restaurants, their coffee was actually not that bad for a change. I meant to ask which brand they used, but forgot. All it says on their menu is “Ella’s AM Blend”.
Unfortunately, as condiments they only offer the Regular and Green Tabasco® sauces; because of which, I came prepared this week with a couple of my own hot sauces: Cholula® and Trees Can't Dance “Tree Fire Sauce”***.
http://www.cholula.com/
http://www.treescantdance.co.uk/
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Potato Scramble ~ 7.5; Ginger O.J. Punch ~ 7.0; Toast ~ 7.0; Coffee ~ 6.3
*("Έλα εδώ" in Greek, pronounced "ella etho", simply means "come here". It was one of the first phrases I learned when I lived in Greece; that, and "Εγώ χορτοφάγος", pronounced "Ego khortofagos" = "I am a vegetarian." which was very handy at the local, sketchy tavernas.)
**(Minor point, but it was "mispeled" as "shitake" on the menu, as it was at the "Flower Market Cafe" recently; I pointed this out to the waitress and she agreed with me. Just a little note about the word: it is already a plural and the word mushroom after it would be superfluous, as the word in Japanese "shii" = "oak" and "take" = "mushroom". So to say "Shiitake mushroom" would be akin to saying "the Sahara Desert" ~ you could say it, but you'd be wrong. What is the opposite of an oxymoron? "Large Jumbo Shrimp"?)
***(For Christmas this year I was given three different flavours from this English hot sauce company: "African Hot Sauce", "Belizean Habañero Sauce", and "Tree Fire Sauce". Thanks, Greg and Cindy!)
