Park Chow was not my intended destination this morning when I headed over to the Sunset for breakfast. I was planning on going to Secret Garden Tea House; however, it was closed for a private party (a Baby Shower ~ Sheesh! When I was a kid, a damn bath in the sink was all we got, and we liked it. Now kids are completely spoiled and have to have some Earl Grey or Darjeeling before bathing?!). I had been there once before and really liked their breakfast and excellent tea. Maybe next weekend I'll try again.
I got there before Secret Garden Tea House opened (10:00am), so to kill some time, I wandered around Irving Street and grabbed a cuppa coffee at Beanery (a local coffee house on 9th Avenue). I probably shouldn't have had a cup of coffee knowing that I was also going to have a spot o' tea with breakfast; but, as it turned out, I didn't have to worry about that dilemma. I had their French Roast (again with the organic label); it was very strong and good. It took the chill off the morning while I was waiting for the restaurant to open.
Luckily there are many great places from which to choose in the neighborhood (there is more than one way to flay a feline); so upon finding I would not be eating at the tea house, I headed around the corner to Park Chow.
http://www.chowfoodbar.com/park_location.html
In addition to a large dining area, Park Chow has a heated outdoor patio, 2-3 indoor fireplaces, and upstairs dining ~ both open aired and enclosed. Right next to my table there was a little red wagon that was full of throw blankets and a large jar of dog biscuits. The waiter informed me that the blankets are for any patron that would want one if it was cold enough outside (they were brand new looking and didn't look like anyone had ever requested one); and the dog biscuits are for any canine visitor outside. (However, don’t try to dunk these in your coffee like biscotti ~ they are horrid… or so I was told.)
I had their Veggie Scramble: (crimini) mushrooms, pea greens*, (grape) tomatoes, and (Swiss and Cheddar) cheese. It was served with a large portion of home fries and a Semifreddi English muffin. I also ordered a fresh "squeezed" (Fuji) apple juice (their menu stated "JUICES SQUEEZED TO ORDER!!!"). The meal was great, even though I thought the portion was a little small (though not really for me, it was sufficient as I hardly ever finish a big breakfast anyway).
They only have Pickapeppa Sauce® and Tabasco® on the tables. I didn't bring any of my own as I was planning on going to the tea house and didn't figure I'd need any. I also noticed that they had something called a "Burger Royale" on their menu ~ of course, if they ever opened a restaurant in France, it would have to be called a "Quarter Pounder"… (the waiter got that joke right away and was duly rewarded for his patronizing laughter).
After breakfast I headed across the street to Golden Gate Park for a little morning sojourn through the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. The weather was perfect this morning to enjoy some outdoor time ~ the sun was out, but it was still a little cool, with a sweatshirt it was fine. Some points of interest were: a large 150 year old Cypress tree; the Garden of Fragrance ~ lots of good-smelling plants and herbs; and a stone wall made from the masonry of an 800 year old Spanish church. And it is all completely free to the public still. (Wasn't it Dorothy Parker that said: "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."?)
http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/ye/pdf/04SFBGSA_BW_Map_BedNumbers.pdf
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Beanery Coffee ~ 6.7; Veggie Scramble ~ 7.0; Apple Juice ~ 6.8; San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum ~ 7.2
*(For which I added a few points to the GBS Rating, and there was a lot of them, too ~ no scrimping like last week's asparagus. I am not exactly sure what pea greens/shoots are, but I have had them before in meals, and I like 'em a lot.)
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