Judy’s Cafe

Judy's Cafe (sans accent aigu, s'il vous plaît) in the Marina District (on Chestnut Street) is a good place to go if you like omelettes, as that is what they mostly are known for; they have a large selection on their printed menu and a few more on the weekend specials (be sure to check out the specials board outside before you go in, they don't have them listed inside, but the staff will normally mention them).

http://www.judyscafesf.com/

I ordered off the specials board (just 'cause I'm "special", too ~ at least that is what my mother and teachers always used to tell me) and had the Artichoke Omelette: artichoke hearts, sautéed mushrooms, ham (skipped it), Jack-Cheddar cheese, and tomatoes. I like how they prepare their omelettes; they don’t have the ingredients folded into the middle, but have the eggs on top of all the junk. This would be a great idea for me, as whenever I attempt to make an omelette it usually ends up just being "scrambled eggs with stuff in it"* (which is one of the reasons I do not even try to make these any more). The pluses were that it was chock full o' artichoke hearts and mushrooms. The minuses were that the artichoke hearts were the marinated type, which is not really that bad, but I would have preferred fresh or just ones in a light brine; and the mushrooms appeared to be just your typical canned button variety, a fresh crimini would have been a lot tastier.


Their omelettes come with a choice of homemade (mini) pumpkin loaf or blueberry muffin, English muffin, or 9-grain toast (Can you really name more than 4-5 different grains, isn't 9 overkill?). I usually go with their pumpkin loaf (which is definitely worth trying), but wanted to also get a side order of their "handcut homestyle potatoes" (home fries with lots of herbs and spices), so I asked them to skip the bread. Their home fried potatoes are very good, so I was glad I saved room for them; however, it was still all too much food for me to finish. To complement the meal ("My, you are such a lovely little omelette!"), I also ordered a large glass of fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice (which was "large" and "fresh-squeezed", I am happy to state).

As with many of the other female named breakfast places in the City, I meant to ask just who "Judy" is/was, but completely forgot. I assume she was probably the owner’s mother as there were a few portraits on the wall of an older woman. The walls are also covered with autographed photos of celebrities and athletes: a couple with local favourite Anthony Dominick Benedetti ("I left my artichoke hearts in San Francisco…"?), several San Francisco Giants photos and memorabilia (including some big-headed dude named Barry something-or-other), Cheech Marin, etc. I sat underneath a photo of Dwayne "Dobie Gillis" Hickman.

I parked over by the Presidio and was rewarded after breakfast by seeing several (13-14) of the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill flying around. One of their evening roosts is in the tall trees in the dog park near the Lombard Gate (I hope Mark Bitner doesn't put a hit out on me for giving this "local secret" away).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGG4kY1rwQE


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Omelette ~ 6.5; Handcut Homestyle Potatoes ~ 6.6; Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill ~ still 8.2


*(The funniest thing is that I overheard a lady at the next table describing this exactly as how she makes omelettes the same way. I had to tell her that is how I make them, too.)