the Grove ~ Yerba Buena

http://www.thegrovesf.com/

Place: the Grove ~ Yerba Buena
Location: 690 Mission Street (at 3rd Street)
Hours: open Monday - Friday at 6:30am, Saturday - Sunday at 8:00am
Meal: Mexican Scramble Especial! (please note: they added the "!" not me; because if I had done so, I would have written it as "¡Mexican Scramble Especial!") ~ soft scrambled eggs with crushed La Palma tortilla chips, pico de gallo, Monterey Jack, topped with avocado, cilantro, and cotija cheese, with sliced, pickled jalapeños served on the side; and a very tall glassa (you know, the large glass stein they use for Hefeweizen) Cucumber Ginger Spritzer ~ cucumber and lime juice topped with refreshing 
ginger beer (Non-alcoholic)

(Sorry. I could not find any decent "Grove" or "Yerba Buena" [Irie! Bob Marley tunes don't count, mon!] juxtaselections. So these great songs by Linda Lewis will just have to suffice instead.)


I went to the Grove ~ Yerba Buena for breakfast (and I am very glad to state that they do not refer to this early morning meal as "Brunch") this morning. They currently have three San Francisco locations: this one, one in Hayes Valley (see last 'blog-entry from August 2nd, 2014), and one in the Fillmore (which I have eaten at several times for lunch or dinner, but never for breakfast). This location is a fairly new-ish restaurant (open since February 2010) and seems to be the largest of the three. In addition to the main seating area (where I figure there was seating for at least fifty to sixty people), there is an upper balcony/mezzanine area, and there is also a large sidewalk patio area with about twenty tables for two (I was thinking about sitting outside this morning, but it was still in the shadows when I had arrived and a bit chilly [56° F]).

Like many of these upscale coffeehouse joints, you pay first, get a number (mine was #27 this morning), and then they bring out your food to you when it is done (and, I must say, they brought out my food very quickly this morning, too, even though they were hopping with customers).

There are still many other good options from which to choose (so I might need to check out their Fillmore spot one of these days, too):

•  Eggs and Avocado Toast (mashed ripe avocado on grilled thick-cut Semifreddi's sweet batard with lemon, organic olive oil, and coarse sea salt; topped with two poached eggs, chives, and served with dressed mixed greens);
• Veggie Breakfast Sandwich (soft scrambled eggs, Fontina, oven-roasted zucchini, arugula, with a creamy spinach spread; served on a toasted Semifreddi's brioche bun; which I would have ordered with a side of their Crispy Golden Rosemary Hashbrowns [and, yes, I am well aware of the culinary oxymoron of "Golden Hashbrowns"]);
• or one of their Scrambles (served with buttered thick-sliced Semifreddi’s sweet batard toast and your choice of crispy golden rosemary hashbrowns or lightly dressed organic mixed greens): Basil and Goat Cheese Scramble (soft scrambled eggs with fresh torn basil and goat cheese); Seasonal Veggie Scramble (soft scrambled eggs with seasonal roasted vegetables); or Spinach, Fontina, and Tomato Scramble (soft scrambled eggs with fresh spinach, Fontina and oven-roasted tomatoes).

I liked this meal. It reminded me of a somewhat version of Chilaquiles, but just served without any kind of salsa on top of it. Not listed on the menu, but they offer a choice of sides with this dish: hashbrowns, black beans, or some kinda boring ol' side salad. Of course, 
I did the smart thing and got the hashbrowns (although black beans would have been a good alternative, too). I ended up dicing up the sliced, pickled jalapeños and mixing them into both the scrambled mess and potatoes.

The Cucumber Ginger Spritzer proved to be a very nice, refreshing breakfastary libation. They also had a few other interesting-sounding (Non-alcoholic) drinks: Cranberry Black Tea Sangria (black tea and cranberry juice with orange, strawberry, and mint) or Lavender Lemonade. They also offer Verve Coffee Roasters (made in Santa Cruz), which I have had before and know to be good Coffee, but I felt like something different for a change.

For condimentary supplementation, the Grove had both Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío® Salsa Picante Hot Sauce. Once again (in an effort to use up some of my oldest hot sauces), I went with some Fat Cat Chairman Meow's Revenge (Scorpion Pepper Sauce) (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on the scrambled mess and some Lucky Dog Hot Sauce Medium Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on the hashbrowns (which actually were kinda golden now that I think of it ~ hashgoldens?).


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: 
¡Mexican Scramble Especial! ~ 6.3; 
Cucumber Ginger Spritzer ~ 6.6