Saturday, September 30, 2017

Andytown Coffee Roasters


"Gotta get Coffee
Gotta get Coffee
Gotta get Coffee

Won't you take me to
Andytown?
Won't you take me to
Andytown?
Won't you take me to
Andytown?
Won't you take me to
Andytown?... " ♫ 



http://www.andytownsf.com/


Place: Andytown Coffee Roasters

Location: 3655 Lawton Street 
(on the corner of 43rd Avenue)

Hours: open "7-5 everyday [ sic ]" 
(I mention "[ sic ]" there, because I think that it should actually read "every day" [as two words, not "everyday", the one-word adjectival form]. But what the h*ck do I know? I use completely madeuppery words like "breakfastary" and "condimentary" in this silly li'l 'blog-thing all the time.)

Meal:  one Cheddar-Jalapeño Corn Muffin;  one Chocolate-Pumpkin Scone; and, especially (seeing as this was the reason for the visit), a cuppa Wind & Sea Blend

"We wanted a Coffee to rejuvenate us after a long, hard Ocean Beach surf session. So, we created the Wind & Sea blend. A hearty mix of Colombian and Ethiopian Coffee, the Wind and Sea is sweet, bold, and well rounded. This blend is best paired with a foggy day[1]."




(Now, I have no idea whether either Crosby or Nash prefer their Coffee locally-roasted or if Andytown believes in Whale Conservation, but I figured this would be a much better EweToobular juxtaselection for today than any ol' songs by Andy Williams or Andy Griffith.)


In an attempt to keep trying new and varying places throughout my fair city, I am always open to suggestions of new (or untried) places. A few weeks back, after an afternoon snack at Saltroot Café (see previous 'blog-entry from Monday, February 20th, 2017), while talking to the owner guy-person about 
local Coffee joints in the city, he mentioned 
Andytown Coffee Roasters to me. This new(-ish, only opened since March 2014) coffeehouse fits both criteria: it is new (to me) and I had never been there before.

Andytown Coffee Roasters has a very local-neighborhoody feel to it. This shop is located only six blocks from Ocean Beach. There are currently three locations in the Outer Sunset. This location is the original spot and used to do all the roasting and baking duties; now it is just a coffeehouse and where the baking is done for all three shops. Now they have a much larger roasting facility which also serves as a storefront coffeehouse and retail shop. (I made sure to stop by there right after breakfast and check it out; there are some great gift ideas to be had... be forewarned, anyone getting a Christmas gift from me, expect some kinda Coffee-themed gift from 
Andytown Coffee Roasters.) Like the (also) Sunset District-local Snowbird Coffee, this place will probably be my "go-to" roastery for both gift Coffees and Coffees for my own use. (Okay, I did also buy an 
8 oz bagga their Ethiopia Natural Banko Fuafuate for later home-use. I plan on making a cuppa or two-a later today or at latest tomorrow morning. It smelled really good while I was grinding-up [-down?] the beans for use. I gotta say my entire kitchen smells absolutely great right now. [I don't know why the jeenyuses at Lysol® or Febreze® don't make a Coffee-scented aerosol; it seems like a no-brainer to me.])

http://www.andytownsf.com/purchase/ethiopia-natural-banko-fuafuate

This particular shop is a medium-size coffeehouse. The seating includes: one large table up front (as soon as you walk in) that can seat four to six people; four tables for two along the side wall (facing their bakery area); and four tables for two to four outside on the 43rd Avenue sidewalk side. There is also a long bench on the outside front wall which would be the perfect waiting area for any of your loyal pupsters. (When I first arrived, there was a small dog with his family of two seated there). There are even free fresh homemade (well, bakery-made) dog biscuits by the front door!





While this might not look like a whole lotta food for a simple breakfast, it really was more than sufficient for my early morning appetite. I am very happy to state that I enjoyed the baked-goods stuff just as much as my cuppa. I especially liked the corn muffin; it had a good amount of Cheddar cheese melted all over the muffin-top and just the right amount of sea salt sprinkled into the melted cheese. Both the scone and muffin were crunchy on the outside, but super-moist on the inside; this is something a lot of places can not get right ~ a scone should not/does not have to be as hard as a rock.

And now, down to brass tacks (if you like drinking a steaming cuppa push-pins  made of copper and zinc, that is), and the main reason for this trip "all the way over" to the Outer Sunset, just how good is their Coffee?! Well, I am verrry pleased to say that I liked the cuppa that I did have. Wind & Sea is their touchstone/paradigm and standard house-blend, it seems. They do not offer other roasts/blends as single-drip/pour-over cuppas at this location, but I was informed by one of the very friendly and knowledgeable barista-type guys-persons that you can get that specific style for a number of roasts/blends at one of their other coffeeshops (the one on the foggy far-reaches of Taraval Street, just one block away from Ocean Beach).

As far as any condimentary supplementations that may be available at Andytown Coffee Roasters, I have no idea. I did not ask and none were really needed today with my simple breakfastary fare. (See? I used two of my completely madeuppery words in the same paragraph even.)

The only questions that remain unanswered are: 
"Who is 'Andy'?" and "Why 'Andytown'?" The next time I go back there (and I will be going back), I will have to remember to ask them why they came up with that specific moniker.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Cheddar-Jalapeño Corn Muffin ~ 7.5;
Chocolate-Pumpkin Scone ~ 7.1;
Wind & Sea Blend ~ 7.3

___________________

1. If you know that area of the Outer Sunset*, you know that you will be able to pair this particular blend with about 367 days a year.

*(Much like I don't really have a separate Label for the "Inner" or "Outer" Richmond District[s], I am sticking with just the one "Sunset District" Label-designator, too.)

Sunday, September 24, 2017

the Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House


"Watch out now, take care
Beware of greedy leaders
They take away your Cliff House Popovers(!)... " ♫ 



https://cliffhouse.com/bistro/

(I was trying something a little different today. This photo was taken from atop Sutro Heights Park overlooking Cliff House.)


Place: the Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House

Location: 1090 Point Lobos 
(at the end of the Earth/Ocean Beach, "Since 1863... Where San Francisco Begins"[... and Society ends?!])

Hours: open for breakfast Monday - Saturday at 9:00am, Sunday at 8:30am

Meal:  Thick Sliced Sourdough French Toast ~ maple syrup, crisp bacon (whether it is crisp or limp, no thanks), powdered sugar, and fresh apple compote; a basket of three (3) (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!); and a glassa Cliff House Classic Bloody Mary ~ Skyy Vodka, house mix of tomato juice/chili sauce/clam juice (which I made sure they nixed; even if I wasn't already a vegetarian, there should never be any reason to put clam juice in with decent Vodka or tomato juice, that is just wrong)/horseradish





(There are no EweToobular juxtaselections between French toast or Popovers[!] and either Wendy, George Harrison, or Frances Farmer [that I know of]. Johnette Napolitano happened to turn sixty on September 22nd, and I figured I would link a couple of her songs in her honour.)


To finally complete the Pre-Playoffs Workout of my Breakfastary Starting Rotation, I went back to the Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, June 3rd, 2017).





I have been going to the Bistro Restaurant at 
Cliff House for over twenty years now, and I think 
that this might be the first time that I had ever had their French toast. Believe me, it will not be my last time. While this may not be in the same category as 
Baker Street Bistro's Pain Perdu Extraordinaire (which is the Marilyn Monroe of French toast, of course), it is a very good version. Sometimes French toast can tend to be a bit on the soggy-side; however, this being made with thick slices of sourdough bread might be a factor in keeping it nice and crispy. The apple compote was nice and chunky and went very nicely with the added maple syrup on it. They were nice enough to substitute roasted potatoes for me this morning in place of the (crispy or soggy) dead, decaying porcine bits.

Now if someone could just figure out a way of making French toast outta Popovers(!), you'd have a perfect 8.5 Glen Bacon Scale meal. I actually mentioned this to my waiter/server guy-person, Chris (who has probably been working at Cliff House longer than I have been going there), and he told me that one of the workers takes home any leftover Popovers(!) and makes a delicious bread pudding out of them; I could see that being a great basis for that dessert ~ they are already eggy and fluffy. I did use a few drops of maple syrup on the last one of my Popovers(!) and it really went well, too.




The Bloody Mary was a full meal all in itself. It included: a stuffed olive, a yellow/green chilli pepper, a celery stalk, and a quarter of a lime. Even without the extra added Vitamin C from the fresh lime, tomato juice is pretty high in Vitamin C[1], anyway, making this a perfect breakfastary accompaniment.

the Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House has just Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce ~ Original Red Sauce for use as a condimentary supplement. I used some of my own Palo Alto Fire Fighters XXX Ghost Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Brian and Amys!) on the potatoes and some Toad Sweat Chocolate Orange Dessert Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!) on one quarter slice of the French toast. I specifically brought that "dessert hot sauce" with me because I was planning on ordering the French toast this morning and I hardly ever get a chance to use it normally with savoury dishes (it does get used occasionally on Ice Cream at home).




Hollywoodland Spotlight of the Day

On the wall behind me on the other side of my table, one of the autographed photos this morning was Frances Farmer (19 September 1913 – 1 August 1970). I do not think that I have ever seen a Frances Farmer movie; granted, her film career was not very long and off and on.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002068/


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Thick Sliced Sourdough French Toast ~ 7.0;
Cliff House Classic Bloody Mary ~ 7.2;
(World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!) ~ 8.2

___________________

1. Just as a comparison, a 3.5 oz glassa tomato juice has 70.1 mg Vitamin C, which is 84% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). That equates to be about 192% for a 16 oz glassa. Similarly, a 16 oz glassa orange juice has 124.0 mg, which is 149% of the RDA.

(Sorry, I do not know what kinda RDA for Vitamin C Vodka possesses. These scientist-guys never give you the information on the really important stuff.)

Saturday, September 23, 2017

bota. tapas & paella bar


Desayuno en Geary (redux), Parte 32



http://botasf.com/


Place: bota.[1]tapas & paella bar

Location: 490 Geary Street (at Taylor Street)

Hours: open for breakfast & "Brunch" (but I only saw the one Specialty Breakfast menu) Monday - Friday at 6:30am and Saturday - Sunday at 7:00am

Meal:  Spanish Tortilla[2] ~ eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers, tomato toast; and a glassa jugo de toronja




(I have no idea whether Miss Cassidy[3] liked drinking wine straight out of a goatskin bag or if she liked Spanish breakfastary food items, but it is the beginning of Autumn and this song seemed appropriate enough for me. 

Now if the Gipsy Kings also did a version of "Autumn Leaves"... )


I happened by a new-ish restaurant a few weeks ago (apparently open only since the beginning of December 2016). I liked the looks of their Specialty Breakfast menu well enough and figured I would check them out in the future. Who says the future never arrives?! The future is today, my friend, and I had my breakfast at bota. tapas & paella bar. This is one of the house restaurants in the Warwick Hotel[4].

I like that they open up very early for a downtown location (however, I expect that might just be to attract/steal the neighboring hotels tourista business; even so, this is still a very nice early opening time). There is spacious seating for about fifty to sixty people (where most of the tables are for two). They have a really nice space and design, and there is a large wall-display of vinos españoles (hence the name bota.).




(Sorry, they did not offer a breakfast paella on the menu. Even if they did, a vegetarian/Vegan version of paella is just called "rice".)


Not that I really needed to change my mind in any way (I had gone there predetermined to order the dish that I had), but they did offer a few otras buenas ideas:

Picaso[ sic; now how the h*ck can you mispel the name of one of the most famous Spaniards of the 20th Century?! The Spanish must still be p*ssed that he liked living in ese c*ndenado Francia better. ] Omelet ~ select three: peppers, onions, mushroom, tomato, Cheddar, Jack cheese, ham, bacon, smoked salmon; served with potatoes (just my luck and this would come out with three eyes and four ears in it);

Broken Eggs ~ over easy eggs, chorizo (which I would have ochenta-y-seis-ed, of course), spinach, house cut fries;

Poached Toast ~ poached egg, house bread toast, avocado spread, olive oil, sea salt (I assume that this is their version of the ubiquitous avocado toast);

or possibly

Warwick French Toast ~ home made [ sic; with a space between the two words (even if it is really restaurant-made) ] brioche bread; add one: bananas, strawberries, blueberries (And what have we learned about these fruits in the past, children? Bananas are the only actual botanical berry of the three.).




While this dish may not have been quite as exciting and breakfastarily exemplary as last weekend's Fried Green Tomato Benedict (trust me, not many dishes are), I always enjoy a breakfast that incorporates potatoes as a main ingredient in the dish. This was a very well prepared version of this dish. The potatoes were abundantly present in the omelette/frittata thing; they were nice and thinly sliced (think like as in an au gratin kinda dish). I liked that the roasted sweet red peppers were on the side; I ended up cutting them into small strips/pieces and adding them to forkfuls/bites of the tortilla. The tomato toast was something like garlic bread with a light tomato sauce on it; I liked it, too.

I really have no idea what bota. might have had to offer in the way of any condimentary supplementation; I did not bother to ask. I just used some of my own 
Old St. Augustine Snake Bite Datil Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Greg & Cindy! [Yes, those two, again.]) on one half of the tortilla and some Hot Licks® Serrano 
Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian! [who does not get hardly as many "Thanks!" as he deserves]) on the other half of the tortilla.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Tortilla Española ~ 6.7

___________________

1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist/etymological pointer of the day, número uno:

The Spanish word "bota" (a traditional leather wineskin, typically made from goatskin) comes from Late Latin word "butta/buttis" (meaning "cask").





Now, even though I can not find any corroborating evidence to support this, I am assuming that the same Latin word root is also associated with "bodega" (originally meaning a "wine cellar") and "boutique".

There is this bit of confusing information from Mary Ann Webster's (since 1828) Dictionary:

Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for "storehouse" (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant "a storehouse for wine", it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries. Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English ("a small retail store") is still current, but it now may also denote "a small company that offers highly specialized products or services". Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.

(See, this kinda obfuscatory stuff is why I always preferred Ginger Webster over Mary Ann Webster.)

2. Unlike its less-sophisticated Mexican cousin, an actual tortilla española does not mean a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, but is usually more of an omelette/frittata kinda dish.

Tortilla de patatas or tortilla de papas is a very common Spanish tapas dish.

Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day (and taken directly from this morning's restaurant), número dos:





3. http://evacassidy.org/

4. Back when this hotel used to still be known as 
the Regency (circa late 80's - early 90's), I knew a guy (Hey, Abu Johnson!) that was part-owner of the larger of the two restaurants there. The restaurant used to be called Regina's (this is just a coincidence, the name of the restaurant did not come from the name of the hotel; Regina happened to be the main owner/chef-person behind the establishment) back then.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Mission Beach Cafe


Fannie Flagg would be very proud of this one...



http://mission-beach-cafe.cafes-city.com/

(Sorry. This will have to do. There is no official-type web-site no longer.)


Place: Mission Beach Cafe

Location: 198 Guerrero Street (on the corner of 14th Street); phonicular contact: (415) 861-0198

Hours: open at 9:00am(??? with no official-type web-site to confirm this, I had to rely on Bob Saget's food-'blog thing for the opening times) Sunday - Saturday for breakfast/"Brunch"

Meal:  Fried Green Tomato Benedict ~ caramelized onions, bacon (which I made sure bypassed this Whistle Stop, thank you), spicy roasted red pepper sauce, mixed greens salad; and a cuppa (and 1-1/2 refillas) Linea Caffe S.F. (senza il grave accento) Brazil FAF João's Reserve

http://lineacaffe.com/




(There really is/are no EweToobular juxtaselections with this morning's music videos.)


I do not know why it has taken me this long to return to Mission Beach Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 7th, 2014); I seem to remember that I sufficiently liked my previous two visits there. However, if today's breakfastary input is any indication, I am sure that it will not be another three years (and ten days) before I return again.

For being bright and early on a sunny Sunday morning, the place really filled up very quickly. I was about the seventh person/group in line this morning, and once again I sat at the window counter-seating (and had the seat right next to the door, which was much welcomed due to a comfortably cool breeze coming in). 

(Not that I even thought twice about changing my mind after seeing the meal choice that I went with, which had caught my eye immediately upon viewing the Weekend "Brunch" Menu) there were several other great choices this weekend, too. To include:

Alan's Quiche ~ roasted purple cauliflower, rainbow carrots, spinach, mixed greens salad, Yukon gold potatoes;

(the succinctly named) Scramble ~ miatake mushrooms[1], spinach, heirloom cherry tomato, yellow squash, goat cheese;

Spinach & Mushroom Benedict ~ English muffin, caramelized onions, truffle Mornay, crispy Yukon gold potatoes, add bacon - 3 (No thanks!);

Mission Beach Dropped Eggs ~ 2 cage free eggs, organic pinto beans, spicy tomato sauce, crème fraiche [ sic ~ which I found funny because they gravely accented the "è" in "crème" on the menu, but did not feel like cîrcûmflêxîng the "î" in "fraîche"], guacamole, tortilla chips, add braised pulled pork - 4 (No, I will not!) (I can only assume this would be some kinda rendition of Shakshouka with a Chilaquiles-twist);

or

MBC[2] Vegan ~ farro, soy bean, corn, red peppers, English peas, artichoke hearts, cippolini, spinach (if I had not ordered the dish that I did this morning, I would have ordered this one... with a poached egg or two on top, just to mess with any of those smarmy Vegan bastages working in the kitchen).




Oh, yeah!

I knew right away that I was going to enjoy this meal immensely. The fried green tomato slices were the base (in place of those faux crumpet things of which 
Mr. Thomas is so proud) for this dish. The fried green tomatoes worked great, too. I also liked their spicy roasted red pepper sauce as a change from the standard Hollandaise sauce. I liked this dish so much that I am claiming this as "My Favourite 'New' Eggs Benedict Dish of 2017" (only Dottie's True blue café Zucchini Cakes edges it out in the 'Old' Eggs Benedict category for all of 2017, anyway).

They were nice enough to substitute crispy Yukon gold potatoes in place of the boring ol' rabbit-food stuff (and they even offered to do so before I asked). These were a very good version of homefries, too. I am not sure if these were deep-fried and/or oven-roasted, but they really did have a nice "crunch" to them.

On my first visit to Mission Beach Cafe, they offered exclusively Blue Bottle Coffee. Then on my second visit, they were serving only Flying Goat Coffee. Now they have Linea Caffe S.F. (see previous 'blog-entry reference from Sunday, November 3rd, 2013), which really is a very local, small roastery. They are located just six blocks away in the Mission. I have had their Coffee a few times now and it has always been well received. Of the three brands, I think I enjoyed 
Flying Goat Coffee most.

http://lineacaffe.com/product/brazil-faf-joaos-reserve/

The only thing I saw offered in the way of any condimentary supplements were clear, unlabeled bottles of a red hot sauce on all the tables. I asked if (and correctly guessed that) these were Tapatío® Salsa Picante Hot Sauce. I used some of my own Pepper Palace Chocolate Habanero Hot Sauce (Thanks, Greg & Cindy!) very liberally ("Yay! We are free to use as much hot sauce as we like!") all over the potatoes (and this turned out to be the perfect "compliment" to the potatoes, too) and some 
Sunbelt Plantations Vidalia® Onion Picante Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg![3]) on top of just one of the poached eggs (this really turned out to be superfluous, as their spicy roasted red pepper sauce was pretty flavourful all on its ownsome).

Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Fried Green Tomato Benedict ~ 7.55;
Linea Caffe S.F. Brazil FAF João's Reserve ~ 7.1

___________________

1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-botanical pointer of the day:

"Miatake" ("舞茸") in Japanese means "dancing mushroom" (hence, calling these "miatake mushrooms" is  a redundant redundancy).

Grifola frondosa is a polypore mushroom that grows in clusters at the base of trees, particularly oaks. The mushroom is commonly known among English speakers as hen of the woods, hen-of-the-woods, ram's head, and sheep's head.

http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=362177

2. They did not specify exactly what the initials "MBC"" stood for anywhere on the menu. When I asked if this was in reference to some kinda Ay-rab TeeVee channel*, they looked at me strangely.

*(Okay, you may need to Google "MBC" to get that stupid joke.)

3. "Hey, Brian! Why does it seem like you are all the time thanking these same two people?"

Well, mainly, because of the 24 bottles of hot sauces currently in my refrigerator (taking up an entire d*mn shelf on the door, too), only 4 were actually purchased by myself. Greg & Cindy (and Cindy & Greg) gifted me 7 of these bottles (and if my Common Core Math is correct, that is, like, half of what I have); my mother gave me 11 bottles; and my brother Sean is responsible for the last 2 bottles.


Saturday, September 16, 2017

Boogaloos


"Pop-up" @
Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña



http://boogaloossf.com/

http://parada22.com/


Place: Boogaloos

Location: 1805 Haight Street 
(between Shrader and Stanyan Streets)
(well, for Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña

Hours: open at 9:00am for "Pop-up" breakfasts only on Saturday and Sunday 

Meal:  Desayuno Típico ~ 2 eggs any style (where I went with over-medium-style) with grilled plantain cake, topped with tamarind sour cream, served with cabbage slaw, Then Pick One: braised white beans (veggie) or smoked red beans w/ham (Guess which one I picked?); a side of homefries; and a glassa fresh-squeezed Limonada; and beforehand, at Stanza C•o•f•f•e•e, a cuppa Counter Culture Coffee 
Kushikamana Peaberry[1]

https://counterculturecoffee.com/shop/coffee/kushikamana


Because it has been almost a year (give or take a month or two) since I last ate at Boogaloos (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, November 26th, 2016), I went back to Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña for a pop-tarts® breakfast...

Several years back (give or take a year or two), when they still had their own brick-and-mortar location, Boogaloos was included in my Breakfastary Starting Rotation, so I like to try to revisit their food once a year if possible.

Strange Coffee Interlude

Stanza C•o•f•f•e•e (the one on Haight Street, not the one in the Mission ~ which I was informed by the barista/counter-guy [that is, the guy that pours the Coffee and took my money and such; I do not mean to infer that he is related to either Caitlyn Jenner or Bradley Manning[2] in any way] is not owned by the same person, but it may have been related in some way in the past) has to be the best cuppa all along Haight Street (and that includes the Lower Haight, too). They only serve Counter Culture Coffee, but do offer several different roasts/blends. They normally have two ready-prepared Coffees and offer another three to four different pour-over/single cuppa-styles, too. The Kushikamana Peaberry that I had today was of the latter ilk. This was another very good offering from Counter Culture Coffee. (I had thought about getting a prebreakfastary pastry while I was there, but, luckily, I did not. There was way too much food with breakfast as it turned out.)

If you were wondering (like me) just why the h*ck is Boogaloos doing a "Pop-up" breakfast at Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña, here is the best answer that I could find (assume) off Parada 22's web-site:

"Parada 22 serves home-style Puerto Rican cuisine in San Francisco’s storied Haight Ashbury neighborhood. Named after consulting chef Gloria Pinette’s neighborhood bus stop in her home town of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Parada 22 is an exciting new compliment [ sic; however, I think they actually meant "complement" ] to Cha Cha Cha, which is located right next door.

San Francisco restaurateur Philip Bellber collaborated with his cousin Gloria to create a menu of instantly recognizable, authentic Puerto Rican dishes. No stranger to Latin cuisine, Philip is the founder and owner of San Francisco culinary institution Cha Cha Cha. Over the years, he has launched many favorite neighborhood eateries, including The Corner, Boogaloos, BitterrootSpaghetti Western and also Nightbreak, a celebrated alternative music venue."

The current breakfast menu that is offered at this "Pop-up" is not quite as extensive as what was previously on the menu at Boogaloos when it still had its location in the Mission. Even so, there are still a few other good ideas from which to choose. I was also looking at:

(off the DESAYUNO de ÁNGELES y PAGANOS section of the menu)
Huevos Rancheros ~ 2 eggs over-easy on a corn tortilla with Jack cheese, and ranchero sauce

or

(off the DO THE BOOGALOO! section of the menu)
Funky Scram ~ 2 eggs scrambled with your choice of any three ingredients from The Playlist![3].





This was all a pretty simple (though I am not sure how "típico" it is of an authentic Puerto Rican) breakfast, but I really liked the combination of fried/grilled plantains (these were actual plantains, not plantain cakes as is stated on the menu; they used to be plantain cakes back at the old Boogaloos, though), habichuelas blancas (braised white beans with green olives, potatoes, carrots, sweet peppers & pumpkin), and a very tasty version of red cabbage slaw

Why did I also order a side (which actually comes as a full plate) of homefries? Because their homefries are just too d*rn good to pass up; their homefries was one of the deciding factors in my initially adding them to my Breakfastary Starting Rotation years ago.

Like my last visit, this was an awful lotta food, but I did manage to finish it all (barely). 

For condimentary supplementation, Parada 22 
Comida Puertorriqueña offers their own fresh-made salsa habanera in bottles on all the tables. Being aware of this fact, I did not bother to schlep any of my own hot sauces with me this morning and made sure to use a good amount of it all over the over-medium eggs.

the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude

Before breakfast (and after Coffee), I still had about a(n?) half-hour to kill, so I just walked up and down that area of Haight Street until Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña opened. (I still ended up being the first customer in the door around 9:05am and was the only customer for about another twenty minutes.) While doing so, I saw (well, heard them chattering-away first, then looked up to see) a mini-pandemonium of about four Wild Parrots flying south (probably from their roost in the Panhandle) over Haight Street.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Counter Culture Coffee Kushikamana Peaberry ~ 7.2;
Desayuno Típico ~ 6.7;
Parada 22 Comida Puertorriqueña's fresh-made
salsa habanera ~ 7.2;
the Wild Parrots of San Francisco ~ 8.5

___________________

1. ¿Qué?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaberry

2. "Hey, Brian, why do you refer to Caitlyn Jenner by her feminine name and not allow Bradley Manning the same courtesy?"

Because that traitorous bastage, son-of-a-b*tch does not deserve any additional "commutations". Now, if he ever deigns to finish his 35-year sentence, I might accept him as a real female.

3. The Playlist!:

Mushroom Spinach Tomato Jalapeño Spanish Olive
Garlic • Cilantro • Bell Pepper • Green Onion • Red Onion
Jack • Cheddar • Swiss • Sour Cream • Ranchero Sauce
AvocadoGuacamole Salsa • Vegan Soy-Rizo • Chorizo
Bacon • Ham • Andouille Sausage • Chicken-Apple Sausage



Sunday, September 10, 2017

LaLe


"I just had a Berliner[1]... 
and now I am stuffed!"[2]



http://www.lalesf.com/


Place: LaLe

Location:  731 Irving Street 
(between 8th and 9th Avenues)

Hours: breakfast and/or "Brunch" are served daily at 8:00am

Meal: (off their weekend "Brunch" specials board) Polenta w/ Mixed Veggies (uggh! [I added that exclamation; it is not part of the actual meal name.]) 
& 2 Poached Eggs; and a glassa (very re)fresh(ing) lemonade with mint; and (afterward, as a breakfastary dessert) a Black Forest Berliner (from 
a German bakery booth at the Sunday morning 
Inner Sunset Farmers' Market) with a cuppa Snowbird Coffee Zatarra 

http://www.pcfma.org/

http://snowbirdcoffee.com/





(There really are never any excuses needed for any EweToobular juxtaselections when it comes to 
Lady Ella, but this first song just happened to be playing while I was enjoying my cuppa and doughnut at the coffeeshop, so I figured I'd play the second song[3] to go along with the doughnut, too.)


As a last-minute September Call-up to my Breakfastary Starting Rotation, I headed back to LaLe (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, January 29th, 2017) this morning for kahvaltı/Frühstück

The reason for this emergency addition is that, sadly, it seems that Cafe GoLo has closed their Lombard Street restaurant ~ I am moving them to the 40-Day DL until I know better. Their phone has been disconnected and without an official-type web-site, I can not determine if/when they may re-open at the new location in the Tenderloin (which they have been attempting to open now for the past four years). Hopefully this is just a temporary closure. So, until I know for sure, LaLe will be the Fifth Starter starting today. (Hmmm?! I wonder if someday in the future Cafe GoLo will show up on a Japanese breakfastary 'blog-entry.)

One of the main reasons that I have no problem with adding LaLe to my Breakfastary Starting Rotation is that, in addition to all the great meals that I have had there already, there are still several other good ideas from which to choose: 

Dutch Pancakes (this is also off their weekend "Brunch" specials board, but it has been available for most of my past visits; they state that this has a 20-minute wait-time to prepare, so I will have do try it some other time when I feel like waiting that long);

Mexico City (Egg Scrambler) ~ chorizo, green onions, mushrooms, guacamole, sour cream, cheese (I am sure I can always order this sin salchicha);

Napa (Egg Scrambler) ~ goat cheese, mushrooms, bacon, bell peppers (which I would also order without any of the dead, decaying, crispy pork-butt stuff);

Toronto (Benediction) ~ ham, grilled tomato, spinach (this is another one from which I would have the back-bacon omitted, ya hoser);

or

Ricotta Stuffed Almond French Toast.


(Ooops! Unfortunately, there are no corresponding photos of the actual meal or subsequent German jelly-stuffed pastry and Coffee. The batteries seemed to have died on my camera after I had taken the photo of the restaurant sign above.)


Oh, my! (to be read in your best George Takei-an voice)

It is exactly stuff like this why I like coming back to this place (and another reason why I have absolutely no qualms with placing them on my Breakfastary Starting Rotation). Now if you could see a photo of this dish (someone needs to remember to check their battery-power before leaving the house), you would see that this was a big bowl of polenta as the base, then lots of grilled "veggies" (uggh!), and topped with two poached eggs (themselves topped with some Hollandaise sauce). The "veggies" (uggh!) included: zucchini, tomato, (red and green) bell peppers; (white) onions, and mushrooms (there might have been another "veggie" [uggh!] or two, but those were the ones that I immediately recognized). And all of this was atop really good, creamy, cheesy polenta! In my opinion, this dish didn't even need any Hollandaise sauce on top of the two poached eggs (and I bet it would have been even better still with a nice Marinara sauce [à la Dottie's True blue café Zucchini Cakes]). This also came with one of their warm, fresh homemade (restaurant-made, whatever) English muffins on the side of the bowl.

LaLe only has Tapatío®  Salsa Picante Hot Sauce on all the tables in way of condimentary supplements. I used some of my own Punch Drunk Chocolate Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!) on top of one of the poached eggs and some Dat'l Do-it® Spicy Jalapeno Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) on top of the other egg. Additionally, LaLe does have their own homemade (restaurant-made, whatever) jams and preserves on all the tables; today's choices were strawberry[4] and orange[5] marmalade ~ I used some of each on each half of their homemade (restaurant-made, whatever) English muffin.

Whenever I am in the neighborhood (and that would be the Inner Sunset in this case), I like to head over to Snowbird Coffee (which is just around the block from LaLe, anyway) for a very decent cuppa after breakfast. On my way over to the coffeehouse, I stopped in at the regular Sunday morning Farmers' Market (which I had to pass by on my way). I really wasn't planning on getting anything more to eat while there, but I saw one booth that was selling German pastries and really couldn't pass up buying a few ~ especially when I saw they offered both a Mango, Passionfruit, and Orange and a Black Forest (which I was told was filled with cherries, a cherry liqueur/brandy [Kirshwasser auf Deutsch], and a cream filling) Berliner. The really funny thing is that the two Berliners may very well have been "frei"-bies, too; I got to talking to the guy selling the products and walked away without paying. I remembered right off and went back straight away to pay for the two pastries, but the guy told me that I had already paid him. I am pretty sure that I had not, but he was nice enough to not worry about it. The Black Forest Berliner really went well with the Zatarra (which is one of my favourite local Coffees, too).


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Polenta w/ Mixed Veggies & 2 Poached Eggs ~ 7.3;
homemade  jams and preserves ~ 7.2;
Black Forest Berliner ~ 7.3 (especially at the price);
Snowbird Coffee Zatarra ~ 7.4

___________________

1. Okay, this has been mentioned before by me on this here 'blog-thang as a stupid, useless cunning linguist (and urban legend-debunker) pointer of the day. When President John F. Kennedy said "Ich bin ein Berliner.", he was not stating that he wanted to be thought of as a German jelly-doughnut. He was correct in his translation. Plus, in Berlin-town, I was informed by a native Berliner that they actually call jelly-doughnuts "Französisch" ("French-style" doughnuts).

The owner-lady of the German pastry booth was from Germany and told me that people in Berlin call "Berliners" ~ "Krapfen" (which is a standard name for a doughnut/pastry in German). However, the lady that I spoke with was not from Berlin herself, so I am sticking with the information that I obtained from an actual Berliner (who was also not a jelly-doughnut in any way).

2. For a change, do not blame me for this completely awful corn-bally joke. I am just paraphrasing one from Greg Kipe. If you have any complaints or groans, please direct them to/at him.

3. Coincidentally enough, Leonard Cohen's (in memoriam) birthday happens to be upcoming on September 21st.

4. Unlike both the ghost pepper and jalapeño pepper, strawberries are not botanically a berry. 

5. However, strangely enough, oranges are actually a kind of modified berry (called a hesperidium). Crazy stuff like this is why I would never cut it as a botanist.