https://cliffhouse.com/bistro-2/ Place: the Bistro Restaurantat 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: Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ scrambled eggs (natch'), ham (which I done 86-ed), potatoes, green onions, Cheddar cheese, served with fresh fruit; a (somewhat) "tall" glassa orange juice; and, of course, a basket of (World) Famous Cliff HousePopovers(!)
(There are no EweToobular juxtaselections [that I know of] with today's songs/videos. Perhaps, Mikel Jollett likes potatoes in his breakfast scrambles as much as I do, too.) It was a beautiful, crystal clear winter morning overlooking Seal Rocks... which made it a perfect day to close out the pre-Spring Training work-out of My Breakfastary Starting Rotation for 2018. So, a trip to the End of the World (which also happens to be at the end of my street) was necessary and I returned once again to the Bistro Restaurantat Cliff House (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 24th, 2017). There were only two (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!) in the basket this morning, but that was still more than sufficient for my appetite. At first, I was a little concerned when they had not brought out a basket of their (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!) right away and thought that maybe with the new year they had implemented a new policy of no freebie (World) Famous Cliff HousePopovers(!), which would be very disastrous, indeed. Normally, right after you order, a basket miraculously appears before you (well, one of the server-guys miraculously brings it to your table). However, all turned out well and these ended up being so fresh and piping hot, that I even sorta burned one of my fingers in my haste to get some butter and orange marmalade on one of them.
As for the main meal, the scramble was good, too. I always like how the potatoes are part of the scrambled mess. My waiter/server-guy asked me if I would like to substitute anything for the omitted dead, decaying porcine bits, but I figured this was good enough as it was; besides, I am not sure what other ingredients that they had to offer might have gone well with it, anyway. This morning's fresh fruits were: one slice of orange, one strawberry, cantaloupe, watermelon, and a whole mess o' honeydew melon. I ended up condimentarily supplementing the meal with my own bottle of Pepper PalaceChocolate Habanero Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) all over the scramble. The smoky flavour really went nicely with the rest of the meal, too.
Hollywoodland Spotlight of the Day Behind and above me on the wall this morning was an autographed photograph of Wanda McKay (June 22, 1915 – April 11, 1996). I can not say that I am familiar with her acting career, though. Apparently she was a leading lady in many B Movies during the 1940's. I probably have seen at least one movie that she appeared in; I just do not immediately recognize her face or name. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0571085/ I think that the Bistro Restaurantat Cliff House may have rearranged and/or added different photos since my last visit there. I didn't recognize some of the other photos on the walls near me and I thought that I had seen all of them already. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ 6.6; (World) FamousCliff HousePopovers(!) ~ 8.2
https://jasperscornertap.com/ Place: Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen Location: 401 Taylor Street (on the Corner of O'Farrell Street) Hours: breakfast is served everyday[ sic ] at 6:30am (they also have a Saturday & Sunday "Brunch" which is served from 10:30am; however, I noticed that most of the items seemed to be the same as they offer for breakfast, anyway) Meal: Mediterranean Omelet ~ a three egg omelet with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, onions, and Feta, served with breakfast potatoes and your choice of toast (I chose wheat); and a glassa (which they specify on the menu as "California") orange juice
(I hear that both Miriam Makeba and Willy and the Poor Boys really like Feta, too.) In a rather feeble attempt to essay some place different for a change, I simply went back to Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen (see previous 'blog-entry from Saturday, October 10th, 2015) this morning for breakfast. I actually thought that I had eaten there more than once, but I could not see anywhere else (and I did a key-word search in this here 'blog-thing) when I had eaten there before. I sat up front in their large bar area (well, "Tap" area, I suppose) where they had a number of big-screen TeeVees on; they were playing different sports-channels (mostly it seemed to be pre-Super Bowl hype junk). This area was not open for serving breakfast the last time I had eaten there, though. In addition to the newer, larger space, they have also added a few new items to their breakfast (and "Brunch") menu. Previously, it was pretty slim pickens for stupid vegetarian-types, Mr. Louis Burton Lindley Jr. I will need to check out a few of these on future visits: FlapJaspers ~ buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup and berry compote; Citrus French Toast ~ orange scented(???) batter, Texas Toast, sliced berries, whipped cream (I would probably also order a side of their very good house breakfast potatoes/homefries; you can never have enough carbohydrates); (somewhat on the lighter side) The Continental ~ scrambled egg whites, house baked (well, Tap & Kitchen baked) croissant, Greek yogurt parfait; or Avocado Toast(Benedict) ~ Kalamata loaf, avocado, poached eggs, chili flakes, Hollandaise, served with breakfast potatoes (this will probably be my choice next time). They also offer a couple of sides that might need checking-out: Cheesy Cheddar Grits or Veggie (uggh!) Sausage.
This was one of those perfectly-executed/fluffy omelettes (the kind that I can never seem to make at home correctly, and, because of which, have given up trying to make). I liked the use of roasted red peppers and the (white) onions were also sautéed. I only wished there had been more Feta inside (of course, I always complain about not enough Feta); what was inside was okay, but it was only in small crumblies. They serve really good homefries, which were made from small quartered red potatoes. I am not sure what Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen still might offer in the way of condimentary supplementation, I did not bother to ask. I had brought a couple bottles of my newer hot sauces with me and used some (well, a lot) Tijuana Flats Tex-MexSmack My *ssand Call Me Santa (Thanks, Rick!) on the potatoes and some (but just a drizzling) Chili in Hawaii Habanero Garlic Hot Sauce (Thanks, Greg & Cindy!) on top of the omelette. the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude After breakfast, I happened to hear several of the noisy chatter-heads. I looked up but could not see any flying overhead. I can only assume that there is a small pandemonium roosting at the top of one of the taller buildings in that area (somewhere between Geary and O'Farrell and Taylor and Mason ~ possibly even that building behind the sign in the picture above). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Mediterranean Omelet ~ 6.6 (with more Feta or larger chunks, this easily would have been 6.7-6.8); the Wild Parrotsof San Francisco ~ 8.5
Haiku Day again? Counting syllables is hard. When does Baseball start?! ('blogging in Haiku would be too time-consuming. This will have to do.)
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: Boston (Benedict) ~ bacon (as this really is not a specific Boston-based ingredient, I skipped this today), tomato, arugula, guacamole, homemade (well, restaurant-made) English muffin topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise, served with home (well, again, restaurant) style potatoes; and, afterward, a 12 oz cuppa Snowbird CoffeeBahn Bann[1] (this is normally their batch-brew offered) which I enjoyed with an Apple Berliner (which is just a filled doughnut to you) from a German bakery booth at the Sunday morning Inner Sunset Farmers' Market http://snowbirdcoffee.com/
(You might be asking yourself just what the h*ck is today's EweToobular juxtaselection. Simples! It is a little-known Cliff Clavinistic fact that this Derek Domino guy wrote all of his songs in 5-7-5 meter.)[2] I am still continuing with a pre-Spring Training work-out of my Breakfastary Starting Rotation for 2018. So I continued on to LaLe (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 10th, 2017) this morning for breakfast. One of the main reasons that I added LaLe to my Breakfastary Starting Rotation last year is that they offer a really diverse selection for breakfast ("Brunch", whatever). I have had several meals there now over the past few years and all have been very good. There are still many more dishes that I am planning on trying in the future. Ferinstance: (off their Today's Specials blackboard) Dutch Baby Pancake ~ w/ warm apples & housemade whipcream[ sic ], add bacon (no thanks) or strawberries too; or French Toast Sandwich ~ Ricotta stuffed French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, chipotle aioli, & maple syrup for dipping, side salad... to keep us healthy (I have no idea how all of that is put together, but I am willing to give it a go, Joe); and (off their printed menu) Napa (Egg Scramble) ~ goat cheese, mushrooms, bacon (which I would have omitted), bell peppers, served with home style potatoes and homemade English muffin; Toronto (Benedict) ~ ham (which I would also have 86-ed, ya hoser, eh?!), grilled tomato, spinach, homemade English muffin topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise, served with home style potatoes; or Seattle (Frittata) ~ asparagus, peppers, chicken-apple sausage (which I would also order sans), Cheddar, served with salad and fruit (this was going to be my back-up choice this morning).
I know, I know, arugula and poached eggs again?! I thought about that only after I had placed my order, but I have not had an Eggs Benedict dish in a few weeks (well, last Saturday, but still...); besides, I wanted to make sure to get some potatoes as a side dish. I am not so sure what exactly the connection between Boston and tomato, arugula, and guacamole might be, though. I really like that they use their own English muffins as the base for all their Benedicts; that is refreshing and unusual. While those may not have your standard "crooks and nannies" that Mr. Thomas' faux crumpets do, they are much fresher and simply better. I only noticed bottles of Tapatío®Salsa Picante Hot Sauce on the tables for use as condimentary supplements. I had one last Christmas gift that I wanted to check out, anyway, and used some of my own tin of Charlie's Chili Stuff by Thyme Farm Vinegars (Thanks, Sharon! [at least I think this was gifted to me by my sister]). This is a dry powder combination consisting of chili powder, paprika, Cajun seasoning, salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, and red & black pepper. I sprinkled it generously all over the homefries. I probably didn't really need to do so, as the potatoes seemed to have been seasoned well enough, anyway. It has a nice flavour, not too spicy, and I am looking forward to bringing it with me again in the future as a change from always schlepping bottles of hot sauces. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Boston (Benedict) ~ 6.6; Snowbird Coffee Bahn Bann ~ 7.0; Apfel Berliner ~ 7.1 ___________________
1. This is made with a blend of light- and dark-roasted beans. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day: Apparently, "Bahn Bann" is a play on the Korean for "half-and-half"/"반반의". 2. Because I felt that it would have been very cool, I tried to find a cover of this song by little Georgie Harrison, but to no avail. Some guy named Eric Clapton does an okay slower, acoustic version of it, though.
(No official web-site.) Place: Eats Location: 50 Clement Street (on the corner of 2nd Avenue); phonicular contact: (415) 751-8000 Hours: open for breakfast every day of the week at 8:00am Meal: Kale Quinoa Salad ~ cucumbers, Ricotta salata[1], carrots, radish, arugula, cranberries, walnuts, garbanzos, tahini vinaigrette (they do not state it on the menu, but there was also some quinoa and juuuust a little kale in this, too ~ hence the name, I suppose) and two poached eggs (which I ended up dumping on top of the salad) just so the meal would not be 100% d*mn rabbit-food; and, to drink, a 12 oz glassa Refresher ~ cucumber, pineapple, romaine (if I had had any more green in my meal today, I probably would have to move to Mars ~ the community in Northern California, not the planet, 'cause that would just be too far) Continuing with a pre-Spring Training work-out of my Breakfastary Starting Rotation for 2018, I hopped on the bus, Gus, (even though it is only about thirty-one blocks away, I didn't quite feel like hoofing it all the way there and back, Jack) to Eats (see last 'blog-entry from Monday, September 4th, 2017). With this morning's meal, I think that I have now worked my way through their entire menu (well, the parts of the menu that are vegetarian-friendly-enough or that I mostly wanted to try, anyway). Now that only took me about six or seven years to complete...
This salad included a whole mess o' kale (as opposed to only a 3/4-mess o' kale). This will probably meet my weekly requirements for Iron and Vitamins A, C, and K. Luckily, I am not of that intolerant ilk that is kale-intolerant (no brothers of mine named "Sean" shall be singled out here). This combination of kale and quinoa seems to be the new trendy culinaristic marriage. This salad could easily have been called "This Year's Pomegranate-Açaí Berry Salad" or "Kale-Quinoa is the New Black Salad" (or "Sean Would Never Touch This With a 10-Foot Pole [or a 4-Foot Czech even] Salad"). If I could, I had just one minor quibble (¿uno quibblito?): there was hardly any Ricotta salata grated/shredded on top of the salad. I would have liked a bit more. There was just so much kale, I figured it could have had a little better ratio of the cheese-stuff to it.
1. Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted, dried, and aged variety of Ricotta. It is milky-white and firm and used for grating or shaving. Ricotta salata is sold in wheels, decorated by a delicate basket-weave pattern.
https://www.ellassanfrancisco.com/ Place: Ella's American Kitchen Location: 500 Presidio Avenue (on the corner of California Street)[1] Hours: open for breakfast Monday through Friday at 7:00am; open for "Brunch" Saturday and Sunday at 8:30am Meal:Mushroom Swiss Omelet ~ sautéed mushrooms, Swiss, country potatoes, toast; and a glassa Ginger Orange Juice Punch
(Just a couple of [pitch-perfect] songs from Lady Ella to help weather Ol' Man Winter.) Working my way through my Breakfastary Starting Rotation for the first time for 2018, I went back to Ella's American Kitchen (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, September 2nd, 2017). I sat at their new (well, it was new on my last visit and it is still new-ish) counter seating area overlooking the kitchen. It seems as though they no longer do a (Seasonal) Weekend "Brunch" Specials menu, but their standard menu items still offer a few new ideas that I have not tried yet. Such-as:
Chilaquiles ~ slow roasted pork, tomatillo salsa, lime crema, queso fresco, two eggs (I made sure to ask the head chef-lady Veronica, and she confirmed that this could be made suitable for stupid vegetarians if requested); (the simply enough-named) Avocado Omelet ~ avocado, Cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, country potatoes, toast; or maybe even
(despite the extremely cornbally-named [whoever came up with that name oughtta be severely "pun"-nished]) Kale Caesar Salad ~ organic kale, croutons, Parmesan, Caesar dressing (however, I did not think to ask if the Caesar dressing had any anchovy in it; I would probably have two poached eggs added on top). I happened to notice a large amount of fresh cilantro bunches at the cook/prep station and (to continue an earlier conversation from defacedbook) I also asked head chef-lady Veronica what she thought about it. She once again agreed 100% with my (amateur) assessment that it is necessary in both a good pico de gallo and in any Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches (besides, the soapy taste can be used to cleanse your pallet... and the dishes afterward). I thought I noticed that my waitress/server-lady Iris had a bit of ein Akzent. I correctly guessed and asked her "Bist du Deutsche?" She informed me that she was in fact from Deutschland... and from (West) Berlin to be exact. I asked her which town/neighborhood she used to live in, but I forget which it was now.
This was a good omelette, nothing really special, but much better than I could ever manage. I liked that they sautée the mushrooms (I watched them do so in a separate pan) before adding them to the omelette stuff; plus, there was a good amount of melted-stretchy Swiss cheese in it, too. For my toastchoice, I went with sourdough rye for a change of pace. I am not sure if they still make all of their own breads and baked goods (the bakery section is/was in the next room and I didn't think to check it out). The glassa Ginger Orange Juice Punch now comes in a large glass (16 oz?), which is nice. It used to be served in a much smaller glass, probably just an 8 oz-er. Ella's American Kitchen offers for condimentary supplements just Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa Picante Hot Sauce. So I used two more of my new hot sauces ~ some (just a few drops, really) H*ll's Kitchen®Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce on the omelette and some Whiskey Habanero Hot Sauce (Thanks for both, Mom!) on the potatoes. (It is pretty funny; the ingredients listed on the Whiskey Habanero Hot Sauce state "Whiskey flavor"?! Wha'?! Why couldn't they just use actual Whiskey as an ingredient?) That just leaves one last new hot sauce left for me to check out now... the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude After breakfast, on the way back to my car (I had parked two blocks away over on Masonic Avenue where it meets Euclid Avenue), I heard first then looked up to see a decent-sized pandemonium of at least twenty Wild Parrotsflying overhead heading southward (to which destination, I do not know). You do not generally see them this far West into the City. Strange Coffee Interlude While keyboarding up this silly li'l 'blog-entry, I enjoyed another Christmas gift of a cuppa Bettys (well, technically Taylors of Harrogate) Rare Blossom Ethiopia[2]Ground Coffee (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!). This was another excellent Coffee from the folks at Bettys (and Taylors of Harrogate)! This might be my second (or third) favourite Coffee from them now. For an authentic Britishlander Tea Rooms kinda place, Bettys always offers some mighty d*mn good Coffee, too! https://www.bettys.co.uk/rare-blossom-ethiopia-ground-coffee Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Mushroom Swiss Omelet ~ 6.6; Bettys (Taylors of Harrogate, whatever) Rare Blossom Ethiopia Ground Coffee ~ 7.8; the Wild Parrotsof San Francisco ~ 8.5; the pitch-perfect singing of Lady Ella Fitzgerald ~ 8.9 ___________________
1. Not that it truly matters any, but I had always assumed that Ella's American Kitchen was located in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. However, after viewing the spot on a map, it appears that it is actually situated right on the upper northwest corner of Lower Pacific Heights (which is just across the street technically from Laurel Heights). Both Laurel Heights and Lower Pacific Heights are (supposably) incorporated into the Western Addition District, anyway. https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/San_Francisco/Western_Addition#/map/0/14/37.7802/-122.4406 Whatever... it seems like they are constantly changing the borders of these neighborhoods in the City, anyway. (Kinda like Israel does with the Palestinian homeland.) 2. What the h*ck do they know about Coffee in Ethiopia, anyway? Everyone knows that "real Coffee" originated in Colombia and Java...
First we take Zucchini Cakes... Then we take Bettys Jamaica Blue Mountain!
http://dottiestruebluesf.com/ Place: Dottie's True blue café Location: 28 6th Street (on the corner of Stevenson Street) Hours: open 7:30am Thursday through Monday (so, if my Common Core Math is any good, that would mean they are closed at least Tuesday or Wednesday) Meal: Zucchini Cakes ~ topped with poached eggs & spicy Marinara sauce, served with fruit & potatoes; and a glassa orange juice
(There is no EweToobular juxtaselection for today's songs [well, that I know of; h*ck, ol' Lenny-boy[1] might have been a big fan of Zucchini Cakes himself, too]. I just received the two CD set "The Essential LEONARD COHEN" for Christmas [Thanks, Cindy!] and just wanted to include a couple of his songs here today.)
It was basically a forgone conclusion (if conclusions can be forgonely basic) that for my first breakfast at Dottie's True blue café (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, December 2nd, 2017) for 2018 I was going to order the Zucchini Cakes (as long as it was being offered on the weekend specials blackboard, and it has been on there pretty consistently for a few years now ~ at this point Kurt should just add it to the d*mn printed menu). The only way I may not have ordered it this morning was if they had offered Black-eyed Peas Cakes as a New Year's Special; they had done this a few times over the years, but not this year it seems (or, possibly, it might have been offered the first week in January and I missed it then). I sat at "Seat #1" once again at the counter seating area overlooking the kitchen (which was easy enough as I was the first idiot waiting in line this morning). Today's mini-bowl of fruits were: blueberries, strawberries, red grapes, blackberries, and honeydew melon. Because Dottie's generally has a pretty decent array of condimentary supplementation from which to choose, I do not normally schleppen any of my own hot sauces with me when I visit there; however, I still need to test out the last four (of the seven new bottles) that I had received at Christmas. So I used some H*ll's Kitchen®Chipotle Chocolate Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) all over the potatoes. Which just leaves three more left to check out now... Here is where I wish I had a bigger appetite (or at least had someone with me this morning to share this with) because I really wanted to try one of Dottie's fresh-baked goods: either Lemon BlueberryCustard Cake or Red Velvet Chocochips Muffin. Both looked really good in the display case at the front counter. Hopefully one or the other will be available the next time that I visit. Strange Coffee Interlude While computering up this silly li'l 'blog-entry this afternoon, I enjoyed another Christmas gift of Bettys Jamaica Blue Mountain[2] (Thanks, Greg & Cindy!). Great breakfast... great music... and even greater (greatest) Coffee! Happy New Year to me! Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Zucchini Cakes ~ 7.61; Bettys Jamaica Blue Mountain ~ 8.5; the music of Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ ~ 7.2 ___________________
Note: No Korean waiter/busboy-type persons were maimed or killed during the eating of this breakfast this morning.
(No official web-site available.) Place: Eddie's Cafe Location: 800 Divisadero Street (on the corner of Fulton Street); phonicular contact: (415) 563-9780 Hours: open Sunday through Saturday at 7:30am (closed every other day of the week) Meal: Vegetable Omelett[ sic ] ~ with added avocado and (real!) Cheddar cheese, served with hashbrowns and (2) homemade (café-made, whatever) biscuits; and a mugga (and one refilla) their house Coffee ~ served in a (your 2016-2017 NBA Champion... well, unless you happen to be from Cleveland or named "LeBron") Golden State Warriors mug
(What is the EweToobular juxtaselection for today? Simples! Everyone knows that Michael Paré [Wow! Who knew he could sing that well? He shoulda had a singing role in that "Streets on Fire" movie, too!] is a big fan of omeletts[ sic ].) Like yesterday's meal, today's breakfastary destination was another completely premeditated coddiwompling (moronic oxen be d*mned still!). I had picked up a Coffee cup during my recent Christmas vacation trip to Florida to specifically be gifted to Eddie's Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, January 7th, 2012 ~ now, what are the odds?! ~ that was exactly six years ago today). I initially had planned on getting a nice gift cup/mug from Historic Olde St. Augustine, but put it off too long while we were there and ended up just getting a chintzy, all-inclusive Florida cup/mug at a roadside combined fruit stand/candy shop/gift shop. At least it came with its own matching ceramic teaspoon (... which is nice). Even so, the Korean owner/manager guy still appreciated it. I made sure to wait until after I had already paid for my meal before giving it to them; they have this nasty habit of comping your meal if you bring in a gift cup/mug... no one gives Brian a free meal! D*mmit! ... wait... that is a good thing... right?! Oh, okay, so maybe next time...
Once again, I sat at their diner-counter... all the better to view the hundreds(?) of other gifted Coffee cups/mugs on the shelves along the back walls. There really is nothing much special about the food that is served at this local corner diner-ish place. It is just that this little (Korean) family-owned restaurant has a great friendly, neighborhood atmosphere to it and that is always a good reason to return (even if it might take six years to do so).
One thing I did like about the meal this morning was that it was named "Vegetable" (not "Veggie" ~ uggh!) Omelett[ sic ] (so they can be forgiven any mispelinks [besides, no Glen Bacon Scale points are ever deducted for type-o's... or Type AB Negatives, even]). The vegetables in the omelette included: tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I mentioned "(real!) Cheddar cheese" in the description above because many little diner-type places will tell you they use "Cheddar cheese" in their food, but it usually ends up just being that faux yellow "cheese-product" stuff. I also like that they offer a choice of toast or homemade (café-made, whatever) biscuits (yeah, that was a no-brainer choice for this no-brain; I can cook my own toast at home). Plus, they give you three good side-choices of hashbrowns, homefries, or greets (I have never had their homefries before; maybe next time I will order those if I get a freebie meal). Eddie's Cafe only has bottles of Louisiana's Pure Crystal®Hot Sauce on the diner-top and at the booths (they do also have a hidden supply of Gochujang for use if you ask... I only know this because I have asked in the past). It really did not matter what they had to offer; I had brought some more of my own new additions to my (ridiculously, ever-growing) collection of hot sauces. Because I had only used a few drops of Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex Smack My *ssand Call Me Santa (Thanks again, Rick!) yesterday, I brought it with me again today to use in full force, where I went very liberally (okay, maybe it was more of a fake-Republican, very stable genius usage) on the omelette and some H*ll's Kitchen® Smoky Bourbon Hot Sauce[1] (Thanks, Mom!) on the hashbrowns. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Vegetable Omelett ~ 6.1; Friendly, neighborhood atmosphere ~ 7.8 ___________________
1. This was another new/Christmas gift that I was trying out for the first time. It included a set of five (5!!!) more d*mn hot sauces to take up space on my refrigerator door shelves. (I have a sneaking suspition [and how come no one ever has an "overt suspition"?] that my mother may have purchased this set at a local W*lmarts. Not only does she know that I have put a moratorium on any new hot sauces until I can use up about half of what I already have clogging up my refrigerator door shelves, but she explicitly knows that I also absolutely loathe giving any money to those Chinese-owned b*stages at W*lmart!) https://www.ebay.com/i/182985212369?chn=ps
http://www.bakerstreetbistro.com/ Place: Baker Street Bistro Location: 2953 Baker Street (between Lombard and Greenwich Streets) Hours: open for "le Brunch" Saturday & Sunday at 9:00am Meal: Pain Perdu A brunch favorite! ~ two slices of cinnamon French toast, fresh fruit, strawberry coulis & crème fraîche; a side of frites maison; and a cuppa (and 1-1/2 refillas) Café ~ avec des feuilles de menthe Cette certainement! I had an Epiphany this morning when I awoke... I figured the best way to start the New Year (Bonne Année!) was to eat my first breakfast out for the year at Baker Street Bistro (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 3rd, 2017) for some Pain Perdu vraiment extraordinaire! (Nah, not really. This was more of a premeditated coddiwompling [moronic oxen be d*mned!]) Unfortunately, it was still a little too chilly to sit outside on their sidewalk café seating area this morning. (Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite as cold as the freezing arctic temperatures they have been having in Florida lately, but it was still pretty cold for my liking, and I am a bit of a wimp like them buncha whingers in New England these days: "Ooooh! It is soooo cold outside. Six to eight feet of snow was dumped on us all in one day!"... boo-effin'-hoo! Think of all the poor iguanas in Florida that are falling outta the trees!)
Ce n'est pas un chef-d'œuvre! (... but it was pretty d*rn close, Leonardo!) (I will just let the above photo do the thousand-word talking for me.) Les fruits du jour: une fraise (pas une baie botanique) (and made into some kinda fancy-shmancy flower-thing); pomme (pas une baie botanique); pastèque (une baie botanique); ananas (pas une baie botanique); et cantaloup (une baie botanique). Having eaten at Baker Street Bistro a few times in the past (sarcasm is so hard to detect in prose form), I knew that their selection of condimentary supplementation only ranged at Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce). Therefore, I made sure to bring along with me a few of my brand new (as in just presented to me at Christmas) selections from my ever-growing (and, let's face it, at this point, never-ending, Bastian) supply of hot sauces. The count on my refrigerator door shelves now stands at 31(!!!) (trente et un) d*mn hot sauces! I went with a good amount of Chili in Hawaii - Habanero Garlic Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on the homefries and just a few drops of (because I had brought it along with me, anyway, I wanted to use some) Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex[1]Smack My *ssand Call Me Santa (Thanks, Rick!) on one small square of the Pain Perdu. (Don't you judge me! What is French toast but eggs, milk, and bread... Eggs always go great with hot sauce... Milk and bread? Sounds like Pizza to me; and everyone knows that hot sauce always goes great on Pizza, too... okay, so maybe the maple syrup was an anomaly... but still... ) the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude
Once again, I parked over by the Presidio's Lombard Gate and was entertained by the sight of several (and heard many more, too) of my feather-brained chatterbird friends high up in their roost in the tall Eucalyptus trees by the wall along Lyon Street. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Pain Perdu A brunch favorite!~ 8.2 (mais certainement); the Wild Parrotsof San Francisco ~ 8.5 ___________________
1. https://tijuanaflats.com/ Apparently, this chain of (semi-)fast food restaurants got started and is based out of Florida. I had never been to one before my Christmas vacation to Orlando last week and had lunch at one in St. Augustine. I particularly liked that they offer about eighteen different versions (from mild to pretty d*rn hot) of bottled hot sauces for use (and most of those are available for sale; hence, my gift). However, seeing as there really are no locations in Texas, I think they should call their cuisine "Flex-Mex" instead.
