Home Plate

https://www.homeplatesf.net/


Place: Home Plate

Location: 2150 Lombard Street 
(between Fillmore and Steiner Streets)

Hours: open at 7:00am every d*mn day of the week

Meal: Dulce de Leche Pancakes ~ banana, caramel, sliced almond and whipped cream; a side-starter of Brussel[ sic ][1] Sprouts ~ fried Brussel[ sic ] sprouts, orange, grapefruit, honey citrus vinaigrette; as always, the meal starts out with a complimentary mini-scone (usually of the raisined variety) and some of their Home(Plate)-made jam (today's edition was strawberry); and, to drink, a large glassa fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

(Yeah, I really have no idea what they are saying in this song. I am pretty sure that it has something to do with either Brussel[ sic ] sprouts or bananas.)


I generally like to start out any new 
Ⓑⓐⓢⓔⓑⓐⓛⓛ Season (Go RED SOX!!!) with a return visit to Home Plate (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, May 6th, 2018). I have been going to this great little (well, it has expanded in size by at least twofold from their former location just a few blocks down along Lombard Street) family-owned restaurant for over twenty years now. The food is always interesting and very tasty. If it were not located "all the way over" in the Marina, it would easily be in my Breakfastary Starting Rotation and I would go there more than just once or twice a year. 

Plus, I like a place that opens up much earlier than anything else in the neighborhood. Because of this, they get a lot of the early tourista crowds from the surrounding motels along Lombard Street. I arrived there a little before 8:00am and they were already about three-quarters full (I do not know what a pessimist would say about that). The couple at the next table told me they were from Atlanta and staying at a motel across the street. ("But, Brian, why are you bothering complete strangers when they are just trying to enjoy their breakfastary repast?!" Well, first off, they started a conversation with me when they saw me taking a photo of my pancakes. The wife thought it looked good enough to share, too, and took a photo of my Plate [Oh, wow! I just got that whole "Home Plate" thing now... it is a reference to both Ⓑⓐⓢⓔⓑⓐⓛⓛ and where "Plate" could double as a meaning for a food serving dish. That is clever.] to show her daughter back home. Secondly, why would I start a conversation with any incomplete strangers?)

Even after many trips there over the years, there are still a few (new?) menu items that I would like to try:

Eggs Florentine ~ two poached eggs, spinach, broccolini; served on English muffin, Hollandaise sauce, with salad and potato medley or potato latkes (spinach and broccolini?! this will probably have to be my order the next time that I go there);

Special Crispy French Toast (where they even have the "Special" in red lettering to distinguish it as such) ~ fresh mixed berries, nuts with Mascarpone mousse (this one also sounds intriguing for the next time that I want a sweet dish);

or maybe even

Huevos Ranchero[ sic (I really do not know what they have against all these missing "s"s) ] ~ two eggs over easy, black beans, avocado, tomatillo sauce, salsa, Jack cheese on a handmade corn tortilla.

This is not to mention Greek Frittata ~ spinach, tomatoes, Calamata[ sic (however, because they do use authentic Kalamata olives in this one, I will let that mispelink slide) ] olives, Feta cheese; which I have had on several previous visits and really liked and would never be averse to reordering.

Fear not, those of you that do partake of the dead, decaying aquatic insects, they also offer a few dishes with shrimps[ sic ] in them (Hmmm?! Now I think that I know where all the mising "s"s from Brussel[ sic ] sprouts and Huevos Ranchero[ sic ] went.):

Special Bangkok Frittata ~ shrimps[ sic], tomato, mushrooms, scallion, herbs; three-egg pancake-style omelettes served with potato medley or potato latkes, sourdough toast;

or the more intriguing-sounding

Angry Benedict ~ shrimps[ sic ], spinach, jalapeño, Cajun Hollandaise sauce (I even ordered this dish sans any shrimps[ sic ] two visits previous to check out this version of Hollandaise sauce).

Sadly, they no longer offer the Marco Polo Benedict ~ two poached eggs, turkey, tomatoes, avocado, served on English muffin, Hollandaise sauce with salad and potato medley or potato latkes. I was thinking of getting that one this morning if it were still available. Maybe too many people (wiseacre-types for sure) commented on it being neither Italiano- or Asian-related (see, turkey, tomatoes, and avocados are all New World items and would not have been available anywhere in either Europe or Asia in the 13th Century).

These might not prove to be the Best Pancakes that I might have in 2019, but they were definitely the Best Pancakes that I have had thus far in 2019! (insert drooling-emoji here) I suppose this dish could also easily have been called "Bananas Foster Pancakes" (Sorry, Gretchen! [For some reason, I think she really hates caramel.]). There was at least one whole banana sliced and fanned out on top of the pancakes. While the banana itself was not actually flambéd or brûléed, it is the idea that counts, Chef Blangé. (Maybe I shoulda asked for a shot of Rum on the side.) This came as two medium-sized pancakes, but do not let that wording fool you; these were extra thick and fluffy and two were about my limit this morning, anyway.

I would normally get a potato-based side dish (they offer hashbrowns, homefries, and sweet potato tots), but I saw the fried Brussel[ sic ] sprouts dish on the breakfast menu and had to get it. "But, Brian... Brussel[ sic ] sprouts for breakfast?!" Jazeker! Zur Hölle, ja! Enfer, ouais! (Take your pick from any of the languages that they may speak in the town of Brussel
[ sic ], Belgiums.) Besides, there were sections of orange and grapefruit throughout, and that spells "breakfat" (with or without any d*rn "s") to me. As it turned out, the Brussel[ sic ] sprouts starter was the perfect way to go; this made the meal savoury-sweet in its entirety. The Brussel[ sic ] sprouts were excellent and extra crispy (read: burnt just how I likes 'em).

Home Plate offered both Tabasco® Brand 
Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Cholula® Hot Sauce (Original) for use as condimentary supplements. I had come prepared with a few of my own hot sauces, too, but due to the meal ordered this morning, none were needed or used, anyway.

Now if they had only drizzled some of that caramel sauce on top of my Brussel[ sic ] sprouts, I bet that would have made them even more awesome.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Dulce de Leche Pancakes ~ 7.0;
Brussel[ sic ] Sprouts ~ 7.3

___________________

1. "Hey, Brian, why do you always feel the Grammar Nazi need to point out when a restaurant mispels 'Brussels sprouts'?"

First off, I prefer the more PC-term: "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei Grammatician". 

Secondly, I am sure that their computers also have a "spell-checkering" function-thing that would inform them of any missing "s"s before they print their menus.

Thirdly, you must be one of them d*mn linguistic prescription-hating Jews!

(Actually, I am getting pretty [ sic ] and tired of all these places manglising owr hilee vonted 'merican langwidge!)