La Cucina of Union Street

(No official website)

2136 Union Street

Phonicular contact: (415) 921-4500

(Union Street… Union City… it's close enough for Government work.)


It had been a while since I last ate at La Cucina of Union Street[1] (see 'blog-entry from August 28th, 2011); I was planning on going there last weekend, but that was when the annual Union Street Fair was scheduled and it's hard enough to find a parking spot on normal weekends in that neighborhood, so I waited until this morning. The backyard patio deck was not open yet this morning, but it was nice enough to sit outside at one of the sidewalk tables; I didn't, but I could have. La Cucina is a very family-friendly place; they have kids books and crayons for the little 'uns (neither of which were offered to me, I might add). That is my Zio Luigi wearing my Hollywood Stars[2] baseball cap in the above photo.

I ordered off the "Breakfast Specials" portion of their printed menu (see also: "Breakfast Classic" menu); they have many nice choices from which to choose. There were a few items that I was leaning towards, the Italian Omelette and Oscar Omelette (both of which I would have gotten senza la carne morta porco in decomposizione). Plus the kids at the table next to mine went completely off-menu and got "Mickey Mouse Pancakes"… I feel a little ripped-off again.

Here's where it would pay to re-read my old 'blog entries before going back to a place, as I ordered the same thing I did the last time I was there: California Omelette ~ Avocado, artichoke, Jack cheese, onion, and tomato; served with cottage fries. I also had a large glass of orange juice. (Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "But, Brian, no coffee with your breakfastary repast?" Well, I waited until I got home and actually made a pretty decent cuppa Bettys Christmas Coffee and am enjoying it while typing this out.)

Even though I had the same dish last time I was there, it was still a mighty fine choice. This was made with lots of artichoke hearts, Stymie; and they were the brine-marinated, not oil-marinated, type ~ this really does make a difference in the flavour and texture of the omelette; however, I do like the oil-marinated ones in salads or just as a side snack right outta the jar. The cottage fries are basically a cross between hashbrowns and home fries; sliced/shredded potatoes with some secret Italian herbs and spices ~ all very nicely crispy and tasty.

La Cucina offers as condimentary supplementation solo Tapatío® on the tables (I think they also have Tabasco®, or did the last time I was there). I used some of my own Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce (Thanks agains, Amys!) on the potatoes and some Mango Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy!) on the omelette.

Wild Parrots of San Francisco Update

While driving back home through the Presidio, I first heard then saw about 5-6 of my fine-feathered friends flying overhead (near the Lombard Gate).


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  California Omelette ~ 6.5


[1] If they were located on Lombard Street, I am sure they would change the name accordingly.
 
[2] The Hollywood Stars were a professional Baseball team that played in the old Pacific Coast League from 1926-1957 (give or take a few years off). 
 
My cap is a replication of their 1940 insignia, made by a company called Blue Marlin®; I have had this particular cap for about 15 years now. Blue Marlin® is a good source of vintage-style sportswear; I have a few other hats of theirs, too: Mission Reds, 1929 (San Francisco, Pacific Coast League) and Memphis Red Sox, 1937 (Negro Baseball League).

http://www.bluemarlinclothing.com/

Noah’s New York Bagels/Peet’s Coffee & Tea/jamba juice

http://www.noahs.com/

http://www.peets.com/

http://www.jambajuice.com/

(Consider today's EweToob links as a PSA against child abuse.[1] Parents, if you feel it absolutely necessary to have to resort to beating your children in order to maintain discipline… at least let the rest of us get a whack at the little brats, too.)


I decided to try something different for a change and have breakfast from three places in a local shopping center: Noah's New York Bagels, Peet's Coffee & Tea®, and jamba juice®. They are all located in the Potrero Center over on 16th and Potrero Streets, basically on the border of Potrero Hill and the Mission; and they all happen to be lined up next to one another. This shopping plaza sits on the area where Seals Stadium used to be (which was the home of the San Francisco Seals from 1931-1957, the Mission Reds from 1931-1937, and also the San Francisco Giants from 1958-1959). Somehow, it always seems to come back to food and Baseball with me…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seals_Stadium

The interesting thing about all three of these chain restaurants is that they were all originally founded in the San Francisco Bay Area or in Central California. Noah's was started in Berkeley. Peet's® was also started in Berkeley (in 1966). jamba juice® was started in San Luis Obispo (in 1990). Both Peet's® and jamba juice® headquarters are now located in Emeryville. However, Noah's "New York" Bagels is now owned by a company in Colorado ~ the same company that owns the Boston Market® chain (coincidentally enough, of which there is also a restaurant in the Potrero Center); I hear that they are also thinking of purchasing UNO® Chicago Grill. (The real joke here is that UNO® is now headquartered in Boston, MA.)

At one time back in the late 90's, it seemed that there was even a sort of a relationship between Noah's, jamba juice®, and St*rbucks. I think that the CEO of St*rbucks served on the Board of Directors of both Noah's and jamba juice® back then. Whenever a new St*bucks location was going up in the Bay Area, you could be sure to see a new Noah's and jamba juice® being built in the same complex or nearby. (There was already a St*rbucks inside the Safeway® at the Potrero Center, and maybe Peet's® had beaten them to the punch to get the vaunted spot that they did.)

Noah's is a New York-style bagelry (this is not a real word, and, for which, I am being warned by der Führ-Gates & his Green Police Spell-Check goons) and offers many different types of freshly-made bagels and baked goods. For breakfast you can have an Egg Mit® Sandwich; this is just scrambled eggs in a bagel with your choice of ingredients. I had one mit[2] spinach, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese, on a toasted and buttered whole wheat bagel.

Peet's Coffee & Tea® only has one caffeinated and one decaffeinated coffee ready to go daily. Today's caffeinated (Who really goes to a coffeehouse to get a decaffeinated cuppa, anyway? That is like ordering a "light Beer" at a bar. Just stay at home and drink water, dammit!) offering was Uzuri African Blend. Noah's also offers fresh-brewed coffees, but I made my mind up many years ago to not buy my bagels at Peet's® and the vice is also the versa.

jamba juice® has many different types of smoothies, fresh juices, and drinks from which to choose. I usually go with one of their juicy selections, but went with a smoothie this morning: Peach Pleasure ~ peaches-bananas-peach juice-orange sherbert. They are now offering (For a limited time!) fruit refreshers with coconut water; one of the seasonal choices is Watermelon Splash™; had I seen that before ordering, I probably would have gotten it instead.

Noah's bagels are decent enough, just not quite as good as House of Bagels (see 'blog-entry from May 2nd, 2010). I had actually asked for a plain sesame bagel, and the lady at the counter said "Whole Wheat Sesame?", to which I replied "No, plain Sesame." That must have really confused her and I didn't even get any sesame on it. I really wanted to get it on a Peppercorn Potato bagel, but didn't see any fresh ones available this morning. The sandwich was good, but nothing I probably couldn't have made at home myself… if I had eggs… or spinach… or mushrooms in my refrigerator/kitchen… and actually cooked. On the plus side, Mrs. Morin, I do usually have 2-3 different types of cheeses in my refrigerator at all times (right now it's sliced Havarti, sliced Jarlsberg, and Bavarian Red ~ a soft, creamy cheese; sort of a Teutonic twist on Brie); I am not a complete food hermit, after all.

Peet's® coffee is always good. Uzuri African Blend is a new one for them and I am not sure that I have ever had it before. I liked it a lot, but it's not my favourite of theirs. I mean, the only time I ever have a Peet's® that is just "okay" is when I make it at home myself; even then it's generally better than 50% of the "perfeshinul koffee joints" around town.

As for the jamba juice® smoothie, I really liked the peachiness (which, oddly enough, actually seems to be a real word, as the Spell-Check Nazis at Microsoft® don't seem to have a problem with me typing it here; maybe I shoulda typed "peachiosity") of the drink, Sergeant Carnehan; there were even small cubes of real peaches still left in the bottom of the cup when I was done (which I felt necessary to upend into my mouth, of course).

I didn't even bother to see what Noah's had for condimentary supplementation, as I went with a little of the newest acquisition to my collection, Youk's Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!), on the Egg Mit®. This is a pretty decent flavoured and heatiness (again, not a real word; tough, bite me, Billy-boy!) sauce. And I am not saying this just because I am a Boston Red Sox fan (I don't care much for Boston Market®, though). I should probably point out some follow-up information from yesterday's breakfast on my new HB™ Guinness® (Thanks again, Cindy!), too; I liked it a lot (It has real Guinness® in it. What's not to like, Arthur?) and am sure it will be put to good use on many more potato dishes.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Noah's Egg Mit® ~ 6.0 (but it is still a 7.5 compared to the normal crappy breakfast sandwiches that are available at most fast food joints, e.g. Eggamuffin, etc.); Peet's® Uzuri African Blend ~ 6.8; jamba juice® Peach Pleasure ~ 6.7


[1] I suppose I could have linked "Noah's Dove" by 10,000 Maniacs instead today, but then I would have been hard-pressed to find two other decent EweToob songs that incorporated "coffee" or someone named "Pete", and you just try to find any titles with "jamba" or "juice" in them.

 
Ah, what the heck:

[2] Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, Nummer eins:
 
"Mit" simply means "with" in German or Yiddish, Mr. Romney.

Plow

http://www.eatatplow.com/

(I think Linda Ronstadt had it right, Mr. Plow is a loser and a boozer; Ian Anderson was a bit of one, too.)


Congratulations, Lizzie, on 60 successful years! 

(So what if it's Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, this happens to be my 250th 'blog-entry; now that really is an amazing feat.)


I had breakfast this morning at Plow on Potrero Hill, on the corner of 18th and Texas Streets. It is always nice to see a semi-posh place that opens early (in this case 8:00am) for Sunday "Brunch". For such a small neighborhood, this part of 18th Street has several restaurants all within just 3-4 blocks: Hazel's Kitchen (breakfast and lunch);  Farley's (coffeehouse); Chez Papa Bistrot (sic) (lunch and dinner); Café Chez Maman ("Brunch", lunch, and dinner); Pera (lunch and dinner); Rocketfish (lunch and dinner); Goat Hill Pizza (lunch and dinner); Aperto ("Brunch", lunch, and dinner); and Sunflower (lunch and dinner).

Plow's "Brunch" menu really isn't all that extensive, but you would never know that from the line of people waiting to get in this morning before it had even opened. I was thinking about getting the farro salad (grilled summer squash + spring onions, shaved fennel, arugula, parmesan, fava bean, toasts) and a side of crispy potatoes, as someone recently commented to me that my cholesterol level must be very high as I usually have egg dishes on the weekends (not really, though, as my normal weekly cholesterol intake would only be from eggs on the weekends or cheese during the week ~ one of the perks of being a vegetarian, not so much cholesterol unless you are eating the dead, decaying animals). Even so, I decided on the less cholesterol-laden lemon ricotta[1] pancakes ~ with pure Vermont maple syrup, and a cholesterol-free side order of crispy potatoes (because you can never get enough carbohydrates). I also had a cuppa Equator™ coffee (but I didn't ask which blend, and, hopefully, it contained no cholesterol, too).

These were three medium-sized, thick pancakes; they were very good. The ricotta (yes, I know that is also a source of cholesterol, Mrs. Huneycutt) makes these very moist, if not a bit heavy. I had a thought that some fresh chopped basil would have been a nice addition in these even; not that they needed any extra flavour, but a savory-sweet pancake just sounded nice. Not that I could really tell "pure Vermont maple syrup" from the fake stuff, but it's nice when they have it and don't charge extra for it (you'd be surprised how many places do). The crispy potatoes were very good; fried and then roasted with large slices of onions; they almost seemed as if they were lightly battered (they weren't, as I had asked and was told how they were prepared).

Plow has as a condimentary supplement solely Youk's Hot Sauce; now, this was a nice surprise, as I have only ever had it at Kevin Youkilis' brother's restaurant, Maverick (see 'blog-entry from July 24th, 2011). I didn't use any while there, but I did buy a bottle to take home (it's not as if I really need yet still another hot sauce, but this is also a collector's item for any Boston Red Sox fan; plus, I have already tried all of Big Papi's hot sauces, so it only seemed fair). I did use a little HP™ Guinness® (Thanks, Cindy!), which is brand new (as in I just got it yesterday in a really cool swag/C.A.R.E. package) to my collection of sauces, on the potatoes.

http://youkshotsauce.com/

 

Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  lemon ricotta pancakes ~ 7.0


[1] Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero uno:

"Ricotta" simply means "recooked" in Italian, which comes from Latin "recocta", feminine of "recoctus", past participle of "recoquere" meaning "to recook".

Velo Rouge Cafe

"Je veux faire de mon bicyclette…" 
~ Frédéric Mercure et Reine

http://www.velorougecafe.com/

(This is their official website, but I had problems loading it. It might still be a valid/working website, but I can't tell for sure.)

(Do I really need to explain the connection between today’s EweToob video selection and the restaurant?)


For some time now, I have been meaning to get to Velo[1] Rouge[2] Cafe, which is located in the Richmond District over on the corner of Arguello[3] Boulevard and McAllister[4] Street (just one block north of Golden Gate Park), and I finally got there this morning for breakfast. They have been open for about five years now and are basically a corner neighborhood coffeehouse. Due to its proximity to Golden Gate Park, this seems to be a very popular spot with bicyclists (and all their stupid, healthy ilk); plus, they are a bicycle-themed joint (hence the café name) with many bicycle posters and photos on the walls, as well as some pretty cool chairs and tables made from old bicycle parts.

Velo Rouge Cafe does not have a very extensive breakfastary menu, but what they do offer all looks pretty good. I thought about getting the Mt. Ventoux[5] sandwich or Leipheimer[6] Breakfast Burrito, but ended up going with something I could pronounce: McAllister Scramble sandwich ~  three eggs scrambled with bacon (skipped the dead, decaying porky-flesh), grilled onions, mushrooms, spinach, and Feta cheese on an English muffin; served with roasted potatoes (which they do not state anywhere on the menu, but I was very happy to see on my plate). I also had a cuppa mighty fine Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Mexico - Chiapas PROISH (each cup is personally made as a fresh-drip for you).

This was all simple enough, but very good. This was served as an open-faced sandwich (à la Oeufs Benedict); I was not expecting that at all, but was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it very much. Plus, I am always a sucker for anything that has both spinach and Feta in it.

Surprisingly for "just a coffeehouse", Velo Rouge Cafe has a pretty selective condimentary supplementation: Tabasco® (the standard red); Tapatío®; and Pico Pica®. I was not figuring on them having more than the ubiquitous Tabasco® red, so I used some of my own collection with which I had come prepared:  a little Cholula® (Thanks, Brian!) on the sandwich and a little Cherry Republic® KaBob‘s Kick‘en Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy!) on the potatoes.
 

Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  McAllister Scramble Sandwich ~ 6.5; Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Mexico Chiapas PROISH ~ 7.0


[1] Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numéro un:
 
"Vélo" (avec accent aigu, which is the correct spelling; I am not sure why a Frenchy-named place would omit it ~ as well as in "Café") simply means "bicycle" in French. It can also be called "vélocipède" or "bicyclette". "Vélocipède" word roots comes from Latin "velox" (the genitive* is "velocis") meaning "swift" (as in "velocity", etc.) and "pes" (the accusative* is "pedem") meaning "foot" (as in "pedal", etc.)

*(One of these days I probably should explain the different cases of nouns used in some ferren languages: i.e. Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative, Accusative, and, most importantly, Guitarative.)

[2] Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numéro deux:
 
"Rouge" in French simply means the colour "red/rouge". Now did I really need to explain that?
 
[3] You may be asking yourself: "Just who the hell was this 'Arguello' guy and why the hell did he deserve a street/boulevard named for him in San Francisco?”
 
José Darío Argüello was the founder of Los Ångeles and twice the Spanish colonial governor of Alta California.
 
After reading that, you may still be asking yourself: "But why the hell a street/boulevard in San Francisco?"
 
I don't have an exact answer for that. Sorry.
 
[4] You may also be asking yourself: "And just who the hell is this 'McAllister' guy and why the hell did he deserve a street named for him in San Francisco?"
 
(And I would really hella appreciate it if you would just stop the using the word "hell" so much in my presence.)
 
This street was named after the McAllister family. Apparently, they were some prominent (read: snooty-assed white folk) San Francisco family in the 19th Century.
 
[5] As far as I can discern, this is some little hill that is prominent in a stupid little annual "bicycle race" in France.
 
[6] Levi Leipheimer is some stupid 'merican that likes to participate in the same stupid little annual "bicycle race" in France.
 

Just For You Cafe

Luke's Diner would be proud of this place, Li'l Abner.

http://www.justforyoucafe.com/

 
(As I really couldn't locate a decent Memorial Day song on EweToob, I went in another direction. Here's a little known Cliff Clavin Factoid: The original title of this song was "Give Peas a Chance".[1] John Lennon was commissioned by the British Agriculture Board to do a song to get people to try and eat a bit healthier; despite what Tony Blair said, everyone knows that the National Dish of England is Fish 'n' Chips.)


I four-footed it way over to Dogpatch this morning to have another Memorial Day breakfast (I happened to notice that I went there last year on this day, too) at Just For You Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from December 27th, 2011). I was sure glad that I had left my mobular device at home today, as I would hate to have wasted a perfectly good cuppa coffee on it (see above sign for stupid reference). There is one question I would still like to find out one of these days: "Who is 'Mabel'?"

As it is a holiday weekend, they still had their Weekend "Brunch" specials available. I had to try Nery's Vegetable Hash Omelet! (They added the exclamation point, not me.) ~ A fluffy omelet filled with butternut squash, roasted white onions, red and green bell peppers, sage, parsley (apparently, Rosemary didn't get the memo in thyme), and Sonoma goat cheese. Choice of bread (which is fresh-baked on the premises; I chose the cinnamon-raisin toast again). I also had a cuppa their damn fine N'Orleans-style chicory coffee.

The focus here was on the butternut squash (which I had forgotten was one of the ingredients and was wondering why the sweet potatoes had a strange texture and flavour, until it dawned on me) and the goat cheese. I think that turnips, rutabagas, or parsnips might have been a nice addition, and would have added a nice spicy bite to it, too; however, most 'mericans can't tell a rutabaga from a "Norwegian" turnip (that is a little humour that only my British readers might get), and probably think that "Rudy Bega" was John Travolta's little brother in "Pulp Fiction".

Like Dottie's True blue café, Just For You Cafe offers a pretty decent selection of condimentary supplementation: two types of Tabasco® (standard red and green Jalapeño); Tapatío®; Cholula®; Crystal®; a Sriracha-style hot sauce; and sometimes a few other brands. I went with a little Cholula® (Thanks, Adrienne!) on the omelette (butter was fine on the toast). Cholula®[2] is probably one of the better mass-produced/readily-available bottles of hot sauces; it is made with a nice blend of both Arbol and Piquin chili peppers, plus it has some nice spices added to the ingredients.

http://www.cholula.com/

I don't know who this Nery guy is, either, but he can feed me this hashish omelette any weekend.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Nery's Vegetable Hash Omelet ~ 7.0; Coffee ~ 6.9


[1] I also have a 75-year-old orange bridge that I can let you have for a song.
 
[2] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-historical/pseudo-geographical pointer of the day:
 
"Cholula" is named after the 2,500-year-old city of Cholula, Puebla (the oldest still-inhabited city in Mexico). The name "Cholula" is derived from Nahuatl toponym "Chollollan", meaning "the place of the retreat".

Memorial Day 2012

This is the fourth year running that I have posted these two links together.

The article was written by Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona*, U.S. Air Force (Retired). Rick is a well-known Military and Middle East analyst. He was also a former member of my old Air Force squadron back in Athens, Greece (6916th ESS); he was stationed there a few years before I got there, and I have never had the pleasure of actually meeting him in person.

The "Green Fields of France" is sung by the Boston (technically, Quincy) Irish-American Punk Rock band Dropkick Murphys ~ best known for their Red Sox anthem "Tessie". I have never met them in person, either.


http://francona.blogspot.com/2012/05/memorial-day-2012.html

The truly sad thing is that all of the people we are honouring on this holiday cannot be here to celebrate with us.

Have a safe and "rememorable" Memorial Day, everyone.


*(Thanks once again this year for the loaner, Rocco.)

Dottie’s True blue café

"What a difference a breakfast makes…"

http://dotties.biz/

(Just a little Sunday morning jazz with breakfast, Ladies.)


As it is another holiday weekend, I figured special measures needed to be taken, so I "did the needful"[1] and went back to Dottie's True blue café (see last 'blog-entry from April 1st, 2012) once again this morning for a specially measured holiday weekend breakfast. Parking in this neighborhood early on a Sunday morning is pretty easy, it's just a bit iffy wherever you park. Dottie's rooftop deck is still not open yet (well, seeing as it's on the roof and in the open air, technically it is always "open"; they just haven't seen fit to open it to the public for dining yet). I also found out this morning that their bakery is located downstairs/in the basement of the building; I didn't ask for a tour, but I can only assume it's much more spacious than the cramped kitchen/bakery at their old location.

Here is some exciting news: Dottie's is now open for business at a second location in Scottsdale, AZ, so anyone traveling that-a-way, stop on by for a great breakfastary experience (well, it's operated by Kurt's brother, so I can only hope the culinary expertise runs in the family). I know it's a bit of a journey from Tucson to Scottsdale, but those of you living in the Tucson area (I will not name any names, Karl) should really try to get up there for a weekend breakfast or lunch.

As always, there was some great old Jazz/Blues music playing on the house stereo while I was there (well, I suppose they play the same music if I am there or not, I just can't confirm this). I was glad to see that they brought this old picture over with them from their Jones Street location:

Now, I understand the Billie and Sarah pictures (Billie Crystal is from New York City where lots of great jazz singers came from, and Sarah Palin can really belt out them Alaska Blues), but I wouldn't really categorize Dinah Shore as a "Great Lady of Jazz"… maybe she finally embraced her African-American heritage.

I am happy to see that the Specials Board once again had the most excellent Zucchini Cakes on it this week. I pushed them on some stupid, unsuspecting touristas (well, they were leaning towards that choice, anyway, I just tipped them over completely). I probably would have had this great dish again if I hadn't had it the last time I was there, and my breakfast yesterday morning was very similar with the poached eggs and green squash thingy (which I hear was the original title of that classic children's book by Theodore Geisel, Cassy).

I opted for another one off the Specials Board: Avocado, Tomato, Corn, Jalapeño, Scallion, & Feta Frittata; served with toast and (home-fried) potatoes. I subsidized this with a large glass of grapefruit juice and a cuppa good commando-style[2] coffee.

Now, I don't know what's not to like in this one: avocado ~ good; corn ~ good; Feta ~ good; and I am happy to announce that these were all in large amounts… because everything counts (in larger amounts), Mr. Gahan. Lots of fresh ingredients is always a good thing.

I didn't sit at the counter (with a stage front seat) this morning and I was a little disappointed to find that the salt and pepper shakers on most of the regular tables are just plain ol' salt and pepper shakers, nothing quirky or kitschy like they used to have at the old place on all the tables.

As I have stated many times in the past, Dottie's offers a pretty decent selection of condimentary supplements: three types of Tabasco® (standard red, green Jalapeño, and Chipotle); Tapatío®; and Frank's® Red Hot® Chile 'n Lime™. This might not seem like a such big deal, but most places will just have one or two choices, and not usually three different flavours of one brand plus a few other brands. I used some of the Chipotle (Thanks, Kurt!) on the potatoes , and just a little of the Frank's® (Thanks again, Kurt!) on the frittata to give it just a little more perk.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  ATCJS&F Frittata Special ~ 7.4


[1] Not really a stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, more of a confusing English-Hindi translational thingy:

Like a lot of 'merican businesses today, the company that I work for has outsourced most of their accounting functions and some of its customer service functions to India. We generally communicate with them back and forth via electronic messages (colloquially known as "e-mails" by those of  us in the know). There is one particular phrasing that those in India use when replying back to us and requesting something to be done on our end: “"Please do the needful".

I am not sure where they learned this particular wording. Technically, I suppose it can be considered correct English, but it looks very strange in print. We all just assume they mean "Please do what is necessary to get this done". It's just a pretty humourous way of stating it.

[2] That would be a "bottomless" cuppa.

Tangerine

"Eating reflection from a dream…"

http://www.tangerinesf.com/
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_JAgHxR14
 
(Today's EweToob selection brought to you by the colour tangerine. For some reason, it won't let me link the actual video here as it has done for the past few weeks. What do you want for nuthin'? Rubber biscuits?)


I went back to Tangerine (see last 'blog-entry from January 29th, 2012) this morning for breakfast (and this time it was my planned destination, Eric). They are located on the corner of 16th and Sanchez[1] Streets in the Castro. I ate al fresco this morning (and mostly da solo, as I was the only al stupido enough to sit outside at one of the several tables on the sidewalk, as it was still a bit cool and shady yet).

After having their unbelievably good (but completely idiotic sounding) Macaroni & Corn Pancakes the last time I was there, I knew I had to get back there again to try some of their other equally-as-interesting sounding (and idiotic) breakfast dishes. There are several omelettes that I would like to try: e.g. Artichoke & Roasted Pepper Omelet, Shitake[2] & Asparagus Omelet, and Sweet Corn & Sauté Leek Omelet; as well as Coconut Pancakes with Ginger Syrup ~ that has to be good. I specifically went back today to get Zucchini Latke[3] ~ Home-made scallion-potato pancakes with 2 poached eggs, choices of bacon, spinach, or smoked salmon, topped with a spicy hollandaise sauce; served with organic greens (which is just a fancy name for plain ol' salad stuff). I also ordered a side of roasted potatoes (because a main dish made mostly from potatoes is never enough carbohydrates) and a large glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice (but they do not offer tangerine juice, for some reason; I asked).

I can only think of two words to describe this one: "Wow!" and "Wow!" Now this wasn't quite as great as the Macaroni & Corn Pancakes, but it was still great. That is a rather unfair assessment, though; as that is like saying which of the Marx Brothers were the funniest (everyone knows that was Gummo, of course). This was basically a large potato pancake with eggs on top à la Oeufs Benedict. The "spicy hollandaise sauce" really wasn't; or it may have been, but after all of the stupid condimentary supplementation (see below) I added, who could tell. This came with at least a ton of spinach piled on top (okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration; there really was only 1,999 pounds of it on the plate), which is always a good thing with me. It was made with lots of julienned[4] zucchini and shredded potatoes; I can't be sure, but they may also include some kind of noodles in their latke recipe, at least I thought I saw some in there. Like the Macaroni & Corn Pancakes, there is a  ring of puréed spinach around the plate again; even more spinach-y goodness still, Elzie.

As for the orange juice, it was actually fresh-squeezed, and not just out of a bottle labeled "fresh-squeezed", as it was still frothy when they brought it to me.

Before heading over to Tangerine, I stopped at Castro Coffee Company and had a cuppa Organic Road Warrior (which they state is the "Dark Roast #2" of the day, Mel). This is only a few blocks away from the restaurant, right on "Main Street" of the Castro (Castro Street, between Market and 18th Streets); just two doors down from the historical Castro Theater. Like Bettys, they also offer a Jamaica Blue Mountain, at $45.00/pound. However, they have an even more expensive coffee, Kopi Luak, at $695.00/pound (that is not a typo; but after seeing the price I coulda used a good Type-O transfusion); I think "Kopi Luak" means "You have to be f*ckin' kiddin' me!" in Malay (you can consider that a stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, or not); for $695.00/pound, it's cheaper to fly to Sumatra and just grow your own beans to roast.

http://www.castro-coffee.com/Default.asp

As for condimentary supplementation, Tangerine only offers Tabasco® (just the standard red). I brought a few of my own collection and went with some Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce (Thanks agains, Amys!) on the latke, Oaxacan Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on the potatoes, and a little Blair's Sudden Death Sauce with Ginseng[5] (Thanks a lot, mom! See, Cindy, you are not the only sadist in your gift-giving.) on the salad (I really just added 2-3 small drops at most, but it was still pretty darn nookular; it didn't make much difference as I wasn't planning on eating all of it, anyway; it was just stupid ol' greens).

Even if I hadn't tried the Macaroni & Corn Pancakes on my first visit, I am sure that I would have come back to try more of their food, anyway, after today's meal.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Zucchini Latke ~ 7.45; Castro Coffee Company, Organic Road Warrior ~ 6.4


[1] Just who was this Sánchez guy you ask, Jonathan?
 
The street was named for Antonio Sánchez, a one-time commandante of the San Francisco Presidio. His family once owned a 15,000 acre ranch running from today's South San Francisco to Burlingame (for any of you out-of-towners, that is basically from San Francisco southward, past the airport, and then some).

But, I bet he never pitched a No-No (and a 28-Batter Game at that) in his life.
 
[2] This is how they had it (mis)spelled on their menu. I have mentioned before that the correct spelling/transliteration should be "Shiitake". You'd think a place that specifies that they are a "Pacific Rim Restaurant" would get the correct spelling/transliteration for a Japanese word. Luckily, no GBS points are ever taken off for spelling.
 
[3] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-culinary pointer of the day, номер один (или номер два), Mr. Gravas:
 
"Latke" comes from Yiddish, from Russian "латка" meaning "pastry", literally "patch".

Extra added bonus information from our friendly friends at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latke

I wonder what a breakfast with Freddie Blassie would have been like?

(Now it is letting me link an actual video here. Go figger.)

[4] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-culinary pointer of the day, numéro deux (ou numéro trois):

"Julienne" comes from French, probably in reference to the proper name of Jules, Julien, or Julienne, Mr. Lennon.
 
[5] As if adding ginseng to this devilry is going to make it any less deadly. "Hey, look, it has ginseng in it. It must be healthy and good for ya!" The two main problems with this hot sauce is that it is an oil-based one and it is made with extract of peppers; so, not only does it have extra added heat, it will stick to your tongue with the oil ~ you can't rinse this stuff off easily with a quick sip/gallon of water. They should rename this evil stuff Blair's Witch Project Sauce.