http://www.sealrockinn.com/restaurant.html Place: Seal Rock Inn Restaurant Location: 545 Point Lobos Avenue (on the corner of 48th Avenue) Hours: open from 6:00am every day Meal: GreekOmelette No. 1 ~ Feta cheese, olives, bell peppers[1], onion, and tomatoes[1], all omelettes served with hashbrowns[1] and toast; a small glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice; and a cuppa (but just one refilla) Peerless Coffee® (I have no idea which blend/roast they feature, though)
(Those would be a "Red", a "White", and a "Blue" EweToobular juxtaselections.) Seal Rock Inn Restaurant (see last 'blog-entry from April 18th, 2014) is much like that old, baggy sweatshirt that you have had for many, many years (you know you all have one; it's threadbare, worn, and just a bit on the smelly side, but you still can't bear to part with it… you may want to think about washing it once in a while, though). It may not be the fanciest thing you have to wear, but it's very reliable, comfy, and great in a pinch. I only mention this because the "new" place (sweatshirt) that I had planned on checking out this morning for breakfast, nourish café, is closed for some kinda special "Holiday" or such (That just seems downright un-'merican to me!) and I needed to come up with a good back-up plan, (Uncle) Sam. Αύριο! I usually only get to Seal Rock Inn Restaurant once a year or so, but this is a good enough place (and about as "local" as it gets for me; I could walk there if I wanted ~ well, I could walk there, but I still drove there this morning) that I would have no problem adding it to my Breakfastary Starting Rotation if ever needed. I was the only idiot in the joint the entire time I was there. I had arrived just a little after 7:00am; and this is another great thing about Seal Rock Inn Restaurant, they open up daily and bright and early (well, foggy and early this morning) enough for idiots like me. I think one guy did come in and ordered a take-out breakfast while I was eating in the back (which is really in the front) enclosed awning area. Seal Rock Inn Restaurant is known for their selection of International and Good Ol' 'merican Omelettes. I have had many of the selections in the past and some other ideas that I was looking at today were: Mike's Special Omelette (fresh mushrooms, Spanish sauce, olives, and Swiss cheese; I don't think that I have ever had that one there, or even that particular combination of ingredients before elsewhere); Greek Omelette No. 2 (Feta cheese with fresh spinach; this is a classic and always a good choice); or Sophia's Omelette (Feta cheese, olives, onions, tomatoes, and spinach; this one is another great combination of Hellenic flavours, but I had just had that one during my last visit there).
This omelette is such a nice reminder of a χαρακτηριστική χωριάτικη σαλάτα with its blend of herbs and spices and fresh ingredients. The only things missing are some summer cucumbers (and I really don't think they would be such a great ingredient for the insides of an omelette) and hordes of feral cats wandering around pestering you at the tables while you eat (and would also not be a great ingredient for the insides of an omelette even in China). Of course, I have mentioned this before, this omelette would be so much better with αυθεντικά ελιές Καλαμών in place of the bland, sliced, canned ones. Another major plus is that there is no lacking for the amount of large Feta chunks in it, though ~ none of that cheapo "Feta crumbles" stuff here. Ευχαριστώ! One of the main reasons that I went with one of their Greek omelettes this morning was the first time that I had ever had a χωριάτικη σαλάταwas on July 4th, 1979, at a ταβέρνα in downtown Γλυφάδα. I had just arrived in Greece earlier that day for my first overseas assignment in the Air Force (that would be the "United States Air Force", not the "Ελληνική Πολεμική Αεροπορία", by the way) and had absolutely no idea what kind of food would be available for ηλίθιο χορτοφάγους. Luckily, the local "peasant salad" turned out to be a great choice, and I probably had it thousands of times again after that (that is not a bit of Hellenic, hyperbolic fluff there, I honestly probably had it at least a thousand times in the three-and-a half years while living in Greece). I ended up spending a few more Fourth ofJulysoverseas, too (1980 and 1982 while still in Greece, and 1984 and 1985 in Deutschland). My choice of toast was Sourdough this morning. (No d*mn "English" muffins on this day, Mr. Thomas! Thank you very much. Which I made sure to point out to my Irish waitress/server-lady, too. Of course, she wholeheartedly agreed with me there.) For condimentary supplementation, Seal Rock Inn Restaurant has both Tabasco®BrandPepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Cholula®Hot Sauce (Original). I went with some of my own Palo Alto Firefighters Pepper Sauce (Thanks agains, Amys & Brian!); I like to use this stuff like ketchup (as can be seen from the above photo), it really is that tasty. I also used some of my own Marie Sharp'sGrapefruit Pulp Habanero[2]Pepper Sauce on top of the omelette, but just a few drops, as I didn't want to mess with the flavour any. Remember what the Dormouse said: "Feed your head… with a good Greek breakfast on the Fourth ofJuly!" Glen Bacon Scale Rating: GreekOmelette No. 1 ~ 6.7 ________________ 1. All of which are 100% ★All-American★ foodstuffs, of course. (Well, that is, if you also take into consideration both Central and South Americas.) 2. Apparently, the un-American committee of Nazi Spell-checkers at Microsoft have never been to Cuba before, either, and do not recognize this very popular variant of chilli.
http://www.mimiscafe.com/ Place: Mimi's Cafe Location: 2208 Bridgepointe Parkway, San Mateo (in the Bridgepointe Shopping Center) Hours: open 7:00am every day (maybe a little later tomorrow and on other holidays, though) Meal: Potato Cake Eggs Benedict ~ hickory-smoked bacon, spinach, tomatoes, poached eggs, and Hollandaise, with mixed fruit (instead of potatoes); and a cuppa (and one refilla) whatever the house Coffee was
(Yeah, well, it was a bit overcast and cloudy ~ and it even rained for a few seconds along 280 ~ on the way down to San Mateo early this morning, so I just figured these would be sufficient EweToobular juxtaselections. I am pretty sure that I have posted that little Robbie Zimmerman cover once before, but I like it, so tough!) The other day on defacedbook, an old Air Force buddy (Hey, Karl!) happened to mention that he was having dinner at a local Tucson restaurant called Mimi's Cafe[1]. It turns out that Mimi's Cafe is a chain of restaurants and there are even a few in the Bay Area. As I am wont to do (i.e. Nosey Parker that I am), I had to check out their menu to see what they offered breakfastarily; I liked the looks of their Breakfast Menu and decided I would have to get down there one of these days. Today happened to be one of these days. I was not familiar with this particular family-style restaurant chain. I think they are mostly located in the southwestern and southern States. They could be considered something like a Frenchified bistro version of Applebee's, I suppose. The closest chapter to San Francisco happens to be located in a shopping centre/strip mall place on the demarcation line of San Mateo and Foster City. This was a very large place with seating for at least 100-150 people. There is even an outdoor patio seating area; plus, another covered/enclosed fresh-air patio area. Inside there are lots of maroon vinyl-covered booths, which are large enough for four to six people each; that way, most everyone can enjoy the whole booth experience other than just ol' Abie Lincoln. By the décor, I assumed that the place may have originally been an old Mexican chain restaurant (on the lines of Chevy's, etc). However, according to my friendly, knowledgeable waitress/server-lady, Nancy, they have been at this same location for seventeen years now (shows you how often I get down to that part of San Mateo-Foster City) and are still in the original building that was built specifically for their chain. As I stated above, I liked the looks of their Breakfast Menu and there were a few other good ideas that caught my eye (both of them, actually): Orange Crème French Toast (brioche Pain Perdu toast with orange marmalade cream cheese; comes with two eggs served any style [I like mine of the chicken-style], mixed fruit, and your choice of hickory-smoked bacon, pork or turkey sausage, or hickory-smoked ham; I don't really expect I‘ll be getting back there for another seventeen years or so, but if I ever do, this will definitely be my choice); Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles (with strawberry-rhubarb butter; comes with two eggs, mixed fruit, and your choice of hickory-smoked bacon, pork or turkey sausage, or hickory-smoked ham; this also sounded very interesting); Egg White & Veggie Omelet (open-faced three egg white omelet with spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and goat cheese, with mixed fruit [instead of potatoes]; I expect this would be somewhat frittata-style); and because they are a Frenchified bistro kinda joint, they also offer several different Crêpes (and I was happy to see that they use the correct cîrcûmflêxêd "ê" in the spelling, too).
This was a very decent take on your standard Eggs Benedict dish. I particularly like the use of potato cakes as the base (potato cakes are wayyyy better than those faux English crumpets that Mr. Thomas puts out). And, for the originality of which, I am giving them an extra 0.1 on the Glen Bacon Scale. Of course, I ordered this dish without any of that hickory-smoked dead, decaying porky junk (I am trying to cut down on my hickory smoking). I even substituted a side of herbed roasted potatoes (instead of mixed fruit); there is no such thing as too many carbohydrates as far as I am concerned. The house Coffee was nothing much of which to speak; just your typical diner-quality stuff. The refilla seemed a little better than the first cuppa, but that may have been due to a new potta being served or I just may have become used to the mediocriocity of the flavour by then. I really didn't feel it necessary to ask for a second refilla, though. Upon request, Mimi's Cafe has to offer Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Cholula®Hot Sauce (Original). I used some of my own Hot Licks®SerranoHot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on top of the Hollandaise and both eggs and some Fairhope Favorites, Inc.Moonshine Hot Sauce XXX (Thanks, Phyllis!) on the potatoes. Nancy was pretty hot sauce-savvy herself and we talked for a bit about hot sauces (the place was still pretty empty that early in the morning and she could waste her time humouring me). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Potato Cake Eggs Benedict ~ 6.4 ________________ 1. While they state on their web-site that they are a "French-Inspired" restaurant, and they seem to have no problem with the correct accented spellings of "crème" and "crepês", for some reason, they don't want to use l'accent aigu ("é") in the "Café" part of their name. I just found that rather strangé.
http://www.thelittlechihuahua.com/location/lower-haight Place: the Little Chihuahua[1] Location: 292 Divisadero Street (near Page Street) Hours: open on Saturday and Sunday at 10:00am for "Brunch" Meal: Chile Relleno ~ a grilled and roasted Poblano chile[2] stuffed with scrambled eggs, Mexican potatoes, sautéed Poblano chiles and onions, spinach, and goat cheese, smothered with Ranchero sauce and garnished with Cotija cheese and crispy fried tostadas (which is just a fancy way of saying "tortilla chips"); a large glass of piña agua fresca; and (beforehand) a small cuppa Peet's Coffee & Tea®Fair Trade Blend (this was their Dark Roast offering this morning) http://www.peets.com/coffee/by-roast/dark/fair-trade-coffee.html
(The reason for el Sábado NegroEweToobular juxtaselection is threefold[3]: uno) It is the weekend "Brunch" tradition at la Pequeña Chihuahua to always play a little Ozzy y amigos for the first hour or so after opening shop; dos) This video happened to be subtitled en español; tres) Who says that Ozzy can't croon a heartfelt ballad when needed?;
y cuatro) Not many people are aware that this song was actually written about Ozzy's favourite pet Chihuahua ~ who just happened to be named "Sabbath", and from which the band took its name ~ that had died earlier that year.[4]) I was originally planning on heading back over to redo Dante's Weird Fish (see previous 'blog-entry from November 3rd, 2013) before they close for good (I have heard that they are trying to sell the place and close up shop). However, due to the PrideParade today, I didn't want to have to deal with crossing Market Street in any way (and if I were to circumnavigate Market Street to get to the Mission, it would have been about a ten to fifteen miles roundtrip; no thanks). So, instead, I just figured I'd redo the Little Chihuahua (see last 'blog-entry from June 29th, 2014 ~ which, serendipitously, was exactly a year ago today) as my last one for the month of June.
Their "Brunch" menu isn't that extensive, but the few (well, two previously) dishes that I have already had there have all been stellar. Next time I really have to check out their version of Chilaquiles, which generally are mi piedra de toque para los desayunos mexicanos. For drinks this morning, they also offered a sandía agua fresca and Passionfruit Mimosa (also, a "next time" choice). As stated above, I got myself a cuppa Peet's® to enjoy while walking around the Panhandle a bit waiting for the Little Chihuahua to open up. I didn't espy any of the Wild Parrots of San Francisco there this morning, but there were a number of other caterwauling feather-brains all over the place. I saw several Crows (or possibly Ravens, I can't really tell the difference between the two unless they are standing side-by-each). There were also a number of Mourning Doves, Robins, Hummingbirds, and several u/i Little Brown Birds.
Ay, Chihuahuahita!!! This was another complete winner of a breakfastary ("Brunchery", whatever) dish for me. This was very, very good, but just not quite as excellent as the Stacked Enchiladas that I had the last time I ate there. Even if I had never had the Stacked Enchiladas before, this one is definitely recommendation-worthy and worth a return trip on its own merits (or merits a return trip on its own worth, even). They state that this is "stuffed with goat cheese", but I am pretty sure that there was also some Monterey Jack cheese in with the mess, too. I particularly liked the inclusion of lots of crunchy Mexican potatoes crispitos stuffed inside the Poblano chilli, too. I probably would have asked for a side of the Mexican potatoes otherwise; they are pretty decent on their ownsome. For pre-packaged (pre-bottled, whatever) condimentary supplements, the Little Chihuahua offers just Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce on all the tables. Of course, that seems completely superfluous to me, as they offer five or six of their own superb, homemade salsas frescas. I used some of their very tasty Chipotle and a little Habanero-Lime in which to dip the tortilla chips ("crispy fried tostadas", whatever). The Habanero-Lime really isn't that espicy, but it does have a great fresh flavour with lots of lime in it. Once again, after breakfast, I went back to Bi-RiteCreamery for a coupla scoops of Ice Cream. This morning's flavours were a scoop of Peach (with Masumoto peaches) and a scoop of Balsamic Strawberry. I figured that was a very decent Summer combination. http://biritecreamery.com/icecream It's really not surprising in the least that the Little Chihuahua has the initials "TLC", as this was another muy buen desayuno. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Chile Relleno ~ 7.1; Bi-RiteCreamery Ice Cream ~ 7.2; Peet's®Fair Trade Blend ~ 6.5 ________________ 1. Just in case no one has ever heard of this particular breed of indigenous perrito mexicano, here is a link from the friendly people at WikipediA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahua_(dog) However, there is no truth to the rumour that "Chihuahua" meant "yippy, little ankle-biter" in the Nahuatl language. 2. Here is another link from the folks at WikipediA (mainly because I am just too lazy to look it up myself): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poblano 3. Okay, there were really four reasons, but I didn't think that "fourfold" was an actual word and I just hate any of those madeuppery words (I have discovered that it is an actual word; or, at least for a change, the Nazi Spell-checkering jeenyuses at Microsoft have no problem with it). Besides, you just try folding a juxtaselection more than three times without any difficulty. 4. Please tell me that no one actually bought any of that bazofia.
http://m.mainstreethub.com/cafemason# (This is not the best of official web-sites, but you get the basic idea.) Place: Cafe Mason Location: 320 Mason Street (between Geary and O'Farrell Streets) Hours: open 24 hours, every day of the week Meal: Swêdîsh Pâncâkês (sweet crepe [sic, I just figured that if they don't use the correct accent circumflex on "crêpe", I will include it elsewhere]) ~ homemade stewed blueberry and apple fillings in crepes [sic, still] topped with crème fraise [sic, also], served with fruit; a side of homefries; and a large glass of orange juice
(You were expecting some ABBA perhaps?) My original plan this morning was to redo Taylor Street Coffee Shop (see previous 'blog-entry from March 3rd, 2013), but when I arrived there, there was a line out the door (it's another one of those tiny little, but good, places in the heart of Touristlandia). Luckily, I knew that there was another very good back-up plan redo just a block away and I headed back over to Cafe Mason (see last 'blog-entry from April 18th, 2015). Unfortunately, I didn't score my "regular" table (the really cool, two-person mini-booth along the window). (D*mn touristas!) For some reason, I got the same four-page "Brunch" menu as the first time I ate there. I think they must give it out after 8:00am, anyone eating there very early in the morning will only get the reduced two-pager breakfastary menu. This was good, as they really do have a very nice selection from which to choose.
These came as two pâncâkês (or crêpes) folded over with the fillings in the middle. I have found that Swêdîsh Pâncâkês are usually served with a lingonberry[1] sauce, but this was all still very good to me, anyway. I really do like their version of homefries, which are sliced and then homefried and include lots of white and green onions and green bell peppers in them. The side of fruit that came with the pâncâkês (or crêpes) was a meal unto itself. There were slices of apple, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, and one orange slice. Cafe Mason offers for condimentary supplementation both Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Cholula®Hot Sauce. I used some of my own Fat Cat®Surprisingly Mild Guajillo Ghost (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on the potatoes. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Swêdîsh Pâncâkês ~ 6.5; homefries ~ 7.4 ________________ 1. Apparently Billy-boy and his Spell-checkering, Goose-steppering Nazis at Microsoft have never been to Sweden either, as they do not recognize this berry (and it is an actual botanical berry to boot). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_vitis-idaea
"Today, Father, is Father's Day, And we're giving you a tie. It's not much, we know. It is just our way of showing you, We think you’re a regular guy. You say that it was nice of us to bother, But it really was a pleasure to fuss. For according to our mother, you're our father, And that's good enough for us. Yes, that's good enough for us." ~ Harry Ruby
http://www.mamas-sf.com/ Place: Mama♥s on Washington Square Location: 1701 Stockton Street (on the corner of Filbert Street) Hours: open Tuesday through Sunday at 8:00am Meal: Papa's Favorite M♥Omelette ~ roasted Ortega peppers, tomatoes, and Fontina cheese, served open faced, with Mama♥s Grilled Potatoes and your choice of toast: White, Whole Grain, Rye, English Muffin, or Sourdough Baguette; a large glass of (freshly-squeezed) orange juice; and, afterward, for a breakfastary dessert, un doppio Espresso e un nutella®bombolone at CaffèTrieste http://caffetrieste.com/index.htm
(Because there really is a lack of good Father's Day songs ~ How many times can one listen to "Cat's in the Cradle", seriously? ~ I am just going with a few Maria McKee EweToobular songs this morning. Besides, I am sure that most dads would much rather listen to her than any ol' Harry Chapin song.) I went back to Mama♥s on Washington Square (see last 'blog-entry from October 6th, 2013) for breakfast this morning. I can't believe that it's been almost two years since I last ate there. I had arrived to Washington Square around 7:20am this morning and figured I'd have at least ten to fifteen minutes to kill walking around the area before I needed to get in line and start waiting with all of the other diners. However, I noticed that a small line was already forming that early, so I decided I should probably get in line, too, before it got much longer. As it was, there were only about ten people ahead of me, and I was assured a seating in the first wave of breakfasteers. By the time they had finally opened, there must have been at least fifty to sixty more people behind me. One of the main problems with eating at Mama♥s is that there is always a pretty decent selection from which to choose and I can only eat one meal at a time. In addition to a long and tasty list of M♥Omelettes, they offer a great selection of other breakfast dishes: scrambles, Benedicts, French toast, pancakes, etc. Some of the other ideas I was thinking about today were: Apple Pan Dore(French toast) (slices of sourdough baguette with sautéed apples in lemon-butter sauce; I am pretty sure that I have never had this particular version of French toast, and I really have to try it one of these days; I just can't figure out why the dish is named for a cartoon fish portrayed by Ellen DeGeneres); (off the weekend/weekly specials board) French Toast Sampler (a trio of Orange-Cranberry, Swedish Cinnamon, and Banana Walnutslices; this is a great way to try a few different versions of their French toast); or Scrambled Florentine (baby spinach, bacon, red onions, and white Cheddar cheese; which I would have always ordered without the porky junk, of course). the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude While waiting in line, I only saw two Wild Parrots flying overhead towards Coit Tower this morning. I wonder what the diminutive of "pandemonium" is called.
Today's choice was predicated mainly on the made-up holiday this third Sunday of June. I really liked this one (I have yet to have a bad meal there, anyway); I am pretty sure I have had it in the past before, too. I liked that it was served open-faced. I went with sourdough baguette for my toast choice (which really should be the only choice offered, as this goes great with most meals and this is North Beach, after all). For condimentary supplements, Mama♥s has Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce. I used a little (well, a lot, actually; I like to use this stuff like ketchup) of my own Palo Alto Firefighters Pepper Sauce(Thanks, Amys and Brian!) on the potatoes and just a little (and, believe me, this one I measured out judiciously at only five to six drops) Blair'sAfterDeath®saucewith Liquid Fire (Thanks, Sean!) on the M♥Omelette. And especially not to be missed, they make their own homemade (restaurant-made, whatever) jams. Today's offering was a nice tart raspberry jam. It went very well on the toasted sourdough baguette slices (and despite what Mr. Thomas claims, sourdough's nooks and crannies more than beat out about his faux English crumpets). I even talked the couple at the next table into trying some on their French toast. They agreed that it was a great addition (even I have maple syrup in my refrigerator).
I was informed by Vince at the door (I think he is one of the owners of the place and one of Mama♥s sons) that they are going to be opening a second restaurant in North Beach; it is going to be called Li♥l Mama♥s. This will be just a few blocks away on the corner of Vallejo and Columbus Streets. As can be seen from the above photo, the new place (while called "Li♥l") will be about twice the size of the original restaurant. They will also have a small store area where they will be selling not only their homemade (restaurant-made, whatever) jams, but their fresh-baked loaves (like Cranberry-Orange Walnut, Banana Walnut, and Kugelhopf Brioche) and other fresh-baked goods (Poppyseed Bundt Cake, Carrot Cake, etcake). I was still a little hungry after breakfast (and there is always room for Coffee and doughnuts ~ even when it is Caffè e bomboloni), and CaffèTrieste is just in the next block across Columbus Street from where Li♥l Mama♥s is going to be located. (Wasn't it John Fitzgerald Mussolini that once said: "Ich bin ein Bombolone!"?) (Sure, I could have taken a photo of mio doppio Espresso e nutella®bombolone, but I figured most everyone already knows what a cuppa and a doughnut look like.) Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Papa's Favorite M♥Omelette ~ 6.7; fresh, tart raspberry jam ~ 6.8; doppio Espresso e nutella®bombolone ~ 6.5
"Stonewalls do not a Jackson make." ~ Groucho Marx
(No official web-site.) Place: Reverie Cafe Location: 848 Cole Street (between Carl and Frederick Streets); phonicular contact: (415) 242-0200 Hours: open 7:00am Monday-Friday, 7:30am Saturday-Sunday Meal: Shakshouka ~ (2) eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce with onions, peppers, & pita bread; Pear-Almond Tart (for a breakfastary dessert); and a medium cuppa (which was actually a pretty large mugga) Equator Coffees & Teas™ (I forgot to ask which blend/roast it was this morning)
(The reason for today's EweToobular songs? Simples! Everyone knows that Nat King Cole's real name was Carl Frederick Shakshouka.) In continuing my Month of Redo's, I returned to Reverie Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from May 10th, 2014) for breakfast this morning. You order at the front counter (typical coffeehouse-style), get a number (I got "11" this morning), and then they bring the food out to you. Even though it was still a bit (well, very) overcast and chilly (I had a sweatshirt on, so it was fine with me), once again, I sat outside in their large garden patio area, where there are about eighteen tables of varying sizes (for two to four people) on three levels (levels of the garden patio area, not levels of clientele) behind the building. There was only one other idiot couple outside the whole time I was there. An added bonus of sitting outside this morning was that I was underneath a large blooming Honeysuckle plant (at least I think it was a Honeysuckle plant; my botanical expertise is pretty limited to just actual berries and nuts) and it really smelled great. For a little nebby ("Mediterranean-Inspired" ~ per their menu) joint, they offer a pretty decent breakfast selection. Some of the other ideas that caught my fancy (when catching a fancy, I have found it best to use an over-sized Outfielder's glove so that there is less possibility of dropping it) this morning were: Breakfast Risotto (leeks, zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, farro, spinach, Feta cheese, and eggs; which really sounded very good; next time… if the weekly Frittata special doesn't trump it that is); Swiss Chard Scramble or Omelet (with leeks, shitake mushroom [sic; because everyone knows that the better transliteration from Japanese-to-Engrishu should be "shiitake", and that the whole "mushroom" part is a completely repetitive superfluousness[1]], & Mozzarella; plus, I like the option of having this as either a scramble or omelette); or (from their weekly/weekend specials board, where there are usually about five or six choices) Chorizo & Manchego[2]Frittata (with asparagus, leeks, tomatoes, potatoes, & Spanish paprika).
This was a very good meal; pretty simple in all, but still very tasty. I think the version of Shakshouka that I had at Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen (see previous 'blog-entry from December 15th, 2013) was a little better. Saul'stomato sauce was much thicker, almost the viscosity of a stew; whereas, Reverie Cafe's was a bit thinner/runnier ~ that is where all the toasted pita triangles came in very handy. This was made with three types/colours of bell peppers (which we all should remember by now are a botanical berry, right?): red, green, and yellow. I was almost tempted to go with their weekend Frittata special, as asparagus is usually a deal-maker for me, but I had the Shakshouka in mind even before looking over any other items… next time, if their Frittata special includes asparagus (or kale). Besides, "Shakshouka" is just fun to say. Go ahead, try it; you know you wanna say it out loud: "Shakshouka!" (Of course, it also sounds like a bad Blacksploitation Kung-Fu movie from the 70's.) I don't think that they bake any of the dessert/pastries that they offer, but the Pear-Almond Tart was very good, all the same. Reverie Cafe offers for condimentary supplementation Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce, and Huy Fong Foods, Inc. Sriracha Sauce. I mixed some of my own (though it may have been a bit superfluous to do so) Nando'sExtra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce (Thanks, Kerry! That was finally the last of that bottle.) in with the spicy tomato sauce of the Shakshouka. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Shakshouka ~ 6.7; Pear-Almond Tart ~ 6.8 ________________ 1. Okay, I admit, I actually expected this word to be a made-up word of my own making-uppery; however, per Dictionary.com*, this is an actual noun form of the adjective "superfluous". (I knew I shoulda gone with "superfluocity" instead!) *(Even so, Wild Bill Gates and his troupe of Nazi Spell-checkering jeenyuses at Microsoft do not recognize "superfluousness" as a noun.) 2. So-called because it originated in La Mancha region of Spain, Señor Donkey Joté. http://www.cheese.com/manchego/ And I should point out that Billy-boy and his Braunhemden spell-checkers do not recognize this very popular and tasty queso español either. The alternate choices they are suggesting: "Montego", "Manteno", and "Manchukuo"… yeah, because those are all much more common terms.
A (redo) breakfastary roadtrip: Rockaway Beach, Pacifica, CA
http://ilovebreakers.com/ Place: Breakers Location: 145 Rockaway Beach Avenue, Pacifica Hours: open 7:00am every day! (They actually added the exclamation point, not me.) Meal: Roasted Eggplant Crepe (sic, they do not use the little circumflex hat-thingy on the first "ê" in "Crêpe" on their menu) ~ red peppers, glazed onions (Do you know how to glaze onions? Just tell them really awful corn-ball jokes until they can't take it any longer.), Portabella mushrooms, garlic, Jack cheese, Marinara sauce, sour cream & chives, served with hashbrowns & marinated salad; and a potta/pitchera/thermosa Peerless Coffee & Tea®Organic 80th Anniversary Italian Roast Blend http://www.peerlesscoffee.com/product/all-coffee/organic-80th-anniversary-italian-roast-blend/
(I never need an excuse for a little George Ivan on a Sunday morning. I am pretty sure that I have posted different versions of both of these songs in the past ~ and in the case of "Into The Mystic", numerous times before. I just came across this live concert of his at Winterland Ballroom[1] in San Francisco the other day and really liked it. And there is never anything verose about a little George Ivan in the morning, daytime, or evening. Turn up your EweToob… so you know it's got Soul!) I surfed on down California State Route 1 (aka "Highway 1" to most of you people) to Breakers (see last 'blog-entry from August 24th, 2014) for breakfast again this morning. This is one of the only places around ("around" being "around Rockaway Beach" and "around Pacifica" in general) that is open early enough and will usually attract most of the early-morning tourista business from the surrounding hotels and motels on Rockaway Beach. I got there around 8:00am this morning and had no problem being seated right away; however, it filled up quickly while I was there. There was a great view of the Pacific Ocean (hence the name of the town of Pacifica) from my seat in the corner of the restaurant this morning; even though it was still a little overcast and gloomy out. Breakers really does have a pretty decent breakfast menu from which to choose; they offer a nice selection of 3 Egg Omelets, Three Egg Scrambles, Frittatas, Pancakes, French Toast, Belgian Waffles, and Crepes. Some of the other dishes that looked good to me this morning were: Feta Omelet (roasted red peppers, spinach, & Feta cheese, topped with black olives & red onions; I probably would have definitely gone with that one IF the black olives were of the Kalamata variety, but I knew from my last visit that they were just the plain ol' boring canned type); Veggie Frittata (mushrooms, onions, the vile weed, celery, zucchini, diced tomatoes, & Combo cheese; I am not sure what part of Italy "Combo" cheese comes from, though; for some reason, when I asked my waitress-server-lady, she said she'd get back to me on that and ended up avoiding me for the rest of the meal); Islander French Toast (topped with strawberries, bananas, & blueberries[2]; they don't specify which "Island" that is from, though); or Garden Crepe (avocado, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, Jack cheese, tomatoes, sour cream & chives ~ but, thankfully, none of the vile weed).
If you are like me and are un amante melanzane e fungi, you will really like this one (Sorry, Skip!) as there was a great amount (and in large chunks) of both the eggplant (which is a botanical berry, remember?) and the Portabella (or Portobello or Portabello, take your pick). Needless to say, I enjoyed it a lot. They forgot the sour cream & chives, but it really didn't need any of that and I probably enjoyed it more for the omission. I am generally not a big fan of these "side salads" that usually come with crêpes; just give me more of the good potato-stuff and leave all that green for the rabbits. However, this one was actually pretty good and I ended up eating most of it for a change. It had nice bite-sized/diced pieces of cucumber, tomato, celery, and zucchini in it (along with the requisite boring lettuce junk); and the dressing was really very light and not overpowering. The Coffee is a great deal. For the price of a standard cuppa at most places, they leave an entire thermos/pitcher/pot-thing (à la IHOP®, just with much better Coffee). I probably had at least two-and-a-half to three cuppas while I was there. For condimentary supplements, Breakers has Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Cholula®Hot Sauc), and The Pepper Plant®Original California Style Hot Pepper Sauce. I used some from my own collection and went with lots of Fat CatStrawberry Serrano Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on the potatoes and some Marie Sharp'sGrapefruit Pulp Habanero Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) on top of the crêpe. The Marie Sharp's is the newest hot sauce to my collection (I just received it this week); I am pretty sure that I have had this one before, though. It has a nice balance of grapefruit and habanero flavour. Plus, this was a small (sample) bottle and it fits nicely into my Tabasco® holster. http://www.thepepperplant.com/ http://www.mariesharps-bz.com/ Once again, they completely stiffed me on the crayonsand kids colouring menu; I made sure to vociferate my dissatisfaction to the owner-manager-person on my way out. Even so, that overlookance didn't influence my tip or Glen Bacon Scale Rating in any way. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Roasted Eggplant Crepe ~ 6.5 ________________
1. Unfortunately, I never got to see any live music played there. Winterland Ballroom closed way back on New Year's 1978 going into 1979; the Grateful Dead were the last group to play there. Some guy named Bruce Springfield and his Band of E-Streeters also played there a few weeks before it closed, too. It is also probably best known as the place where the Band played "The Last Waltz". 2. Okay, here's a pop culinaristic trivia quiz to see how many (how few?) of you readers out there are really paying attention (or not): Which of those "Island" fruits is/are actual botanical berries? That would be, of course, just the bananas and blueberries.
