http://www.blackwoodsf.com/ Place: Blackwood Location: 2150 Chestnut Street (between Steiner and Pierce Streets) Hours: open every day at 9:00am for breakfast and/or "Brunch" Meal: THAI SHAKSHUKA ~ Tomyum[1]tomato stew, poached eggs, pork (of course, I แปดสิบหก-ed this ingredient), onion, bacon (this ingredient also went ลาก่อน), scallion, cilantro, fried garlic, mild goat cheese; and, to drink with the meal, a large glassa Raspberry-Lemonade; and, beforehand, to enjoy wandering up-and-down Chestnut Street while waiting for the restaurant to open for the morning, a dynamo donut + coffeePassionfruitMilk Chocolate doughnut (bought at a local bodega along Chestnut Street, too) https://dynamodonut.com/menu
(Yeah, there is really no EweToobular juxtaselection here. I dunno, maybe Catherine Elizabeth Pierson loves her some spicy Tom Yum, too.) Ho-kay... onward and upward with the Taylor Street Coffee Shop-family mini-chain brought me back to Blackwood (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, October 22nd, 2017). I think that this restaurant was the third in their mini-chain to open (circa June 2012).
I sat outside again in their sidewalk/alcove-patio seating area. The morning was still a bit foggy and chilly, so I did keep my sweatshirt on; they also had the overhead gas-heaters going this morning, anyway. Their menu is similar to what is offered at most of their other restaurants, and there are a few other ideas still worth checking out ("... out worth checking"?! Nah, that does not sound right all at.): (once again, in keeping with their menu stylization, I am attempting to imitate the different font sizes used on the dish names) SNOWED SPINACHSCRAMBLE ~ baby spinach with white Cheddar, served with RainbowPotatoes and ciabatta toast; PRIMAVERA WHITEOMELET ~ roasted tomato, mushroom, arugula, served w/ berries instead of potatoes (which I would probably have tried to have substituted back with the multicoloured underground tubers instead);
BLACKSTONE BENNY (Didn't he used to be the straight-man for Eddie Anderson?) ~ poached eggs, Millionaire's Bacon® (which I would have to go all pauper on), asparagus, cherry tomato, Meyer lemonHollandaise on English Muffin, also served with RainbowPotatoes (just no toast); MARINA JOK MOO ~ rice porridge with bacon, garlic, carrots, spinach, mushroom, cherry pepper, green onion, cilantro, poached egg, sesame and tamari sauce drizzled (I am not even sure if this could even be made st*pid vegetarian-friendly, but it might be worth asking); or maybe even
POPOVERs(!) w/AVOCADO (???) ~ offered with three different toppings: Strawberry, goat cheese, avocado, balsamic glaze; Bacon, avocado, tomato, honey; or Walnut (candid)[ sic ] (or perhaps that was not a typo, just an indication of the walnut's sincerity, Frank), avocado, Parmesan (I saw these ordered at two other tables and it looked pretty interesting; as best as I could tell, there is half an avocado already baked inside the Popovers[!]; if I did get this, I would probably have to supplement it with at least an order of RainbowPotatoes).
(For those of you that do partake of the dead, decaying porky-butts. This is the kinda "Flight" that always made me want to remain on Ground-Status when I was in the Air Force, though.)
What can I say? I liked it. I have had several other versions of Shakshuka (mostly at Arab or Middle Eastern restaurants) over the years and this was right up there in tastocity (yeah, so, it ain't a real word... tough!). The Tom Yum sauce was a very nice flavour-change. I coulda easily used another piece of the ciabatta toast with which to soak up more of the sauce. I bet this woulda been even better with some fresh sweet basil leaves in it (as long as they did not have to go all the way to Kirk Hammerton to procure those)[2], but that is just my สองสตางค์ worth... With my pre-breakfastary snack of the doughnut, this ended up being a lot more food than I had expected. I am glad that I did not order a side of their Rainbow Potatoes (however, with this being PrideWeekend and all, those woulda been the perfect side for the morning). Blackwood only offered Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce, which it had bottles of both Original Red Sauce and Green Jalapeño Sauce on all the tables. The Tom Yum-Shakshuka sauce was lightly spicy enough that I did not need to mess with its flavours in any way, though. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: THAI SHAKSHUKA ~ 6.7; dynamo donut + coffeePassionfruitMilk Chocolate doughnut ~ 7.5 ___________________
1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day: Here is a little-known Cliff Clavinistic fact: The spicy Thai soup known as "Tom Yum" was originally named by Yuliy Borisovich Briner when he was filming "The King and I" in Thailand. He took one taste and said "This is yummy in my tummy!". One of the native Thai waiters mis-overheard him and passed it on to the chef as "Tummy-Yummy". It has stuck to this day.* *(Nah! Did anyone really buy that one? Was I just joking there? Of course, Siam... The words "tom yam" are derived from two Thai words. "Tom" ["ต้ม"] refers to the boiling process, while "yam" ["ยำ"] refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad.) 2. Okay, there may be two people reading this silly li'l 'blog-thing that will get that st*pid reference.
http://www.blackwoodsf.com/ Place: Blackwood ~ American Thai Fusion Location: 2150 Chestnut Street (between Steiner and Pierce Streets) Hours: open every day at 9:00am for breakfast and/or "Brunch" (the menu seems to be the same if it is during the week or on the weekends, they just call it "Brunch") Meal: Brussel [ sic ] Florentine Benny ~ poached eggs, Brussel [ sic ] sprouts, spinach, Tomyum[1]Hollandaise on English muffin, served with crispy Yukons; and a glassa Moscow Melon[2] (a cocktail made with Soju[3], watermelon juice, and ginger ale)
(Just a couple from Wild Colonials. There is no EweToobular juxtaselection that I know of [h*ck, Angela McCluskey might be a Brussels ~ or Brussel ~ sprouts fan, too, but I have no Cliff Clavinistic facts with which to corroborate that].) Continuing ever onward with my visits to all five of the restaurants in this family-owned chain, I made a return trip back to Blackwood ~ American Thai Fusion (see previous 'blog-entry from Sunday, October 7th, 2012). Blackwood was the third restaurant (that I know) in this mini-chain to open (since June 2012 now); only Taylor Street Coffee Shop (the first/original) and Sweet Maple(the second) predate it. I was handed a postcard with the bill that listed the five restaurants that I was knew of; additionally, there are four other restaurants on it (two in Marin, one in Berkeley, and a brand new San Francisco location on Fillmore Street; I did a web-search for the new Fillmore restaurant and it has not opened yet, but should be opening very soon). I happened to mentioned to my server/waitress-lady person that I had eaten at three of the other five places over the past two weekends and she told me that there is also another location of theirs on Sacramento Street; I will have to try and locate that one also (it is not listed on the postcard). This morning I sat outside once again in their sidewalk patio café area. Out there, there are three tables for two and two long benches that can seat eight each. They had the overhead gas-heaters going, but these were more of a nuisance than a necessity in my opinion; it was comfortable enough outside if you kept your jacket on, anyway. I made sure to sit as far from the heaters as I could. Sheesh! If you want to dine al fresco in San Francisco in October, you had better expect that al fresco to be a bit al freddo, Freddie!
(Hey. It had fruit juice ~ and, in this case, an actual botanical berry juice ~ in it, so I am claiming this a breakfastary drink. That slice of watermelon on the rim did not last very long either.) Simply put: I liked this one a lot.
This was made with halved then deep fried Brussels (or Brussel) sprouts! (As in the plural[4], and there were several throughout ~ for which, I am adding 0.2 Glen Bacon Scale points to the total.) This was a very good take on your ol' Uncle Benny's eggs... if you like poached eggs and Brussels (or Brussel) sprouts, I suppose. The Tomyum Hollandaise sauce was very good, too (I probably shoulda mighta asked what was in it; hopefully it did not include any dead, decaying aquatic insects or fish-sauce in it). While this was not quite as awe-inspiring (if you like to be inspirated by awe, that is) as my initial meal at Surisan (see previous 'blog-entry from Sunday, March 19th, 2017), this was one of the best Eggs Benedict dishes that I have had this year, and probably second only to the Fried Green TomatoBenedict at Mission Beach Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 17th, 2017). (Of course, we need not even mention the Touchstone of Eggs Benedict Dishes ~ Zucchini Cakes at Dottie's True blue café). I am seeing a theme here at most of their restaurants, there are bottles of Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (both Original Red Sauce and Green Jalapeño Sauce) on all the tables for use as condimentary supplements. Additionally, this restaurant also offers Cholula®Hot SauceOriginal. I used some of my own Emperor's Revenge Teriyaki Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) on top of one of the eggs (which turned out to be unnecessary, but it was too late after I had already poured some on) and some Dat'l Do-it®Zesty Chipotle Hot Sauce (Thanks again, Mom!) all over the crispy potatoes. I forgot to ask them why the place is named "Blackwood". Luckily, I will be going back again one of these days and will have to ask them about that moniker then. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Brussel [ sic ] Florentine Benny ~ 7.3 (they can spell ~ or mispel [ sic ] ~ Brussels any way they d*mn like, just as long as the dish tastes as good as this one did today); Moscow Melon~ 7.0 ___________________
1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-culinaristic pointer of the day, ส่วนหนึ่ง: "ต้มยำ" ("tom yum" or "tom yam") is the combination of two Thai words: "tom" refers to the boiling process, while "yum/yam" refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. 2. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointers of the day, часть вторая - а, б, & в: а) The Rooskoe adjective for "Moscow" is "Московский" (pronounced "Moskovski" [and in spite of what one Mr. John Kurovsky always states, the "v" is not silent]). б) The Rooskoe word for "(water)melon" is "арбуз" (pronouced "arbooz"). в) The Rooskoe word for "mule" is "мул"* (pronounced "mool"). *(See? Sometimes this cunning linguist business ain't exactly ракетная хирургия.) 3. 뭐? "Soju"/"소주" (meaning "burned liquor") is a Korean distilled beverage. While it is traditionally made from rice, wheat, or barley, modern producers often replace rice with other starches such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or tapioca. http://www.trifood.com/soju.asp 4. Hmmmm?! Is the singular of Brussels sprouts ~ "Brussel sprout"? Maybe that is why they keep mispeling [ sic ] it on all of their menus and I really shud [ sic ] stop making funs [ sic ] of it on their menus. (But don't count on its [ sic ].)
http://www.lemaraisbakery.com/#bistro Place: Le Marais[1] Bakery Location: 2066 Chestnut Street (between Mallorca Way and Pierce Street) Hours: Monday - Sunday open at 7:00am; however, la cuisine doesn't open for le petit déjeuner until 8:00am (or five minutes or so later) Meal: Cr'q Forestier ~ mushrooms[2], Gruyère, salade; for a breakfastary dessert, a Kouign-Amann[3] (which had just piqued[4] my interest at last Sunday's breakfast destination); and a cuppa (and one refilla) Stumptown Coffee Roasters Holler Mountain https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/products/holler-mountain
(I am continuing yesterday's EweToobular non-juxtaselections with some more Lucinda Williams songs because I can. If youse got a problem wiff that, start yer own 'd*mn 'blog-thing!) I had passed Le Marais Bakery last weekend when I was heading to La PanotiQ Bakery Café. I have been meaning to check them out ("out which to check them"?), too. It's nice to see two decent French bakeries battling it out in the Marina (and just two blocks apart on the same side of the street). Le Marais Bakery is a littler older and has been open for just over three years now (end of June 2013). They currently have two locations (this one and another nearby shop in Ghirardelli Square) and are opening another in the Castro very soon. The restaurant/bistro area is small-to-medium-sized (but with very high ceilings to give the place an open-aired feel to it almost) and has seating of thirteen tables for two and two large bench-style tables for six-to-eight people; additionally, there are six small, round tables for two people each located on the sidewalk outside (because an inside sidewalk makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever, even for a French bakery/bistro).
(This painting of persimmons[5] was above my table this morning.) Quelques autres idées pour le petit déjeuner: Breakfast Board (you get to choose five different items [I suppose you can choose five of all the same item, but that would be pretty boring] from a long list of pastries/croissants, eggs, yoghurt, and fruits and such; if I get back there again [one of these days/years], I will probably go for this choice); Quiche (they offer both vegetarian or ham versions; this comes with a side of petite salade, aussi); Avocado Toast(sunny-side egg, crème fraîche [which I was very glad to see spelled la manière française correcte; you'd be surprised how many so-called "Frenchy" places do not bother to use the actual diacritics]; I see this dish more and more often on menus); or even Shakshouka (eggs poached in tomato stew; I have had versions of this Middle Eastern dish at a few other restaurants).
My breakfast sandwich was off the "Sur Le Pouce" section of their menu. "Sur Le Pouce" (which literally translates as "on the thumb") basically means "On-the-Go". "Croque" means "crunch" and comes from the French verb "crouquer" meaning "to eat noisily". (I am throwing in those two stupid, useless cunning linguist pointers sans frais supplémentaires.) My sandwich this morning was really chock-fulla (sautéed/grillé) mushrooms (definitely not for any of you fungiphobes out there) and about as cheesy as you could expect (definitely not for any of you lactophobes, either). I have always wanted to try a "Croque"-style sandwich, but most of the offerings that I have ever seen are made with dead, decaying animal flesh (usually of the porky variety) of some sort. If I had ever ordered this sandwich sans les morts chair animale en décomposition, I suppose that would just be like a French version of "un lapin gallois"[6]. The "petite salade" was really very simple and nothing special. It was your typical mesclun with some cherry (grape?) tomatoes, and it had the lightest (if any) of dressing on it. Even so, it went well with the heavier sandwich and I finished it all off.
I am glad I got a chance to try the Kouign-Amman. I liked it. It was a sweetened square of puff-pastry dealie. I didn't bother to see what (if any) condimentary supplementation they may have had to offer. I figured it being a French bakery kinda place and all, I wouldn't need any of my own bottles of hot sauce. If I ever get back there again, I might bring some with me just in case I decide to go with any kind of eggy-dish or potatoes side. Now which of these new French bakery places located in the Marina did I like better? I did really like the fingerling potatoes side last weekend; however, these two places offer different breakfast fares, and both places offer very good Coffee choices. So, it's really a coin-toss (or is that "un €-jet"?). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Cr'q Forestier ~ 6.7; Kouign-Amman ~ 6.4; Stumptown Coffee Roasters Holler Mountain ~ 7.2 ___________________ 1. Le stupide, inutile cunning linguist pointer of the day, première partie: "Le marais" means either "the swamp" or "the marsh" in French. I like the former translation better for the upscaley Marina neighborhood. (Or for you Red Sox fans out there, "le marais" can also be translated as "fen". [Just how much does a fen weigh, anyway?!]) I don't think that this "swamp" (or "marsh") is in reference to the Marina District being built on swampland/landfill. Apparently, Le Marais is an historic neighborhood in Paris (the one in France, not Texas). 2. Le stupide, inutile cunning linguist pointer of the day, deuxième partie: The word for "mushroom" in French is "(le) champignon". 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kouign-amann 4. Le stupide, inutile cunning linguist pointer of the day, numéro trois: Sorry, I could not locate the specific French word for "piqued". 5. Le stupide, inutile cunning linguist pointer of the day, numéro quatre: The French word for "persimmon" is "(le) plaqueminier". 6. I will let you do your own translation of that phrase to get the stupid, useless cunning linguistic pun. I also noticed that on the weekends pour "Le Brunch", they even offer an Australian grilled/baked sandwich version made with kangaroo meat that is called a Croque-Dundee*... *(I am truly sorry for that horrible last joke there, but if I didn't include it here, I am sure that either my brother Nick or old Air Force buddy Karl Brandt would have done so on my defacedbook Timeline-thing.)
"Say, was you ever bit by a dead bee?" ~ Eddie the Rummy (Walter Brennan), "To Have and Have Not" (This quote has no bearing what-so-ever on the contents of today's breakfast. I just thought of it yesterday while doing the whole "honey" juxtaselections with that restaurant.)
http://lapanotiq.com/ Place: la PanotiQ[1] Bakery Café Location: 2234 Chestnut Street (between Pierce and Avila Streets) Hours: open every day of the week at 8:00am Meal: Cretan Vegetable Tart, served with a small side salad; a side of Roasted (fingerling[2]) Potatoes; for a breakfastary dessert, Apple Tarte (Tartlette) Tatin[3]; and a cuppa (and one refilla) Bicycle Coffee coMedium Roast Guatemala http://bicyclecoffeeco.com/
(Happy 70th Birthday to Miss Linda Ronstadt! [Well, it was actually on Friday, but I missed it.] She is neither French nor a baker, she just had such a great voice.) I have been meaning to check out this "new" French-inspired bakery café mini-chain for a while now. They have only been open for about two years (?) locally now and the location in San Francisco's Marina District (which was my destination of choice this morning) has only been open since December 2014. I was reminded of this last week when I had mi desayuno over in Noe Valley and saw that there is a brand-new location getting ready to open on 24th Street, too. (The front-counter guy that took my order this morning told me that they were supposed to be opening either this week or next week. However, from what I saw last week, I don't think they'll be opening before August at earliest.) Chestnut Street is the perfect location for a nice, new, neighborhoody French bakery. (I bet they will be trying to open up another location on Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame some day. I always call that street "Chestnut Street South".) This café is small-to-medium sized and has six tables for two to four persons inside and two sidewalk tables outside that look like they could seat two to three people comfortably... and a large dog or two (it's a well-known fact that if you live in the Marina, you must own either a Labrador Retriever ~ Yellow, Black, or, more commonly, Chocolate ~ or a Golden Retriever, which is what I saw waiting patiently outside while his human bought some pastries). There aren't that many breakfast (which they unfortunately list as "Brunch" Options on their menu, but they open up plenty early enough for me to forgive that moniker) items from which to choose. However, there are still many great ideas from under their Sarriette (Savoury) section of the menu and from their baked goods/pastries (both savoury and sweet choices). A few other decent choices for stupid vegetarians (even if they are not from Greece or Crete): Mushroom Flan; Risotto Al Formaggio (I think I went to DLI with him); Ratatouille; or Polenta. There were several savoury pastries displayed in the counter-case and I could have made a nice meal out of any combination of these: Mushroom Tart; Vegetable Puff Pastry (they didn't comment as to the IQ of this dish); Onion Tart; or Emmental Bechamel Pastry. Additionally, there were many sweet pastries, too, a few of which that caught my eye this morning were: Apple, Raspberry, & Morello Crumble Tart; Bourdalouse Pear Tart; and something called Kouign-Amann[4] that I might need to check out next time that I visit them.
I think a more PC-term for this tart should be "Mentally-challenged Vegetable Tart", but the stupid vegetables included in it appeared to be red and yellow bell peppers, olives (but these were just the plain ol' black, pitted ones that come from a can; now this was very strange, as the side salad had a few Kalamata olives in it, which would have made for a much better option in the idiotic tart), zucchini, and white onions (there may have been one or two other foolish vegetables in it, but those were the only ones that I could specifically discern). The tart was made with an egg-base and some kinda cheese in it, too (I didn't ask, but I figure it was some sort of white, melty cheese... like Fontina or Emmental, perhaps, Mr. Wensleydale?). I didn't even mind the side of silly rabbit food (the addition of the above-mentioned Kalamata olives was a big plus) for a change. As is usual with me, the great find here was their version of roasted potatoes. These turned out to be made with fingerling potatoes and were really very good. (Just my luck, they were probably roasted in some kinda goose-fat or such.) The fingerling potatoes just made for a nice, creamy breakfast potato dish.
(Yeah, so, I took a bite outta this before my meal came. What's it to ya, big-nose?!) Needless to say (but I am saying it anyway), the Apple Tarte (Tartlette) Tatin was very tasty. Whenever I am in the Marina, I would normally stop by Peet's Coffee & Tea® on Chestnut Street for a cuppa whatever is their special of the month or week, but I knew that la PanotiQ Bakery Café served Bicycle Coffee co exclusively as their house Coffee, so I waited until I had breakfast to get me a cuppa. Apparently, they rotate between a Light, Medium, or Dark roast as the standard drip version they serve. As I knew that this joint was basically a bakery, I didn't bother to ask what they may have had to offer in the way of any condimentary supplements. I just used some (well, a good amount) of my own Pope's Whiskey River Hot Sauce (Thanks, Amy and Chef Joe!) on the potatoes and some (just a few drops really) Sunbelt PlantationsVidalia® Onion & Jalapeno[ sic ] Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Greg & Cindy!) on the crazy vegetable thing. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Cretan Vegetable Tart ~ 6.7; Roasted (fingerling) Potatoes ~ 7.3; Apple Tarte (Tartlette) Tatin ~ 6.8 ___________________ 1. I could not locate an actual corresponding word in French for either "panotiq" or "panotique". This may be just a completely made-uppery word that this bakery/café/restaurant mini-chain has come up with ("up with which they have come"?). 2. http://www.potatogoodness.com/all-about-potatoes/potato-types/#fingerling 3. If they are trying to maintain an air of Frenchiness about them, I don't know why they don't call this "Tarte (Tartlette) Tatin Pommes". http://web.archive.org/web/20021121201746/http://www.tarte-tatin.com/ 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kouign-amann
"Anybody can grow old, all they have to do is live long enough." ~ Groucho Marx
http://ristobarsf.com/ Place: Ristobar[1]~ San Francisco Location: 2300 Chestnut Street (on the corner of Scott Street) Hours: open Saturday & Sunday at 10:00am (well, sometimes) for "Brunch" Meal: Polenta e Uovo ~ Mulino Sobrino[2]polenta, two poached eggs, Taleggio[3] cheese fondue, truffle "caviar"; a side order of roasted potatoes; and a Bellini[4] made with Prosecco[5] and yellow peach purée
(You know what they say, "Quando a Roma… fare come i veneziani fanno.")[6] I finally made it to Ristobar~ San Francisco for breakfast (well, "Brunch") this morning. I was glad to see that they were actually open and serving when I stopped in a little after 10:00am. I sat outside in their sidewalk caffè area, where there are six tables for two and one table for six along the Scott Street side, and another five tables for two along the Chestnut Street sidewalk. I know what you are thinking: "So, big deal! You 'sat outside' in the end of May, Brian!". Well, this is actually a major thing in San Francisco for late May still. The morning fog had yet to burn off (As Oliver Hardy once said to his long-time friend Stan Laurel when visiting London for the first time: "Here’s another fine mist you've gotten us into!") and the outside temperature was probably only 55° Fahrenheit (which is about 13° Celsius for those of you from Europe following along here) and they actually had those overhead gas heater thingys on. (I made sure to sit as far away from those as possible. I mean, what is really the point of "sitting outside" if it is as warm and comfortable as inside? Any fool can do that. As it was, I was the only fool to sit outside the entire time I was there. I did keep my jacket on the whole time, though ~ I may be a fool, but I ain't no idiot.) This turned out to be a great spot for dog-watching (it's a well-known law that in the Marina District, if you own one or fewer rug-rats, you must also have a canine companion). I really didn't get a count on the inside seating, but, from a quick glance, there looked to be seating enough for fifty to sixty (wimpy-assed) people (that can't stand a little prima colazione al fresco). Their "Brunch" menu isn't really that extensive, but they do offer several other nice ideas (for stupid vegetarians and meatetarians alike). I liked the sound (if a menu can make a sound, that is) of: Spinach Frittata (eggs, spinach, caramelized onions, goat cheese, roasted potatoes, bacon or sausage or salad; Eh, Giuseppe! Why a no "Frittata di Spinaci"?!); Deviled Eggs alla Rossi(mascarpone, grana padano, and crispy prosciutto di parma topped; which I would have ordered untopped, grazie!); Marina Bianca (egg whites scrambled, grilled bell peppers, zucchini, Feta cheese, turkey bacon, fruit); or perhaps a Pizza Verdure Grigliante (San Marzano D.O.P. tomato sauce, seasonal grilled vegetables, Mozzarella di Bufala D.O.P.; on top of which I would have had them "lay" an egg).
This was a nice dish. I particularly liked the Taleggio cheese fondue. Taleggio cheese has a strong, ripe odour similar to Gorgonzola, but the flavour is nowhere as strong (and I bet a nice Gorgonzola cream sauce would also be great with this dish, too). I am not sure how they made the "truffle caviar" stuff, but I assume it entailed some kinda newfangled molecular gastronomy trick (as one might see on the likes of food network). Of course, in Southern Italy, this dish would simply be called: "Eggs and cheesy greets and fungus". I have no idea what kind of condimentary supplement selection that Ristobar offers; I really didn't bother to ask. I just used a few drops of my own El Yucateco® XXXtra Hot SauceSalsa Kutbil-ik® de Chile Habanero (Thanks, Brian!) on top of one of the poached eggs and some Toad SweatChocolate Orange Dessert Hot Sauce™ (Thanks, Sean!) generously on the potatoes. Hey, don't judge me! I know this says "Dessert Hot Sauce", but I misread it as "Desert Hot Sauce" and thought it just meant it was as "hot as the Sahara". (Nah, I knew all along what I was doing, but don't knock it until you try it! Besides, I hardly ever get a chance to use this slightly sweet-and-savoury hot sauce). In Other Words… a Sad Update Interlude I happened to walk past Judy's Café (where I had just eaten breakfast two weeks ago; see last 'blog-entry from May 17th, 2015) on my way to Ristobar this morning and saw some signs in the window that shocked and disappointed me. The place was completely empty (and I don't mean that they didn't have any customers, I mean the joint was entirely empty of everything ~ no kitchen, no chairs, no tables, and no customers). There was a handwritten notice that stated: "May-29-2015 Landlord told me end of the month move out ~ 34 yrs. I am gone. Thank you. Charles" There was another printed notice in the window that read: "URGENT NOTICE TO OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS Please come inside to sign a petition to save Judy's Restaurant [sic; I am pretty sure that it is actually called Judy's Café] from closing on May 30th. We've been open since 1978 [Wait… isn't 2015 minus 1978 ~ 37 years?!], and we'd love to continue to serve the community. Thank you for your support!" That kinda sucks. I always liked the food at Judy's Café and it was a nice back-up plan when needed (as can be seen in the previous 'blog-entry for that). I sure hope they can relocate to a nice spot (and maybe a little closer to me) in the future. Additionally (and this is the even-more-shocking, Earth-shattering news ~ now I know how Helen Benson must have felt), I was told by a friend the other day that Dottie's True blue café (yes, THE Dottie's True blue café!) may either be sold or leased to a new owner. If they do end up closing/selling to new owners, I may have to find a new Starter for my Breakfastary Rotation. http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/05/22/dotties-true-blue-cafe-is-on-the-market/ Does anyone have $2,371,200.00 that you can loan me? I will gladly repay you Tuesday for it…
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Polenta e Uovo ~ 6.4 ________________ 1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero uno: Apparently, a "ristobar" is just some kinda Italian neighborhoody bistro/caffè/café. 2. Che cosa?! http://www.ilmulinosobrino.it/ita/index.asp 3. (I just love that there is actually a "Cheese.com" web-site.) http://www.cheese.com/taleggio/ 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellini_(cocktail) 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecco 6. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero due: "Volare" simply means "flying" in Italian, and "Nel blu dipinto di blu" means "Kiss me quick, I'm double-parked!"
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." ~ Fscott Ffitzgerald, The Fgreat Fgatsby
(No official web-site.) Place: Judy's Café Location: 2268 Chestnut Street (between Avila and Scott Streets); phonicular contact: (415) 922-4588 Hours: open every day of the week at 7:30am Meal: Artichoke Omelette ~ artichoke hearts, mushrooms, ham, tomatoes, and Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, with a choice of Homemade Pumpkin (mini-)Loaf, Blueberry muffin, English muffin, or 9-grain wheat toast; a large glass of orange juice; and, beforehand, a cuppa Peet's Coffee & Tea®Uzuri African Blend® http://www.peets.com/coffee/by-roast/dark/uzuri-african-blend.html
(The reason for today's jazzy EweToobular juxtaselctions are simply because there were photos of both Tony Bennett ~ a few actually ~ and Diana Krall on the walls of the restaurant, along with many other Hollywoodland celebrities photos.) It's always important to have a back-up plan, and luckily there are a few options nearby on Chestnut Street. I was planning on going to Ristobar for breakfast this morning. They are supposed to open for "Brunch" at 10:00am; however, when I stopped by at around 10:10am, they were just starting to set up for the morning, and I was told by one of the workers that they probably wouldn't be opening until 11:00am. Really?! Next time… maybe. Luckily, Judy's Café (see last 'blog-entry from August 16th, 2014) is just along the next block, so I backtracked and went there once again.
My meal this morning was off the specials board (well, specials "ovals" that they display in the front window). Even so, there are always several other good options off the printed menu. I was also thinking about getting either Huevo Grande (two scrambled eggs covered with melted Jack and Cheddar cheeses on a flour tortilla, topped with salsa and sour cream, served with homefried potatoes) or Potatoes Etc. (homefried potatoes, mushroom, onion, topped with melted Jack and Cheddar cheeses with Italian or chicken apple sausage, ham, or ground chuck).
The way they make their omelettes always amuses me (I am easily amused apparently). They make these not as a typical folded-over and stuffed dealy, but as a kind of top hat omelette where the scrambled eggs are sitting on a bed of the ingredients (I could probably do that at home… well, I could, but I doubt that I ever will). I like that the artichoke hearts were the brined (not marinated) kind, which I always find much better in an omelette; but I do like the marinated kind in a salad for extra flavour. Of course, I ordered this senza le parti in decomposizione del maiale morto, Signore Benedetto. For my side bread choice, I went with their Homemade Pumpkin (mini-)Loaf once again. Now really, who would choose plain ol' toast or Mr. Thomas' crummy ol' nooks and cranny-laden faux crumpets when you can get a fresh-baked good instead?! For condimentary supplements, Judy's Café offers both Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHotSauce. I had brought some of my own The Wiltshire Chilli FarmHell Mouth and Mango hot chilli sauce (Thanks for both, Greg & Cindy!) and used a little of both on different areas of the scrambled egg top hat. The cuppa Coffee at Peet's Coffee & Tea® was actually a freebie because I bought a pound of their Limited EditionAnniversary Blend 2015. Let it be noted that they have been roasting Coffee since 1966 now, and, yes, that predates that poser Coffee company from Seattle by a full year; let it also be flavour-noted: "full-bodied and intriguingly savory with bright, exotic layers of tropical fruits." http://www.peets.com/coffee/featured-coffee/anniversary-2015/anniversary-blend-coffee.html the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude I saw and heard several of the noisy little chatterboxes over by the Chestnut Street Gate at the Presidio after breakfast when I went for a stroll by the little duck pond (where I saw ten little ducklings, several adult Mallards, and three Geeses, too) in the corner nearby the Lucasfilm building. The actual name of the duck pond is Letterman Digital Arts Center Recycled Water Pond at Lucas, but that is too hard to remember or say. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Artichoke Omelette ~ 6.6; Homemade Pumpkin (mini-)Loaf ~ 6.9; Peet's Coffee & Tea®Uzuri African Blend® ~ 7.1; the Wild Parrots of San Francisco ~ 8.2
