(Monsieur Soleilwas out bright and early this morning and really washed-out this photo. Yeah, well... that is mon histoire and I am sticking with it.) http://www.pomelosf.com/ Place: Zazie Location: 941 Cole Street (between Carl Street and Parnassus Avenue) Hours: "le Brunch" is served Monday-Friday 8-2 and Saturday/Sunday/Holidays 9-3 Meal: Eggs en Fonte[1] ~ grilled polenta cake w/ spinach, wild mushrooms, spicy tomato-chevre sauce, and two over easy eggs baked in a cast iron skillet w/ home fries or salad (of course, I opted for the potatoes; what am I some kinda silly rabbit?!); and to drink, a cuppa (and two full refillas) ZazieBlend (which is made exclusively for them by the local folks at LaCoppa Coffee across the bay in Mill Valley) https://www.lacoppacoffee.com/
(There is no EweToobular juxtaselection here... unless, perhaps, Mademoiselle Isabelle Marie Anne de Truchis de Varennes also likes polenta-based breakfast dishes.) Je suis retourné à Zazie (see last 'blog-entry from Dimanche 2 décembre, 2017). I was about the sixth person/group waiting in line to get in this morning. The joint filled up very quickly after they opened and all the tables inside and in the backyard patio were eaten-up (so to speak) very quickly. However, because it was not raining (still/again), I sat outside in the front sidewalk café area where there are only four tables for two. As I was the first-come-first-seated idiot to opt to sit outdoors, I had my choice of tables, anyway. They had turned on the overhead gas-heaters and I had to take off my jacket as it was that comfortable already, especially with Monsieur Soleilat my back. These tables out front are usually occupied by les chiens out for un petit déjeuner with their human-pets. The table next to me had one very friendly (but well-behaved) pupster named Hunter. They offer many interesting-sounding dishes on their "le Brunch" menu. Here were quelques autres idées: (off their "le Brunch Specials" menu) Miracle Pancakes[2] (1,2, or 3 pieces) ~ cinnamon bun pancakes w/ cream cheese glaze (as tempting as these sounded, I had another "miraculous" weekend pancakes special on my last visit and wanted to try something savoury today); or Omelette du Jour ~ crispy bacon, artichoke hearts, tomatoes provençale, spinach and Feta cheese w/ home fries or salad (of course, I would have ordered this sans le bout de porc mort en décomposition); and (off their standard "le Brunch" menu) Fontainbleu ~ (a scrambled eggs dish) w/ wild mushrooms, spinach, Fontina; Avignon ~ (another scrambled eggs dish) w/ eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, provençale herbs; Italie~ (also another scrambled eggs dish) w/ tomatoes provençales, cream cheese, fresh basil; or Greece ~ (yet still another scrambled eggs dish) w/ red onions, spinach, Feta. Dishes like these (and several other good choices from which to choose) are why this is another place that really deserves a return visit more than once a year (or lune bleue).
I knew right away that I was going to enjoy this dish with polenta as its base. While this was not really any kinda Eggs Benedict dish, it did have two eggs (not poached, though) laid atop a thick slice/chunk of grilled polenta. This dish would definitely not be for the fungi-faint of heart; as best as I could tell, it had three different types of "wild" mushrooms ("If you can not control your mushrooms, Monsieur, you will have to take them outside, s'il vous plaît...") in it (possibly: Shiitake, Portobello, and Hen-of-the-Woods, but it coulda been any other fungi). When I first read the name of the dish, I was trying to figure out why they were calling the dish "Infant Eggs" in French. Aren't all eggs infant chickens? They also have very good homefries. Mine today came with two whole roasted cloves of garlic in with them. I have no idea what Zazie might have had to offer for condimentary supplementation, I did not ask or check. I just used some of my own Chili in Hawaii Habanero Garlic Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on top of one egg and Dat'l Do It®Classic Cayenne Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) on les pommes de terre. Now, if I had only eaten at Art's Cafe in January (I did eat there in July), I coulda said that I had eaten "breakfast from A(rt's Cafe) to Z(azie) in 2018" more precisely... Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Enfant Œufs ~ 7.1; Zazie Blend ~ 7.1 ___________________
1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer du jour: As best as I can tell, "en fonte" simply means "cast" (referring to the cast iron skillet) in Frenchy-speak. 2. Pourquoi pas "Miracle Atterrissage à Plat"?!
♪ "... the best part of waking up... is Rauchbier in your cup... " ?!? ♫
https://www.suppenkuche.com/ Place: Suppenküche Location: 525 Laguna Street (on the corner of Hayes Street) Hours: "Brunch"[1] is served on Sundays from 10:00am - 2:30pm Meal: Bauernfrühstück[2]mit Gewürzgurken ~ farmers scramble with potatoes, bacon, cheese, served with pickles & pork sausage (natürlich, I sechsundachtzig-ed any of die totes verrottetes Schweinefleisch); to drink with the meal, a .5-liter SchlenkerlaMärzen; and beforehand a cuppa Ritual Coffee - El Guamo, Colombia https://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/sorten/sortene.html# https://www.ritualroasters.com/
(Ja, I know that I have used this song before [and twice in just the past few weeks, even], but this is a different version, and the song makes a perfect juxtaselection mit heute Frühstück.) Ich bin heute Morgen zum Frühstück in Suppenküche zurückgekommen (see previous 'blog-entry from Sonntag, 9. März, 2014). I like that this place is set up in Bayerische Bierhalle-style dining, where you may find yourself eating at a table with complete strangers (incomplete strangers are even worse). However, I got there early enough that I had an entire six-seater wooden table-bench to myself, anyway. Unfortunately, there are really not a whole lotta other choices for dämliche Vegetarier. The only other "Brunch" item that I might have gone with was Gebratener Semmeknödel mit Eier und Bratwurst (sautéed bread dumplings with two eggs and sausages ~ I am not sure how that is made or if it could even be made vegetarian-friendly). Otherwise, I was just going to go simplistisch with an order of Reibekuchen mit hausgemachtem Apfelmus(potato pancakes with homemade applesauce, sour cream & chives) and Zwei pochierte Eier mit geröstetes Brot (two poached eggs with toast). This (plus not opening until 10:00am) might be one of the reasons it had taken me four years to make a return visit... but die Biere is always worth a go.
One of the breakfastary ("Brunch"-ary, whatever) pluses is getting a complimentary (and complementary) basket of Brötchen. There were three types in the basket this morning: poppy seed, sesame seed, and caraway seed[3], which I made sure to enjoy with the provided Butter and some Aprikosenmarmelade that was on the table. There was nothing really special about this dish. It was just scrambled eggs with potatoes and cheese, but it was still good enough for me. The pickles were just your typical gherkin-style pickles. Near the end of the meal, I dumped the remaining chopped pickles into the scrambled mess. Now, the Rauchbier was almost as good as a cuppa Coffee at breakfast with its smokey and roasted malty flavour. So, if you happen to be a Mormon and do not partake of any of the caffeinated drinks, I would highly recommend this as a substitute... For condimentary supplementation use, I only saw some bottles of Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) on the bar-area. I just used some of my own Punch Drunk™Chocolate Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!) on the scrambled egg mess along with several grinds from my grains of paradise grinder. (another not so) Strange Coffee Interlude Knowing full-well (which is the only way a pessimist will make a wish) that the joint I was planning on eating at did not open up until 10:00am for "Brunch", I made sure to get a decent cuppa beforehand at the Ritual Coffee Quonset hut-kinda shop across the street from Patricia's Greenpark[4]. I had about another half-hour to kill, so I enjoyed it while watching a variety of pupsters frolicking in the park with their human pets. I preferred yesterday's Kenya blend a little better than today's Colombia blend (I did not smell any artichokes this morning, though). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Bauernfrühstück mit Gewürzgurken~ 6.0 (and this is factoring in the basket of Brötchen); SchlenkerlaMärzen ~ 7.2; Ritual Coffee - El Guamo, Colombia ~ 6.8 ___________________
1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, nummer eins: The German word for "Brunch" is simply the English cognate "Brunch". Na, und?! I do not know why they do not just call it "Frütagessen" and get it over with. (Hopefully, one does not necessarily have to be a Herm Op to get that stupid joke.) 2. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, nummer zwei: Like so many other words auf Deutsch, this is a combination of two word: "Bauer" (meaning "farmer/peasant") and "Frühstück" (meaning "breakfast"). (See, sometimes you do not have to be another Alfred Einstein to figure out this cunning linguist stuff.) 3. Stupid, useless botanical pointer of the day: As strange as this might sound, caraway "seeds" are not really seeds. They are actually the dried fruits of the plant. 4. http://sfrecpark.org/destination/patricias-green-in-hayes-valley/
Breakfast on Geary (redux), Part 1C (or "The yolks on them!")
http://www.dailygrill.com/locations/daily-grill-san-francisco-california/ Place: Daily Grill® Location: 347 Geary Street (between Powell and Mason Streets) Hours: open for breakfast (however, they have it listed as "Brunch" in their on-line menu) at 7:00am Sunday - Saturday Meal: Egg WhiteOmelette~ mushrooms, tomato and scallions, served with avocado-tomato salsa and sliced tomato (where I had them substitute some Breakfast Potatoes ~ aka homefries ~ in place of the tomato slices; even I can slice my own tomatoes at home); and a large(-ish) glassa grapefruit juice
(I do not know if Katie Melua[1] is a fan of egg-white omelettes or not, they just happened to be playing one of her songs [not this one, though] on the house-stereo this morning during breakfast and I felt like sharing one here.) Because it is only a few blocks (well, many blocks ~ about six miles worth) straight down the road from my apartment, I went back to Daily Grill® (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, October 22nd, 2016) for breakfast this morning. I like that for a Union Square-area restaurant they open up pretty early every day of the week. There are still a few other ideas on their ("Brunch") menu that I would like to get back to try (in another two to three years, probably, at this rate): Texas French Toast ~ thick slices of bread, dipped in cinnamon batter, dusted with powdered sugar (however, I am not sure if there is really a town or city named "Texas" in France[2]); Three Egg Omelette~ additional items: bell peppers, mushrooms, ham (not for me, but for any of you dead, decaying meatetarians), onions, bacon (again... ), tomato, spinach, Cheddar, Bleu, Mozzarella, Swiss cheese, or avocado; served with Breakfast Potatoes, sliced tomatoes or fresh fruit; Eggs Benedict ~ two poached eggs on grilled Canadian bacon (which I would have 86-ed, of course, you hoser) and toasted English muffin, topped with homemade Hollandaise sauce; or Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes ~ three pancakes filled with blueberries, served with maple syrup, topped with powdered sugar.
I do not think that I have ever had an all egg-white omelette before (or, if I have, I do not remember when), so I do not have anything with which to compare this. I liked it well enough and enjoyed the inside-ingredients. It probably could have used some cheesy element inside, too, though. I figure Swiss cheese would have been a good complement. The best part of this dish was the avocado-tomato salsa; it was pretty simple, but very good. For some reason, I again received three halves of toast (I went with the whole wheat choice); it must be some kinda half-conspiracy against me. I really did not bother to ask what Daily Grill® might have to offer in the way of condimentary supplementation. Once again (in a seemingly never-ending effort to use up another bottle from my hot sauce collection ~ I probably have at least three to four more doses left in this one at this rate), I used some more of my own Hot Licks®SerranoHot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on the homefries and some Old St. Augustine Snake Bite Datil Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on the omelette. Strange (Canine) Interlude On my way back to the bus stop after breakfast, I met a dog named "Flea" (I forgot to get his human partner's name, but I gave him a buck, anyway), which I thought was a very cool dog-name (not quite as cool as "Peeve" or "Front", but still... ). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Egg White Omelette~ 6.4 (this is with adding 0.2 GBS points for their extremely tasty avocado-tomato salsa) ___________________
1. It is such a d*rn shame that Katie Melua is so unattractive... http://katiemelua.com/ 2. However, I was surprised to find that there is a town called Texas in Australia (the one "Down Under", not the one nach untenDeutschland, Marcus). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas,_Queensland
https://www.strawsf.com/ Place: STRAW ~ Carnival Fare Location: 203 Octavia Boulevard (near the corner of Page Street) Hours: "Brunch" is featured under the Big Top Saturday & Sunday at 10:00am Meal: Seasonal Salad ~ roasted beets, mixed greens (aka your basic rabbit-food-stuff), goat cheese crumbles, candied pecans, honey dijon-apple cider vinaigrette, with two over-medium eggs laid (well, placed) on top; and a glassa (Mason jara, actually) Strawberry-Basil Lemonade
(Just a coupla "Carney"-related songs for today's breakfast destination, Art. [I am just sad that I could only include one P3 song, though.]) Because this weekend is the 40th AnniversaryCarnaval San Francisco, I thought it fitting to head back to STRAW ~ Carnival Fare (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, June 17th, 2017)... nah, actually, I was already planning on going back to this particular restaurant this weekend, anyway, and saw somewhere that San Francisco's Carnaval just happened to be this weekend also. I was lucky enough this morning and parked just around the corner (legally, even) on Page Street. Once again, I sat outside in one of the four two-seater sidewalk tables: 1) 'cause it was nice enough this morning to do so, and b) 'cause I could (I was the second person/group waiting in line). STRAW does not really have that many items from which to choose on their "Brunch" menu, and by now I have had each at least once. My back-up plan (in case I did not like the sound of the seasonal ingredients for the salad) was going to be a re-do of Hanky Panky ~ cornmeal Belgian waffle, two fried eggs, maple-glazed bacon (which would have been 86-ed again, of course), Cheddar & Jack potato croquettes. (not really such another) Strange Coffee Interlude This morning I made sure to get over to Hayes Valley about an hour before STRAW opened to get me another cuppa at Ritual Coffee (this time at their Quonset hut[1]-kinda shop across the street from Patricia's Green[2]). I just got what they were offering as their standard prepared Coffee, which happened to be La Soledad (another Guatemalan bean). Now, this was a good cuppa (as are alla their cuppas, and their Ethiopian roasts/blends are usually phenomenal, but they did not have any of those offered this morning), but I did not like it quite as much as yesterday's cuppa. While I was enjoying my cuppa, I saw several pupsters (with their human tag-a-longs) in the park and met one really cute little feisty girl (her humans told me that she was a Cairn Terrier-Schnauzer mix[3]... possibly... ). https://ritual.myshopify.com/collections/coffee-beans/products/soledad-guatemala
So, this was a salad with a coupla eggs on top. Not much to describe there. I would have rather had my eggs to have been poached, but I was told they do not prepare any poached eggs (no room in their kitchen in which to prepare them or something). The honey dijon-apple cider vinaigrette was really very good. One thing I might have done differently if I were making this salad myself (yeah, right), I think that pistachio seeds[4] in it would have been a much better flavour-combination and a bit more original (everyone always does salads with either beet-walnut or beet-pecan variations). STRAW only has Crystal®Louisiana's Pure Hot Sauce for use as a condimentary supplement, which they have transferred into cruet-shaker-pourer things on each table (at least that was what they had in them the last time I ate there; I really did not bother to ask which hot sauce it might still be today). I just used some of my own Punch Drunk™Chocolate Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!) on top of the eggs. Surprisingly, this hot sauce mingled (mangled?) very nicely with their vinaigrette, too. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Ritual Coffee - La Soledad ~ 6.5; Seasonal Salad ~ 6.4 (I gave this an additional 0.2 GBS points each for the roasted beets, goat cheese, and very tasty vinaigrette; it was just a salad, after all) ___________________
1. a) How many of you were aware that these prefab-buildings were named after a U.S. Naval Station where they were first designed and built? http://varnumcontinentals.org/2016/04/the-quonset-hut-a-rhode-island-original/ b) Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day: The place name/word "Quonset" is from a southern New England Algonquian language and perhaps means "small, long place". 2. This smallish local park (only two blocks long and about a quarter-block wide) is named Patricia's Greenfor Patricia Walkup, a local activist who volunteered her time for many years to fight neighborhood crime, and co-led a campaign to tear down the remaining part of the Central Freeway that once ran through Hayes Valley. http://sfrecpark.org/destination/patricias-green-in-hayes-valley/patricias-green-in-hayes-valley-picnic-area/ 3. Which got me to a-thinkin'... if a Cocker Spaniel-Poodle mix-breed is called a "Cockapoo", a Pekingese-Poodle hybrid is a "Peekapoo", and a Labrador Retriever-Poodle crossbreed is a "Labradoodle", what the heck would the AKC call this little muttster? I threw out "Cairauzer" and "Schnairn" to her human escorts, but they did not seem to cotton to (nor polyester to) any of my intelligent suggestions. (I was gonna say they "poo-poo-ed" my ideas, but that silly joke would have only made sense if this little girl had any Poodle in her.) 4. As I have mentioned many times before, you would have to be nuts to think that pistachios are true botanical nuts. They are actually the seeds of the plant. And here is an extra freebie pseudo-horticultural pointer of the day: the pistachio tree is a member of the cashew family (and cashew "nuts" are not botanical nuts none neither).
♪ "Gotta get Coffee Gotta get Coffee Gotta get Coffee Won't you take me to Andytown? Won't you take me to Andytown? Won't you take me to Andytown? Won't you take me to Andytown?... " ♫
http://www.andytownsf.com/ Place: Andytown Coffee Roasters Location: 3655 Lawton Street (on the corner of 43rd Avenue) Hours: open "7-5 everyday [ sic ]" (I mention "[ sic ]" there, because I think that it should actually read "every day" [as two words, not "everyday", the one-word adjectival form]. But what the h*ck do I know? I use completely madeuppery words like "breakfastary" and "condimentary" in this silly li'l 'blog-thing all the time.) Meal: one Cheddar-Jalapeño Corn Muffin; one Chocolate-Pumpkin Scone; and, especially (seeing as this was the reason for the visit), a cuppa Wind & Sea Blend "We wanted a Coffee to rejuvenate us after a long, hard Ocean Beach surf session. So, we created the Wind & Sea blend. A hearty mix of Colombian and Ethiopian Coffee, the Wind and Sea is sweet, bold, and well rounded. This blend is best paired with a foggy day[1]."
(Now, I have no idea whether either Crosby or Nash prefer their Coffee locally-roasted or if Andytown believes in Whale Conservation, but I figured this would be a much better EweToobular juxtaselection for today than any ol' songs by Andy Williams or Andy Griffith.) In an attempt to keep trying new and varying places throughout my fair city, I am always open to suggestions of new (or untried) places. A few weeks back, after an afternoon snack at Saltroot Café (see previous 'blog-entry from Monday, February 20th, 2017), while talking to the owner guy-person about local Coffee joints in the city, he mentioned Andytown Coffee Roasters to me. This new(-ish, only opened since March 2014) coffeehouse fits both criteria: it is new (to me) and I had never been there before. Andytown Coffee Roasters has a very local-neighborhoody feel to it. This shop is located only six blocks from Ocean Beach. There are currently three locations in the Outer Sunset. This location is the original spot and used to do all the roasting and baking duties; now it is just a coffeehouse and where the baking is done for all three shops. Now they have a much larger roasting facility which also serves as a storefront coffeehouse and retail shop. (I made sure to stop by there right after breakfast and check it out; there are some great gift ideas to be had... be forewarned, anyone getting a Christmas gift from me, expect some kinda Coffee-themed gift from Andytown Coffee Roasters.) Like the (also) Sunset District-local Snowbird Coffee, this place will probably be my "go-to" roastery for both gift Coffees and Coffees for my own use. (Okay, I did also buy an 8 oz bagga their Ethiopia Natural Banko Fuafuate for later home-use. I plan on making a cuppa or two-a later today or at latest tomorrow morning. It smelled really good while I was grinding-up [-down?] the beans for use. I gotta say my entire kitchen smells absolutely great right now. [I don't know why the jeenyuses at Lysol® or Febreze® don't make a Coffee-scented aerosol; it seems like a no-brainer to me.]) http://www.andytownsf.com/purchase/ethiopia-natural-banko-fuafuate This particular shop is a medium-size coffeehouse. The seating includes: one large table up front (as soon as you walk in) that can seat four to six people; four tables for two along the side wall (facing their bakery area); and four tables for two to four outside on the 43rd Avenue sidewalk side. There is also a long bench on the outside front wall which would be the perfect waiting area for any of your loyal pupsters. (When I first arrived, there was a small dog with his family of two seated there). There are even free fresh homemade (well, bakery-made) dog biscuits by the front door!
While this might not look like a whole lotta food for a simple breakfast, it really was more than sufficient for my early morning appetite. I am very happy to state that I enjoyed the baked-goods stuff just as much as my cuppa. I especially liked the corn muffin; it had a good amount of Cheddar cheese melted all over the muffin-top and just the right amount of sea salt sprinkled into the melted cheese. Both the scone and muffin were crunchy on the outside, but super-moist on the inside; this is something a lot of places can not get right ~ a scone should not/does not have to be as hard as a rock. And now, down to brass tacks (if you like drinking a steaming cuppa push-pins made of copper and zinc, that is), and the main reason for this trip "all the way over" to the Outer Sunset, just how good is their Coffee?! Well, I am verrry pleased to say that I liked the cuppa that I did have. Wind & Sea is their touchstone/paradigm and standard house-blend, it seems. They do not offer other roasts/blends as single-drip/pour-over cuppas at this location, but I was informed by one of the very friendly and knowledgeable barista-type guys-persons that you can get that specific style for a number of roasts/blends at one of their other coffeeshops (the one on the foggy far-reaches of Taraval Street, just one block away from Ocean Beach). As far as any condimentary supplementations that may be available at Andytown Coffee Roasters, I have no idea. I did not ask and none were really needed today with my simple breakfastary fare. (See? I used two of my completely madeuppery words in the same paragraph even.) The only questions that remain unanswered are: "Who is 'Andy'?" and "Why 'Andytown'?" The next time I go back there (and I will be going back), I will have to remember to ask them why they came up with that specific moniker. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Cheddar-Jalapeño Corn Muffin ~ 7.5; Chocolate-Pumpkin Scone ~ 7.1; Wind & Sea Blend ~ 7.3 ___________________
1. If you know that area of the Outer Sunset*, you know that you will be able to pair this particular blend with about 367 days a year. *(Much like I don't really have a separate Label for the "Inner" or "Outer" Richmond District[s], I am sticking with just the one "Sunset District" Label-designator, too.)
Richmond (District) Coffeehouses ~ 33-1/3 rpm, B-Side ♪ "Now malted milk balls of love are hunting I've always been a coward And I don't know what's good for me..." ♫
(No official web-site that I could locate.) Place: Rise & Grind Location: 785 8th Avenue (near Fulton Street); phonicular contact: (415) 795-0724 Hours: open at 7:00am Monday through Friday; open at 8:00am Saturday and Sunday Meal: Avocado Toast~ fresh avocado, a dab of mayo (which is a dab more than needed in my book), topped with a soft boiled egg and red chile flakes; and (the reason for my return-visit, anyway) a Whopper(s)®Latte (replete with crushed pieces of the candy on top, too)
(For today's EweToobular juxtaselections ratiocination, please see the "mini-dog" rant below.) Because today is "Laundry-day, right?!" and I wanted to keep it basically local again, and because it was a great morning (the Sun was even out early for a change [anyone that has ever visited San Francisco in June, July, or August can attest that San Francisco Summers do not generally start until late-August/early-September]), I drove over to my favourite newest (after Orson's Belly ~ which may not have as many crazy-sounding/tasting Coffee-drinks, but they do have a bit more food from which to choose and their Coffee-basis [De La Paz] is an excellent choice, too) Richmond (District) Coffeehouse, Rise & Grind (see previous 'blog-entry from Sunday, October 16th, 2016). Even though it is only twenty-eight blocks away (and another twenty-eight blocks back-away), I didn't feel like hoofing it all the way over (and back); call me lazy. I was very happy to see that since my first visit (which was just a few weeks after they had initially opened), they have added several more breakfastary food idea items to their menu. Ferinstance: Frittata Sandwich ~ eggs baked with cheese, tomatoes, bacon bits (which I would have bit-86-ed, if possible), and garlic aioli between two slices of toast w/ crispy onions and potato chips (I am pretty sure the crispy onions are in the sandwich and the potato chips are on the side); Breakfast Bunwich Sandwich (and, yes, I am aware of the redundantly superfluocity of the "Sandwich" part of the name) ~ hard boiled egg with fresh avocado, cheese, bacon (once again, if possible, no thanks!), and aioli served between a fresh bun; and two new waffle-entries: Matcha Waffle ~ organic matcha with powdered sugar and matcha icing; and (what I will have to try on my next visit) Ube Waffle ~ sweet purple yam. Additionally, they have also added some other very interesting Coffee-drinks ideas: Peanut Butter Latte (which may be another "excuse" to get back there again soon; I was informed that this is made with organic peanutbutter [not that anyone would really be able to discern "organic" from "inorganic" peanutbutter when it is in a Coffee-drink, anyway]; I suggested that this would be even more disgustinger [i.e. mucho bettero] if they actually made the foam/froth on top with a peanutbutter foam [I watch wayyyyyy too many food network shows]; however, they told me that they don't have the right equipment to do that; pity); Salted Caramel Latte; Biscoff®Cookie Butter Latte (another probable "excuse" for a return-visit); Spicy Mocha; Black Sesame Latte; lattetc.
Yes, this Coffee-drink was just as disgustingly 'orrible (read: very good!) as it sounds. In other words, I liked it a lot ~ just not as much as their truly inventive (and "omagawd-ish") Crème Brûlée Latte (which is my touchstone for all future visits), but it is still highly recommendation-worthy all on its ownsome. "mini-dog" rant Just what the h*ck is up with small dog-owners thinking that their flea-bitten, mangy little mutts don't have to follow the local Health Code rules of no dogs in a place that serves food? I am only mentioning this as there was a cute pupster (inside) at the table next to mine while I was eating my breakfast. Now, I love dogs of all shapes and sizes, and I really don't care if it is "sanitary" or not (even when they are licking their own butts, I bet they are still cleaner than most hipster doofi, anyway), I just think it is obnoxious of the owners to think that they are "special" and don't have to follow the laws. I wonder how grocery stores/restaurants/coffeehouses/ cafés/etcs. would react if someone came in with an English Mastiff, Great Dane, or Irish Woolfhound (or howzabout a pack of Siberian Huskies, Mrs. Blankenship?). I am not saying that if you have a guide-dog or a viable support-dog that you shouldn't be able to bring them inside; that is not the case or my point. Bottom-line, people (and calling some of these self-centered, idiotic dog-owners "people" is being more than a bit charitable), just because no one complains to the management when you do this annoying thing, does not mean it is alright for you to do so. "mini-dog" rant over... for now...
This was a pretty simple breakfast and a nice rendition of an Avocado Toast. If you have ever visited a coffeehouse/café-joint in the past year, it seems that Avocado Toastis the new pomegranate; it is as ubiquitous as the word "ubiquitous" lately. I didn't really bother to see what Rise & Grind might offer in the way of any condimentary supplements. I just used some of my own Palo AltoFire Fighters XXX Ghost Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on top of the soft boiled egg. Sure, the chilli flakes already had some spice to them, but Palo AltoFire Fighters Pepper Sauce just makes everything taste better. And just once I would love to see someone bring their "support-horse" into a coffeeshop with them... ♪ "... 'cause here they come..." ♫ ! Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Whopper(s)®Latte ~ 7.1; Avocado Toast ~ 6.5; Dogs of all sorts (even those little, nippy, ankle-biters) ~ 9.0
