I really hate Daylight St*pid Time. It is basically a governmentally-enforced temporal chiaroscuro[1].
http://pscsf.com/ Place: Pork Store Cafe Location: 1451 Haight Street (between Ashbury Street and Masonic Avenue) Hours: open at 7:00am Monday-Friday; open at 8:00am Saturday-Sunday Meal: Scralifornia ~ scrambled eggs with avocado, Feta cheese and fresh salsa, served with hash browns and a biscuit or toast; and to drink a large glassa fresh squeeze[ sic ] orange juice
(See?! Even a dumb ol' porker knows to be fan of the Good Guys and not a D*mn Y*nkees or D*dgers fan. Go RED SOX!!!)
(Just remember what that soothsayer said to ol' Julio Caesar hisd*mself: "Beware the Daylight St*pid Time!" [Yeah, you get a twofer EweToobular juxtaselection today from Concrete Blonde and Johnette Napolitano.]) Due to this whole Daylight St*pid Time-change this morning, I wanted to make a return visit to a place that opened up early enough (before 9:00am, at least), so I went back to the Haight-Ashbury Pork Store Cafe (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, February 4th, 2017). As it was, I arrived there around 8:06am and there were already several other early-risers (or idiots like me that had woken up an hour earlier than necessary due to Daylight St*pid Time, too) inside. (One good thing, that early on a Sunday morning it is pretty easy finding a close-by parking spot. I parked right around the corner on Ashbury Street, which was nice, because I always Haight trying to remember where I parked my car.) Not only do they open up early enough for my tastes, they offer a pretty tasty menu that is diversely stupid vegetarian-friendly, too. A few other ideas that I could have gone with were: Santa Fe Scramble~ vegetarian chorizo scrambled with eggs, Cheddar cheese and sour cream on top, sides include red chili beans and cornbread; Pesto Feta Scramble~ 3 eggs scrambled with homemade (well, Pork Store-made) pesto, sundried tomato sauce, br*ccoli (which I probably would have had 86-ed), and Feta cheese; they actually have this parenthetical statement added on their menu: "(Pesto contains parsley and walnuts)", just in case anyone has parsley-allergies, I suppose; or Grit Benedict ~ two spinach grit patties, bacon (which would also have to be 86-ed, Glen), and poached eggs topped with Hollandaise sauce, side includes grilled basil garlic tomatoes (this one just might have to be my choice the next time that I visit there).
Per the suggestion of my Scandinavian (of unspecified country-origin; she coulda been Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish for all I know; I forgot to ask, but from her accent I just figured she was one of those) server/waitress-lady person, I had them put the "hot" salsa on the side (it came in a separate ramekin). She informed me that way the scrambled portion would not get all "smooshy" (hey, I learned a new Scandinavian word today!). (I put the word "hot" in quotation marks there not to reference its level of spiciness ~ which was actually pretty mild, but because it actually came served heated-up.) There really wasn't much finesse (or Scandinavesse) to this scramble. It was just eggs with lots of Feta and avocado throughout, which was good, as both of those ingredients were my main reason for going with this dish this morning, anyway. "Wait a minute... Feta, avocado, and salsa, Brian? That sounds like a pretty strange combination." Well, just remember that Αλέξης Ζορμπάς was played by a Mexican-Irish in that 1964 film. I went with their biscuit option (even I can make toast at home myself) and was pleased to get two (not one) fresh-baked biscuits. I also went with a substitution of grits in place of the hashbrowns; I just thought it would be a good complement to the biscuits. When they first brought the plate out, it did not look like a whole lotta food, but with the amount of "greets" and the two biscuits, it was more than enough for me, after all. The orange juice was definitely fresh squeeze[ sic ] and was extra-pulpy just the way I like it. For condimentary supplements, Pork Store Cafe offered on all the tables the Standard San Francisco Triumvirate of Hot Sauces (Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce [Original Red Sauce], Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce, and Cholula®Hot Sauce [Original]); plus, El Yucateco®XXXtra Picante Salsa Kutbil-ik de Chile Habanero and Frank's®RedHot® (Original). Even with that vast selection, I still used some of my own Dancing Dragon Cayenne Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) in the "greets" and several grinds of grains of paradise all over both the scramble and the "greets". Do you think that people with dyslexia take penicillin twice a year to combat the effects of DST?! Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Scralifornia ~ 6.4 ___________________
1. Okay, so maybe "chiaroscuro" really doesn't make a lotta sense in this use, but I wanted a good 50¢-word to go along with today's EweToobular juxtaselections and that was the best that I could come up with, Signore Caravaggio.
http://brendasmeatandthree.com/ Place: Brenda's Meat & Three Location: 919 Divisadero Street (between McAllister Street and Golden Gate Avenue) Hours: open everyday[ sic ] except Tuesday at 8:00am (they call the early morning meal breakfast for everyday usage, but insist on calling it "Brunch" on Saturday & Sunday; they can be forgiven for using that snooty-*ssed faux breakfastary term because they open up plenty early enough for me and their food has always been very good) Meal: Eggs Florentine with Creole Hollandaise ~ two poached eggs on our famous cream biscuit, served with greets or hash(browns); and a tall glassa Grandma's Molasses-BlackWalnut Iced Coffee ~ topped with whipped cream
("Hey, Brian, what gives ('Gibbs'?)? There ain't no one named 'Brenda' in 'Romeo [or Romeu] and Juliet [or Julieta]'!" Well, here is a little-known Cliff Clavinistic fact. Wild Bill Shakespeare was originally gonna title his famous tragedy-play about these two young star-crossed lovers "Bill and Brenda's Excellent Adventure", but did not want to feel the wrath of Keanu Reeves for that obvious bit of titular plagiarism.[1]) Of course, my going back to a restaurant with a name like Brenda's Meat & Three (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, February 22nd, 2015), would be like a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan returning to a local bar/restaurant named "Connecticut Y*nkee"[2]. This Western Addition location had virtually no line and no wait to get in this morning. I arrived at 7:55am, found a parking space directly in front, and there were only two groups/tables ahead of me. Even then, it was only about one-third filled when I had finished eating. On the other hand, (on the other side of town) their Tenderloin location rivals Dottie's True blue café for ridiculously long lines and longer wait times. There are also fewer items offered at this spot than at their Tenderloin restaurant, but I would still like to check out Fried "Veggie" (ugh!) Po' Boy ~ cornmeal-fried cauliflower, yam & okra with lettuce, tomato, bread & butterpickles (which are homemade... well, restaurant-made; they even sell these in jars for take-home use ~ I know this because I bought me a jarra them, plus a jarra pickled watermelon, too) & vegan chipotle rémoulade, choice of fries or cole slaw. Additionally, on their weekend "Brunch Specials" board they had Bananas Foster French Toast, which I have had at their Tenderloin location and knew to be very good, but I wanted to try something different this morning (besides, I just had a "sweet breakfast" yesterday). Unfortunately for me, they no longer offer Sweet Potato Pancakes (topped with butterpecan sauce). Oh, well. You snooze, you looze(ianna).
I prefer a good N'Arlins-style Coffee with roasted chicory, but this was not that bad. It had a very interesting flavour and was good enough to be served as a dessert, and not overly sweet either. I bet it would also make a very good hot Coffee drink, too.
While this dish may not be "My Favourite 'New' Eggs Benedict Dish of 2017" (see 'blog-entry from Sunday, September 17th, 2017 for that particular honourific), it was one of the better Eggs Benedict dishes (new or old) that I have had this year. There were two major pluses (as opposed to one Captain Minus) in this dish: the Creole Hollandaise was very tasty (but not extremely spicy) and I really liked the cream biscuit (one, split in half) as the base (in lieu of ol' Mr. Thomas' faux crumpets-things). Not that I would ever attempt to make this at home, (and I am sure that Popeye would "Blow me down!" if he ever heard me say this) but I bet it would have been even better (and more Loozianna-ey) with either collard, turnip, or mustard greens (take your pick; I likes 'em all) in place of the spinach. I went with the greets side-choice and was asked if I wanted it "with cheese". H*ck, yeah! This came out with a whole mess o' (I have never heard of a "half mess o'") Cheddar cheese melted all over the top. For condimentary supplementation, Brenda's Meat & Three only has Crystal®Louisiana's Pure Hot Sauce on all the tables. I came prepared with a few of my own hot sauces and only used a little (well, it poured out quickly, so it ended up being a lot) Dragon's Lair Extra Hot Cayenne & Habanero Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mon!) mixed in with the cheesygreets. I made sure to taste their Creole Hollandaise before messing it up with any extra spiciness and determined it was good enough as is. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Eggs Florentine with Creole Hollandaise ~ 7.0; Grandma's Molasses-BlackWalnut Iced Coffee ~ 6.9 ___________________
1. Nah! I had both of these songs in mind yesterday, but just didn't feel like posting five EweToob videos in one 'blog-entry. Besides, I just happen to believe that Mark Freuder ("Freuder"?) Knopfler, OBE, is one of America's* finest songwriter/musicians of the 20th Century. http://www.markknopfler.com/ *(Yeah, okay, he's really Glaswegian-born and Geordie-raised, but that is almost the same as being 'merican. Just ask anyone from Great Britannia, they will agree with me 100%.) 2. Which is actually a local San Francisco Boston/New England Sports-fan bar/hangout. http://www.pourguys.com/connecticut-yankee/ I probably should check them out for "Brunch" one of these days. I used to work right across the street from the restaurant for about fifteen years, and have had lunch and dinner there plenty of times.
"Don't worry 'bout a t'ing 'Cause every little breakfast ("Brunch", whatever) gonna be alright..."
http://www.sparrowbarandkitchen.com/ Place: Sparrow Bar and Kitchen Location: 1640 Haight Street (between Clayton and Cole Streets) Hours: open for "Brunch" Saturday & Sunday at 10:00am Meal: Cheddar Grits~ grilled br*ccoli rabe[1]/ poached egg/rustic toast; and a cuppa (with 1-1/2 refillas) Capricorn CoffeesHouse Blend http://www.capricorncoffees.com/
(What's the EweToobular juxtaselection for today's music, you may ask? It's a well-known fact that both Noel Yang and Bob Marley are/were huge fans of the boiled coarse-ground cornmeal product. Bob even sang of it in one of his most famous songs "All Women Cry" [I have corrected the double-negative of Bob's pidgin English grammar for the title of the song; your welcome]: "And then Georgie would make the fire lights, As it was logwood burnin' through the nights, Then we would cook cornmeal porridge, Of which I'll share with you...") I had planned on revisiting Sparrow Bar and Kitchen (see last 'blog-entry from Saturday, November 15th, 2015) two weeks ago, but ended up being waylayed by a different restaurant in the same neighborhood (mainly because it opened an hour earlier than today's destination). It had stopped raining earlier this morning (after raining most of the day yesterday, too). However, unfortunately, the backyard patio seating area was still too wet to be able to sit outside. It would have been warm enough (if I kept my jacket on), though. So, I was forced to sit indoors for a change. I was originally going to sit at one of the front-window alcove tables (I was the first person in this morning and the only one there for about ten minutes still, and basically had my choice of seats), but I decided to give it up to anyone that was a couple (the table could have handled up to three, anyway). I should have taken the cool Grizzly bear seat cushion/butt-pillow that was there with me, but still ended up with an okay Chinese dragon kinda thing instead.
There are still a few other good possible ideas for breakfast from which to choose. So I will be making my way back there again one of these days (as long as I don't get sidetracked along the way again). French Toast ~ hazelnut Chocolate/mixed berries/ whipped cream/pure maple syrup; French Omelet (which they spell in the completely non-Frenchified way for some reason) ~ Brie and prosciutto (which I would have quatre-vingt six-ed, bien sûr)/arugula & herbs; Huevos Rancheros ~ salsa verde/Iacopi[2] gigante beans/house hot sauce/red pepper crema/corn salsa (I saw a guy at the next table over ~ the cool front-window alcove table that I had graciously abandoned, by the way ~ order this and it looked pretty good; next time?); or possibly even Arugula and Beet Salad ~ grilled pear/pistachio/ chevre/aged Balsamic There were also a couple of decent side dish ideas, too. I was thinking of ordering either Kennebec[3] Fries (Parmesan/herbs/aioli) or, from their specials board, Roasted Brussels (Sprouts) & Salsa Verde. They no longer offer the side of Fried Cauliflower (sage/garlic) that I had the last time I ate there; this is a shame, as it was really pretty good.
This was a HUGE bowl o' greets to be sure. Originally, I was not sure if it was going to be enough food and had asked the waiter-server person guy to make sure (I would just like to point out here that the entire wait-staff people are all very friendly and attentive); he did assure me that it was a lot of food. I am glad I listened to him. This was all very good and I have no major complaints; I would just liked to have seen a bit more br*ccoli rabe in the dish. I also really liked whatever the "rustic toast" stuff was; it was grilled, not toasted, which I really enjoyed. As far as their Coffee selection goes, they no longer offer single-serve French press pots. That is too bad, because they had offered that with Sightglass Coffee. They still have that brand as their Espresso offering, and there is nothing wrong with Capricorn Coffees, anyway. For condimentary supplementation, Sparrow Bar and Kitchen had Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce, and Huy Fong Foods Inc.®Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. I just used some of my own Lucky Dog Hot SauceMedium Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce on top of the poached egg to mix in with the Cheddar greets. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Cheddar Grits ~ 6.5; Capricorn CoffeesHouse Blend ~ 6.8 ___________________
1. While this tasty green vegetable shares an expletive-deleted name with its odious cousin "the vile weed", it is not vile in any way and is one of my favourite of the cruciferous vegetables. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapini 2. http://www.cuesa.org/seller/iacopi-farms 3. Seriously?! There is a web-site dedicated to a specific varietal of potato? Perhaps Dan Quayle also had a hand in inventing the Intro-Net along with Al Gore. http://www.kennebecpotato.com/
http://www.caffedelucchi.com/ Place: Caffé/Caffè/Café DeLucchi Location: 500 Corso Cristòforo Colombo (on the corner of Stockton Street) Hours: open Monday through Friday at 10:00am, (but luckily) Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am Meal: polenta gorgonzola (like many restaurants now-a-days, they have this thing for showing all their dishes in the minuscule) ~ warm soft polenta[1] topped with melted Gorgonzola, clover honey[2], thick cut applewood smoked bacon (donna you worry, Giusepp', I mada sure to ottantasei thata porco stuffa), and poached eggs; a side of artichoke[3]hash; a glassa grapefruit[4] juice; and afterward, for breakfastary dessert, un doppio Espresso e un (raspberry[5]) bombolone at Caffe Trieste http://coffee.caffetrieste.com/
(Not that I ever need a reason to link Sir George Ivan's songs here, but if you absolutely must have a EweToobular juxtaselection, George Ivan often mentions "[backstreet] jelly-roll" in many of his songs, so this morning's bombolone will have to suffice.) I went back to Caffé/Caffè/Café DeLucchi(see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, March 8th, 2015) for a long overdue return visit. This place never amazes to cease me... wait... strike that... but you mean what I know. Also, this place is great any time of the day even if you aren't in the mood for a breakfastary meal. I decided to sit inside again this morning. Their sidewalk café (o caffè) seating area looked inviting (and I gave it a thought or two), but it was a bit chilly yet this morning and that area was still in the shade/shadows at 8:00am. Here are some other intersting ideas (just to name a few) for which I will be making future visits: elvis in north beach (housemade [caffè-made, whatever] peanut butter, applewood smoked bacon [No grazie, Signor Presley!], fig jam, and bananas on a toasted ciabatta roll with house potatoes; one-of-these-days, I will have to order this); polenta funghi (polenta, melted Fontina, braised kale, mushroom medley, & poached eggs; Kale AND polenta? Oh, yeah, this is another must-try for me for the future); or mediterranean scramble (two eggs, Feta, Kalamata olives, roasted red bell peppers, red onion, spinach, artichoke, capers with potatoes & toast).
I just wish that I knew how to say "Magnifico!" or "Favoloso!" in Italiano. Polenta ~ good; (drizzled with) honey ~ very good; creamy Gorgonzola throughout ~ very, very, very good! Now, I know what you are thinking: "Honey AND stinky, moldy Italiano cheese, Brian?" Trust me, this all worked very well together. The only thing that I can see making this even better might be the addition of pears (either grilled/sautéed, roasted, or even just fresh sliced). I already knew that I loved their excellent artichoke hash from my first breakfastary visit there three years ago and made sure to get a side of it this morning. At first, I thought it might be too much food, but it turned out to be the perfect amount for my appetite. As condimentary supplements, Caffé/Caffè/Café DeLucchihas both Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (three ways: Original Red Sauce, Green Jalapeño Sauce, and Chipotle Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce. I used some of my own ★ Pope's ★ Whiskey River Hot Sauce (Thanks, Amy and Chef Joe!) on the hash and some Sunbelt PlantationsVidalia® Onion & Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Greg & Cindy![6]) on top of both of the poached eggs.
Lately, whenever I have mia prima colazione in North Beach, I make a point of it to stop by Caffe Trieste for a breakfastary dessert (or just a Coffee, appetite-depending). Not only is it a local favourite hangout coffeehouse, they really do have excellent (roasted right next door) Coffee there, too. This morning I even found a legal parking spot right across the street from it. the Wild Parrots of San Francisco Interlude I only saw one pair of Wild Parrots[7] flying overhead of Columbus Street this morning. Normally I will see several of the chattering feather-heads, as this is one of their major roosting areas. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: polenta gorgonzola ~ 7.3; artichoke hash ~ 7.5; Caffe Triestedoppio Espresso~ 7.0; raspberry bombolone ~ 6.5; the Wild Parrotsof San Francisco ~ 8.5 ___________________ 1. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero uno/numerus unus: "Polenta" comes from Italiano, originally from Latin, meaning "hulled and crushed grain (originally barley)". It is akin to the word "pollen", meaning "fine flour". 2. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero due: The Italiano word for "honey" is "miele". 3. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero tre: The Italiano word for "artichoke" is "carciofo". 4. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero quattro: The Italiano word for "grapefruit" is "pompelmo". 5. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero cinque: The Italiano word for "raspberry" is "lampone". 6. If it seems like I am "Thanks!"-ing these two people often here for supplying me with hot sauces, that is because half of my hot sauce collection has been provided by them. The other half my mother has given me. And the third half are miscellaneous gifts from other family members and friends (and some I had even purchased myself ~ not that I ever really need to do that it seems). 7. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero sei: The Italiano word for "parrot" is "pappagallo".
"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left, Monsieur Lautrec..."
http://places.singleplatform.com/eats-4/menu?ref=google (They still do not have an official-type web-site, so this will have to do.) Place: Eats Location: 50 Clement Street (on the corner of 2nd Avenue); phonicular contact: (415) 751-8000 Hours: open for breakfast every day of the week at 8:00am Meal: Polenta and Sunny Up Eggs - Veggie ~ spinach, red/green bell pepper, leeks, garlic; a side o' Excellent! Roasted Home Potatoes; and to drink, a large (well, 12 oz) glassa Detox ~ beets, apples, and gingers
(The reason for this particular trifecta of EweToobular songs is that this weekend is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 16[1]. These were just three of the singers/acts that I specifically went there to see/listen to today. I really like the KT Tunstall[2] and Daryl Hall duet/cover there. Boy, you just gotta love them dimples... and KT has a nice smile, too! Yeah, Kris Kristofferson[3] ain't no Janis, but he done wrote the song, so, technically, it is his song. [Even though Janis "owns" it much the way Jimi "owns" "All Along the Watchtower".] The last song is by Glen Hansard[4]. And for anyone that has never seen the independent film "Once"[5], I highly recommend it. It's sorta a "non-Love Story"... of sorts. It was one of my favourite movies of 2007.) Finishing up the End-of-the-(Baseball) Season with one of the last of my Breakfastary Starting Rotation, I went back to Eats (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, April 17th, 2016). I knew that I was going to try to get to Golden Gate Park as early as possible this morning (KT Tunstall started at 11:00am) and wanted to keep it as local as possible, anyway. (Coincidentally enough, I had eaten at Eatsthe first weekend in October two years ago before heading to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, too.)
I ended up being the only idiot daring to sit outside in one of the four two-person tables along the Clement Street sidewalk. At least the Sun was shining on this part of the street. I think that I have now worked my way through their entire breakfast line-up (well, those items which either are already or can be made stupid vegetarian-friendly). Otherwise, I would have no problem re-ordering the Spicy Kale Skillet (v) (well, technically, they call this "Spicy Tomato Skillet", but I have renamed it thus, due to the great amount of great kale in it; sorry, Sean) ~ kale, onions, potatoes, bell peppers, sunny up eggs, Parmesan, grilled bread.
(Hey, I just got why these are called "sunnyside up eggs" after all these years!) I was told that this is not really a "new" dish (like I thought it was), but just an updated version of their "old" dish Polenta Succotash (no thuffering netheththary, Thylvethter), which I had enjoyed very much in the past. I liked this dish a lot, too; I am just not a big fan of the whole "Veggie" moniker used, though. I will go so far as to say that this is my newest favourite dish of theirs (not that I have ever had a bad meal there, anyway), just behind their Spicy Kale Skillet. And, don't worry, for those of you that partake of the dead, decaying animals, this dish is also optional as Hot Italian Sausage ~ tomatoes, onions, corn. Not that I needed to detoxify myself any this morning, but I have had their fresh-squeezed(?!?) beet-apple-ginger elixir before and knew that I really liked it. Eats offers the Standard San Francisco Triumvirate of Hot Sauces for condimentary supplementation: Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce, and Cholula®Hot Sauce (Original). Even so, I still used some of my own hot sauces this morning. I went with some Sunbelt PlantationsVidalia® Onion & Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on top of one of the eggs, some Dixie Crossroads Hot Habañero[ sic ]Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on top of the other egg, and some Emperor's Revenge Teriyaki Hot Sauce (Thanks, Mom! ~ think an Asian-style HP™Brown Sauce) on the potatoes. I had skipped any Coffee with breakfast because I had a cuppa Bettys Christmas Blend ~ Single Origin (Thanks, Greg & Cindy! ~ No relation to the "Cindy & Greg"-people that had supplied me with the above hot sauce.) earlier before heading out this morning. Don't worry, it's still good as they have it listed as "BBE May 2017 10:15" (they don't specify if that is "a.m." or "p.m"; so, just to be on the safe side, I will be sure to use it up by April 2017.). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Polenta and Sunny Up Eggs - Veggie ~ 7.3; Excellent! Roasted Home Potatoes ~ 7.63; Detox ~ 7.1; Bettys Christmas Blend ~ Single Origin ~ 7.0 ___________________ 1. http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2016/ 2. http://kttunstall.com/ 3. Do I really need to add a footnote here? Well, just in case any of you have never heard of him: http://kriskristofferson.com/ 4. http://glenhansardmusic.com/ 5. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
"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!"
