phoenix bar

"Laugh and the world laughs with you… snore and you sleep alone." 
~ Anthony Burgess

http://www.phoenixirishbar.com/


Place: phoenix bar
Location: 811 Valencia Street (between 19th and 20th Streets)
Hours: open at 10:00am Saturday & Sunday for "Brunch"
Meal: Vegetable Hash ~ grilled potatoes, mixed vegetables, poached eggs, with goat cheese sauce; and a large glass of ½-orange juice and ½-grapefruit juice

(I know I could have used Glen Campbell's classic version of this song, but I just liked these versions much more.)


Today's breakfastary destination was just a few blocks down the street (if the street happens to be Valencia, that is) from last Sunday's entry. I had "Brunch" (their actual term, and that they don't open until 10:00am for the first meal of the day on the weekends kind of dictates the use of this snooty sobriquet) at phoenix bar. It is mainly an "Irish Pub and Gathering House" (it says so right above the awning in the front), but they have some pretty decent dishes on their food menu. There are several large-screen TeeVees around the joint, and they were showing some Barclays Premier League Football games (aka "English Soccer" to you bloody Y*nks[1]) this morning.

There is plenty of seating throughout the place. There is probably enough for fifty to sixty people at several copper-covered tables (made for two to four people), and many of these tables have benches along the wall side that look like they may have been pews in a church at one time (I made sure to get one of those to get the whole religious effect of the meal). Plus, there are another fifteen to sixteen seats along the bar.

They offer a pretty small "Brunch" menu (I counted only eleven items, which I almost needed to take my shoes off to do so) and there were just a few other good ideas for stupid vegetarians. However, I was also looking at getting either Veggie Omelet (fresh seasonal vegetables, cheese, and breakfast potatoes) or Huevos Valencianos (roasted chiles, guacamole, black beans, eggs any style, corn tortillas with grilled Irish bacon or spicy sausage; which I would have ordered sin carne, of course). For those of you that are huge fans of the dead, decaying porcine products, they also offer the traditional Irish breakfast, coincidentally enough, called Traditional Irish Breakfast (sausage, Irish bacon, pudding [don't let the name fool you, this ain't none of the sweet stuff that Bill Cosby used to shill], baked beans, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and potatoes); this meal is also known alternatively as "Cardiac Arrest on a Plate".

I really liked that they bring out before each meal slices of homemade Irish soda bread[2]; and they will give you more if you ask for it, too (I asked for it). I bet this would make for a great base for a Celtic version of Eggs O'Benedict, too. (Actually they do offer just this on their "Brunch" menu as Irish Bacon Benedict ~ grilled Irish soda bread, Irish bacon, poached eggs, Hollandaise, and potatoes; I may need to try that one in the future, too.)

In addition to the grilled potatoes mentioned above, today's mixture of vegetables was: kale, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, (red, green, and yellow) bell peppers, zucchini, and the vile weed. All except for the vile weed were welcomed ingredients, and kale is one of my favourite leafy greens, anyway. Strangely enough, in this hash there really wasn't any discernible garlic or onions; perhaps the owners are Mahāyāna Buddhist Irish. I had completely forgotten that this had a goat cheese sauce on it; I was wondering why the poached eggs seemed extra creamy. It all worked very nicely with the vegetable hash.

I asked the waitress/server/bartender-lady  (there was just one person working the bar and taking food orders when I first got there) what kind of juices they offered and she told me both orange and grapefruit juices. So I asked her for a glass with "half-and-half". She must have misunderstood me and brought me out a pint o' Guinness® and Harp® Lager… (Nah, not really. But that would have been pretty funny at an Irish pub for breakfast.)

For condimentary supplementation, phoenix bar actually had a pretty decent offering: Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (three types, too: the standard red, green jalapeño, and Chipotle); El Yucateco® Salsa Picante Verde de Chile Habanero (the green kind); Tapatío®; and HP™ Sauce (the standard kind, not the Guinness® one, though). I really didn't expect them to have that many salsas from which to choose, so I had brought a few of my own and used some Born to Hula presents Devon Allman's All Natural Hot Sauce Chipotle Blues (Thanks, Kerry!) on top of one of the eggs and a little (just a few drops, as this one goes a long way) Fat Cat® Chairman Meow's Revenge (Scorpion Pepper Sauce) (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on top of the other egg. I did make sure to use a good amount of the HP™ all around on the potatoes and vegetable hash.

This is another one that is definitely worth a return visit… one of these days, me droogs.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Vegetable Hash ~ 6.5 (I gave this an extra .2 for the inclusion of the kale, but I also took away .1 due to the vile weed); homemade Irish soda bread ~ 6.7


1. But, Brian, aren't you also a "bloody Y*nkee"? Not on yer life, boyo! As a devout Red Sox fan, being called a "Y*nkee" would be as bad as calling an Irishman English!

2. For anyone not familiar with Irish soda bread, here is some information from the friendly people at WikipediA:

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

Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day:

"Soda bread" in Irish is "arán sóide".

O’Reilly’s

"Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper."
~ Francis Bacon (no relation to the inventor of the legendary Glen Bacon Scale)

http://www.sforeillys.com/OReillys_Irish_Pub/Oreillys_Irish_Pub.html

(Just a couple of classic Irish dirges to tide you over while reading this 'blog-entry, boyo… or girlo.)


I went to O'Reilly's this morning for "Brunch" (their term, not mine, even though they open at 8:00am ~ or 9:00am ~ on the weekend; their website says 9:00am, but when I arrived there this morning at 8:30am they were open for business and the weekend "Brunch" menu stated 8:00am; so, take your pick, Mick) on Green (figures) Street in North Beach. I have eaten dinner there a few times in the past, but this was my first breakfastary experience there. Now, I know what you are thinking (and just clean it up right now, buddy!): "An Irish pub in North Beach?" (for you out-of-towners/touristas, North Beach is the well-known quartiere italiano in San Francisco, akin to the North End in Boston and Little Italy in New York City).

There was lots of green inside for some reason; plus, the walls are festooned with photos of Ireland and Celtic paraphernalia (I spotted at least one bodhrán[1] and one shillelagh[2] on the walls or hanging from the ceiling). They have plenty of indoor restaurant seating (and there is a full bar/pub adjoined in the next room); plus, there are a few outdoor/sidewalk picnic tables with which to dine al fresco (sorry, I have no idea how to say that in either Irish or Italian) if you like. I sat at one of the beer-barrel tables. I liked that their condiments holders are Guinness® six-pack cartons.

parklet mini-rant of the day
I parked on Columbus Avenue right behind another stupid, useless parklet (the one in front of Rose Pistola). Also, while walking around this morning, I saw about 2-3 more of these stupid parking obstructions along Columbus and other streets in North Beach. But I am so sure they are absolutely necessary as it is a full ONE BLOCK to have to walk ALL THE WAY to Washington Square Park (and in one case there is one that is directly kitty-cornered from the park). Complete rubbish! End of rant… for now.

Bay-to-Beer Interlude
This morning was the running of the 102nd Bay-to-Beer (officially know as Bay-to-Breakers). I didn't go to watch it in Golden Gate Park as in years past, but I still saw hundreds of costumed runners (sorry, I didn't see any of the "naked-people" this morning) walking to the starting line from North Beach (my most-knowledgeable server-lady told me that they normally gather in Washington Square Park and head to the starting line in large groups). This was one of the better days for it for a change; it was an absolutely beautiful, sunny morning downtown and even clear and warm(ish) over at the ocean/breakers (it's normally a 50-50 shot that it will be overcast and rainy this time of year).

There really aren't that many things that O'Reilly's offers for "Brunch" (I counted fourteen entries). They do offer several omelettes and scrambles, along with some pancakes and waffles choices. It was also interesting to see (not that it does me any good, but you lovers of the dead, decaying porky products might like this) that they do have a Full Irish Breakfast ~ two bacon rashers (and after seeing all of these meat-stuffs, you may break out into a rasher of your own), two Irish link sausages, two black pudding, two white pudding, two eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomato, and home fries or French fries. I did see something on the "Brunch Favorites" section of the menu that I knew I had to try: Vegetarian Benedict ~ on a boxty[3] cake, grilled beefsteak tomatoes, spinach, and zucchinis (sic; and while it is perfectly correct as the plural of zucchini, you rarely would see it pluralised in this instance); this comes with a side of home fries. I also had a large glass of grapefruit juice.

The boxties (I have no idea if the correct plural is "boxties" or "boxtys") served as a perfect and unique base for the Benedict; plus, as an Irish establishment, they shouldn't be caught dead using none of them crummy "English"-type muffins, Mr. O'Thomas. My friendly and ever-informative server-lady told me that they used to make these with Irish brown bread instead of the boxtys (what the heck, one of them has to be correct), which would also be a nice substitution. (I should point out here that I really wasn't tying up the poor woman with all of my inane/insane questions, as there was just myself and one other table of people there the whole time I was eating, so she had more than enough time to answer me.) The only thing I might have done differently if I were making these (and there is a much better chance that the Republic of Ireland will go back to being part of the United Kingdom than me ever making these) would have been to slice the tomatoes and zucchinis (see, here it makes sense in the plural) a little thinner, as the entire thing was a bit too thick and unwieldy. The home fried potatoes were very good, too, and made with lots of julienned onions and (red and green) bell peppers.

O'Reilly's only has Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (the standard red) for condimentary supplements. I was very surprised to see that there weren't even any bottles of HP™ Brown Sauce on any of the tables; my friendly and informative server-lady explained to me that they do put some out once in a while, but people tend to steal them (because it's not as if you can't get these at most local grocery stores in San Francisco or anything; the idiots that steal these probably think that parklets are actually a "cute idea" and serve a good purpose). I had come prepared (with the same bottles of hot sauces that I didn't need to use yesterday morning) and used some Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce ~ XX Habanero (Thanks agains, Amys and Brian!) on the potatoes and a little Nando's Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce (Thanks, Kerry!) on top of the two eggs.

What do you call dessert after breakfast? As I had skipped a cuppa coffee this morning with breakfast, afterward I stopped at Caffe Trieste for a Doppio Esspresso and a cannoli[4] (Really?! Herr Gates and his Microsoft Spell-Checker Nazis do not recognize, or offer a valid alternative, to this word. Must be a buncha tiramisù fans.); this one was a chocolate chip one, but I prefer the ones with the candied fruits in them instead.

http://www.caffetrieste.com/

Here's hoping your supper is as good as my breakfast was.

And the craic[5] was good…


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Vegetarian Benedict ~ 7.0; Caffe Trieste Doppio Espresso ~ 7.6


1.* Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, uimhir amháin:

"Bodhrán" is not a small "Arabian" island country. It is an Irish frame drum. It is suggested that the name means "skin tray" and a link with the Irish word "bodhor", meaning "a drum" or "dull sound" (the word "bodhra" also means "deaf").

2. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, uimhir dhá:

"Shillelagh" is an Anglophone (which is not another mobular company in Great Britain) corruption of the Irish "sail éille", the two words meaning "cudgel" and "leash, thong".

3. Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-epicurean pointer of the day, uimhir trí:

"Boxty" is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The word "bacstaí" or "arán bocht tí" means "poor-house bread" in Irish.

4. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, numero quattro:

"Cannoli" comes from Italian and the Sicilian language. The singular is "cannolo" (or "cannolu") and means "little tube" and is derivative of the Latin "canna", meaning "reed" or "cane".

5. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, uimhir a cúig:

Just so you know, this is not an illegal drug being sold on the streets of Dublin or Belfast.

Instead of me trying to explain exactly what "Craic" means, I will let the idiots at Wikipedia do it for me, seeing as they have already gone to all the trouble:

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


*(Note: I would normally put these footnotes in one size smaller font than the rest of the 'blog-entry, but I have been informed by some of the elderly readers here that it is very hard to read them at that size.

I blame it all on the 'blog-spot that provides this ~ free ~ service to me. When I first started posting here, there was a much easier to read and just a tad bit larger font to be used with the Georgia text, but about a year ago they changed the format and now the Georgia text is smaller that it was previously. I am sure it has absolutely nothing to do with people trying to read this on their stupid mobular devises or electronic tablets.

So for now I will just leave the footnotes at the same size as the rest of the 'blog-post.

Of course, I am putting this parenthetical explanation in the smaller font and it will probably go unnoticed by the same people/person.)

M’s Cafe

(No official web-site.)

1376 9th Avenue (Between Irving and Judah Streets)

phonicular contact: (415) 665-1821

(It was either going to be this 1980's New Wave relic EweToob link or one from Eminem, but I am not a big fan of the real Slim Shady or even the fake Marshall Mathers, Mrs. Cleaver.

In case you were wondering, Martha and the Muffins were also known as "M + M" for a while. I'd like to see what Alfred Einstein[1] would make of that equation.)


Sometimes a low-falutin' breakfast is just what is called for, especially after my trip to the upscale Munchkinland Café last Sunday. M's Cafe (I am not sure if this is avec ou sans accent aigu, as there wasn't one on their printed menu or on their awning and signs), over in the Inner Sunset, was the real deal (and it was neither "slim", nor "shady" I was very happy to see). M's Cafe is a small "Mom" & "Pop" restaurant, with seating for just 36. "Mom" does the order taking and serving, and "Pop" does all the cooking. They open up at 7:00am, six days a week (they are closed on Tuesdays). Their early morning menu is simply called "Breakfast" as it correctly should be.

It's not really that hard to park in this neighborhood early on a Saturday morning, but I played it safe and parked two blocks away in Golden Gate Park, just across the street from the San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly Strybing Arboretum[2]). There is usually lots of free 4-Hour parking available if you get there before all the damn touristas do in the morning.

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

Pocket-Sized Urban(e) Rant of the Day (cont.):

Okay, I can see snooty, upscale locations like North Beach and (s)Nob Hill falling prey to these stupid little jokes of "parklets". However, the Inner Sunset is a relatively nice neighborhoody neighborhood; it really hasn't been infected/infested by the gentrification virus. I was very surprised to see one of these just down the street from where I was eating. At least this stupid one only wastes two parking spots along 9th Avenue. You really can't expect someone to have to walk two whole blocks all the way to Golden Gate Park to enjoy some outdoor greenery, now can you?!

M's Cafe has a pretty decent/standard breakfastary menu from which to choose. There are also a few interesting specials on their menu. I was thinking of getting the Meatless Eggs Benedict ~ sautéed onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and two poached eggs. They even offer an Irish Breakfast (gachhh!) ~ Two eggs, two slices of Irish bacon, two links of Irish Sausages, two pieces of Black and White pudding (double-gachhh!), served with home fried potatoes and two slices of toast (and, contrary to popular belief, a real Irish Breakfast does not consist of a six pack o' Guinness® and a boiled potato). I ended up ordering the Spinach, Cheese, and Tomato Omelette ~ served with home fried potatoes or fruit, and two slices of toast. I also had a cuppa coffee and a large glass of orange juice.

"Pop" messed up and made my omelette a Spinach, Cheese, and Mushroom Omelette by mistake. "Mom" was going to take it back and have him re-do it, but it was no big deal, and I ended up keeping it as I am not averse to the fungal little beasts. Besides, I was actually thinking of getting that omelette until I saw the other choice; I just think that spinach and tomato is a better combo than spinach and mushroom. This was a good enough omelette with lots of spinach and tomatoes… er, mushrooms in it. Of course I went with the home fried potatoes as my side choice (I can make a damn fruit salad myself at home… if I ever had any fresh fruit around) and sourdough as my choice of toast. These were really good home fries; crispy in spots and creamy/potatoey in others. The coffee was black and hot ~ typical diner fare. I really wasn't expecting anything else; if I had wanted to get a decent cuppa, I could have always gone to one of the nearby coffeehouses (of which there are several within a two-block area).

For condimentary supplementation M's Cafe has Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce, Crystal® Hot Sauce, and a Sriracha-style hot sauce. I ended up using some of my own Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce (Thanks agains, Amys and me!) on the potatoes; and some Cholula® Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on the omelette.

If you are wondering "Who is 'M'?", so am I. I forgot to ask and may never know now…


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Spinach, Cheese, and Tomato… er, Mushroom Omelette ~ 5.9


1. Alfred Einstein was Albert's lesser known and not quite as smart younger brother. Alfred was the one that formulated in the late 1980's the Theory of Relative Stupidity, "E = mc Hammer".

2. Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-horticultural pointer of the day:

"Arboretum" comes from Latin "arborētum", meaning a plantation of trees, equivalent to "arbor" (tree) + "ētum" (suffix denoting a place where a given plant grows).

Other related 'merican/English words: "arbor/arbour", "arboreal/arboureal", "arboresque/arbouresque", and "... 'at's no sea lion, 'at's an 'arbour seal, 'enry".

Beer

Liquid Bread

Bier (German/Dutch), Beoir (Irish), Bière (French), Birra (Italiano/Maltese), Μπύρα (Greek), Bjór (Icelandic), Bere (Romanian), Bira (Turkish), Bia (Vietnamese), Пиво (Russkij/Ukrainian/Serbian), Pivo (Czech/Slovak/Croatian), Piwo (Polish), เบียร์ (Thai), بيرة (Arabic), آبجو (Persian), Գարեջուր (Armenian), Cwrw (Welsh), ビール (Japanese), Cervisia (Latin), Cerveza (Spanish), Cerveja (Portuguese), Serbesa (Filipino), Øl (Danish/Norwegian), Öl (Swedish), Olut (Finnish), and Sör (Hungarian).

 
"Beer[1] for breakfast?" Let he who is among you that hasn't had a six-pack or two before lunchtime cast the first stone (or get stoned first)!

Actually this 'blog-entry is not about breakfast, but just about the liquid gold, fermented beverage. My 'blog, my 'rules, after all. However, it is interesting to note that there are many similar ingredients to bread: water, grains, and yeast.

Beer is the third most popular drink in the World, after water and tea. (Unless your name is Mitt Romney, then it would be just water, 7up®, and ginger ale.) Beer is one of the oldest prepared beverages, possibly dating back as far as the early Neolithic or 9500 BC. There is archeological evidence of it dating to circa 3500-3100 BC. (So, while Beer is not quite as old as the invention of the wheel, I am sure the first DUI was handed out circa 3499-3099 BC.)

Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermenting cereals (especially malted barley, although wheat, corn, and rice can also be used), usually with the addition of hops as a flavouring agent and stabilizer. Beers generally fall into two broad categories: Ales[2] (made with top-fermenting yeast that ferment more quickly at warmer temperatures) and Lagers[3] (made with bottom-fermenting yeast that ferment more slowly at cooler temperatures). In the category of Ales, there are several sub-categories: Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Scotch, Belgian, Porter, and Stout. Lagers have the sub-categories: Pale (to include: Pilsners[4], Helles, Light Beers, and Märzens[5]) and Dark (to include: Dunkels, Schwarzbiers, Bocks, and Doppelbocks).

One of my favourite Beers is Guinness® Original/Extra Stout. This is especially best when served on tap from a keg at a good Irish pub that knows how to properly pour a "Pionta Guinness, le do thoil!" I have even had the pleasure to make a pilgrimage to the original Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. If you ever visit Dublin, it is well worth the tour.

http://www.guinness.com/

Probably my second favourite (and lesser-known) Beer is Black Sheep Brewery Riggwelter[6] Strong Yorkshire Ale. You can locate this Beer in 'merica, but usually only at the larger import liquor stores. Whenever I visit North Yorkshire, I try to get to the Black Sheep Baa..r & Bistro at least once during my stay to get some really fresh Beers, along with a pretty decent lunch.

http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/

My favourite 'merican brewery would have to be Samuel Adams®, and my favourite progeny of theirs would have to be their Seasonal Brew Octoberfest. (Note: This style of Beer is actually called an Oktoberfest in German. It is a minor point, but spelling matters, 'kay?) "This authentic Märzen style, harkens back to the brews of Munich over 200 years ago. With 5 varieties of malt, it has a deep rich character & silky smoothness." "Hearty and smooth with a deep malt complexity and roasty sweetness." This brew truly matches or surpasses many of the Oktoberfest Beers that I had when living in Germany even. 

http://www.samueladams.com/beers/octoberfest/

Home brewing of Beer (as opposed to home brewing of coffee) has become very popular in the past twenty years. I have even had the opportunity to assist in the brewing of a few batches of Beers (drinking the output is much more fun, though). Another fellow 'blogger, Cabin Jim (by the way, he is the one to blame for me getting started with my own 'blog ~ you can direct any hate e-mails to him), has been trying his hand at this hobby lately. You can check out his bucolic 'blog here and look for the label "Home Brewing":

http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/search/label/Home%20Brewing

And just in case you really would like some Beer for breakfast, there is always Well's & Young Banana Bread Beer:

http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/home/our-beers/ales/wells-banana-bread-beer

Cheers! Ein prosit! Céad míle fáilte! *urp*


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Guinness® Extra Stout ~ 8.5 (consider this the Marilyn Monroe of Beers); Black Sheep Brewery Riggwelter ~ 8.2 (consider this the Nicole Kidman of Beers); Samuel Adams® Octoberfest ~ 8.1 (and this would be the Uma Thurman of Beers)


[1] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, number one:

The word origin of "Beer" comes from Middle English "bere", from Old English "bēor"; related to Old Norse "bjorr", Old Frisian "biār", and Old High German "bior".

[2] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, number two:

The word "Ale" comes from Old English "alu" and "ealu"; related to Old Norse "öl" and Old Saxon "alofat".

[3] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, Nummer drei:

"Lager" comes from German "Lagerbier", meaning "beer for storing", from "Lager", meaning "storehouse".

[4] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, Nummer vier:
 
"Pilsner" comes from German "Pilsener", meaning "of Pilsen", a town in Bohemia (the Czech name of the town is Plzen) where it was first brewed.

[5] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, Nummer fünf:
 
"Märzen" comes from German "Märzenbier", meaning "March Beer"; according to a Bavarian brewing ordinance, a true "Märzen" can only be brewed between September 29th and April 23rd.

[6] Stupid, useless cunning linguist/pseudo-fermentary pointer of the day, number six:
 
"Riggwelter" is Yorkie-dales-speak for a sheep that is on its back and cannot get up without help. This comes from Old Norse "rygg", meaning "back", and "velte", meaning "to overturn".

Plow

http://www.eatatplow.com/

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


Congratulations, Lizzie, on 60 successful years! 

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


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

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

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

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

http://youkshotsauce.com/

 

Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  lemon ricotta pancakes ~ 7.0


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

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

Americana Grill

100th Running of Bay-to-Beer!





http://www.americanagrillsf.com/

Today was the Running of the 100th Bay-to-Beer!* ~ the World's largest and craziest footrace/walk/media event. I am wearing my 2001 Bay-to-Beer! t-shirt (see photo above) ~ from the 90th Running of Bay-to-Beer! ~ and a Guinness® (which is absolutely the BEST Beer in the World; there are no arguments here ~ my 'blog, my rules!) baseball cap to commemorate it. As this "race" virtually/literally cuts the City in two and makes getting anywhere before noon nearly impossible, I decided to stay locally (but eat globally).

I started out at Simple Pleasures Cafe for a really decent cuppa local coffee and a global pastry (some kinda Viennese Linzer torte thingy ~ shortbread with raspberry jam) on my way to Golden Gate Park to watch some of the early morning madness.

The "race" must have started earlier than normal, as I got to the park at/before 8:00am and there was no trace of the "elite" runners (read: Kenyans out on a short Sunday Marathon training jog and some others wannabes) just thousands of crazy "other" runners. Unfortunately, the elite runners had probably finished over a half-hour prior. Apparently they are starting the race at 7:00am now-a-days. The weather was mostly clear/sunny, but still a bit chilly; it drizzled a little while I was watching, but not even enough to penetrate the overhanging Eucalyptus trees that I was lurking under (the more grammatically correct "under which I was lurking" sounds a little too creepy), so I stuck around for a while over by the American Bison paddock to watch some of the fun anyway.

After watching for about half an hour or so, I headed over to Americana Grill on Balboa (just four blocks uphill) for breakfast. Now this is a very interesting little neighborhood place. Their menu reads: "Italian and Vietnamese food"?! That is a pretty interesting and worldly combination. The restaurant is owned and operated by a Vietnamese family. I asked my waitress what a typical Vietnamese breakfast would consist of (I have no idea how to even try to reword that phrase so that it reads grammatically correct; so it will have to remain ending in a predisposition), and she said that it is normally a big bowl of phở **. As if to prove her point, the very next diner actually ordered that; plus, the restaurant family later sat down to their breakfast break with large bowls of it, too.

They have a pretty decent breakfast menu, and as soup (and particularly a largely beef-broth based one) is not really my idea of breakfast, I ordered the Provencal*** Omelet*** ~ mixed vegetables and cheese; served with hash browns and wheat toast. I also ordered a large glass of orange juice.



The omelette was made with carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, the vile weed(!), and probably Mozzarella cheese (in keeping with the Italian theme; I have no idea what a Vietnamese cheese would be); all the vegetables were fresh and there were lots and lots of them in the overstuffed omelette (or omelet). The large glass of orange juice was actually a HUGE glass; it must have been 20-24 ounces minimum.

They offer for condimentary supplementation both Tabasco® (the standard red) and Sriracha*** hot sauce. Even though I had come prepared with a few from my own collection, I went with some of the Sriracha on the hash browns. You know what they say, "When in Rome, do as they do in Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh!"

While I was waiting for my meal to be served, "Little Lion Man" by Mumford & Sons was playing on the radio ("Americana" Top 40); however, this was an alternate/watered-down version where the lyrics are "I really MESSED it up this time…". "Little Lion Man" and the entire Sigh No More CD happened to be my favourite new group music from 2010. I really hate it when they have to change or bowdlerize songs to appease the gentile/general public… that's just totally f@cked-up!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E

Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Provencal Omelet ~ 6.2; Bay-to-Beer! ~ 7.9


*(AKA: officially ~ Bay-to-Breakers; unofficially ~ Bay-to-Buffalo; or alternatively life-styled ~ Gay-to-Breakers… and everyone knows that running and healthy living are the real threats to "traditional" marriages as we know them today, Buffalo Billy!)



**(Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup; this seems to be their National Dish, much like "Chicken Tikka Massala" is the National Dish of England.

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

Some Vietnamese restaurants do make vegetarian versions of this, too, but they are usually pretty hard to find. It does not look like Americana Grill does a vegetarian version, either.)

***(As Việt Nam used to be a French Colony for many years, I was very surprised that they did not go with the more Frenchified spelling of "Provençal" and "Omelette".)

***(Sriracha is a Thai style sweet-hot sauce. It is pretty ubiquitous in San Francisco… and you can find it just about everywhere, even.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce )

Secret Breakfast

Ice cream: It’s not just for dessert any more…


Who says you can’t have ice cream for breakfast? It has milk, eggs, and sugar in it ~ sounds like breakfast to me, Bill Cosby.
 















 







There is a great ice cream parlour over in the Mission (on Harrison and 24th) simply called Humphry Slocombe ~ an “only in San Francisco“ kinda place. It is named after the owner/chef that has come up with some pretty interesting flavours from which to choose. This place is pretty tiny and they only offer 10-12 different flavours at a time, but they are all usually pretty interesting and always fresh. If you didn’t know it were there (aside from the usual line out the door), you would miss it entirely.

http://www.humphryslocombe.com/|_Flavors_|.html

Believe me, this ain’t your mother’s Baskin-Robins® ice cream joint. One of my favourite flavours of theirs is called “Secret Breakfast”. It is made with real Bourbon and corn flakes; hard to explain, but it actually works (I think Guinness® and Cocoa Puffs® might be pushing it though). I paired it with a scoop of “Racer 5 IPA” (made with real beer from the Bear Republic Brewery). In addition to the two flavours I had today, there were “Jesus Juice Sorbet” (made with red wine and Coke® Classic) and one called “Boccalone Prosciutto” (and, yes, it is made with actual salted porky parts, Sean ~ I did not try a sample of this one, but I talked the complete stranger in line behind me into trying it and he said it really wasn’t that bad. I rewarded him for his bravery by buying both his and his girlfriend’s ice creams. He had the “Secret Breakfast” paired with another one that escapes me, and his girlfriend had “Balsamic Caramel” ~ a great choice, which I have tried before ~ with “Salted Chocolate”.)



This is one secret breakfast that you don’t have to hide in a paper bag to enjoy.



Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Secret Breakfast ~ 7.5; Racer 5 IPA ~ 6.0