Breakfast at Tiffany's

"Lunches?! We don' need no stinkin' lunches!"

https://www.breakfastattiffanyssf.com/

(And, no, I did not have breakfast upstairs at 
Dr. Liberman Family Dentistry this morning... they can never quite seem to get their poached eggs 
al dente enough for me.)


Place: Breakfast at Tiffany's[1]

Location: 2499 San Bruno Avenue 
(at Thornton Avenue)

Hours: open Monday - Friday at 7:00am; 
Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am

Meal: San Bruno Florentine (Benedict) ~ 3 poached eggs, sourdough English muffins, sautéed spinach and mushrooms, sausage patties (nixed these, of course), Hollandaise, and Jack, and served with Tiff's Original Hash or rabbit-food mix (you can guess which of the two sides I went with); and to drink with the meal, a glassa freshly-squeezed (as in just "freshly-squeezed" for every glassa) orange juice; and, aforehand, a cuppa drip-style Coffee at four barrel - Columbia (but I did not get which specific blend/roast ~ it was probably either El Tablón or Lucas Melo)

https://www.fourbarrelcoffee.com/

(I have no idea if either Sir Mick or Commoner Keif like Eggs Benedict or jazzed-up hashbrowns, but 
Exile on Main St. is not only my favourite the Rolling Stones[2] album, it is easily in my Top Three All-Time Favourite Albums [Rock-and/or-Roll or not] of All-Time.)


It is always such a looong drive over to 
Breakfast at Tiffany's (see last 'blog-entry from Sunday, June 26th, 2016), so I was very happy to see that all of their cooks showed up on time for work this morning. (Because, unlike yesterday morning, I really had no back-up plan options in mind. This place is completely on the other side of town and I really do not know that many nearby places, otherwise. It would even be Breakfastary Starting Rotation-worthy if it were not so far across town.)

(There were a few of these interesting [which I am calling] cracked eggshell hanging lamps in the restaurant.)


There are still a few other item-ideas that I need to check out one of these days (whenever I am feeling up for another cross-town road-trip):

French Toast Special ~ crustless French toast (3), w eggs any style, breakfast links (2), country sausage patty (they do not reference from which country Ms. Patricia might have emigrated), or bacon strips (2), apple cinnamon (where I would most probably also supplement this with a side of Tiffany's Original Hash Browns upgraded to Stella(!));

or

San Bruno Ave Omelette ~ spinach, mushrooms, Jack, served with Tiff's Original Hash or rabbit-food mix, toast or English muffin (so, basically this is the omeletized version of what I had this morning).

Additionally, on their blackboard specials they had #23 Benedict Trio ~ Corned Beef, Loco Moco, Fried Chicken served with Hash (which I could not order, but sounded decent for those of you that do partake of the dead, decaying flesh of bovines and poultry).

Three (3) poached eggs! I really was not expecting that and must have missed it when I was perusing the menu. (I wonder who got my other half-English muffin this morning.) Needless to say (but I am needlessly saying it here, anyway), it was a whole lotta food for me. Who needs lunch, anyway? This was made with lots of fresh sautéed spinach and sliced button (or crimini) mushrooms (so, this would not be for the fungi-faint of heart).

Of course, I had my Tiffany's Original Hash Browns upgraded to Stella(!) ~ with green chile, tomatoes, Cheddar and Jack, sour cream (and, not listed, these also come with a small ramekin of salsa), which is truly the only way to go (and, for which, this is one of the reasons I do like "to go" back there) if you ask me (and even if you don't ask me).

Breakfast at Tiffany's offers the Standard San Francisco Triumvirate of Hot Sauces as condimentary supplements: Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Tapatío® Salsa Picante Hot Sauce, and Cholula® Hot Sauce Original. I simply used some more of my own Hot Links® Serrano Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian! Hopefully, if I go heavily enough with it, there is just one more dosage left in that bottle now.) on top of two of the eggs and some more grinded-up grains of paradise all over everything.

(not so) Strange Coffee Interlude

Knowing from my last trip over there that four barrel had a really cool (and almost hidden) coffeeshop just one block away, I made sure to arrive in the neighborhood about a half-hour early to get me a very decent cuppa to enjoy pre-breakfast. They only have one drip-style Coffee available in the day and (sadly) no longer offer a choice of single-cuppa pour-overs (I was eyeing one of their Ethiopian blends/roasts ~ they offer two or three for sale in bags). The cuppa that I did have was verrry good all the same (or even if it was few the different).

So, if you are ever exiled on San Bruno Avenue, just make sure you stop by Breakfast at Tiffany's for a great breakfast and four barrel for a very good cuppa!


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
San Bruno Florentine ~ 6.5;
Tiffany's Original Hash Browns upgraded to Stella(!) ~ 7.2;
four barrel - Columbia ~ 7.2

___________________

1. This is a nice article on the re-opening of this iconic neighborhood diner. There was a framed copy of it over my left shoulder where I was sitting at the end of the diner-counter this morning.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/How-an-S-F-neighborhood-saved-its-diner-6818329.php

2. Just in case you are older than 90 or younger than 10 or happen to live in Bumfuq*, Egypt:

http://www.rollingstones.com/

*(I bet that not many of you were aware that there is an actual town in Egypt named "بمفق". It is located just outside Cairo on your way to the Amazon River.)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

http://breakfastattiffanyssf.com/


Place: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Location: 2499 San Bruno Avenue 
(at Thornton Avenue)
Hours: open Monday - Friday at 7:00am; 
Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am
Meal: Stella Hash Browns with two eggs over-medium laid (layed?) on top ~ green chile, tomatoes, Cheddar and Jack, sour cream (and it is not listed on the menu, but they also add a ramekin of salsa); a glassa freshly-squeezed orange juice; and, afterward, a cuppa Four Barrel Coffee Guatemala Los Yuc (no relation to Kevin that used to play First Base for the Boston Red Sox)

http://fourbarrelcoffee.com/shop/guatemala-los-yuc/

(There is no [well, none that I was intentionally aware of] EweToobular juxtaselection between "Breakfast" or "Tiffany" and the Tallest Man on Earth[1]. The last time that I ate at Breakfast at Tiffany's I linked a few songs by his [then] wife Amanda Bergman [who also goes by the stage name Idiot Wind][2].)


Breakfast at Tiffany's is another place that I really should have gotten back to (see last 'blog-entry from March 1st, 2015) much sooner than I have today. This is a great family-owned joint. I just hate the "long drive" over there and back. I also like how they took the name of their restaurant from my 'blog-thing title. (You know what they say: "Importation is the sincerest form of flatulence.")

Hopefully, it won't be another year (or more) before I get back there again. I still want to check out a few other items from their menu, like: San Bruno Omelet (spinach, mushrooms, Jack); "Veggie" Omelet (kale, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bells [as in the berry ~ bell peppers; they don't actually add any kind of bronze or iron idiophonic percussion instruments to the meal... Hmmmm? I wonder what The Bruce Dickinson would have to say about all of this.], black olives, avocado, Jack; I would have probably ordered this one if I already didn't have in mind to order what I did; plus, my last visit there, I had a similar meal as a Tater-Tot Skillet); or San Bruno Florentine (sautéed spinach and mushrooms, sausage patties [which I would have nixed, natch'], Hollandaise, Jack; from the sound of their menu, it's dollars-to-doughnuts [Do you think in Mexico, they have a similar phrase "pesos-a-churros"?] that this Saint Bruno guy must have been the Patron Saint of Lost Spinach and Mushrooms).

What's not to love about this meal? It's a mess o' hashbrowns with green chillies and two types of cheeses (which made for a really nice gooey goodness). I would just like to point out that the old owners used to have this as "Stella Hashbrowns", where hashbrowns was one word. Whether as oneword or two words, it all still tasted great to me.

I stated that this was a "freshly-squeezed" glassa orange juice. I meant that literally; I watched as they did just that this morning with one of them new-fangled automatic juicer-machines which will slice a whole orange in half and then juicify the two halves. (You know, the kind of contraption that George Jetson would always complain to Jane and Rosie about.)

Breakfast at Tiffany's offers as condimentary supplements both Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Cholula® Hot Sauce 
(Original). Knowing that from my previous visit, I came prepared with a few of my own hot sauces and used some Marie Sharp's Grapefruit Pulp Habanero Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Mom!) on top of one of the eggs and some Sunbelt Plantations Vidalia® Onion Picante Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on top of the other egg. My little collection of lined-up hot sauce soldiers did not go unnoticed (I was sitting at the long diner-counter area) and I got a few comments from the wait-staff people. The wait-staff guy-person behind the counter that had initially taken my order even thought that I was a salesman for hot sauces at first.

I wasn't planning on having any Coffee until I got home this morning, but, after breakfast, I decided to walk down San Bruno Avenue (Oh! I just got why they have several dishes named "San Bruno" on their menu now. It's in reference to "Avenue". Ol' Bruno must have really been the Patron Saint of Avenues and Boulevards of Lost Souls. Ha! It didn't take me long to figure this one out.) and happened to see a way cool mural at the end of Burrows Street (right where it dead ends at Highway 101). When checking it out, I noticed that there was actually a new Four Barrel Coffee coffeehouse there, too. I have had their Coffee before and knew it to be a good cuppa, so I had to check this place out. This coffeeshop is located in what was once a two-car garage beneath a house. This is a very cool set-up and location for a coffeeshop; however, it is so off-the-beaten-path that unless you are a Nosey Parker like me (or that Saint Bruno guy), you might not even be aware that it exists.

Glen Bacon Scale Rating: 
Stella Hash Browns ~ 7.5;
Four Barrel Coffee Guatemala Los Yuc ~ 7.2

___________________

1. Ha! Kristian Matsson's stage name is really meant as a joke, because this diminutive Swedish singer-songwriter would have to stand on a soapbox just to look up to Justin Pedroier.

If you have never heard any of his music before, I suggest checking out his 2010 album The Wild Hunt. You can easily find the entire thing on EweToob. The comparisons to a young Robbie Zimmerman are well-founded as he is a big fan of the old mumbler.

It is interesting to see that some of the best 'merican Folk Music is coming out of Scandinavia now. One of my favourite musical "discoveries" in the past five years is Daniel Norgren (who is also from Sweden, but he has no particular moniker of his own; however, he really is pretty tall and should do a double-bill with Kristian Matsson as the Shortest Man on Earth as a joke).

http://thetallestmanonearth.com/

http://www.superpumarecords.com/danielnorgren/

2. Yes, as in the little Robbie Zimmerman song of the same name. (I can only assume the stage name "The Tallest Woman on Venus" was already taken.)

http://www.amandabergman.se/

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

"Never let a gift horse in the house." 
~ Leo Rosten

(No official web-site.)


Place: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Location: 2499 San Bruno Avenue (at Thornton Avenue); phonicular contact: (415) 468-8805
Hours: open Monday - Friday at 7:00am; Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am
Meal: Veggie Tater-Tot Skillet ~ kale, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bells [sic], black olives, avocado, and Jack; with two over-medium eggs laid on top of the pile; and a cuppa America's Best Coffee Roasting Company (and a coupla refillas; they don't specify which roast/blend they serve, though)

http://www.ambestcoffee.com/

(There is really no EweToobular juxtaselection for today's video/songs; at least, I don't think these songs reference either "Tiffany's" or "Breakfast" or even "Audrey Hepburn" in any way. Once again, I just came across this new-ish Swedish singer last weekend while quarrying over on EweToob. I really liked her cover of Lucinda Williams' "Big Red Sun Blues".)


I have been looking forward to checking out the newly reopened Breakfast at Tiffany's (see last 'blog-entry from February 12th, 2012) and I finally got around to eating there. They had closed back in October 2013 and recently reopened under new ownership in November 2014. From what I could see, it looks like the new owners are a Mexican family. The place has been remodeled a bit with new tables, newly painted walls, etc. One noticeable difference is that they now do all the cooking in a back kitchen (which used to be a backroom storage area, I believe) and have removed the diner-grill from behind the counter. Plus, there are no longer any photos or paintings of "the delicate Belgian flower" herself on any of the walls.

The seating is still at a minimum. There are currently ten diner-counter seats, six tables for two, four or five tables for four, and one large table for eight. I was seated right away when I arrived (just a little after 8:00am); however, by 8:30am there was already a small line to get in and people had to do the sign-in sheet waiting list.

I was happy to see that the old menu remained mostly intact (with a few new additions, but generally the same as before) and, more specifically, that they still offer both Hash Browns de la Casa (Cheddar cheese, sour cream) and Hash Browns Stella (green chile, tomatoes, Cheddar and Jack, sour cream); this old dish was a big hit with me in the past and one of the reasons I went back again. They also have a good amount of omelettes from which to choose; both San Bruno Ave (spinach, mushrooms, Jack) and Veggie (kale, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bells, black olives, avocado, and Jack; which were all of the same ingredients in the Tater-Tot Skillet that I got this morning) appealed to me. They also offer five different versions of Eggs Benedict dishes. It was nice to see that they even kept the "Good Morning, San Francisco" chalk/blackboard with ten additional specials on the wall (it's been moved from over the diner-grill to the back wall by the kitchen now).

This was an absolute HUGE pile o' tater tots (but it came in a bowl, not in a cast iron skillet like I was hoping) and made with lots of fresh "veggies" (I really do hate that nomenclature. How hard is it to just write "vegetables" instead? Do they get charged by the letter?), which is always a plus. My one minor complaint (uno quibblito) is that I really would have liked a bit more kale (there was hardly any noticeable amount of it; I guess you could say that they "went lightly, Holly" with the kale), and it was listed as the first ingredient, after all. Plus, they forgot the black olives completely (which is forgivable, as they probably just use the standard, tasteless canned kind, anyway). It took me a while to figure out that by "bells", they actually meant "bell peppers". I was expecting some kinda tintinnabulation while swallowing. The "bells" were of the red, green, and yellow variety.

For condimentary supplements, Breakfast at Tiffany's has the Standard San Francisco Triumvirate of Hot Sauces: Tabasco® Brand Pepper Sauce (the standard red), Cholula® Hot Sauce Original, and Tapatío® Salsa Picante Hot Sauce; and I also noticed some Huy Fong Foods, Inc. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. I just used some of my own The Wiltshire Chilli Farm Hell Mouth and Winter chilli sauce on separate halves of the mess (Thanks for both, Cindy & Greg!). (Like the Chipotle from yesterday, I am making a decent dent in the bottle of Winter, too; that is, if one could actually dent a glass bottle without breaking it.)

While this new place lacks the old school "Mom & Pop"-ish charm of the original joint (this is like comparing the latter version of the Three Stooges ~ with Joe Besser or "Curly" Joe DeRita ~ to the classic version ~ with either Shemp Howard or Curly Howard), I am sure that in thirty to forty years loyal customers will be lamenting the closure of this "Mamacita y Papacito" place, too.


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Veggie Tater-Tot Skillet ~ 6.5 (this would probably have been a 6.6 with more discernable kalocity to it)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Happy Birthday, Abe[1], honestly!



Phone: (415) 468-0977

(No official website)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ClCpfeIELw&ob=av2e
 

This was only my second time ever eating at Breakfast at Tiffany's (see my first 'blog-entry from June 14th, 2011), but I am sure I will be going back again and again. It's a bit of a pain driving over to the Portola neighborhood, but they are just off of Highway 101 at the Silver Avenue exit and then just one block along San Bruno Avenue; parking can be a bit tricky, too, but I found a legal spot right across the street this morning. As stated before, there is absolutely nothing assuming about this little family-owned diner-esque joint, but that doesn't seem to keep people from coming to enjoy the simple, but tasty fare. The walls are adorned with crayon drawings from visiting kids (hence today's opening piece of artwork). I complained to my server that no one had offered me any crayons and she was going to actually give me some. Crayons rule, Mr. Binney and Mr. Smith!

They actually have a Brian Special on their menu; however, it is a Chorizo & Jack Scramble, so some other Brian that is a consumer of dead, decaying animal flesh will have to order that one, Mr. Piccolo. I simply went with Stella Hashbrowns ~ Cheddar & Jack Cheese, Green Chili[2], Tomatoes, served with Salsa & Sour Cream; and to make it a complete meal (or compleat meal) I had a side order of two eggs over medium and a glass of orange/pineapple juice. My main reason for going back again was I really love their take on hashbrowns. Have I ever mentioned how much I like potatoes?




When you order the "Full" Stella (instead of just as a side order), you get an entire (large) plate of hashbrowns; it really was more than I could finish (but unfortunately not enough was really left for me to take the remainder home). I particularly like that they spell hashbrowns as one word on their menu, too. (Stupid Bill Gates and his Microsoft Works® Word Processor auto-spellchecker thingy do not recognize this as one word and keep breaking it into two separate words for me ~ just what the heck does "hashb rowns" mean?) The hashbrowns were perfectly crispy (read: burned; just like I like 'em ~ they are called hashbrowns, after all, not hash-tans) on the bottom. This was made with three whole (good sized) green chillies; diced, sautéed, and then added to the potatoes on the grill. The chillies weren't too picante, just about right.

Breakfast at Tiffany's condimentary supplements are Tabasco® (the standard red), Tapatío®, and Crystal® Hot Sauce. I had remembered this from my last visit (well, not really remembered it, but re-read my 'blog-entry as a refresher), so I brought some of my own hot sauces with me; I ended up using some Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce (Thanks agains, Amys!) on the entire mess. I probably really didn't need to add any extra hot sauce to this as the salsa that was provided was more than enough and added a good amount of flavour already, but PAFFPS is really that good.

Moral of the day: Sometimes the potatoes are the breakfast and the eggs are the side dish!


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Stella Hashbrowns ~ 7.7; Eggs over medium ~ 5.5 (seriously, I can even make these; I don't, but I could)


[1] Today is the 203rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Which begs to ask the question: When you are in a crowded theatre, is it illegal to yell 'Sic semper tyrannis!'?
 
[2] Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day:
 
The word "chili" comes from the Nahuatl word "chilli/xilli', which is the native name for the fruit.
 
I am not sure exactly what kind of chilli peppers were used, probably Ortega/Anaheim chillies. At about 500-5,000 Scoville heat units, these rank only about as hot as a jalapeño or such.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaheim_pepper

Breakfast at Tiffany's

"(Audrey Hepburn*) was a delicate flower." ~ George Costanza



(no website available)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7SI7N22k_A


I had read several on-line reviews of Breakfast at Tiffany's (and it only makes sense for me to check out a place named after my 'blog) and people either seem to absolutely love this place or cold-bloodedly hate it… count me among the former numbers now, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany's is a completely unassuming "Mom & Pop" (literally) diner-joint located over in the Portola neighborhood of San Francisco, over on San Bruno Avenue (just a block from the Silver Ave exit off Highway 101). Unlike many other female-named restaurants (e.g. Dottie's, Ella's, Chloe's, Bettys, etc.), there is an actual "Tiffany" associated with this restaurant; she is the goddaughter of the owner/chief cook/bottle washer/"Pop". According to "Mom", they opened 34 years ago and have been at same location the entire time.

They have several Audrey Hepburn photos and posters adorning the walls. I asked "Pop" and he said that people started giving them to them and they put them up. (Them's a lot of "thems" in that thar' sentence.)



They have a pretty decent daily menu and several items on the specials board above the stoves:



I went off the printed menu and ordered the Veggie Omelet ~ Spinach, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers, Avocado, & Cheese (I chose Swiss, 'cause there was no Belgium cheese offered); with Sourdough toast, and a cuppa coffee. All breakfast dishes come with a side order of hashbrowns, and I "upgraded" mine to the Stella: Cheddar & Jack cheese, Green Chili (Ortega chiles), Tomatoes, served with Salsa & Sour cream.



In addition to their "Standard" Hashbrowns, they have three different "Upgrades" (their actual term, not mine) from which to choose: Dela, Stella, and Stella by Starlite (the Works). Now any place that does something different and interesting with my favourite tubular fruit, the potato, is okay by me. This was really a meal unto itself ~ a huge pile of hashbrowns ~ and worth a return trip just for that. Don't get me wrong, the omelette was very good, too ~ lots of fresh spinach (Always a good thing, Martha.) and probably an entire half of an avocado (a whole half?) in it.

Available for condimentary supplements are: Tabasco® (standard red), Crystal®, and Cholula®; however, I again brought some of my new Big Papi ~ En Fuego Hot Sauce (Thanks again, Kerry!). I went with some of the Monster Double Medium Hot on the omelette only, the salsa that came with the hashbrowns was pretty tasty already. (I asked if they made their own salsa fresh and was very surprised to be told that it actually came from a "can"… "Get a rope!"... It really was very good for coming from a can, and seemed like it had roasted tomatoes and chiles in it.)

Breakfast at Tiffany's is exactly the kind of joint and reason that I started this 'blog-thingy for in the first place. If it were a little closer and had better area parking, I am sure it would make "my rotation".

There were no diamonds for breakfast, Holly, just some damn fine hashbrowns! (And I promise you will not get any pink-eye from eating there, Remy.)


Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Veggie Omelet ~ 6.9; Stella Hashbrowns ~ 7.7 (actually, they were more like a 7.5, but I liked that they opened in '77, and thought this appropriate)


*(For those of you born after 1980, here is a little information on "la fleur délicate de la Belgique/die zarte Blume von Belgien":

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

Think of her as an older version of Natalie Portman.)