Family Owned Since 1937
(No website available.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmHn5yLjVA&feature=related
It had been a few years since I last ate at Louis', and they had just recently reopened (in late August) after a lengthy and much needed remodel (after they were awarded a new 10-year lease by the National Park Services[1]). You can't get much further west in San Francisco unless you are at Cliff House just down the street, about a block away. Louis' is a pretty small diner-ish place with just five red/burgundy vinyl-covered booths, some larger tables, and several counter seats. Their clientele seems to be mostly regulars and straggler touristas, probably not wanting to wait for Cliff House to open or seat them.
On a clear day (hence the cornball-y Babs EweToob link) the views are fantastic of the Pacific Ocean, Seal Rocks (which can be seen in the background of the above photo), and the ruins of the Sutro Bathhouse (which it overlooks on the bluff); however, today was still a little overcast while I was there early in the morning. It is a family-friendly restaurant with Crayolas® and colouring placemats for the kids (I was a bit upset that no one offered me some, though).
Louis' is a Greek family-owned place, but they really don't offer any Greek breakfast specials; I think that a nice Greek Omelette (with spinach, real Kalamata olives, and Feta) would be πολύ καλά (well, I always think it would be a great addition to anyone's menu). They do offer spinach and Feta as one of the cheeses of choice if you want to make your own omelette, though.
I ordered the Veggie Benedict ~ Grilled Seasonal Veggies, Poached Eggs (they specify "cage free eggs" on their menu, which is good as I hate to see eggs mistreated in any way), and Hollandaise Sauce; served with breakfast potatoes. I also had a (bottomless) cuppa Peerless® coffee.
I was pleasantly surprised with this dish, as this was very good and much better than I was expecting. It had lots of fresh seasonal veggies, which were: baby spinach, tomatoes, red onions, and mushrooms; a pretty nice season if you ask me (go ahead, ask me). I am sure their version of Hollandaise was decent, too, but I really have no idea what makes a good one, anyway; besides, I poured some hot sauce on it before even tasting it.
As for condimentary supplements, Louis' has all "the usual suspects": ketchup and (standard red) Tabasco®. I used some of my own collection, Mr. Blaine: Trees Can't Dance ~ African Hot Sauce (Thanks again, Greg & Cindy!) on the potatoes; and some Big Papi En Fuego Hot Sauce ~ Monster Double Medium Hot (Thanks, Kerry!) on the eggs and Hollandaise sauce.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Veggies Benedict ~ 6.7; Today's (not so) Clear Day View ~ (just) 7.0 (but still better than most)
[1] Louis' status is currently a concessioner contract with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with a lease that runs through October 2020.
Hardly Strictly Breakfast?[1]
http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/
What can you say about a 3-Day, 6-Stage, free music festival, but "Thank you, Rhinestone Jew-boy!"[2] Hardly Strictly Bluegrass[3] 11 took place again this weekend in Golden Gate Park. This is the 10th year in a row that I have attended this "only in San Francisco" freebie (Thanks, Warren! Thanks, Skip!). I know what a lot of you are thinking, "Ewww, Bluegrass music?! Were there a buncha toothless hillbillies on stage?"; well, unless some old Rock-and/or-Roller named Robert Plant (he used to play in some 70’s British pop group called the Graphite Dirigibles, which you may have heard about) is wearing dentures, you would be wrong. Hence the "Hardly Strictly" part of the festival name.
There were just me and about 99,999 other free-loading free music lovers. So what are the odds of running into someone that you know there, probably 100,000-to-one? (Hi, Tink!) Then what are the odds of running into the same person again, 200,000-to-one? (Hi again, Tink!!)
Last year I "wasted" eight hours on both Saturday and Sunday at the festival, so this year I limited myself to just four hours on Saturday (the laundry won't do itself on Sunday… will it?), but I still did get to see some classic music crammed into that time:
- the Wronglers with Jimmie Dale Gilmore (I really liked the stuff he did with Pink Floyd). Jimmie Dale was once described as "a Texas whippoorwill tenor"; I think that about sums it up best. The Wronglers did a very nice version of the old Bluegrass/Blues/Rock-and/or-Roll classic "Frankie and Johnny".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt7BJ-6gxSc&feature=related
- Robyn Hitchcock: late of "… and the Egyptians". The way Robyn was babbling on and on on-stage I had to wonder if he is Russell Brand's dad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7hxAZTTEVw
- Hugh Laurie: of "Black Adder" fame and some other TeeVee show currently playing on FOX (which is almost a real network). Hugh is actually a very talented musician (piano and guitar) and sounds a bit like a British Tom Waits when he sings; he plays/sings N'Orleans Jazz/Blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To3CFnoOUDI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOSYiT2iG08
(I figured a two-fer was in order as the music videos are actually longer.)
- The legen(wait for it…)dary Earl Scruggs; truly a legend in Bluegrass if there ever was one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_XAPku7SgE&feature=related
(You were expecting "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", perhaps?)
- I also caught a little bit of Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard on my way out. There was just too much good music from which to chose and I tried to take in as much as I could in the little time I was there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9yK42cNDvE&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIhMnUMlW4Y&feature=fvst
(Normally I would cringe whenever someone calls San Francisco "Frisco", but seeing as Merle is just about legend status himself ~ and he is of Okie descent, after all ~ I will let him slide this one time… but next time he will be on the "Fightin' Side of Me" for sure.)
So as to make this 'blog-entry somewhat food oriented here is some of the junk I had to eat and drink while I was there:
- Crispy Mac & Cheese with a spicy dipping sauce from Andalu. Unlike most concession stands at these festivals, Andalu is an actual restaurant in San Francisco. I may have to check out their "Brunch", as the Crispy Mac & Cheese was one of the better festival foods I have had in a long time.
http://www.andalusf.com/
- Roasted corn[4] on the cob, buttered, then sprinkled with some lemon-pepper and Cajun spices.
- Athenian Pita ~ pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, Feta, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans, with Tzatziki[5] sauce (think a vegetarian Souvlaki Pita).
- Samuel Adams® Octoberfest. I had brought this with me from home, I am not sure they actually sell Beer at the concession stands, but, even if they did, it probably would be overpriced and crap. In my opinion (and in my opinion, my opinion is all that really matters to me), this might be one of the best 'merican Beers available (even if it is only for a very short time each year).
http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=011e3e3f-52b1-4c55-9e05-0417800d7b23
- ZICO® Coconut Water ~ Pineapple. Another drink I brought with me from home, it was just way cheaper than what they charge for bottled water.
http://zico.com/
One question that I have never had answered at live music events is just who is this guy "Chet" that the roadies are always asking about during sound checks?!
Free music is always good music and worth every penny!
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass ~ 8.11; Crispy Mac & Cheese ~ 7.11; Roasted corn on the cob ~ 6.0; Athenian Pita ~ 6.8; Samuel Adams® Octoberfest ~ 7.8; ZICO® Coconut Water ~ 6.5
[1] As I stated in my very first 'blog-entry, anything goes: my 'blog, my 'rules.
[2] If you have a problem with that terrible anti-Semitic joke, take it up with Warren Hellman as it was his line about himself.
[3] Bluegrass "the other white music".
[4] That would be "maize" to you Britishlander types. Which brings us to the stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day :
The English word "maize" comes from the Spanish word "maís", which in turn comes from the Taino word "mahiz"; in German, it is "mais" ~ pronounced "mize", Johnny.
I told you that cunning linguist pointer in order to tell this cunning linguist anecdote (as related to me many years ago by my russkaya uchitel'nitza, Gospozha Valentina Drage):
When Mrs. Drage first came to 'merica (living in New York City) back in the 40's as a child (escaping from Communist Russia via a short stay in Germany), she knew very little English and only some basic German. Her mother sent her to the corner store to get some "Indian corn" as they had tried it once before in 'merica (it really wasn't available in Russia back then) and really liked it.
Not knowing the 'merican word for it, she asked the grocer for some "mais" (the German word she knew).
The grocer told her, "Sorry, little girl, but we don't sell any 'mice' here. This is a grocery store not a pet shop." But she was adamant and said that they had bought some before there. The befuddled grocer asked her, "What exactly do you do with the 'mice'?". She told him that they "boiled it, and buttered it, and ate it, and it was delicious".
By now the grocer is thinking that these damn immigrants are crazy and will eat just about anything. Little Valentina then blurted out in Russian that she wanted some "кукуруза" (pronounced "kukuruza"). The grocer happened to have been of Russian descent himself and said, "Oh, you want some 'corn'!"
[5] This is the real "food of the Gods", forget that ἀμβροσία stuff.
… because "Felicitous Miss Blankenship Café" was already taken[1]
(No web-site available.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThdCEVhOPvM
(I know I could have linked "Tom’s Diner" by Suzanne Vega as a better EweToob-y lead-in, but I wanted to save that for when/if I ever go to the real one in New York City, Mr. Costanza.)
This was another olde-timey diner place that I have driven by hundreds of times and had never stopped in to try: Lucky Penny Coffee Shop. It is located at the corner of Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue, where the Inner Richmond District, Laurel Heights, and the Western Addition kind of meld. They are open 24 hours, every day, which is getting harder and harder to find in San Francisco. ("World-Class City", my ass! More like "Only an 18-hour Class City".) It has been in the same location for at least twenty-five years that I know, and probably opened another twenty-five years before that even.
Embedded pennies adorn the countertop; I didn't check every single one, but they all appear to be "heads up", luckily. They were showing an old 1940's-1950's Black-and-White movie on the TeeVees above the diner counter when I first sat down (it was one that I had never seen and really couldn't place a few of the somewhat familiar faces). They serve breakfast all day long and have a decent enough selection from which to choose. I went with the simple Vegetarian Omelette ~ tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, (<-- note additional and grammatically correct comma[2]) and Monterey Jack cheese; with hashbrowns (they actually offer a choice of either hashbrowns or pancakes, which I thought was nice) and sourdough toast; and I also had a cuppa their diner-style coffee.
There was nothing either terrible or really special about this omelette; it was good and huge, and much better than any effort I have ever made at a decent omelette; plus it had lots of Monterey Jack cheesy goodness throughout it. The coffee was about what I expected diner coffee to be: black, hot, and always another refill, if you can handle it.
As would be expected at a diner-style place, Lucky Penny offers ketchup and Tabasco® (the standard red) as condimentary supplementation. I kinda figured as much and used some Trees Can't Dance ~ African Hot Sauce (Thanks, Cindy and Greg!) on the potatoes and some Benito's Original Naranja (Thanks, me!) on the omelette.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Vegetarian Omelette ~ 6.2
[1] There are probably only about two people (out of the multitude of tens) who read this 'blog who will get that little joke/salutation.
[2] Completely boring, stupid, and useless grammar/punctuation pointer of the day:
You would be surprised at how many times the additional comma before an "and" or "or" is omitted. I am no Mr. Prentice (nor Mr. Hall, even), but I was always told that one "should use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses that form a coordinate series" (such as this one and the one used in the first sentence of this subparagraph).
San Mateo, CA
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/Eggs+and+Omelettes/
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/Sunday+Brunch/
Road-trip breakfast/"Brunch" to the Cheesecake Factory® at their newest restaurant in San Mateo at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. I went with a small group of thirteen other people. We got there just as they were opening and the place is big enough that they were able to seat all fourteen of us pretty quickly and all at one table. This location just opened last week and this was the first Sunday that they were open for "Sunday Brunch" (so it was a good thing we went today and not on Saturday).
This was the first time I have ever eaten at the Cheesecake Factory and I was surprised at the amount of things that they offer for breakfast/"Brunch". There were enough of us that we got a chance to order a bunch of different meals with no duplications: Luke got Factory Huevos Rancheros (off the "Eggs & Omelettes" menu); Zaria had Crab Hash (off the "Sunday Brunch" menu); Steve had Baja Chicken Hash (off the "Sunday Brunch Menu"); David had Bourbon Street Omelette (off the "Eggs & Omelettes" menu); Eva had the French Toast (just the standard version and not the Napoleon[1], which I was leaning toward, off the "Sunday Brunch" menu); Miss Paris had the Mini Egg Breakfast (off the "Eggs & Omelettes" menu); Jeannette and Jon both ordered sandwiches (off the standard menu) ~ I didn't catch what Jeannette ordered, but Jon had the Portobello Mushroom burger; I didn't note what was ordered at the other end of the table (sorry, but the list was getting long and my memory isn't quite… what was I saying?); and I had a California Omelette (off the "Eggs & Omelettes" menu).
I liked my omelette well enough (it came with toast and hash browns ~ I asked for no toast, as I was trying to save room for cheesecake); it was chock full o' fresh ingredients (always a plus): Avocado, Mushrooms, Green Onion, Tomato, Garlic and Shallots, Sour Cream, Jack Cheddar and Swiss Cheese. Luke liked his huevos (that sounds kinda Freudian), but said they don't compare to the version at Buck's of Woodside[2]. Zaria said she liked her meal, but it could have had more crab meat in it. Steve said he really liked his meal (and if I was a dead, decaying foul fowl eater, I probably would have liked this, too, as it looked pretty decent), but I have never known Steve to not clean his plate completely. David also said he liked his omelette, but that it was a little "greasy" (I chalk that up to the Andouille sausage). The major complaint came from Eva; she said that her French Toast seemed under-cooked/soggy in the middle (well, it was not Baker Street Bistro, after all).
The Cheesecake Factory offers as condimentary supplements just ketchup and Tabasco® (the standard red). Knowing that there would be a pretty good crowd of us, I came well equipped this morning with four from my own collection: Trees Can't Dance ~ African Hot Sauce (Thanks again, Cindy and Greg!); Sylvia's Restaurant® ~ Kickin' Hot Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!); Blair's Sudden Death Sauce® (Thanks a lot, ~ sarcasm ~ Mom!); and Benito's Original Naranja (Thanks, me!). I used the Benito's on my hash browns and some Sylvia's on the omelette. Jon tried both the Benito's and Trees Can't Dance; he said he liked the Trees Can't Dance the best. I did get a number of people at the table to try the Blair's (even Miss Paris bravely tried a tiny amount, and poor Luke tried some unwittingly ~ sorry); the general consensus was that it was extremely, stupidly hot (I also used a little on my omelette ~ very sparingly, of course); I have a feeling that I will be "enjoying" that small bottle for another five years or more.
All in all, it was a fun road-trip breakfast. I am just disappointed with myself as I was fully planning on getting a piece of cheesecake for dessert ~ and I even had the Key Lime all picked out ~ but I really wasn't hungry enough ("You flew all the way to Vienna and they were out of Apfelstrudel[3], so you just had a cuppa coffee instead?"). I am not accustomed to ordering dessert with breakfast normally. On the bright side, no one else was hungry enough to order any cheesecake, either.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: California Omelette ~ 6.5; (I didn't actually poll the rest of the table for their GBS scores, as I would have had to explain the intricacies to each and every person; plus, I would have had to try and remember everyone's ratings)
[1] Completely useless, boring cunning linguist pointer of the day, la première partie (and even a bit of a culinary lesson):
Interestingly enough, this style of layered dessert (or in this case, French Toast) is usually called "Mille-feuille" in French, which means "a thousand sheets". The alternate name "Napoleon" doesn't really refer to the French Emperor, but comes from "napolitain", the French adjective for the city of Naples; it may just have been altered in association with ol' Boney-part.
[2] I really need to make another road-trip down to Buck's and do a 'blog-entry about it. They really do make an excellent Huevos Rancheros; it compares to some of the best ones I have ever had in la Misión.
http://www.buckswoodside.com/
[3] Completely useless, boring cunning linguist pointer of the day, der zweite Teil (and yet still another culinary/dessert lesson):
"Apfelstrudel" comes from the German combined form of "Apfel", meaning "apple" (gee, that is a stretch), and "Strudel", which comes from the Middle High German meaning "whirlpool" or "eddy". Maybe it has something to do with the "swirling" pastry form. Just don't ask me to explain "Schlagsahne".
Goodnight, Geary Blvd… good morning, Popovers(!)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLKpkDY0S4
http://cliffhouse.com/bistro/lunch.html
Once again I headed westward, Ho(race) and ate at the Bistro (Restaurant) @ Cliff House (see last 'blog-entry from June 13th, 2011 ~ I like that date). Much like Dottie's True blue café and Baker Street Bistro, I have eaten at this place so many times that I am running out of photos to use as an opener. Today, however, I happened to look up and noticed that their light fixtures (chandeliers even) have a compass design on them, and they are actually pointed in the correct direction. So, there's that.
It was a pretty gloomy/foggy morning at Ocean Beach today. (Fog in San Francisco? Who ever heard of such a silly thing?) I did see several pelicans[1] flying in formation outside past the windows and a few surfers braving Ocean Beach.
Today's wall of autographed[2] Hollywoodland stars (and others) photos:
(Picture 1, top to bottom)
???; ???
??? (my most trusty server, Chris, thought that this might be Walter Pidgeon, but I am not sure that is correct); ???
Irene Dunn/Dunne; ?Irving? ?Sinclair? (that is what the signature looks like, but I have no idea who that is)
Neil Sedaka (hence the "and others"); (a very youngish) Marion Robert Morrison (Ha! This guy has a girl's first name, Kerry.)
(Picture 2, top to bottom)
Spencer Tracy; (Marga)Rita (Carmen Cansino) Hayworth
(you got some 'splainin' to do) Lucille Esmeralda McGillicuddy; Leo Carillo ("Ohhh, Ceesco!")[3]
Tommy & Dick Smothers; Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler ~ better known as Harvey Korman (my faithful server, Chris, correctly identified this one for me; I don't think I have really ever seen a Hedy Lamarr movie)
I am throwing this out there once again: anyone that can fill in any of the ??? with the correct names will be treated to all the Popovers(!) you can eat… my treat, or maybe even a breakfast at Dottie's True blue café.
I once again had the Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ Scrambled Eggs, Ham (substituted this for 'shrooms; thanks, Chris, for the suggestion), Potatoes, Green Onions, & Cheddar Cheese with Grilled Sourdough Crostini; with a side of fresh fruits. I also had a cuppa very good coffee today (their coffee is generally pretty good, but today's brew was even better than normal) and, of course, their most excellent Popovers(!) ~ two before/with the meal and two to take home with (¡Muchas gracias, Israel! I happened to mention to one of the servers that I really like the Popovers(!) and he forced me to take an additional two home with me; for which, I was sure to "reverse complain" to the Maître d'-lâdy at the entrance).
I like this scrambled mess as it already incorporates the potatoes in the dish; however, I was still tempted to order a side order of sautéed red potatoes ~ you can never have enough carbohydrates. Today's side of Fall fresh fruits (mostly the same as the Summer fresh fruits): cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew, grapes, and strawberry.
For condimentary supplementation, I used some HP® (Brown) Sauce and Trees Can't Dance ~ African Hot Sauce (Thanks, Greg and Cindy!); a little Brown Sauce on some of the more exposed potatoes and some of the African Hot Sauce on the rest of the mess.
Right behind the Cliff House, overlooking the ocean, is Camera Obscura and Holograph Gallery[4]. I have never been inside, but always liked how the building was shaped like a large box camera. Sorry, Jean Luc, these guys beat the Enterprise to the idea by many years.
As I have eaten here many, many times, what more can be said about this place? Yada, yada, yada… Popovers(!).
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ 6.8; Today's crummy ocean view ~ 5.5; Popovers(!) ~ 8.2
[1] Stupid, completely random cunning linguist pointer of the day:
"Pelican" comes from the Greek word "πελεκυς" (pronounced "pelekys") which means "axe", probably referring to the bird's large axe-shaped beak.
If you don't believe me, just ask Dr. Doolittle, he can corroborate my story… like hell-'e-can!
[2] Secondarily stupid, completely random cunning linguist pointer of the day:
"Autograph" comes from the Greek word "αυτόγραφο" (avtographo); "αὐτός" meaning "car" and "γράφω" meaning "to drive haphazardly down the road" (and normally on the wrong side of the street) ~ hence the connection to Hollywoodland Blvd. and Wine.
I don't make this stuff up... well, much.
[3] Extra added EweToob-y link just for "sheets and greens":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YllP22mVZQg
[4] Additional Camera Obscura information (unbeknownst to them) courtesy of the friendly folk at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura_%28San_Francisco,_California%29
"The Original S.F. Diner Since 1935"
http://www.itstopscoffeeshop.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPs9WMWlbaU
I drive past this place about 3-4 times a week and finally figured it was about time to check out It's Tops (Fountain) Coffee Shop. They are located right on Market Street on the corner where the Octavia Boulevard on-ramp to 101 is. Right outside the window you can see all the historic trolley/street cars[1] running by along the tracks.
There is definitely an olde-tymey feel to the place. The walls and ceiling are completely covered with wood paneling (on their website, they state "knotty pine", but I wouldn't know "knotty pine" from "Nottinghamshire Sherwood Forest oak"). The walls are covered with old coffee shop/diner memorabilia and tins signs/advertisements. I sat at one of the round, burgundy vinyl covered counter seats; there are twelve counter seats and about eight booths total. There are those little juke box selection thingys all along the counter, which are probably just for show (I asked my server and she said they don't actually work, but the website highlights them); whatever, the house stereo was playing 50's and 60's music mainly the whole time I was there. The waitresses wear old diner-style uniforms: pink and black, very cute.
They offer a pretty varied breakfast menu (as well as the whole diner/burger-joint stuff), which is available all day long. As they say their hot cakes are "awesome" (not a term that was probably used to describe food back in 1935), I had to order something from that portion of the menu. I ordered banana-p'nut butter buttermilk hot cakes ~ with housemade (that is what it says on the menu; I wonder if they are tapping maple trees in the back yard to do so) maple syrup and butter. Plus I had a side order of home-fried potatoes and a cuppa coffee.
This normally comes with three pancakes, but I asked them to make me two only ~ "A man's got to know his limitations, Harry!" ~ as I knew there was no way I was going to be able to finish all three pancakes and a side of potatoes. The hot cakes were good, but nothing really exciting ~ just good buttermilk pancakes with peanut butter and bananas; pancakes. The coffee was typical diner-ish coffee: hot, black, tasteless; but I really wasn't expecting anything else (unlike last Saturday's Minor coffee-snob rant of the day). Now the home-fried potatoes were very good ~ made in thin slices and not cubes/chunks; so they were almost a cross between hashbrowns and regular home fries; I really liked these.
As for condimentary supplements, they only have Tabasco® and Tapatío®. So I used some of my own Big Papi En Fuego Hot Sauce ~ Monster Double Medium Hot (Thanks, Kerry!) and Sylvia's Restaurant® ~ Kickin' Hot Hot Sauce (Thanks, Sean!) on the home-fried potatoes ~ half and half.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: banana-p'nut butter hot cakes ~ 6.4; home-fried potatoes ~ 6.7
[1] These are not to be confused with "where little cable cars climb half-way to the stars". Several years back, the San Francisco Municipal Railway bought a fleet of historic trolley/street cars from different cities all over the world: Milan, Philadelphia, N'Orleans (sorry, "Desire" was not one of them), etc.; and had the wheel bases re-worked to fit along the existing rails along Market Street.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_Market_and_Wharves
"Let them eat Pain Perdu!"
http://www.bakerstreetbistro.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9nSgMwtkK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCkH4TL_8fk
(I figured something classic and something newer, which should be a classic in another 25-30 years.)
It has only been a few months since my last breakfast at Baker Street Bistro (see 'blog-entry from June 11th, 2011), but I felt it necessary to stop by there again for a really good breakfast al fresco (I wonder what the French equivalent to that phrase is, or even the Italian) before the Fall/Winter sets in and we are forced to dine indoors. It was a bit chilly when I first sat down outside, but le Soleil popped over the roofs of the houses across the street while I was eating and it warmed up tout de suite.
I may or may not have used the above weather-worn signage as a 'blog-header before; it really doesn't matter as I like it. As I have eaten here several times in the past few years and have made many 'blog-entries about it already, (much like all my visits to Dottie's True blue café) I am running out of things to take pictures of (and I know it should be written grammatically correctly as "I am running out of things of which to photograph" or such, as it is improper to end a sentence a preposition with; however, anyone that would like to correct my grammar can either: 1) talk to grampar about it, 2) start your own stupid 'blog, or 3) off screw).
I parked over by the Presidio's Lombard Street Gate again, near the small grove of eucalyptus trees, and could only see about 3-4 Wild Parrots of San Francisco at the very top of one of the trees. This is a terrible shot, but hopefully you get the idea.
As I just had their Pain Perdu plus excellent on my last visit, I went with Oeufs Baker Street Bistro ~ ratatouille, poached eggs, English muffins[1], tomato sauce; served with home fries and mixed greens. I also had a goood cuppa their house coffee (well, several refills, too, to be exact) to round out the breakfast.
The Oeufs were très bons as always. As I have stated in the past, I am not that big of a fan of greens for breakfast (What, am I some kinda stupid vegetarian or rabbit or something?), so I asked my server to skip those; she suggested they would add more potatoes instead ~ "no salad, extra potatoes" ~ you can never have too many underground tubular fruits... nice!
For condimentary supplementation I used some of my own Trees Can't Dance ~ African Hot Sauce on the Oeufs (Thanks again, Cindy and Greg!) and a little Benito's ~ Original Naranja (Thanks, Brian!) on the potatoes.
The only thing I can think of that might make this a plus savoureaux meal would be to use home-made (restaurant-made) English muffins instead of plain ol' Thomas'® (nooks and crannies notwithstanding); it really matters not, as this is still my second favourite breakfast dish here ~ nothing really compares to their Pain Perdu, after all.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Oeufs Baker Street Bistro ~ 7.4
[1] I am pretty sure that the correct term en français is les muffins des porc-chiens kaniggits anglais.
This can not really be counted as a stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, as it is a generally known fact, especially if you are a fan of Le Cirque Volant de Monté Pythón.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmHgY_J63Ik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB37221c6JY
(I like this cover version by the Red Paintings. The eerie use of stringed instruments really adds to the effect. Thanks, Sean!)
A somber[1] Sunday morning breakfast at Dottie’s True blue café (see 'blog-entries from every Sunday in June 2011).
Once again, I forewent the printed menu in favour of the specials board. There were several good choices (as always), I went with the Roasted Grape Tomato, Spinach, Kalamata Olive, Pesto, and Feta Frittata ~ with toast and potatoes. I also had a cuppa coffee and a large glass of grapefruit juice.
I really liked this frittata. The grape tomatoes were small enough that they were whole in this dish; they really added a fresh and sweet pop to it. I am always a sucker for most dishes that include spinach, Kalamata olives, or Feta; that this one included all of those Hellenic memories made it all the more tasty.
Dottie's has a pretty decent selection of condimentary supplements and I used a little Tabasco® Chipotle on the frittata and some Frank's® RedHot® Chile 'n Lime™ ("I use that sh*t on everything!") on the potatoes.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: RgtSKoP&F Frittata ~ 7.4; True Blue Memories, Family, and Friends ~ 10.0
1. Not only is today the anniversary of September 11th, 2001, but I just found out this morning that an old Air Force buddy (and brother in Marxhood) passed away earlier this week.
I had just recently reconnected with Gary Burgess through the funny pages of defacedbook and learned that he had been suffering from kidney failures; he finally lost his long battle after more than ten years.
I had known Gary my entire Air Force career (and I use the word "career" lightly). I first met him way back in 1978 with my first assignment at the Defense Language Institute/Presidio of Monterey, when I was taking Basic Russkij. Then, Gary was the first friendly face I saw when I arrived at my first real tour of duty at the 6916th Electronic Security Squadron ("Home of the Proud Professionals", Ut Fiat Libertas), Hellenikon AB (Athens, Greece). When I went back to Montereyski for Intermediate Russkij in 1982-1983, who else was there but Gary; he was taking Basic Spanish at the time. After serving a tour (more like a 2-year party/vacation) in (West) Berlin, I finished my Air Force time at Offutt AFB, Omaha, NE; well, guess who was the first person I ran into that I knew ~ Gary and I ended up renting a house off-base in Bellevue. The last time I actually saw Gary was in November 1986, he was taking Intermediate Spanish back in Monterey and I had just moved to San Francisco; we got together for a weekend just before he PCS-ed to Panama.
Three fun memories of Gary:
1) Things to know about Gary: he was passionate about Basketball and Backgammon and hated to lose in either.
a) I like watching Basketball as much as the next guy. I usually keep up on the NBA and will even watch most of the NCAA "March Madness". Gary took his Basketball obsession to another whole level, though. One spring Saturday afternoon, I remember catching him watching on TeeVee ~ the Texas Regional Girls High School Basketball tournament! When I asked him "WTF?", he just told me that was the only Basketball he could find that afternoon.
b) Gary was the fargin' bastage that taught me how to play Backgammon (it was during a weekend road-trip to San Francisco, must have been March or April 1978). The first game of Backgammon I ever played against him, I actually beat him. I chalk it up to "Beginner's Luck" and not to Gary going easy on me; he may have been playing easy with me, but he would never intentionally let anyone win, no matter what. There weren't too many games after that first one that I can say I actually beat him, but whenever I did, I was sure to revel in the victory.
Thanks for showing me how to play Backgammon, even if I usually lost.
2) When I first arrived at the 6916th, Gary told me not to "Sign in" with the Squadron right away and to take a few "extra" days off and head to the beaches of Γλυφάδα. As this was in the summer (July 1979), there really couldn't have been a better way to play hooky. He told me that if anyone asked where I was, to tell them I had to attend a Judicial In-briefing (whatever that was supposed to be) or something… I really doubt they fell for it; how many people really have to attend five to ten Judicial In-briefings? Plus, why did I have a better tan than when I first showed up?
3) Gary was also the person who introduced me to a great Mexican breakfast place in Salinas, Rosita's Armory Cafe. We would go there from Montereyski on a Saturday or Sunday morning for a tasty repast (and usually for a much-needed hangover respite). ¡Muchas gracias, mi amigo!
Gary, if you do ever hook up with J.C. in Heaven and talk him into a game of Basketball or Backgammon, be careful, he cheats.
R.I.P. Gary Burgess; April 28th, 1957 - September 6th, 2011
"The one with the curried cauliflower, shiitake, grilled red onion, cilantro, and Gouda."
http://www.ellassanfrancisco.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-7VprPX8kg&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIDOEsQL7lA&feature=related
(Because the first EweToob link wasn't the best quality, and you can never have too much of Lady Ella.)
When last we visited Ella's (see 'blog-entry from July 1oth, 2011 for last visit) in Laurel Heights, we were accompanied by the always pretty and friendly Miss Hartman ("Hey, Amy-monster!"). Today I went there all by myself, so I once again sat at the bakery counter to watch all the baked goods being made.
Before heading over to Ella's I stopped for a cuppa coffee at Cafe la Flore[1] over on Clement Street in the Richmond District (Warning: "Bad Coffee" rant about to start).
Minor coffee-snob rant of the day:
While this was not quite as bad as the extremely craptastic cuppa that I had at Caffe Capriccio (see 'blog-entry from April 17th, 2011), it still was not that good either for a "perfeshinal coffee-making-joint". I have been to this place several times in the past and the coffee is usually very good (or much better than it was today); so, I'll cut them some slack and just chalk it up (maybe that was the problem, someone put chalk in the coffee grounds?) to a bad brew day.
I kept reconsidering and really wanted to like the coffee, but kept downgrading it after each subsequent sip. This is kinda like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman ~ initially, upon first glance, they are about 6.5 each on the Glen Bacon Scale; however, after they open their mouths and with each successive, completely inane, mind-numbingly stupid vapidity uttered from their pretty lips, they go down… and down… and down (and not in a good way, Mr. Clinton).
Luckily I threw the cup away before it reached negative numbers. If I had known the coffee was going to be as bad as it was, I would have just waited and ordered a cuppa at Ella's, which offers a pretty decent cuppa, or I would have ordered a cuppa very good coffee at Peet's after breakfast, which is just down the street from Ella's.
Moral to the rant: If you are in the business of selling coffee, please make sure it is better than the swill I can make (badly) at home all by myself.
(No official website available.)
As always, Ella's weekend "Brunch" specials all looked very good (sans any of the dead, decaying horseflesh items, of course), I went with the potato scramble with curried cauliflower, shitakes[2] (sic), grilled red onions, cilantro, and gouda ~ with two eggs over medium laid on top; and chose the honey-oat-raisin toast (again), with some strawberry jam on one slice. I also had a glass of Ginger Orange Juice Punch.
Ella's potato scrambles always have interesting and tasty combinations. Now I would never have paired curried cauliflower with shiitake, but with the addition of the fresh cilantro (of which there was a lot, too; not just the standard sprinkling of some chopped-up bits, but entire leaves/sprigs throughout the scramble) it all worked out nicely. I am not normally a big fan of strawberry jam, but this was home-made (restaurant-made) and was pretty decent; not that the honey-oat-raisin toast really needed any extra flavour as it is one of my favourites, anyway.
As I was more than aware that Ella's offers as condimentary supplementation just "the usual suspects", Captain Renault, I went with some of my new Benito's Original Naranja on the entire mess (Thanks again, Brian!).
You can always be assured about one thing dining at Ella's, there will always be a hardy breakfast, Mr. Arthur Stanley Jefferson.
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Potato Scramble ~ 7.0; Cafe la Flore coffee ~ 5.9
1. I was surprised that they didn't spell this as "Café" on their awning. I think the place is run and owned by a woman from France.
Stupid, completely useless cunning linguist pointer of the day, première partie:
"la Flore" en français just means "the flora"; and is spelled with a normal "e", not avec accent aigu.
2. This should actually be "shiitake", not "shitake" (which actually sounds like something one would get after eating too many bad shiitake); at least they didn't have the completely redundant, repetitious, supererogatory, and saying the same thing "mushrooms" after it. I pointed this out to my waiter-guy-type person and he agreed with me, but seeing as this is a weekend special for this weekend only, I really doubt that they will be reprinting any menus on my recommendation.
Secondary stupid, completely useless cunning linguist pointer of the day (and a reiteration from a previous 'blog-entry):
"Shiitake" is the combined Japanese word for "oak/tree" ("shii") and "mushroom" ("take"), Mr. Roboto.
