Best SF Bay breakfasts?

[Lami]

I love Zazie...bistro-ish place on Cole b/t Carl and Parnassus. Great Challah french toast, gingerbread pancakes, five different poached egg dishes (with "light" hollandaise sauce but don't let that fool you, thank God....)

Also Chloe's on 26th street near Duncan -- fantastic....

Have to add to the discussion on Tartine's croissants -- not only burnt but I'm not at all fond of the butter (my French companion swore it was margarine!) they use in their recipe....I have to say that Rigo's croissants are awesome in that regard -- and closing the loop, if Zazie isn't available but you're in the 'hood, Rigo's recent addition to his bakery empire, Boulange, is on the corner of Parnassus and Cole...

MMMMMM......Breakfast for dinner? Sounding better and better after reading and writing this thread!!

[TheFuzzy]

Folks,

Aha, brunch, probably my favorite meal.

I've stopped going to Ella's. As the weekend crowds have gotten bigger and the restaurant expanded, they've stripped down the weekend brunch menu in order to keep up with demand. Unfortunately, that means most of the stuff which makes Ella's worth waiting in line for is only available on weekdays. If you can get there on a weekday, though, do so and order a fried polenta for me!

Kate's Breakfast, on Haight, was the hot spot for about 4 years and still commands hour-long waiting lists if you make the mistake of arriving after 10am on a weekend. It's still the best preposterously-huge-pancakes-buried-in-stuff breakfast around, or try the French Toast Orgy. Do not bring your Atkins friends there.

Speaking of the Lower Haight, does anyone but me mourn the demise of Spaghetti Western? Memphis Minnie's replaced it, which is a good thing, but they don't do brunch.

On the Upper Haight, Magnolia's has a limited menu of semi-classy brunch items, and never has a wait until noon, owing partly to prices $1-2 higher than the norm for the street. The Pork Store is another much-reviewed classic and possibly the best gourmet-greasy diner experience you can have for 1300 calories. Not for the faint of cholesterol. The Blue Front is good in a hurry for an egg dish and on a limited budget, but Squat and Gobble has been in steady decline for the last 2 years (possibly due to increased rent) and should probably be skipped. All You Knead is known for good blintzes and some of the worst service you can get on the Haight, which is saying a lot.

As far as Cole Valley goes, I don't see what the big deal about Zazie is. Why do people wait in line? The portions are small, yet pricey. Zazie does a good dinner though. Crepes on Cole has overhauled their menu and added many new items and combos, making them much more attactive for a crepe-or-omlette brunch. Or if you just want pastry and serious coffee, try Bay Bread's 4th Boulangerie location

Oh, and I second the recommend for Art's Cafe.

Our new "stealth option" for late-start mornings is Q on Clement Street. They have a nice selection of eggy things including some which are rather exotic, and some good chilaquiles. And no lines until after 11.

Further afield, Bette's Diner has not lost its touch; we did not at all regret the drive to get there on a Sunday morning (arrive early or wait!). If you can't get there, but the cookbook. Finally, there is a wood-fired pizza place in the San Francisco Airport International Terminal which will cook you a breakfast pizza with eggs, cheese, and pancetta.

Edited August 9, 2004 by TheFuzzy (log)

[Squeat Mungry]

Okay, the croissant situation had me doing some sleuthwork, memory-wise. I just KNEW that I used to eat good croissants when I first started working downtown, [um... many...] years ago.

The synapses in my brain finally connected and I made an investigatory visit this morning. I am pleased to announce that perfectly decent croissants are still to be had from Caffe Bianco in the Flatiron Building on Sutter near Market. I stopped in on the way to work and got one: the outside a uniform and pleasant crispy-flaky texture, niether too dark nor too light; the inside light and uniform throughout, moist with a great buttery flavor -- with many, many thin airy layers, tender but not doughy at all.

(Be warned that lying in the case next to this perfectly competent croissant was a "cinnamon croissant" that did not look appetizing at all.)

I was in a hurry and didn't have time to discuss the croissant with the guy at the counter. I don't believe they bake these on the premises, but I could be wrong about that. I'll try to find out where they get them from.

Cheers,

Squeat

[uncle ovipositor]

I'm a big fan of cafe 817 next to Rattos in Oakland. 

817's high on my list, too, and I'm often there for a bite before the farmer's market as well, although I haven't been going as often since the oyster guy went off his meds and can no longer get out of bed to bring oysters to the east bay.

I don't want to travel far for breakfast and I sure as hell don't want to wait in line, so I go to Linn & Lu's on Grand or occasionally Cafe DiBartolo. L&L's is unpretentious, has some great food for cheap, and a nice patio out back where you can while away a morning quite pleasantly. DiBartolo's is home to the strongest coffee you will ever have in your life, has a bagel with the works that's perfect for most mornings, and again a nice patio out back. The only drawback to DiBartolo's is the music - it's often offensively not to my liking and loud enough that you can't avoid it. I hate that.

Occasionally the missus and I will be up in Berkeley for some reason, in which case we'll stop by Sauls. Corned-beef hash done right - end of discussion. Too bad you still can't get a solid bagel on this coast (but hell - it's getting hard to find good ones in NYC these days!), but other than that they do a solid impersonation of a jewish deli. But with much better coffee.

And I, too, miss Spaghetti Western. And the Horseshoe. A funny story about SW: some friends were sitting in there for brunch several years ago, and they noticed that the guy in the booth behind them had a Black Flag tattoo. They were joking (quietly) about how stupid it is to get your favorite band's name tattooed on your arm, and how uninspired that is, and I guess they got a little loud, and the guy turned around... And it was Henry Rollins.

[allister]

i was in berkeley for some time in the late 90's and remember a great diner type place down university near 80. I'm sorry, I don't know the name of the place, but it was across the street from a Cody's books. If you drive down University, and then made a right turn right before the freeway (entrance ramp for 80) it was in the shopping area there. I believe that that area has been undergoing some change (more stores now)

This place had great brunch food, great NYC diner type selections, and a great berry jam.

[jschyun]

i was in berkeley for some time in the late 90's and remember a great diner type place down university near 80.  I'm sorry, I don't know the name of the place, but it was across the street from a Cody's books.  If you drive down University, and then made a right turn right before the freeway (entrance ramp for 80) it was in the shopping area there.  I believe that that area has been undergoing some change (more stores now) 

This place had great brunch food, great NYC diner type selections, and a great berry jam.

You're talking about Bette's Oceanview Diner. I like the place, but the wait can be insane.

The original Cody's books is on Telegraph.

--actually the original was on Euclid on Northside, but that's a quibble.

Edited August 17, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[Carlsbad]

The mention of Cody's brings back fond memories of days long gone bye.

[megc]

You're talking about Bette's Oceanview Diner.  I like the place, but the wait can be insane. 

The original Cody's books is on Telegraph.

--actually the original was on Euclid on Northside, but that's a quibble.

I used to work at Hear Music, a couple doors down from Bette's and I used to go to Bette's To Go, right next door. They have amazing pizza and delicious chocolate pudding. It's pretty fast, too, although it's not breakfast. I avoided the main Bette's because of the wait, too.

There used to be a great gelato place in between Hear and Bette's.

I did not know that the original Cody's was on Euclid! There used to be a cute little movie theater up there, too, where I saw Strictly Ballroom. There is also a nice cafe run by Greeks that serves tasty sandwiches with interesting grain-based sides. I used to work closer to Northside on the Berkeley campus and always enjoyed going over to Euclid for lunch.

Yay Berkeley!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Back on the subject of Tartine's croissants.  The Melkors will remember my usual complaint about how Tartine murders their croissants in the oven.  They are almost always over-baked to the point of being burnt, sometimes to a crisp. 

I will never understand why croissants around here are so overbaked.  It's not only Tartine that is guilty, even my favorite, Citizen Cake, more often than not, is guilty of that as well.

What is so hard about getting them croissants out of the oven like 3-4 minutes earlier? 

I think maybe they want them that way!

I am reminded of an attempt, early in my marriage, to duplicate my husband's grandmother's "Poteca" (pronounced Poh-teet-za), an Austrian walnut-filled sweetbread. I thought mine was perfect, but he said that it wasn't like his grandmothers. So after many, many tries, I finally asked, "What is so bloody better about hers?" He answered that she made hers in a wood-burning oven, and it was burned on top. Sigh. It's all about tradition.

[marlena spieler]

re: Squeat's experience at Tartine.

After a few fantastic croissant (llucky i guess) and terrible coffee, and really really bad attitude, and wonderful bread that was not only not available but the words uttered to me with a sneer on the face of the woman behind the counter (apparantly i'm not cool enough to eat their bread)......

i just thought: i will go to great lengths for good bakery products but is this worth it?

my husband was less generous than i, and he is filled with venom and an urge to get even with them for treating us like ****. In fact, just mention the name or drive by, and he's, like, i hate that place, who do they think they are, etc.

sad isn't it.

but still, if i have a place to park, and there is no line, and it is bread time......i'll make that stop. but i won't drink the coffee, and i won't smile nicely as i always feel like smiling whenever i'm around delicious food...........

anyhow, and i always live in hope that it will have better vibes next time....

marlena

[winesonoma]

How nice it is to live in Sonoma where we go to Artisan Bakery and get treated with a smile and a warm hello!

[daybaker]

re: marlena's experience at tartine

I really don't get the "who do they think they are" rants on tartine- pretty far off base if you get to know the people who work there as a regular- not even close in fact

it's a busy place with lines out the door lots of the time and the counter staff trying to handle the mostly chaotic situation as best they can- with many demanding customers and a fair amount of tourists and first time visitors who don't know the way to navigate the throngs

people do get angry when they come in for bread early and find out it's not out of the oven until the afternoon- 4 pm is a safe bet- but this has been the baking schedule for a long time now

there is no oven space in the morning for bread- so it's just not possible- fresh bread for dinner and toast for breakfast- to some this makes perfect sense

let the owners know if you're treated rudely so they can remedy the problem

[marlena spieler]

Dear Daybaker,

Your comments about hard working people behind counter are, i'm sure, spot on. hey, i've worked counters like this before, dealing with a busy store is never easy.

and being busy is what a cafe/bakery wants, so it is its own success that keeps them overly busy.......and keeps the counterstaff a bit overwhelmed perhaps......

similarly, tartine owners can't be responsible for the snotty attititude of their customers, i mean, thats demographics of.....i don't know, the san francisco/mission/aren't we cool thingie.......

but still......taking these things into consideration........when i think of tartine, instead of thinking about the gorgeous smell of croissants, the waft of yeasty bread that smells so accute you can almost smell the crunch of the crust.......instead of thinking about the really lovely aspects.......

instead i think of the bad vibes, and the counter woman who just kinda sneared at me and treated me like a martian, a very ignorant martian who knows absolutely nothing about french bakery items (and why should i want to scream out: hey, i spend as much time in france as i do in s.f.? to justify my existence in their shop.).

and no one else was wearing a smile or giving off good vibes, so i felt alone. i mean, i've been there a few times and only one time did it really bother me, but then again i think i reflected that it bothered my husband a lot more. as for me: i'm a bit of a food slut in that if something is good, i'll pretty much go through anything to get there and eat it.

the bread not being available until the afternoon does make a kind of sense, though is inconvenient. why not bread for lunch and bread for dinner, as in france?

anyhow, perhaps i should have contacted the owners and complained but everyone was soooooo i don't know, everyone was sort of acting the same cool as in i couldn't be bothered, so i figured that that was the way the owners wanted it to be.

i'll go back to tartine and give it another chance, next time i'm in san fran to teach my classes etc, if i can find a parking place, and will see how i feel that time.

but i don't want to leave a bakery and feel horrible, the whole point of exceptional food to me is.......life enhancing......it makes a person feel better about the human condition........

also i thought the coffee was bad. maybe its better now.

anyhow, i 'll give it a shot, and if its a similar nasty atmosphere, i'll complain to the owners.

And if its really nice, i'll post my feelings about it being REALLY NICE right here on this thread.

howz that?

marlena

[marlena spieler]

the whole point of exceptional food to me is.......life enhancing......it makes a person feel better about the human condition........

also, sheer sensual pleasure, of course.

and transmittting culture too.

[daybaker]

a very thoughtful reply- thank you

don't know what to say about the vibe- it's a definite mission vibe- but not too cool or too european- if you lived around here it might be easier to understand- it's just a neighborhood in transition now with some tension and a lot of apathy tempered with aimlessness

and an abundance of very highly educated people trying to make lattes (biding their time) which they don't have the discipline or historical tradition in mind to do properly

too bad about the coffee- I don't drink drip- only espresso but I know they were talking about switching to blue bottle but the only option for drip was drip (filter) made to order which is not a good scenario for tartine

bottom line is

- the whole point of exceptional food....

...and the sheer sensual pleasure-

agree- if you aren't getting that at tartine go elsewhere

sheer sensual pleasure is a lofty and elusive goal for any restaurant and by nature an interactive state of operation- look around you next time and note if others are enjoying themselves while you are not

and you might say to yourself- what does it all mean? easy answer

fresh bread for lunch would be ideal- can't argue there but still not possible

ps don't try to park nearby on a weekend- it's bad- walk or take a cab- sf is a very small

town

and please do let the owners know- it's the right thing

[jschyun]

don't know what to say about the vibe- it's a definite mission vibe- but not too cool or too european- if you lived around here it might be easier to understand- it's just a neighborhood in transition now with some tension and a lot of apathy tempered with aimlessness

and an abundance of very highly educated people trying to make lattes (biding their time) which they don't have the discipline or historical tradition in mind to do properly

Haha, this is exactly what I was thinking about the Mission "vibe" but you put it better. I sort of wonder if the sneer was their version of "Hey, how may I help you?"

Marlena, if you are ever in the city, maybe I can accompany you to Tartine. I am a nerd, not very fashionable, always say the wrong thing, and definitely not cool, so I would be interested in seeing what our double-whammy presence produces.

--to be honest, Tartine is not my favorite bakery in the city though.

Edited August 25, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[marlena spieler]

Which bakery IS your favourite? I'm very very interested.......always on a quest for the best bread; i must admit to not being that bothered by the croissant thing as i eat enough croissants in france, and anyhow they are so rich i don't necessarily want to eat them every day........but. bread, bread i want every day, and its only worth eating iif wonderful, totally wonderful........

pascal rigo does some fine bread; i ate some recently that was: crisy crusted, spongey crumbed, sour natural levain.....really good.

anyhow, i'm an old life long san franciscan whose lived off and on in mission, pac hights , clement and glen park....though i'm in europe most of the time now, only in san francisco about 3 or 4 times a year now........so i'm aware of different vibes and san fran vibes, but i've noticed that its not just the mission, but the whole of san francisco that has an attitude.....sometimes...............sorry to say cause i am a san franciscan at heart, and in fact in much of my life and time.

and as such, I am very proud of the bay areas tradition of good bread, hard to beat almost anywhere.......sf bread is just such a high standard. wish i had some now.

would love to go to tartine with you, i'm not sure who i'm staying with next trip, but i can tell you that i'll be around mid october through november, so:

coffee and croissant anyone?

cheers,

marlena

[jschyun]

Which bakery IS your favourite? I'm very very interested.......always on a quest for the best bread;

I'm afraid I don't have any good secret places. There are others who may chime in with their gems. I would have to say that in the SF Bay Area Acme is my favorite so far. I like the store in Berkeley, but then you have to cross water.

[Carolyn Tillie]

i can tell you that i'll be around mid october through november, so:

coffee and croissant anyone?

More than, I hope!

And you KNOW who you owe an evening to, don't you!?!?!?

[cookingwithamy]

This thread seems to have veered off from the breakfast theme, but I have to mention that I just had breakfast at Miss Millies's on 24th St in Noe Vallley and it was obscenely good. Here are the mneu descriptions of the two items we had:

Dungeness Crab Hash with roasted potatoes, Cipollini onions, spinach, a trio of peppers and peas topped with poached eggs, a mellow pepper sauce, creme fraiche and sourdough toast

Roasted Poblano Peppers filled with chorizo, potatoes, Manchego and Jack cheese, onions and jalapenos, served on tomatillo salsa with Spanish scrambled eggs with cilantro, scallions and chili sauce topped with chipotle crema.

[marlena spieler]

okay, guys, i promised my cousin and step daughter who i frequent the place with that i'd never share it (esp not in print)............they're worried the place will be swamped by middle class young foodies and that it will change.

i like to go to Izalco, a salvatorean restaurant on 24th st or is it 16th, for amazing breakfasts. i like the black beans and crema best, along with the thick fat tortillas. even the ham is great, though i thought the huevos rancheros below par.

love the atmosphere.

you'll need a spanish lesson for ordering your meal. i dream about those tortillas and beans.

marlena

[Squeat Mungry]

i like to go to Izalco, a salvatorean restaurant on 24th st or is it 16th

Ah yes. 24th between Alabama and Florida. Try the "pupusas de maiz con queso y chicharron". They have elotes as well. Their chicken mole also rocks.

[marlena spieler]

i love that place! am pleased that senor squeat mungry goes there too!

i always say i'm going to have a party there and invite friends to come and sit at the long table in the center of the room.

there are so many things there i want to eat too. and the waitress is so sweet, and she had her baby, and i love to watch everyone around us (usually big hefty men) eat and see what they are eating.

oh yes the spicy cabbage salad whats it called. the stuff served with pupusas. love it.

x marlena

[JAZ]

This thread seems to have veered off from the breakfast theme, but I have to mention that I just had breakfast at Miss Millies's on 24th St in Noe Vallley and it was obscenely good.

I thought I heard that Miss Millie's stopped doing breakfasts. Good to know that's not true. I haven't eaten there in years, but now that I'm back in the neighborhood, I'll have to go back.

[cookingwithamy]

Just went this weekend so they are still serving. Perhaps it is technically brunch since they serve until 2pm. Good for late risers!

Another good Latin American place is Chavo's for yummy machaca breakfasts. Not much atmophere but good breakfasts...they moved to Mission street a year or so ago.