The City of San Francisco, which is always close to my heart, is coming back again. The downtown area seems to be doing much better along with contiguous parts like the Tenderloin. I recently had a brunch at Carlotta’s, the restaurant in the Julian Hotel, it’s a lovely space with indoor and outdoor setting. The brunch classics are there: eggs any way you want them and good bloody Mary’s. There is even live music in the restaurant certain nights. For an after-brunch dalliance you can easily walk to Spanish wine bar El Lopo, down the street on Polk, which has a fairly extensive list of esoterica Spanish wines and sherries.
Another lovely place for a classic brunch is Early To Rise in Nopa area. Great bloody Mary’s and classic egg concoctions are on offer as well as refreshing salads and some seriously big pancakes. I’m not a sweets person but the donuts were delicious as was the fusion-inspired Amusa potato pancake with pea tendrils, and tamarind coconut lime yogurt and garam masala spices.
Canela Bistro Bar has long been a fixture in the Mission offering select Spanish bites from a well-informed American chef. Matt Schuster, has long tended the ovens and garnished the breads at this homey restaurant. The wine list includes some solid Albariños.
Crunchy croquets abound on the menu, as does Jamon Serrano. This is an easy restaurant to roll into to sample a few plates and explore the night ahead.
Over at the Hotel Zelos, the former Fifth Floor dining space has become Dirty Habit. The space is dark and cozy inside with an ample patio outside. The menu has changed quite a bit since I dined there as the new chef was settling in, however classics like crab cakes and salmon are a treat here.
Oakland Heats Up
This soul sister of San Francisco has long had more accessible prices for entry than its sibling across the Bay. So, innovative chefs have long been turning out some great food at affordable prices. Oakland is also home to a great little pocket of Ethiopian restaurants, with some of the best flavors I have experienced.
So, imagine if an Afghan woman happens to meet the Columbian man of her dreams in Oakland. Well, they might end up opening two distinct restaurants and reinvigorating the local food scene and that is exactly what they did.
Parche is the vision of chef Paul Iglesias and the colorful space serves Colombian classics such as chicken empanadas and patacones, or hand-smashed crispy plantains. The drinks list is fun with an Albariño from Uruguay on offer along with interesting non-alcoholic drinks such as the Na Lulo Shandy, made with pulp of the Lulo fruit—a citrus fruit native to Central America—mixed with non-alcoholic beer.
Jaji is a “modern,” Afghani place. I generally shutter at the word innovative or fusion when speaking of an approach to a traditional cuisines. Afghans know their way around a kitchen, so the traditional food from this country needs little improvement. While some dishes at Jaji’s are enjoyable, I wish many had been more traditional. The duck confit dumplings in ginger consume were delightful and the daal salad with sun-dried tomatoes and crunchy nan bread bits was colorful.