Brunch in the city

The weekend is almost here, and there's some good brunching to be done in San Francisco. My absolute favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning is to go to the Ferry Building. Their farmers market is divine, and the food stands are the best. Also, I can't possibly leave the Ferry Building without at least one French macaroon from Miette. They're a little taste of heaven!

I should clarify that I don't drink wine at brunch. I may be a wino, but I try to at least get beyond the a.m. before indulging in the red. But if the red is a Bloody Mary, then I'll take that! Anyway, this bottle of Bearboat Pinot Noir was from dinner at Foreign Cinema. (The 2002 which was listed was out, so they gave us the 2003.) I thought it was a particularly great find, so I needed to post it. I've only been to Foreign Cinema for dinner, and the ambiance at night is great because of the old movies they project onto their outdoor brick wall. I've heard their brunch is even better, so that's on my list.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe always seems to have a ridiculous wait with a ton of tourists, and it's not in the best part of town. Lee and I fought through all that and dealt with the various smells while we were waiting outside in line so we could finally try it to see if it lived up to all the hype. And it did! Their pancakes were better than their waffles (I asked for a half order of each), and their eggs were delish! I would deal with the ick to get back to the yum again.

Ella's also has a wait, but I love their banana pancakes! It's a little more upscale, which might be why my parents love it too. One of my faves.

Mama's on Washington Square also has a wait. I guess most of the good spots do, so I'll stop pointing out the obvious. It's worth the crazy line around the corner on weekends, but if I can get here on a weekday, that's even better.

Miss Millie's should have even more m's in their name because "Mmmm-mmm!" is all I can say! I'm renaming them Mmmmiss Mmmmillie's. I like ordering savory dishes and getting a side of lemon-ricotta pancakes to share.

Universal Cafe boasts its "richly organic" menu, and their minimalist atmosphere differs from most brunch spots. Good for dinner too.

Boogaloo's is the opposite of fancy, and it's perfect for some grub. When the boys went to brunch on their own (because their respective girls were doing our own thing), I suggested they go here or to Pork Store.

Pork Store Cafe has two locations. And despite the name, it's not any more meat heavy than these other grub spots. This is one of the few places with HASH BROWNS rather than home fries. Taer prefers hash browns, so we try to find that for him whenever possible.

Chloe's Cafe is a new one for me. Tina, Kirstin and I tried this cozy Noe Valley find a few weeks back, and we were all "Mmmm"ing here too! But I don't think their name will work with more m's.

Kate's Kitchen is liked by many, but I thought it was just eh. I only went once, though, and I think anything with this much hype deserves a second chance. They do serve mountains of food, so you can definitely go hungry.

The Terrace at the Ritz Carlton is very fancy schmancy, and it was forever on my list of to do's. I was delighted when Chenja took me for a belated birthday champagne brunch! I don't have one bad thing to say. Yum!

The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus is also fancy. I like their afternoon tea too. But I just have one word for you: popover. Mmm, it's so good, I have to say it again - popover! Yummm...

Cafe Lo Cubano doesn't belong on this brunch list. I know it. It is a recent discovery, though, and they have DELICIOUS COFFEE! So it's on. Oh, yes, it's ON!