Food review: Andouille sausage eggs benedict

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Two poached eggs atop grilled andouille sausage, crawfish and jalapeno hollandaise, English muffin, side of home fries
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Wow--what can I say--yet another superb brunch dish from Maverick. Not only did it taste amazing, it was inventive and I'd say the best seafood eggs benedict I've had in San Francisco. I loved the creole flair of this dish, and the meticulously-balanced ingredients. To allow the crawfish to really shine, the chef knew exactly how much to tone down the smokiness and spiciness of the andouille and jalapeno. The creamy hollandaise and egg yolk brought out the flavor of the crawfish and tasted like fresh crab drenched in butter. Add a little kick to that plus some smoked meat, and life is good. I've been looking for a loooooong time for an eggs benedict that's worthy of a 9.0. I wouldn't change a thing about this dish aside from maybe the home fries. They were just slightly crispy and not greasy, but just a tad dry here and there. That's just filler anyway and I'm not really rating those. But as far as eggs benedict is concerned, this is the reigning champ. Anyone up for a challenge?

Food review: Duck confit hash

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Two poached eggs atop duck confit with crisp hash browns, oyster mushrooms in a mushroom cream sauce
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

How 'bout I cut to the chase and just say 'Holy crap! This dish was f*#&n incredible!' Definitely the best breakfast hash dish I've had in San Francisco. It's what happens when chefs put the same about of effort into brunch as they do for dinner. In case you didn't know, mushrooms and duck melt together like hot-butta-on-a-breakfast-toast. Something about the gameyness of the duck and the funginess of the mushrooms really work amazing together to create this deeply rich and hearty flavor without the grease of fattier meats. To make things even better, they threw in some crispy hash browns which retained their crispiness despite being drenched in mushroom sauce. This is a feat very rarely accomplished in a hash brunch dish! And mix all that together with the two poached eggs and it's simply perfection. Ok, nothing's perfect, and I'll admit that one of my eggs was slightly over-poached, but I'm a forgiving person and they can get another chance at that. There were also pieces of duck here and there a tiny bit dry, but it wasn't a big deal after the mushroom sauce kicked in. What really amazed me about this dish is that, given how heavy the ingredients were, how non-greasy the whole thing tasted. It was nice to finally eat a hash where your face and didn't end up covered in grease. Absolutely loved it, and what a 180° from the donut holes!

Food review: Maverick donut holes

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Five doughnuts dusted with cinnamon and sugar
Food rating: 5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

After just eating at Maverick for dinner, I remembered someone telling me their brunch was rumored to be great, so I made a second trip to scope it out. As I walked up, I noticed a 7x7 award for "Best Brunch" in the window, which typically is a good sign, not to mention the exiting restaurantgoers raving about how awesome it was. I perused the menu and, after resisting donuts all week after a workout marathon, I finally caved and ordered the donut holes. Now that my expectations had been all built up, I was assuming they'd be amazing, but sadly, that was not the case. I was expected an airy, light-and-fluffy donut that was delicately dusted with powered sugar. What I got was a heavy, doughy, 1/4 inch-of-granulated-sugar-coated donut hole--well actually...five of them! They were so dense that they were scalding hot in the center, so I burnt my fingers pulling it apart! Ouchie! I had to brush off a good portion of the sugar before they could be in edible form. There was also too much cinnamon for me (I'm not a huge fan). So the donuts ended up being a total upset and wasn't a very good start to brunch...

Food review: Grilled Broken Arrow Ranch antelope

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled peppercorn crusted Broken Arrow Ranch antelope loin with grilled black mission figs, creamy Texas long grain wild rice with carrots and leeks
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Well...as an antelope virgin I'm not totally qualified to review this dish, but I'll definitely give it a shot. The flavor of antelope falls into a happy-medium spot somewhere between venison and steak--not too gamey and not too bland. The texture of the loin cut was excellent, tender and gristle-free, and on the lean side. It was cooked medium, which turned out juuust right, very pink and juicy but not bloody. The portion was sizable, and larger than expected, given the modest price of $28. Though the antelope was grilled, I prefer a little more char and felt that the grilled flavor was completely overtaken by the intense sweetness of the mission fig reduction. I learned to avoid overdrenching each bite with the fig sauce--it only needed a teeny smidgen and could've been toned down a lot. So you can imagine what it was like eating the figs braised in their own reduction. I had to pass on dessert after that. I actually enjoyed the rice because it was a refreshing alternative to those heavy sleep-inducing mashed potatoes typically served with steak dishes. Definitely a winner in my book.

Food review: Creekstone Farm short ribs

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Braised Creekstone Farm beef short ribs with homemade tater tots, Vedure Farm cherokee tomato slices, watercress, and braising reduction
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Short ribs always hit the spot on those brisk nights when you're in the mood for some comfort food. Such was the case at Maverick, with their California-cuisine-meets-Southwest rendition of this dish. The dish was hearty and heavy but I thoroughly enjoyed everything in all it's fatty glory. The the short ribs had a little crispiness to the edges but juicy and tender inside, giving it a unique but nice texture contrary to what I was expecting. The flavor was basically what you'd expect from short ribs: savory, salty, and buttery goodness. Though fatty, it was definitely not overly greasy. The braising reduction was thin but potent and added that necessary gravy requirement. I was excited about the homegrown tater tots, which were crispy and tasty, but came out a little on the greasy side. I get what the chef was trying to do with the tomatoes but I didn't think it really needed them. I guess it was necessary to appease the veggie complainers. Overall, the dish was simple but very well done and worthy of a second go.

Food review: Baltimore crab fluffs

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Fried lump Maryland blue crab cakes with tartar sauce
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Being from the east coast, I'm going to be a little hard on this dish because I've had Maryland blue crabs straight out of the Chesapeake and know how good they can be. That being said, I don't feel these crab cakes represented properly, but it was a good try. On the good side, there was a lot of crab meat and hardly any fillers. On the bad side, the meat was more shredded than lumpy. I was looking forward to some big old chunks of crab and instead got more of a crab mashup. That wasn't a huge deal though, it was actually the flavor that was the dealbreaker for me. The sad thing about blue claw crabs is if the meat is more than a day old, the flavor suffers and becomes more fishy than sweet. I noticed this immediately because I am used to eating whole blue crabs caught fresh that day, compared to crabcakes which are processed. I also thought that deep-frying the crab and serving it with tartar sauce was overkill on the heaviness. Perhaps something lemony instead could work better. Maybe I'm being too critical, but this dish not live up to my expectations and I know that Maverick can do better.

Food review: Sweet corn pudding

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Sweet corn pudding with roasted red pimiento peppers over bed of baby lettuce and anchovy vinaigrette
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Corn pudding is one of those simple pleasures in life that Maverick really nailed. It's California cuisine, so the secret was in the super-sweet local corn. The corn was so good, I was immediately hooked and demanded a side of grilled corn-on-the-cob to accompany my entree. Not only was it sweet, but it was also decadently creamy. I liked that the sweetness came naturally from the corn instead of adding a ton of sugar. The chef tried to balance things out with an anchovy-dressed side salad, but I felt that it was fine by itself. I did like the addition of roasted red peppers. It helped give the dish a little character. The texture of the pudding was thick and held its shape, and neither pasty nor soggy. The corn was perfectly cooked--crisp and not chewy or mushy. As a side note, this is one of the few dishes that I refrained from adding salt to. It's a shame that I rarely see corn pudding on the menu at other restaurants.

Food review: "Eggs in a Tasty Nest"

Restaurant: Pork Store Cafe (Valencia St, San Francisco)
Food description: Two fried eggs (over-medium) over a bed of hash browns, bacon, green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese, with an English muffin
Food rating: 6.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 3

Tasty Nest, gotta love the name first off. I mean, come on, don't you always picture your breakfast eggs in the bird's nest? It's oh so appetizing! I guess it's not that surprising, given that the place itself is named Pork Store Cafe. But beyond the whole "nest" concept, the "tasty" part is pretty accurate. You gotta love grease though, and chances are you won't be hungry til dinner. Bacon, eggs, cheese, hash browns, mmmm... So if you can handle all that grease you'll be good to go, because the ingredients all blend together into this hearty, meaty, cheesy goodness (needless to say, great for hangovers). The onions were caramelized nicely and worked with the bacon to supply most of the flavor. The hashed browns alone are normally crispy, but under the "nest", turned out a little mushier than I prefer. Their hash browns, though perfectly crispy on both sides, are very oily, so that's where this dish gets all its grease from. They went a bit overboard on the green peppers, plus they were a little too crunchy and could have been cooked more. The tomatoes were slightly overcooked and were turning into mush. And the eggs--well--let's just say I ordered them over-medium and they came out over-easy and I had to send them back. This is a common inconsistency at the Pork Store, where I never know if today I'll be sending my eggs back or not. It can get a little frustrating, and that's why I don't come here as much as I used to. But when I do, I like to get down with the Tasty Nest or the french toast.

"Piggy Special" (french toast, sausage, and eggs)

Restaurant: Pork Store Cafe (Valencia St, San Francisco)
Food description: Two fried eggs (over-medium) with french toast and chicken apple sausage links
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 4

Theres a reason I keep coming back to Pork Store Cafe. Cuz the food is damn good! For a kick ass American home cookin no-nonsense breakfast (or, if you are like me and can't get out of bed - brunch), I really have trouble eating at other places, because they always seem to come up a bit short. The chicken apple links still taste like links, not the froo-froo chicken apple stuff you might get somewhere else (good, but not breakfast!), and the french toast is like Mom made. Honestly, its not on some weird bread trying to be something that it's not, it's got just the right egginess to have given it that light and fluffy texture you crave in french toast. Top it with some maple syrup and you're off. Please realize that I'm not comparing this breakfast to some gourmet, can't pronounce the crap on the menu place, I'm comparing it to other good eggs, sausage, french toast, bacon, pancake type joints, like Kate's for instance, or maybe Top's. Actually, that gives me a good idea. I will go and get the exact same thing (or as close as I can get) at Kate's and Top's and I'll throw Home in the mix and I will repost each review with links to the others so we can have a little competitive side-by-side analysis. Let's see who will win the b-fast challenge? To be continued....

Food review: Chimay omelette

Restaurant: Foreign Cinema (San Francisco)
Food description: Omelette with Chimay beer, black truffle, pear, Comté cheese, and crème fraîche with fried Yukon Gold potatoes
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

If I'm ordering eggs for brunch, it's usually not an omelette, because it's usually faster and better just to make them at home. Being a sucker for truffles, I just couldn't help myself (especially after adding cheese, pears, and beer into the mix)! So after waiting, say, more than 45 minutes for this omelette, my expectations had gotten to the point of "this better be f*'in good," that I don't think anything would have sufficed. It was pretty good, but with all the hype surrounding the brunch at Foreign Cinema, I had put the omelette on such a high pedestal, anything would've tripped on the way down. So anyway, here's how it was: from the first bite, I immediately noticed the beer, which was too overpowering. It added a sour alcohol-y taste that I could've done without, or perhaps less of. It was also detracting from the dish's main appeal, the black truffles, which got lost in all that beer. On the contrary, the comté cheese was outstanding, and was the only ingredient strong enough to sideline the beer. Paired with the pears (no pun intended), this combo became the main contributor to my rating. Alone, the pears were overcooked and mushy. The eggs were also slightly runny, a major faux pas for any omelette. You'd think with all those expensive ingredients, it'd be foolproof, but not the case today. As far as the potatoes went, I though they were excellent. They were deep fried and had a thin crispy coating on the outside and were soft and moist on the inside. Unlike most potato wedges I've had, these potatoes retained their crispiness throughout the meal, and weren't overly greasy. So overall, I definitely wasn't as blown away as I expected--only mildly impressed--and would try other things on the menu before ordering this again. And at $14, I didn't think it was worth it, as I've had much better brunch dishes for less (namely Absinthe).

Food review: Croque madame

Restaurant: Foreign Cinema (San Francisco)
Food description: French ham & gruyère sandwich crowned with an egg and gratinéed, served with a garden salad
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

I had heard a lot about Foreign Cinema but had yet to visit. On this semi-warm afternoon we got to sit outside under the heat lamps which was lovely, and I did like the decor/atmosphere and service (although the food took pretty long). But, that is not why we are here, so on to the FOOD! This "monsieur" decided on the croque "madame". I was warned that certain French food tended to be rich rich rich, but I decided to go for this artery clogger anyway. I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't overwhelmed either. The dish overall was tasty, but yes indeed, the richness came back to haunt me. Buttery, eggy, cheesy goodness ended up being buttery, eggy, cheesy "I can't quite finish this, it's too rich"-ness. On the good side, the gruyere cheese was very tasty. The bad side was that about halfway through I couldn't handle much more of it. The egg was cooked just fine, no runniness and no hard yolk. The toast was perfectly toasted on the bottom and yummy but too soggy at the top where drenched in the cheese and egg (I guess that's how it had to be - I don't see being able to remain crispy/toasted through that). The ham was quite yummy but got lost in the richness of all the rest of the ingredients. The garden salad had frisee which for me is BLAH, so I won't count that in my rating. They gave you little pickles and radishes on the side--which I realized was for cutting the richness and allowing your palate a break--did the trick nicely. I would try this again on a day that I am prepared for the richness to follow.

Food review: Baked fromage d'Affinois

Restaurant: Foreign Cinema (San Francisco)
Food description: Baked fromage d'Affinois (French cheese), green olive tapenade, warm roasted potatoes, cornichons, and croutons
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

I hadn't heard of this particular type of cheese before, but I remembered reading in the Chronicle that this was one of Foreign Cinema's specialties, so I couldn't resist. It's usually not a great idea to have 1/4 lb of cheese as your brunch appetizer, but in this case, it ended up being the highlight of the meal and was worth the extra pounds. Who needs chefs when you can just pick out an amazing piece of cheese, toss it in the oven and voila! Brunch is served! The cheese was unique in that it had an aged flavor, but retained a soft and buttery texture. The flavor was mild, creamy, and extremely rich, in between a double- and triple-cream cheese, and had the right salt content. Due to a controversial method used to create this cheese, the rind was also softer and milder than brie, and blended better with the melted cheese inside. As rich and adequately salty as it was, I would've preferred a pairing of fruit to cleanse the palate over the salty olive tapenade and starchy potatoes. Much to my dismay, there were definitely not enough croutons to go around, only four, for that huge wedge of cheese. I tried to request more, but the server was nowhere in sight, so I was forced to eat it with the potatoes--otherwise the cheese would have gotten cold (we were sitting outside). So although I didn't get to totally enjoy the cheese in all its cheesy glory, it was really outstanding and will make it really tough for me to go back to what I once thought was good brie.