Once I moved to Boston, I began experimenting with brunch and found a few favorites in the process (Zaftig's, Sibling Rivalry, and Hamersley's Bistro). But it wasn't until I moved to New York that I gained a whole new appreciation for the under rated meal. In New York, brunch is on par with going to church - it's a mass ritual, complete with the breaking of the bread(basket) and a few sips of wine (or mimosas).
Now that I'm back in San Francisco, I make a more concerted effort to maintain my ongoing ritual. A couple of weekends ago, my boyfriend and I decided to venture to the mission to find a good brunch place and do some exploring. The mission is one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco, home to many popular authentic mexican taquerias, trendy restaurants, bars and botiques. Beautiful vibrant murals are interspersed throughout the neighborhood - a tribute to its latin roots, despite the gentrification.
We ended up at Bar Tartine and had an amazing experience. In preparation for the week ahead, we decided to preemptively drown our sorrows. My strawberry prosecco apertif was perfect - light, sweet and indulgent with a little kick.
I decided to go with the foie gras panini with quince-pear butter served and mache lettuce, served on brioche bread. SO AMAZING. It's hard to get me to shut up during a meal, and this sandwich just shut me up. It was warm, indulgent melt-in-your mouth goodness. The quince-pear butter was a nice contrast to the foie gras, providing a memorable sweet/savory experience. The shoestring fries were another impressive add to our meal - a nice sharable treat prepared extremely thin and crispy, and served with a side of aioli.
After brunch we decided to journey over to Humphry Slocombe. Not your typical Baskin Robbins, Humphry Slocombe has unique savory combinations such as McEvoy Olive Oil, Boccalone Proscuitto, and Foie Gras - served on top of a gingersnap, in addition to "more traditional flavors" like Chocolate Tarragon and Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee. While the Foie Gras was tempting, I avoided going into overload and opted for the Strawberry Jalapeno. The ice cream was a nice and (seemingly) light treat, which was surprisingly similar to traditional strawberry ice cream with little bits of spice and heat.
Loved it, and really loved the concept. It's great to see places like Humphry Slocombe, taking the sweet/savory trend to the next level. Also digging the fact that they're incorporating local products into their products...
The mission:
The goods:
