Friday, January 25, 2013

Post via Sōsh: Brunch at Slow Club

Photo: Slow Club
Love is like a perfect brunch cocktail: it complements you, gets you a little buzzy, but without being overwhelming or overshadowing everything else. And for that reason, I have had a long standing love affair with brunch at Slow Club. Here's a snippet of my Sōsh write up:
If you like to start your brunch off with a refreshing gin cocktail, we should probably hang out, but you should also be sure to try the sloe 75. (Read the rest on Sōsh!)
I'll continue posting a few of my posts via Sōsh over the next few weeks, so watch for more San Francisco brunch recommendations coming up.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Heard It Here First: Brunch Is the New Dinner for First Dates

Flickr user chispita_666
Long ago, I posited a (unwittingly) controversial sentiment: brunch makes for the best first dates. This month, the dating app HowAboutWe shared data on what makes for the most popular dates in cities across the country. In San Francisco, guess what came out on top? Brunch.
S.F. has more brunch dates than in any other city, accounting for one-third of their dining dates. (HowAboutWe infograph)
But the sweet sense of validation doesn't stop there, the Huffington Post sang brunches praises when commenting on the data set
Apparently, San Francisco is chock full of genius singles. It's about time we've recognized brunch as the most important meal of the day. When else is it socially acceptable to get boozy at 12 noon off delicious mimosas while simultaneously munching om french toast and gruyère sandwiches? SF, we see you. (HuffPo)
Here's the crux of my brunch date rationale, and you can read the full post here.
Other than the drawback that the lighting is a bit little less concealing, everything is truly brighter at brunch. There are fewer guessing games about what to wear (it's the day time -- causal is king!), the price point will be less burdensome than dinner fare, and you have the whole day ahead of you to either make up a prior engagement or to continue hanging out.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Post via Sōsh: Brunch at Central Kitchen




An excerpt from my Sōsh writeup for Central Kitchen's Sunday brunch service:
Both exceptional and traditional, brunch at Central Kitchen is a refreshingly simple concept that's expertly executed: classic brunch dishes made with seasonal and fresh ingredients...(read the rest on Sōsh!)
If you live in San Francisco, this is definitely a place to put on your brunch rotation — they take reservations and keep tables open for walk-ins, so no excuses for not trying Central Kitchen.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Brunch Trends: Predictions for 2013

Photo: Alan Klim
Fried Eggs w/ Fried Kale, Central Kitchen, San Francisco
2012 was the year of fried chicken & waffles and other southern inspired brunch dishes. Even the classiest of brunch services had some variation of the Waffle Hut staple on their menu, including Bar Tartine's served on potato bread, Zero Zero's honey butter smothered and maple syrup-soaked waffle, or Farmer Brown's perfect execution of the archetype. This year, the southern trend tapers out.

In 2013, carb-laden dishes will generally be eschewed for dishes that center on the protein. Instead of benedicts on buttermilk biscuits, dishes like baked eggs that appeal to the gluten-free crowd will be showing up on menus. Fancy (and fancifully) fried eggs will make a resurgence for the same reason, so anticipate seeing luxuriously fried eggs, like Nopa's butter basted eggs, being served with crisped and fried greens like kale and brussel sprouts.



Pimm's Punch, Foreign Cinema, San Francisco

Cocktails will also be getting more of the spotlight. The brunch-time standards, the mimosa & bloody mary, will get some stiff competition from drinks crafted with an artisan touch. Aromatic bitters will make their way to the brunch table in creatively — not overtly — sweet, herbaly  concoctions that are balanced to compliment brunch fare, not overpower it.

Pimm's, the British day-drinking staple, and punches will also be making their way from bars to the brunch table. At lower-brow brunch joints, Lemon Shandies, the beer and lemon soda European import, will gain in popularity. And the shandy will be a good alternative to mimosas, which are too often disappointingly proportioned with overly sweet sparkling wine — mimosa perfection is an art unto itself, one that is rarely mastered.
Pork Belly Plate, Zero Zero, SF


Pork will be the go-to meat, but not in bacon form. Traditional brunch dishes will get the pork the upgrade, like pork belly benedictsPork Sausage, pork rillettes, and braised pork will also be popping up everywhere.

Lastly, the trendy brunch item of 2013 (and this might be a gamble): brunch pizza. With the number of high-end pizza joints, expect to see some offering brunch services featuring egg and bacon covered varieties.

Brunch Pizza, Zero Zero, San Francisco

And to wrap up, here's a bit more food porn for you. Happy brunching in 2013!
                             
                                         Baked Eggs, Nopa, 
 
Baked Eggs & Chorizo, Central Kitchen

Friday, January 4, 2013

It's Been Awhile, Non?

While I might have been a bit MIA here on the brunch blog, I've been keeping busy on Twitter and writing about San Francisco brunches for Sōsh an awesome local activity discovery site for San Francisco! 



Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to update my blog with my Sōsh write ups, as well have a return to form — I'll be back to brunch blogging as a new year's resolution. Speaking of new years, expect to see a post on my 2013 brunch predictions soon!