Luques Restaurant, Chancellor Hotel, 433 Powell St.

Best breakfast I've had in a LONG time. And not really any more expensive, considering its slightly more upscale location and atmosphere, than the Honey Honey Cafe (once Crepe House) up Post St.

Tucked into the Chancellor Hotel on Powell between Post and Sutter is a tiny, clean, calm restaurant. A friend and I got there at 11:30 and there were few other diners. We were able to get bloody marys before the bar was officially open, and it was the best one I'd had in years. The spinach, pine nut, feta cheese egg scramble was very fresh and tasty without being too strong, and the wedge cut home fries were like french fries, which is unusual (being completely deep fried and not pan-fried). The coffee was DELICIOUS. The service was very good. There is a 20% off coupon on their website. Breakfast for two came to $30! Very reasonable considering cocktails were involved.

This will be a place I will go to regularly!

Gallery Cafe Llive, 587 Post St.

Yes, they have a typo in giant letters on their awning. And on the poster for their open mic night.

All I wanted was egg, cheese and bacon on a croissant. The croissant was not warmed, the egg was so overcooked it was a solid nearly black crusted mass (even though this time, for once, I did not ask for the egg to be cooked well done), I could not detect cheese, and the bacon was nearly raw. There was also a huge quantity of mayo involved. Coffee came in a tiny diner sized mug and you had to ask for cream.

Total $9.45. Outrageous.

Worst place ever.

New Village Cafe, 1424 Polk St.

This lovely meal took place at 12 noon. So far, this is my favorite place, and I'll tell you why:

Pluses: NO MUSIC! So rare, and yet, so welcome. Hardly anyone there, which I always love, it makes taking up a whole booth by myself not seem so bad (there are just 9 booths and 4 tables in the place). They had newspapers. I love that. I had 2 bacon, 2 eggs, home fries and toast, at a price of $4.25! They bacon was huge and delicious. They provide two jelly packets with the toast. There were a lot of singles there. I always wonder why I never see other single women eating breakfast, it's always single men, and nearly always old men (though there was a cute younger guy at a nearby table. What IS it with beards on young guys around here? Trying to look tough? Older? Less gay? More gay? I do wonder).

Minuses: the booth seats are old, ripped, taped up and uncomfortable. At least, that booth was, and I usually sit in that one when I go there, for some reason. The home fries were so greasy they were practically transparent (though they were tasty). The eggs were just slightly underdone.

I lingered reading and writing. Even though I didn't finish the potatoes I was quite full. My tab including tip: $7!!

Why won't Cathy eat breakfast?

Maybe she's a night owl and wants to get as much sleep as she can before she has to be to class at the ass-crack of dawn.

Discuss.


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Thad's Cozy Cafe, 965 Sutter St.

Today was the first time I have eaten here. I got out of bed, got dressed, and made it outside at about 12:30 pm.

It's pretty much a hole in the wall with three inside tables and three outside tables. The owner does the cooking, serving, cashiering, you name it. He also fires up a charcoal grill outside in the afternoon for burgers, chicken and shrimp skewers (I suspect this is either just Sundays, or just when the weather permits). I'll be back for that some day!

Today I had French toast, bacon and coffee.

Pluses: Mainly the comfy outside seating, especially on a beautiful day like today. No one else was there, and I LOVE that in a restaurant. The bacon was good, the coffee was good. The owner is very nice.

Minuses: The French toast was not freshly made (it was the cinnamon swirl kind) and was just heated, rather than grilled. No butter was served with it. The table was wobbly.

My tab was $10.

Mel's Drive-In On Van Ness at Geary

Let's start with an old favorite, Mel's Drive-In, on Van Ness at Geary.

My most recent visit was Friday, March 7, 2008, at 11:35 a.m.

Pluses:

They serve my favorite combination, which is two slices of French toast, one scrambled egg, and two slices of bacon, and they are all are very good quality at a price today of $8.35. I don't know where they get their eggs, but "one egg" is often half a plateful (though not this visit, so they may have started to pay more attention to how much is served), and they cook it faithfully to order. The bacon is thick but not too thick, and flavorful, and also cooked to order. Syrup comes in a tiny pitcher, warmed. Ketchup did not require brute force blows or table knife surgery to coax out. Coffee is a step above typical diner fare, quite delicious, though the fresh pot tasted a little burnt for some reason. Sugar is served from a pourer and not packets. Half and half is prepackaged.

Minuses:
Normally I am seated at a table near the outside window, which I enjoy, but the tables and chairs are uncomfortable, and there is only one booth that is small enough to reasonably accommodate one person (I got that table today! Woo!). The music is frequently too loud and of the variety (50s pop oldies e.g. Yakkity Yak) that need never, ever, be heard again by anyone, at any time, though this visit it was quiet and was playing "off-tracks" of Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, that is, songs from the collections you don't hear as often. I enjoyed that. The screaming baby across the room, not so much. Nor the couple in the humongous booth who were sitting next to each other instead of across from each other. Nor the Easter decorations and balloons that made me feel like I was in a kindergarten.

Coffee, in typical diner-sized mugs, is at $2.21 a bit pricey.

This is not a place you linger, casually drinking coffee and finishing up the paper. But it is a place where you can get good food.

My tab came to $13 including tax.

Menu: http://www.melsdrive-in.com/menu/breakfast.html