Mission Beach Cafe--S.F.

For Easter brunch I visited Mission Beach Cafe in the Mission district in San Francisco. Not that they need more endorsements but they were fantastic! My friend actually got there about an hour before I did and put our names on the list. By the time I got there it was still about a 15 minute wait so you can imagine how busy they are. It was well worth the wait though.

It's a small place on the corner of Guerrero and 14th Streets. The tables are small and close together and the place is a bit noisy but the line was out the door in this mostly residential-looking area. Our waitress was pleasant and accommodating though and the food came out fairly quickly given the number of people they had to serve.

I got their Short Rib Hash with butternut squash and a fried egg, one piece of their Lavender French Toast on the side and one huge Grapefruit Pomegranate Mimosa. The short rib hash was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Tender and paired wonderfully with the fried egg. It also came with a piece of toast to sop up any remaining yolk left over on the plate. There was not a smidge of yolk left on my plate by the time I finished. The mimosa was also delicious. I usually get an immediate headache whenever I drink any kind of champagne or sparkling wine but they must have used a good one because I didn't get one pang of pain. I did get a nice buzz though.

The star of the show was absolutely their Lavendar French Toast. It was probably the best french toast I've ever had. The lavender essence was one that was more scented on the exhale rather than tasted. But the custard was creamy without being mushy or undercooked in the middle and it was made with a thick piece of brioche bread. Also amazing was the Bourbon syrup poured over it along with fresh bananas and strawberries and creme fraiche. My oh my, I wanted to die! I would have taken some pictures but everything was so good, by the time I thought about snapping a photo, everything was devoured. I'll be better at that next time.

So you know what this means? It means I will have to try and recreate that french toast at home somehow. It will definitely be a challenge. I'll keep you posted on that one.