Mama's :: The Real San Francisco Treat

After being held hostage by United at Narita Airport for 10 hours, a cancelled flight and another 8 hours in economy, what's the first thing this girl wants to do when she lands in SF? Go to Mama's for breakfast! Mama's On Washington Square is one of the places in SF I am willing to wait in line for. The proprietors are classic Bay Area friendly and even if they were giants A-Holes, the food is good enough to get me to come back time after time.

At this point, I don't even bother looking at the menu. If I only have 1 shot at breakfast at Mama's, it's gotta be the Monte Cristo. I have to admit, I've actually never even had a Monte Cristo anywhere but here, but I don't even think I'd order it anywhere else. When at brunch or breakfast, I always struggle with the personality defining question of sweet or savory? I like to think of myself of a little of both, which is why I love this dish so much. 

Of course, there are other wonderful things on the menu, but I leave those for my dining mates. The wait is only slightly annoying, but that's not anyone's fault but our own I guess. I have to add that even celebrities are required to wait in line. A few years ago, we saw Famke Janssen waiting in line with her adorable dog - no cutsies for her. She's gotta wait for her Eggs Florentine just like the rest of us. If she can do it, so can you! If you're REALLY starving, head across the street to the focaccia shop and grab some bread to snack on (the pizza one is the best) but don't spoil your appetite. You're gonna want to save that for Mama's. 

*BTW, how cute is Famke's outfit in that pic?! "SO kewt" is the answer. 

Oatmeal, Two Ways

I am a big fan of oatmeal. I love everything about it - the taste, the texture and the feeling you get after eating a warm bowl for breakfast. There really is nothing like eating Oatmeal with brown sugar and fresh fruit. It's like dessert for breakfast, but really good for you. A few weeks ago, I finally tried the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich from one of my favorite restaurants, Prune. Sometimes you read about crazy dishes on the food blogs and you think "Oh, that sounds good." or "Dude, that's gross." When I read about the Oatmeal Sandwich, it was more like "HolygoodnessIhavetohavethatrightnowgetouttamywayYUM!". Usually when you have that kind of reaction, the meal never lives up to your thoughts but this baby totally did! Perfectly cooked steel cut oatmeal slathered on grilled sourdough bread that has already been slathered with peanut butter, sprinkled with brown sugar. With a side of salty pork sausage. It was perfect and I'm really looking forward to making one of my own. I'm thinking bananas may make a guest appearance on the Five Foot version.

On a not as awesome note, this past weekend, I found myself standing in the oatmeal aisle of the grocery store. I usually go for the High Fiber Maple and Brown Sugar Quaker Oats because it's easy to make at work and it's very filling. For some reason, I decided to go with the Weight Control Maple and Brown sugar variety. EWWWW. I understand that this version is probably better for my health, but seriously, I'm offended that this is allowed to be called oatmeal. The rest of the box ended up in my trash can. Lesson learned.

One last shout out to Portage Bay in Seattle for introducing me to slow cooked steel cut oatmeal. My life has never been the same.