The rest of San Francisco already is. There are few things you must know about the eclectic city of San Francisco. But be warned. They all revolve around brunch and food.
- You will get up early. And will you like it.
If not for the coffee you’re about to guzzle down, for the amusing adventures and waiting-in-line moments you’re about to encounter. - Brunch is a commitment and seriously taken affair.
- If this city were burning down and taking everything yummy with it, there would still be no shortage of brunch spots, breakfast hours, cafes, brinners, extended coffee bars or farmers markets.
- Bread, bread-like dishes, bread boudin, bread bowls and breaded things are all an institution and on-par for regular ordering.
- San Francisco’s got soul. And so does a lady named “Brenda.”
- That thing called “chain restaurants” here is about as foreign here as speaking English in a Florence trattoria and asking for a hamburger.
Today was no different to the brunch variety. I woke up at the ass crack of dawn, err 8:30 AM, and trudged my way down to one of the best brunch landing spots I knew: The Ferry Building Farmers Market. The taste would make up for the hour, I had to keep telling myself that.
I guzzled down my Blue Bottle Americano faster than it took to order. I engulfed enough color (from all the colorful ingredients thrust in my face), enough smells (from the pungent odors of cheese and grilled chicken); and enough sounds (from the skateboards, dripping coffee and high heels) to keep my mind awake, eyes full, and belly happy. I sampled my weight in dried fruit.
And that was just the first course for brunch. I hadn’t even gotten to the main meal.
Still, after four hours of tent gazing, fruit-and-cheese sampling, coffee sipping and old-fashioned bartering (bargained $3 for a bag of spinach instead of the usual $6), I left with brunch on a pedestal, taste at perfection and heaven on my mind.
