If you haven’t been, La Note is a cute French bistro restaurant right on Shattuck in Berkeley. It’s very cute inside, french, homey and rustic and the food is always good.

We waited for 20 minutes and they sat us at the first 2-top table right inside the door… there was a few open ones farther back, I thought we would get one of those… ugh. They usually play French music… it was turned off or so low you couldn’t hear it.

Homemade jam on the table.

Here’s the menu.

The wall inside as you walk in.

Closeup of the menu. I ordered the Omelette fromage et jambon (ham and cheese omelette).

Wall of awards.

Unfortunately this is where things turn for the worse… just before we got our food, we were approached by the hostess who asked if we wouldn’t mind switching tables before our food came out so that they could use our table to help seat a party of 5 faster. I scanned the restaurant and saw a few open tables near the back, so we said ok and got up and moved. They freakin sat us at the worst table in the dining room – it basically was right in the walkway of where the servers get the food, right across from the entrance to the patio area (which we were told was closed, but then they started seating people out there early). Our table was in a really dark area, in the line of traffic… next to a column, kind of protruding out into the walkway. We felt like we were in the way, and they should seriously reconsider the location of that table, because it’s in a very awkward place.

So, our food came out. It was really good… here’s the ham and cheese omelette, it’s always my go-to item at La Note. They slice the ham up really small and thin which I appreciate a lot, and the cheese is emmenthal, which is creamy and mild. The eggs are buttery and rich and you definitely leave feeling very full. The potatoes are roasted with garlic and includes whole cloves, yum!

The photos below look bright because I brightened them.

Closeup of the ham and cheese omelette and roasted potatoes. Oh, and the butter is soft which is nice and easy to spread.

We were a little disappointed with the grapefruit because it was literally just a grapefruit sliced in half… really hard to eat with a spoon. You know how it goes when you try to spoon a grapefruit, squirting out all over the place… In the past, whoever was back there prepping used to loosen the fruit from the skin so it was easy to scoop out with a spoon, which was nice… oh well.

The table location was really a bummer this trip. You can kind of see how close it is to the door… There is a bench right behind me, about a foot of space behind my chair.

So, if you don’t mind waiting, go whenever… but for the best experience, go as early as possible. I do recommend going to La Note if you haven’t been before, the food is good, just try to manage your expectations when it comes to waiting because it can get crazy. They say the patio doesn’t open until 10am but the day we were there it opened around 9:25am. Sitting out on the patio on a nice day is the best… highly recommend.

La Note
2377 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.lanoterestaurant.com

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There are  teacups hanging along the wall…

I decided to order a custom omelette today – spinach and feta. I always thought that spinach and feta was a standard omelette combination, but apparently I was wrong… on the menu they have a spinach and jack but no feta.  I credit this way of thinking to being from the East Coast where most of the diners are owned by Greek people.  I miss east coast diners.

The omelette was good. A little too much feta but it was tasty and very filling.

I have to be honest… like this place, but I don’t LOVE it. It’s not a place I necessarily crave, but I don’t mind eating there, mostly because there’s not really anywhere else to eat in our neighborhood and it’s good just not great (but alot of people really love it, don’t get me wrong).

My main qualm is that they serve breakfast potatoes and they don’t have hashed browns (unfortunately not many places do in the bay area). That’s really it. I’m a hashed brown snob.

Disclaimer: this place gets crowded. If you don’t want to wait forever, go early in the morning before 9am.

Mama’s Royal Cafe
4012 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94611

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farmer’s scramble 9.35
with chard, caramelized onions, bacon, potatoes and cheddar cheese

This is one of those places where you order first and then they give you a number and then you sit down and they bring the food to you.  There was a white barking dog on the patio above the restaurant and some really bad fist pumping techno music blasting out of the windows which was kind of annoying… but the racket seemed to dissipate once the food was delivered and it looked GREAT.

I was pleasantly surprised with this scramble.  It was extremely flavorful and there was the perfect proportion of egg with the other ingredients (bacon, caramelized onion, chard, potatoes).  The sweetness of the onions went really well with the salty bacon and the chard added a nice extra leafy bite.  The scramble was also nice and hot.  It’s so annoying when you go somewhere for eggs and they come out warm but not hot – not this place.  This whole scramble was nice and super warm/hot not scalding, you could tell it was delivered straight from the kitchen, no warming lamps on this plate!  The scramble even stayed warm through the last bite, I really enjoyed this meal and would definitely order it again!!  It was the perfect amount of food, I left feeling comfortably full.

Mixing Bowl
4920 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 655-5630
www.mixingbowloakland.com

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I ordered the Short Rib Hash ($15) and side of Breakfast Potatoes ($3) because I was HUNGRY!!!  Oh, and a GIANT Pomegranate/Grapefruit mimosa.

Here’s the description of the hash:

Braised Prather Ranch short rib hash, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, golden yams, 2 eggs, horseradish, creme fraiche, au jus

When my dish came, I was very surprised.  I guess in my head I was envisioning a big plate of hash – lots of veggies, potatoes/etc with bits of short rib… you know, like corned beef hash but with short rib.  This dish was definitely a very modern interpretation – everything was purposefully placed, it looked so delicate and neat (see below).  After a half of a nanosecond I got over my “non-hash” surprise and broke the egg yolks and started mixing everything around. No time to eat like a sophisticated human being after waiting over an hour… lol.  This freaking dish was so AWESOME my plate was cleaned and wiped dry within minutes.

I ended up glopping forkfuls of the short rib and eggs onto the bread and eating it that way.  The (Acme) bread didn’t last long… then I ended up dipping my potatoes in it.  Overall the dish was very excellent.  So good that there was not even any liquid left in the bottom of the plate/bowl.  The meat was tender and juicy and a little bit smokey, just perfect!  I admit I was disappointed there weren’t more potatoes/veggies since it was supposed to be a hash… only got 1/2 piece of 1 brussel sprout (cut into 2 pieces), 2 tiny cubes of sweet potato and some onions.  Oh well.  It was good anyway, hehe.

The breakfast potatoes: these potatoes were A-MAZING!!!  I accidentally yelled “OMG!” after I took the first bite!!  They were crispy and hot and salty, buttery with dill sprinkled around.  The crispiness of these potatoes were what made them amazing and addictive! I didn’t care that I was already full from eating the entire bowl of short rib hash, I needed to finish this bowl of potatoes.  I swear to the gods I could eat a bowl of these potatoes at every meal for the rest of my life! And guess who much this bowl of potatoes cost? $3, yay!

Mission Beach Cafe

www.missionbeachcafesf.com

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The place was packed.  Luckily we got the last table and didn’t have to wait… I ordered the Bacon Scramble which was one of the specials for the day.  It came with home fries and a side of toast (sourdough).

The dish kind of threw me off guard but in an ok way… I was expecting more of just eggs scrambled around with bacon… this was more like a veggie omelet with bacon in it too… there were olives, peppers, green onion, tomatoes and avocado on top.  It was good but not what I expected.  Cost about $11.

My friend got the strawberry ricotta stuffed french toast (with 2 slices of bacon).  I took a bite and it was REALLY GOOD.  I’m not a huge french toast person but I would definitely go back to this place to get this dish.

719 Washington St
(between 7th St & 8th St)
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 465-5400
www.cockadoodlecafe.com

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When we got there, the place was packed and there were people waiting in line.  I was surprised since it seemed like such a quiet street… so we waited for a few minutes before sitting down.  Their menu has both breakfast items as well as some brunch and lunch/sandwiches.

Since it was my “St. Patty’s Day” weekend, I decided to go for the corned beef hash and I also ordered a piece of cornbread too.  The corned beef hash came with home fries, 2 slices of toast (I ordered wheat but they gave me sourdough), and 2 poached eggs on top.

Here is the dish as it came out to me.  It smelled really good and I noticed there were ALOT of potatoes…

A closeup of all of the elements of my meal… if you look closely, you’ll notice the corned beef hash is tossed with peppers, onions, and potatoes.

Broke the egg yolks and dug in.  It was very good.  The dish needed a little salt, but overall, it was very good, and I was able to finish all of the corned beef hash section of my plate.  The corned beef in the hash was nice and salty with that little bit of tanginess… it was great!  I have to say there were just too many potatoes.  This is a pretty heavy dish and I really was hungry but even so, I couldn’t finish the home fries.

The cornbread was COLD and VERY DRY.  I will not be ordering it again.  I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt by telling myself that it was warm when it came out and I waited too long to eat it – but NO, this was in the fridge.

All in all, my meal was good.  It wasn’t like, to die for, but it wasn’t crappy either.  It was good and I will eat at this place again.  I would rate this place 3.5 fries, but I can’t so I’ll give it 3.

Doyle St. Cafe
5515 Doyle St
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 547-3552
doylestreetcafe.com

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Above is the Smoked Brisket Scramble with Pasilla Peppers and Onions, Toast and Home Fries.  It was pretty good.  I can’t say it was the most amazing scramble I’ve ever had, but it was definitely good.  There wasn’t so much smoked brisket in the scramble, but you could taste the smokey essence of the meat and the medium spiciness of the peppers.  Frankly, it was a little mushy.  For the scramble, I think either the eggs could’ve been cooked a little more or maybe the onions could’ve been cooked less — to give the dish a little more texture, otherwise it was just a mouthful of mush.  Tastey mush though!

I am usually very particular about my potatoes as well.  These potatoes were good — they were cooked with garlic and onions and were cut in quarters.  For breakfast potatoes I kind of prefer my potatoes in smaller bites and cooked in butter (or on a skillet with butter).  These potatoes were good but they weren’t my “favorite” kind of home fries.

Overall, brunch was good.

1300 10th St
(between Camelia St & Gilman St)
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 527-0099
www.t-rex-bbq.com

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Besides awesome pastries, La Boulange also has a nice little menu of breakfast and lunch items like eggs, sandwiches and salads.  I opted for a cup of the Soup du Jour – Potato Leek, a Breakfast Pizza with Bacon and a Nonfat Latte.

This is the kind of place where you order at the counter, get a number and find a place to sit.  Then you sit down and wait for your food to be delivered.  We waited a little while and then the soup came first.  It was pretty good — not quite as sweet as I expected it to be, but nonetheless, good.  The soup came with a little slice of french bread which was really good. Once the bread was gone I really had no reason to continue eating the soup, but I did anyway… just because.

Above is the breakfast pizza with bacon.  It is very interesting… basically the crust is a sweet flakey phyllo-ish kind of dough, topped with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, chunks of bacon and finally some scrambled eggs (oh, then sprinkled with chopped parsley i think?).  I usually cut it in slices the short way and eat.  It is very good and filling.  The buttery-ness of the crust and eggs mixed with the smokey saltiness of the bacon is the perfect combo and worth every bite.  I’ve had it twice so far.

This is a “real” latte.  Drink it right from the bowl.

La Boulange
500 Hayes St
(between Laguna St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 863-3376
www.baybread.com

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Anyhow, I was frigging starving because I had an early photoshoot this morning and was running around and squatting down on the ground trying to shoot these two super cute dogs… so I was ready to really go all out and have a nice meal.  Something I didn’t notice last time I was there was that there is ALOT of vegetarian food on the menu.  Actually, the brunch menu is basicall ALL vegetarian minus one dish – the blackened cod (with eggs)… the sausage is fake and so is the sausage gravy (for the biscuits).  So I was out of luck in the pig department, ugh!

I went with the Huevos Rancheros, a fish taco and an order of the mixed french fries and sweet potato fries.

Check out the Huevos Rancheros (above).  I was disappointed in this dish because the tortilla below the egg was just a regular flour tortilla, soft and uncooked.  If you look closely, you will see a very thinly cooked egg atop a tortilla… yes that is an egg that is covered in tomato sauce.  The dish was just OK.  I was honestly expecting a crunchy tortilla shell as the base of my rancheros or at least some tortillas on the side to dip with, but I got none of that.  To me, everything (minus the cabbage which I didn’t eat) was too mushy and soft.  The egg was cooked sunny side up so when you cut into it, the yolk just spilled out everywhere making a big ol mess on the plate.

Here is a shot of the fish taco and the french fries/sweet potato fries.  I’ve had the fish taco before at Weird Fish and it is good.  It was good today too.  The mango salsa on top is sweet and fresh and the fish is lightly breaded.  Taco = A+, Fries = C.  …Sorry french fries/sweet potato fries mix, you are waaay too dry and overcooked, so much that there is hardly any potato left inside!

I decided to take a shot of my friend’s meal too.  This is the Capp St. potatoes with a side of fruit and a side of fake sausage.  Doesn’t it look amazing?  It tastes amazing too, must be that sour cream!  No, it was really good, I would get this over my Huevos Rancheros in a hott second.  They mix both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes into this home fry mix, top it with red beans, sour cream, salsa and avocado.

Here’s a quick shot of the inside.  I love the color on the walls — it’s like a muted aqua/tealish color and the decor is old apothecary jars on the shelves, old vintage picture frames, and starfish-like found things.

Brunch was decent.. I wasn’t wowed to the ultimate but my hunger was tamed.

Weird Fish
2193 Mission Street
(between 18th St & Sycamore St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-4744
www.weirdfishsf.com

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I got there around 10:30am and although there were alot of people waiting, it wasn’t nearly as busy as I had remembered or experienced before. When we got seated, I decided to go with a Stack’s repeat – the Chorizo Scram. Basically it is an egg scramble with chorizo, onions and olives, topped with cheese and served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. It also comes with some home fries and a buttered bagel. The homefries are underneath the bagel and they are the shredded kind.

Here’s a closeup of the scram itself. The potatoes were bland and way too peppery and needed butter BAD (and also to be cooked a little more)… sorry I forgot to take a separate photo. The bagel was sourdough flavor which was good, but there wasn’t enough butter on it. The eggs were just OK… I think the strong olive taste kills the salty spicy chorizo flavor and it just didn’t have that WOW factor that I had remembered.

Bleehh.. brunch really didn’t satisfy me like I was hoping.

Stacks
501 Hayes St
(between Laguna St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 241-9011
www.stacksrestaurant.com

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