Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon
A while back Lewis and I went to Crepevine for brunch. He ordered crepes and I ordered their Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. A hearty brunch.
Unfortunately that was months ago. And I’m craving a nice brunch today.
It’s cloudy out with a chance of rain and I decided we should have brunch at home. Looking back at the old photo, this recipe couldn’t be too hard to recreate. Poached eggs on top of sautéed spinach and onions layered with slices of smoked salmon. Top it off with hollandaise sauce and paprika and there you have it! It’s settled, we’re making this! And so we did…
Look at the onions and spinach!
Let ‘em sweat. Onions caramelizing is one of my favorite smells in the kitchen.
Toast English muffins and layer on the sautéed vegetables and smoked salmon.
Top with poached eggs.
Spoon warm hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Let it rain, baby. Let it rain.
Sprinkle a dash of smoked paprika and voila! Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. This turned out to be better than I thought although next time I’ll settle with yellow onions instead of red onions for a more subtle color.
Thank you, Lewis for taking all these photos! The pictures came out great!
Sunday Outing
It has been a long time since I’ve updated this blog. Hopefully this will be one of many posts in the future.
Yesterday was mainly a day for eating and enjoying good company. And boy was gluttony sweet on a rainy day. Lewis and I went to go meet our friends in the city and got to eat our hearts out. Here was the agenda for the afternoon:
- Share a dozen donuts at the famous Bob’s Donuts and Pastry Shop
- Drive over to Dolores Park (and stop by Bi-Rite Creamery)
- Find a place for lunch (which later was at Samovar Tea Lounge)
Lewis and I got to the donut shop early so we walked down the street to Blue Fog Market! They offered Blue Bottle Coffee and had a huge menu for sandwiches and pastries. I would have come back for the food if we didn’t have to meet for donuts first! I went ahead and ordered the Tupelo Honey Latte. Best decision for an early Sunday morning if you ask me. I didn’t have a chance to snap a photo but I promise you, the coffee went down smooth and it would have been worth a second cup!
After coffee we went back to the donut shop and sampled about a dozen donuts with Jess and Peter. We couldn’t finish them, even between the 4 of us. Bob’s did a splendid job with their yeast and old fashioned donuts. Their chocolate and plain glazes were pretty good too! We also tried their eclair/Boston Cream Pie donuts and the infamous apple fritter. I think I liked the eclairs better because they have custard in them. The apple fritter was a little too sweet for me. Yelpers seem to highly recommend it though. Sadly again, no pictures here to sample.
Even with our stomachs full of fried, sugary goodness, we couldn’t say no to a trip across town to grab some ice cream. Luckily the time it took us to drive and find parking, we were able to make some room.
Bi-Rite Creamery offered an array of flavors such as honey lavender, cookies n’ cream, coffee toffee chip, brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl, mint chip, the list goes on. You get an option of ordering child or adult servings of ice cream. Order the adult serving obviously! We beat the rush and ordered salted caramel, honey lavender, and hazelnut cocoa nib. Luckily we found seats and waited for the rain to stop. It poured so hard outside!
After our marathon of sweets we were ready for a proper lunch. We walked a couple of blocks intending to find a bar somewhere but came across Samovar Tea Lounge instead! Lewis and I have been to the one in Hayes Valley before but never to the Mission/Castro location. Jess and Peter have never had Samovar before so we were excited to take them.
How could you say no? The Japanese tea service was delicious! It came with Ryokucha Green Tea (not pictured) with a plate of butternut squash soup, seaweed salad, steamed butternut squash, brown rice with tempeh, and a steamed kale salad. Super filling.
Jess and Peter ordered a Jasmine tea and jook (rice porridge) with roasted duck to share. That dish was perfect for the cold weather!
I ordered the Smoked Salmon quiche which came with fruit and a side of spring and carrot salad with a citrus vinaigrette. Also very filling but quite satisfying. The whole experience there was quite relaxing. It felt like a sauna in there so we were ready to nap after eating a big meal. We must have spent at least 2 hours there.
Great food, great friends. Awesome way to end the weekend. Glad we were able to make a trip out to see you Jess and Peter!
Blue Fog Market
1552 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 580-7178, www.bluefogmarket.com
Bob’s Donut and Pastry Shop
1621 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 776-3141
Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 626-5600, www.biritecreamery.com
Samovar Tea Lounge (Castro/Mission location)
498 Sanchez Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 626-4700, www.samovarlife.com
A Foodie’s Newfound Haven- Part 2
I ended up coming back here on Saturday, the day after I already visited the Marketplace in the Ferry Building. It wasn’t fully intentional…I was just in the neighborhood and had Lewis with me. I promised him we could have a round of fresh oysters there and possibly dessert after lunch (another post coming soon).
Yes after lunch we still made room for these babies from the San Francisco Fish Company. We shared half a dozen oysters with some drinks around 3 in the afternoon. That possibly could have been a mistake considering it was towards the end of the day. The oysters were fresh, but not just fished out of the water fresh like the ones I tried the day before. Lewis wasn’t disappointed but we both agreed we’ll try the oyster that’s in the building some other time.
I wouldn’t call it a mistake but it wasn’t the wisest choice, but I decided to stand in the longest queue for Blue Bottle Coffee. This is a picture of the day before, just multiply that by 2 and you’ll have a line winding out the front entrance. They offered your basic lattes, expressos, hot chocolate, freshly roasted and pressed coffees, some cookies, and their bagged coffee beans. I had the intention of buying a bag but I caved for an iced coffee because I wasn’t sure what to exactly order. I’m new to the whole coffee drinking scene and I can’t get myself to drink a dark roast without running on caffeine all day. I want to learn more about what I’m able to taste and appreciate.
I know, shame on me for not knowing what to get. The iced coffee was really smooth though! And I do appreciate coffee that doesn’t give off a bitter or awkward aftertaste. Will I go back there? Most likely so, but probably after researching a couple of things like which coffee to try and going to visit in the morning instead of 3 in the afternoon. I get the shakes if I have too much caffeine in my system that late.
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94105
http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 399-1111, http://sanfranfishco.com
A Foodie’s Newfound Haven- Part 1
Oh I know that I am definitely late in the game after I stumbled onto this place. Where have I been all this time? I got the afternoon off and tagged along with my sister and her boyfriend to go exploring in SF, with the intention of visiting Lewis at his new office of course. Thanks again for taking me you guys!
Walk along the Embarcadero and you’re going to run into this watch tower. Look closely and you’ll find that it’s a market inside! You name it, they got it! Restaurants, cafes, cheese and chocolate shops, bakeries, farmers markets, almost anything! And because it’s so jam packed with all these niche like stores, you can’t help but fawn over how amazing it is that they’re all under one roof. My eyes were literally darting from left to right, trying to comprehend what was around me.
You’d be in awe too if you can’t decided whether or not to try the fresh oysters first or the chocolates from Scharffen Berger. There was also gelato, a couple of other bakeries, and some cozy looking restaurants. What to pick?
Hello fresh oysters from the San Francisco Fish Company!
Jay and I were game to eat a couple. Diane was too chicken until our second round. A little dab of cocktail sauce and lemon juice and you’re good to go! $2 an oyster, which is a little steep, but not uncommon. They were just too delicious. I came back for more the next day with Lewis.
Second stop, Miette Patisserie! A super cute pastry shop where macarons, cakes, tarts, cookies, and candies await you. I’ve been eyeing that book of theirs for months. It’s about time I get it!
Diane was totally up for dessert. She bought a vanilla bean macaron.
I bought rose, pistachio, grapefruit, and vanilla bean macarons. I think my favorites were the grapefruit and rose macarons. Very fragrant yet light on the flavors. $1.75 a macaron. I’m considering to make these at home. They look so complicated but it wouldn’t hurt to attempt it at least once. I just need to get some almond flour.
After spending most of the afternoon here, I told myself I’m coming back. And sure enough, I came back the next day with Lewis. More on that later. Definitely consider a trip out here if you want to try new foods. There are lots of seafood restaurants here and plenty of smaller venues if you’re looking to grab a quick bite or indulge yourself in dessert.
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 983-8030, http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 983-8030, http://www.miette.com
