Foreign Cinema
Brandade: Whipped cod, Potatoes, Green Chilies, Grilled Bread, House Pickles
Duck Liver Pate Toast, Watercress, Pluots, Toasted Hazelnuts
Baguette French Toast, Peaches, Saba, Maple Butter and Slow Cooked Brown Sugar Bacon
Balsamic Fried Eggs, Roasted Tadicchio, Escarole, Potato Hash, Crisp Pork Belly
Caramel Pecan Sticky Bun
Pluot Pop Tart
Having literally just stepped out of Bar Tartine I received a text message from my friend who I’d dined with the day prior asking me if I wanted to meet up for brunch at Foreign Cinema, apparently a plan we had discussed weeks ago (to the point that we actually had reservations) and without significant plans otherwise I figured ‘why not,’ arriving at the restaurant about fifteen minutes later and walking the red carpet to a two top on the cusp of the patio. Busy and bustling, certainly amongst the most popular in the city for weekend brunch it would not be long before we were greeted by our server, a clever and friendly man named Davitas, and with my buddy ordering a beer we spent time perusing the menu, me suddenly feeling very happy that I’d agreed to come along and even happier that I’d had someone to share with both earlier and now as our order soon encompassed a half dozen items. A large restaurant with high ceilings and an industrial feel more suited to Los Angeles than San Francisco it would not be long before our food would arrive and coming in pairs with appetizers first, brunch plates second, and pastries as dessert I found most of the food to be quite competent with the produce exceptional, though the eggs and pork belly were slightly overcooked and the duck liver far more metallic and gamey than would traditionally be expected. Ever a fan of brandade I will say that this presentation was exceptional, the fish mild but briny and nicely offset by the chilies while each of the pastries were quite good, particularly the delicate pop tart and the custardy French Toast nicely punctuated by the point/counterpoint of peaches and saba.
http://www.foreigncinema.com/