Cinnamon Swirls & Eggs from Hell

I woke up Sunday morning feeling only slightly human, probably a result of the choices I had made the night before.  Did we really need that last bottle of champagne?

No time for moping. I had a brunch to get to in celebration of a friend's birthday. Plus, food always makes things better, I thought to myself.

When I visited San Francisco in late July, my first attempted brunch at Baker & Banker was foiled. No brunch on Saturday (don't get me started on the whole "You can get any meal, any time in NYC. Why doesn't every other city in the world follow suit?" debate). But a stop at their bakery, which IS open on Saturdays, sealed the deal: I knew that a place peddling salted caramel lattes, cinnamon rolls with brown butter icing and the like would be AOK in my book.

For this trip, I came armed with a reservation.  Thanks, Tina!

There really wasn't much to be said before food hit the table. Some talk about "what're you ordering" in an attempt to dodge duplicate orders. Out came the food, and up went our smile lines.

First dish: Eggs in purgatory.  A dish of mascarpone-brown butter polenta, spicy tomato sauce and sausage.  Acidity from the tomato cut through the cholesterol pudding polenta, and the crispy bits of sausage gave textural interest.

I wanted the eggs in purgatory. But no double-ordering, so I settled for the brisket hash with poached eggs, romesco and grilled ramps.  At some restaurants, 2nd choice is just as good as 1st. The brisket seemed to have spent time on a flat top, because a second cooking method like this would be an ideal way to achieve a crispy outer shell that gives way to a melty, tender center. The meat & potatoes sat in a super rich jus that was cut nicely by the romesco.

Birthday girl ordered the burger with gruyere.  It came on poppy seed challah (protected by garlic aioli) and had an egg perched on top of the patty. The burger was cooked perfectly - medium rare if you're wondering what perfect is - and the liquid gold from the egg helped all flavors run together, so that each bite was as good as the last.

Last up: Smoked trout with potato pancake, horseradish cream, pickled beets and shaved fennel.  I should tell you that a photo of this dish was what brought me to the door of Baker & Banker back in July. It delivered. Crispy potato was the backbone for the smokey trout, and the almost pungent beets tamed by horseradish cream brought the dish life.

So. Full.

But wait.  There's gratis dessert, a common perk of dining with someone turning one year older. The sticky bun was perfect amounts of ooey, gooey, bready, and crispy. I remember a bite, studded with bits of chocolate.  I'm pretty sure I blacked out.

My self-induced food problem made me all but forget about my bad decisions from the night before.

4505 Burger

Smoked Trout

Brisket Hash

Eggs in Purgatory

Birthday Girl with Birthday Sticky Bun