By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
It’s the last week of National Sauce Month (*cue sad music*), but as they say, don’t cry because it’s over – smile because it happened! We’ve been getting saucy every single week, and this week is no exception.
We took our adventure on the road this weekend to San Francisco. Nestled in a small space on Polk and Eddy Streets is Brenda’s French Soul Food. If not for the huge crowd gathered outside, it would be pretty easy to miss. Brenda’s boasts a large menu that blends French, Creole and soul food influences into creative takes on everyone’s favorites. You can taste the soul in the food and feel it in the atmosphere, making it well worth the 45 minute wait!
Even though everything looked fantastic, it was really easy to figure out what I wanted. Since it was breakfast time, and I was there for research purposes, I ordered the Eggs Benedict.
Eggs Benedict sounds like a classic breakfast. Poached eggs, English muffins and hollandaise sauce. Pretty straightforward, right? In any other case the Eggs Benedict wouldn’t be all that special, but at Brenda’s, I swear I heard a choir of angels sing when I saw my plate. When I took a bite, somewhere far away a butterfly shed a tear of happiness.
In all seriousness, this was best Eggs Benedict I have ever had. I think this dish represented the French, Creole and soul food influences so perfectly. Instead of the classic English muffin, the base of this dish was a fluffy and huge cream biscuit. Now for the exciting part: Brenda’s offers up the classic ham option, but also offers fried chicken and catfish as toppings. I opted for the fried chicken, but it wasn’t an easy decision.
Let’s talk about the hollandaise sauce – which is what I was really interested in – and how it upped my eggcellent experience by 1,000 percent. The usual slight citrus flavor of the hollandaise was replaced with a kick of Creole spices, but still managed not to overwhelm the flavors of the fried chicken and the biscuit. I have not stopped thinking about that sauce, I’m seriously worried I will never be able to enjoy Eggs Benedict the same way again!
I finished off my meal with an order of beignets. Brenda’s offers the classic flavor with simple powdered sugar, but also changes it up with chocolate filled, granny smith apple filled, and even a savory crawfish option. The crawfish option is filled with a mix of crawfish and cheese and is spiced like the hollandaise sauce. I was able to get a taste of all four options, and they were just as good as they sound, if not better. 10/10 I would them eat again.
Brenda’s is a great little spot for a weekend brunch or anytime. They’re very popular, so be prepared to wait awhile, but I promise it will be worth it!
Weekend Food Getaway: Outside Lands
by Harrison Reilly
The annual Outside Lands music festival was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this past weekend and I was lucky enough to attend all three days. In between watching bands like Radiohead, Third Eye Blind and Duran Duran, I was able to try food from vendors across the Bay Area. It was a SacFoodie’s dream!
With help from my lovely sisters, I complied this list of the best food we tried at Outside Lands.
Spicy Tater Tots from The Japanese Pantry.
These tater tots were the perfect snack on a cold and foggy afternoon.
Rambenburger from Nombe.
This burger included 50/50 pork belly & Kobe patty, blue cheese, buttered shiitake, pickled onions, and Miso Sauce.
Golden Boy Pizza
I love pizza, plain and simple; I could eat it every day. I thought I had met my match in NYC, until I popped into a little San Francisco gem located in the North Beach neighborhood: Golden Boy Pizza. Trust me when I tell you, you would be hard pressed to find better in the city. I always wondered why the line usually wraps around the block. I no longer wonder. Check it out – you won’t be disappointed.
Golden Boy Pizza
542 Green St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
4th Annual SF Street Food Festival is Worth a Trip to the City
A guest blog by Chelsea Johnson in Fleishman-Hillard’s San Francisco office.
The largest celebration of street food in San Francisco is happening this weekend with the SF Street Food Festival, sponsored by La Cocina.
This Saturday, August 18, food carts, trucks and stations will line Folsom Street in the Mission District offering a full culinary kaleidoscope.
This year I had the pleasure of attending a media dinner hosted by La Cocina, giving me the chance to meet some of the vendors (master chefs in my humble opinion) and taste the dishes before the actual festival.
Here are my top three picks for the weekend that you simply must sample:
1. Jacked-up Hush Puppies by Zella’s Soulful Kitchen
These hush puppies are like none you’ve ever tasted before. Pepper jack cheese, onions and jalapenos comprise this corn fritter topped with a remoulade drizzle.
2. Onigilly Bites by Onigilly
Not commonly found in the U.S., Onigilly is a traditional Japanese snack. Rice balls are filled with various toppings then encased in a seaweed wrap. I recommend the spicy tuna or the eggplant.
3. Malaysian Chilaquiles by Azalina’s
Always a hit at San Francisco festivals, Azalina has done it again with her Malysian Chilaquiles. Scallion flatbread and chicken rending are topped with Azalina’s delicious coconut jam. Also check out her famous Penang Curry Bomb!
This is just a taste of what will be at San Francisco’s largest street food festival. For a full line up of vendors and for information about location and tickets, visit SFstreetfoodfest.com.
About La Cocina
La Cocina is San Francisco’s first incubator kitchen, designed to reduce the obstacles that often prevent talented entrepreneurs from creating successful and sustainable small businesses. By providing shared resources and an array of industry-specific services, incubators like La Cocina ensure that small businesses can succeed. The San Francisco Street Food festival helps La Cocina raise the money needed to help participants working to launch their own food businesses.
For more information about the organization and other upcoming events visit lacocinasf.org.
Escaping the Heat
With the mild winter we had, I knew we were in for a rough summer. However with these last few weeks of 100-degree plus days, summer has worn out its welcome.
To escape a 105-degree Saturday, my boyfriend, Alex, and I decided to take a day trip to 73-degree San Francisco. We put on our best hipster outfits and headed to the Bay Area for a day filled with fashion and food.
First stop, the de Young Museum. I had never been to the de Young before but I had only heard great things! It is in the middle of the beautiful Golden Gate Park and has a fabulous view of the whole city from the observation tower. We hadn’t even made our way into an exhibit and I was sold.
I have never had a favorable relationship with art; I often walk into a museum and immediately become overwhelmed with history and dates. So for this trip we decided to stick to exhibitions that featured photographs and fashion – my favorite kind of art.
The Real to Real: Photographs from the Traina Collection was exhilarating and playful. My favorite photograph was the Martin Parr, Fashion Shoot for American, New York, 1999, which features a fashionable woman pumping gas.
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition was beautiful and exciting. It incorporated the history of his life and his work, and delved into his deepest emotions and relationships. My favorite part of this exhibition was the room that showcased the invention of the cone bra. Did you know the first cone bra Gaultier designed was for his teddy bear?
To fulfill the food requirement of our trip, we finally took the advice of our San Francisco-native friends and went to nopa. Luckily we had reservations, as the restaurant was packed! And for good reason. The food was absolutely delicious and the Bloody Marys were spicy and flavorful. Nopa prides itself on using fresh and local ingredients and on making everything in house – right down to the maple syrup.
If this heat wave continues, I will definitely be making a few more weekend trips to the Bay Area. But for now, I impatiently await fall.
nopa
560 Divisadero
San Francisco, CA
94117