As the 7×7 “Eight Pastries To Add To Your Breakfast Bucket List” conquest continues, it is getting harder and harder to choose a favorite. I can usually convince myself that fruit scones are relatively healthy but the amount of brown butter cream cheese, fried dough and sticky-pecan-sauce-magic in this edition is pure gluttony.
What I love about this “endeavor” is the planning required to hit these spots. Most of them are quite a trek from my our neighborhood which makes the indulgence more decadent. In case you don’t eat enough Valentine’s Day candy today, these will certainly satisfy any sweet tooth.
Baker and Banker
First up is the Baker and Banker Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll. I’m sold at just about anything with the words brown butter because of the deep toffee flavor it adds. This is SO decadent that you’ll definitely need coffee to wash it down.
Baker and Banker, 1701 Octavia St. San Francisco, CA, (415) 351-2500, http://www.bakerandbanker.com/, Mon-Sun 5:30 pm – 10 pm.
Devil’s Teeth Baking Company
These $1 beignets are huge – super light and airy – and much lighter than the ones we ate at Oddfellows in Seattle, I think I have a new favorite beignet. But you can only get them on Sundays, so plan accordingly.
Devil’s Teeth Baking Company, 3876 Noriega St. San Francisco, CA, (415) 683-5533, http://devilsteethbakingcompany.com/, Wednesday – Monday: 7am – 4pm, Closed Tuesdays
Ella’s
Ella’s is the first place I ever enjoyed brunch in San Francisco. I actually went there with my old roomie Natasha, before I even lived in the city. Their breakfast/brunch options are some of the best I’ve had. They change their menu weekly with seasonal pancakes, inventive omelets and the best options for “your choice of” carb. Their portions are huge, so in all my visits to Ella’s I had never ordered a sticky bun appetizer. A few weeks ago Dave and I were craving a breakfast pastry. He walked the three blocks to Ella’s and came back with not one but two sticky buns, and two biscuits (with their homemade jam)!
Ella’s Restaurant, 500 Presidio Ave, San Francisco, CA, (415) 441-5669, ellassanfrancisco.com, Breakfast served Mon-Fri 7:00 am – 11:30 am, Weekend Brunch served Sat/Sun 8:30 am – 3:00 pm, Reservations not accepted.