Video Cafe, San Francisco
Normally this is not the sort of place we would ever think of going to. It’s on Geary and 21st Avenue in the Richmond District. We asked in Starbucks, where Tom bought the New York Times, if they could recommend a good place for breakfast and this was it. As we had been cruising around for fifteen minutes searching for somewhere to eat, we decided that, like it or not, we would give it a try.
To say we were skeptical is putting it mildly. One of the big signs outside said ‘Thai Me Up’ menu and that was enough to put us off. Taking a deep breath, we opened the door.
Right from the start it was off putting. The first section is a video store and the cafe is behind. The tiles on the floor made it look like a restroom and there is a vague, undefined smell. It’s not overpoweringly obnoxious, just faintly disturbing.
It’s a large place with bright red vinyl seats. We chose a booth in the window. The seats are not at all comfortable, being kind of low. We were tempted to walk out but there was nowhere else to go so we grimaced and bit the bullet.
The menu is limited and no specials were on offer at all. There was oatmeal for $3.95 but I asked if was cooked in a microwave and the server said yes. So that’s a definite put off. I chose eggs and bacon with fruit instead of home fries or hash browns, and with wheat toast ($6.95). Tom ordered eggs, Italian sausages, hash browns and English muffins ($7.95). No coffee though as we’ve already had that earlier.
Now the decor. Lots of movie posters on the walls, some going back to the 1980’s - ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Superman IV’. There were some more modern ones though like ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Time Machine’. Amongst all the posters and faded cut out movie adverts is one large photo on the far wall of the World Trade Center.
The food arrived. Our eggs were small and clumped together. My bacon looked dry. As I’ve said before, the bacon in the US is not at all like the back rashers in the UK. We both cleared our plates so it couldn’t have been that bad. We were not impressed with the cutlery - way too flimsy. Press too hard and the forks bent. Tom also complained his fork had a metallic taste.
Now I do like to say something positive so here’s the good points. My fruit was fresh - cantaloupe, water melon, banana and grapes. Definitely not out of a tin. The preserves were not pre-packed in plastic containers, though the jars were a little grungy.
I didn’t relish the visit to the restroom but, for the sake of completeness and because you have all now come to expect it, I made the sacrifice. The Ladies was a bit grubby but I have been in worst places. The only decoration, if you could call it that, was the handwritten sign, Scotch taped to the wall, which said:
PLEASE DO NOT OVERFLOOD WITH TOILET PAPERS, PAPER TOWELS AND SANITARY SUPPLIES. Thanks
Our conclusion - if Dennys is your usual breakfast haunt you will probably like it but we will not be coming again. Note from Tom: I think I might like Dennys better.
July 20 2008 12:33 pm | Breakfast Log
