Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, Tenderloin, San Francisco
Dottie's True Blue Cafe in San Francisco, California.
As you know, we are always on the look out for new places to go for breakfast in the Bay Area; so when we watched Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network on Monday night, which featured Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, we just had to give it a try. We had planned a trip up to the city so this was the perfect chance to try it out.
We checked the internet beforehand. Dottie’s does not have its own website but there are plenty of reviews to check out, most of them very positive, so we knew we were in for a treat. One thing we learned is that they only have seating for 40 so we decided to get there before it opened at 7.30. We arrived at 7.15 and already there was a line outside, so we joined the end (Check the map below for the location). The Tenderloin is not in the best part of town and we spent a fascinating 15 minutes people watching and chatting to the couple in front of us. We later found out their names were Stacey and Ray – so Hi to you both if you ever check this website out.
Just before 7.30 the line started to move and we were lucky to get seated in the first wave. Our table was against the far wall and I sat under the specials board. The normal menu is relatively small but the specials are what has earned Dottie’s it’s reputation. There is also a baked goods specials board.
I went for the oatmeal ($3.95) with the fresh mixed fruit ($2.50). Tom ordered the smoked whiskey-fennel sausage, mushroom, baby spinach scramble with grilled corn bread and potatoes (10.95) with a slice of blueberry crumb cake ($4.50) on the side.
The tables and chairs are a little beaten up – our table also rocked a bit but that just added to the charm of the place. There were just five seats at the counter. I liked the salt and pepper shakers in the shape of paper bags. Small prints of old food adverts adorned the wall above the counter. On the walls near us were three black and white classic glamor posters. One of them was Josephine Baker, wearing just a garment made out of beads. There were a couple of additional decorative touches – a few postcards and a shelf high on the wall near the door with a few knick knacks on.
There was a 20 minute wait before we gave our order but we didn’t care as we were busy looking around and talking to Stacey and Ray at the next table. Outside the window we could see people waiting in line. Jazz was playing softly in the background. It would have been louder if there was not so much chatting and laughter going on around us. Everybody seemed so carefree but it was a holiday weekend after all. Tom’s coffee cup was filled regularly. The coffee is good but not quite as good as Pete’s.
I was watching the action behind the bar. There were just two cooks and they were in constant action. With very little space behind the counter, they out to be pretty nifty on their feet.
The blueberry crumb cake arrived as a sort of starter. On top was a generous dollop of whipped cream and it looked too good to resist. Mmm, nice and warm and heavenly.
When our scramble and oatmeal arrived I looked at my watch, only to realize that the time on the parking meter was about to expire. We had been lucky enough to find a meter right outside the restaurant. The maximum you could put in though was for one hour of parking and at 25 cents for 12 mins of time it seemed a lot of money. Tom nipped out and put another half an hour on the clock. Meanwhile I was enjoying my breakfast. The fruit on top of the oatmeal – sliced strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, purple grapes and blackberries – had never seen the inside of a freezer and tasted wonderfully fresh. The oatmeal was in a large, round shallow bowl and tasted great. Not steel cut but I had no complaints. Tom was really enjoying his scramble. I had never had grilled corn bread before so I tried a piece. Was not too impressed as it had hot spice in it and I don’t like hot spicy food. I should have expected it because I remember thinking that most of the dishes prepared on Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) had jalapenos in them.
The restroom was very ordinary – clean and functional with no decoration at all but getting to it was an adventure. I was pointed towards a door and told to collect the large spoon with key attached which would be hanging on a hook by the door. If it wasn’t there, somebody was already using it and I would have to wait. The spoon was there so I took it off the hook, walked through the door and found myself in the lobby of a small hotel. I found the restroom but it was locked. The receptionist told me somebody was in there and I would have to wait and wait I did for some time. While I waited I looked round the lobby and found a few disturbing notices – one a warning about a dangerous cocaine out on the streets and another telling me that everything was being recorded. Goes with the territory I guess.
So that was our visit to Dottie’s and we can certainly recommend it wholeheartedly. The food is top notch and certainly worth the wait.
Dottie’s is at 522 Jones Street in San Francisco.
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- Irving Street Cafe, San Francisco
- Cafe Rain Tree, San Francisco
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- Lakeside Cafe, Ocean Avenue, San Francisco
- The Blue Coffee Pot, Kayenta, AZ
July 08 2009 06:53 am | Breakfast Log
