boulette's larder

this is another one of those long overdue post. like a month plus ago overdue. playing some catch up here.

anywho. it was from my last trip to san francisco and it was one of my favorite breakfast/brunch experiences.

where you ask? boulette's larder in the ferry building marketplace.

"mark bittman, writing in the new york times, said breakfast at boulette's larder may have been the best breakfast he ever had."

since we went there on a sunday morning, it was beignets and brunch on the menu.

i am kinda torn - it is still a debate if the reason i enjoyed this place was the ambience more than the food. you'd see in a second why i loved loveeed the ambience.  there are three seating areas: right by the outside of the entrance, another by the pier and the third was a communal table in the petite restaurant. and i have to say i was lucky enough to have the option to dine at the communal table even though the pier would have been another great choice if not for the chilly weather.

it's hard to describe the feel of boulette's larder well with words so i'll just let the photos do the talking. 

what makes me love this place is that it feels like i am dining in someone's kitchen where it's cozy and... *sigh* it just feels like i'm at home and it's comforting. (minus that it might feel a little bit awkward dining with strangers at communal table)

the sunday brunch menu looked pretty appetizing but we were looking for something light since we already had lunch planned out.

and by light i mean scrambled egg & fried half quail and beignets. plus a cup of french pressed  blue bottle organic coffee for ryan and tea for me.

ryan is really picky with his coffee but he wasn't too fond of the coffee and thought it was alright..he prefers the one from peet's coffee -.- the english breakfast tea i ordered was a lovely accompaniment to the rest of the meal :)

scrambled eggs & fried half quail . baby dandelion salad . remoulade .

the breading and crust on the quail was light and crispy while encasing a perfectly cooked and seasoned quail. it was gamey, tender, juicy and crunchy. this is paired with a remoulade that was slightly creamy and with a subtle bite and i love the brininess and tartness of capers that cuts through the richness of the rest of the dish. the hint of bitterness from the baby dandelions pairs well. the scrambled eggs were light and fluffy but i always prefer my eggs to be done a bit more with slightly golden brown crust.

b/l beignets . orange-cardamom sugar .

this was the first time i had beignets outside of new orleans and we were both excited to compare with the one from cafe du monde. at first, i thought "that is a lot of beignets for the two of us" to "i don't think we have enough". these things were addictive. the beignets were still warm and when i bite into one, it was light and airy. biting into the crispy sweet crust (with subtle hints of orange and cardamom flavors) where the insides just melts in your mouth like cotton candy.

while i found these beignets delightful, they could be unsatisfying to some. ryan thought it didn't have the doughiness and substance of the cafe du monde ones he remembered so well from growing up in louisiana. i'd say this was a lighter and airier representation of its southern counterpart but we both like it quite a bit. (although ryan prefers the one from new orleans)

after our brunch at boulette's larder, i was surprised when ryan told me there was a dog under the table next to his feet at the restaurant. i asked him if he was sure that it wasn't a piled up rug. he said that the dog lifted his head up and back down whenever someone opened the door cos of the gust of cold wind. i was like.. no way.... ryan reassured me it was a dog. after that, i felt so silly thinking it was a rug. -.- i think it was a dark brown komondor so i can't help it when the dog stayed so quiet throughout our meal which was rather amazing. hehe.

it was quite the satisfying brunch but slightly pricey though. it was just the right amount of food to keep us happy until our lunch plans.

i'd love returning to boulette's larder for another nice light brunch while feeling very much at home. just like dining in a friend's cozy kitchen :) this place is definitely a keeper.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.