InterestMIX San Francisco

Julia Gleason: After having had a horrendous experience my first go around to Brenda's with my friend Liz (horrible service), I was convinced that I would never come back to Brenda's. I stayed away for 2 years before I was convinced to give it another go by the BF. I can say with just the tiniest bit of resentment that I was glad I did. This time around my brunch was more pleasant. Our server was on top of things and friendly. The food was delightful and the portions were HUGE for the meager cost. Some highlights were the chocolate beignet and granola pancakes topped with fresh fruit (although if you're looking for pancakes you can't ever do better than Dottie's). Unfortunately, their coffee was still not a win for me. They use a unique blend that I'm not a fan of although I'm sure some people are in to it if they've been serving it for so long. For me, though, blech! On a positive note, they allowed me to bring in my Philz cup o' joe. I'm glad that I'm warming up to Brenda's because they're only a hop skip and a jump from my 'Loin dwelling. Just a note: Weekends are PACKED so get their early before the line forms. Week days aren't as bad.

Julia Gleason: After a very generous offer from the GM of Brickhouse, the BF and I decided to give things another go. The food experience this time around was considerably better. Starting off with onion rings was the perfect way to initiate dining. We warmed up our tums with their crispy deliciousness. We ordered the beef pot pie and pesto pasta with chicken as our entree. Spencer really liked his pot pie and although I wasn't completely sold on the pasta, it was a much better choice than the veggie burger I had last time. Brickhouse is a great place to go for happy hour with $3 draft beers and $2 off bar bites. I'm not certain I would recommend a full meal here only because there's nothing that I've tasted that would leave me dying to come back. The prices are pretty darn high too and although their portions are hefty, the quality doesn't quite warrant that. I will say that a good friend of mine has had the veggie sandwich here and she emphatically claims that it's amazing. That may be a good place to start if it's your first time eating here. I was really close to ordering it but at the last minute changed my mind (kinda wish I had gone with my gut instinct).

Julia Gleason: I had come to Elite Cafe along time ago for brunch and remember enjoying myself thoroughly. There's nothing quite like some Southern food in the morning to get your day off right. Last night I made a date with my friend, Megs, and we decided to give it a go for supper. I hate saying things like, "I wanted to love it," but in this case there's just no other way to describe it. The ambiance is so awesome, we had a cozy, private booth tucked away in the back. It was absolutely perfect for an intimate chat. The food for me was not stellar for the price. The cream of artichoke soup was good but too rich; I only had a couple bites before getting tired of it. The heirloom tomato salad had excellent flavor and I loved the pine nuts but the greens were a little bit wilted and soggy. For a soup, salad and ONE drink, I walked away spending over $40. That seems quite excessive for mediocre food.

Julia Gleason: We had our hearts set on Farm Table this morning but realized as we were headed out the door that we only had credit (they don't take cash). We did a quick search of the area and came across Taylor Street Cafe. I was shocked that I had never heard of it since I live a mere two blocks away. It's small and there was a line with a sign that said, "line moves fast." I was skeptical but actually, we only waited a total of 5 minutes before we promptly got sat. I ordered the pancakes and eggs combo. Pancakes were thin and good but were served a tad cold. To be fair, it's a little unfair to any establishment I eat pancakes at; after having tried the amazingness that is Original Pancake House in Fullerton, every other flapjack pales in comparison. One of my biggest pet peeves is when one plate of food is brought out far before the other; I received my food before my boyfriend's and didn't feel comfortable diving head first in to my food while he was waiting there starving. All-in-all, decent food at a good price. We both only spent about $10 each.