San Francisco Brunch- Brenda's French Soul Food

Brenda's French Soul Food will take you out of the Tenderloin and place you in New Orleans. Special thanks to Chef Brenda Buenviaje for bringing some Creole cooking to San Francisco. She's part Filipina. Plus 1,000 points for my culture!

If you are planning on brunching at Brenda's, come early. The line is long and the people come out in droves, even on a weekday. Brenda's does a great job on service, especially with large groups. Our waitress had it all down to a science. 

We ended up with a variety of dishes on our table since we had a party of 12. We had everything covered from sandwiches and savory dishes to breakfast foods and sides from Muffaletta and sweet potato pancakes to Shrimp & Grits and jambalaya. For the table to share we had the plain beignets and crawfish ones. They were amazing, especially the crawfish. My cousin said the crawfish was the best of all the choices but I want to find out for myself. On my next visit I want to try the apple and chocolate ones too!

Plain Beignets

                  Crawfish Beignets                              Innards

Muffaletta

        Sweet Potato Pancakes                  

It was hard to make a decision on what to get since I heard everything was good but I settled on the Catfish Po'boy for my lunch. Plates at Brenda's are massive and cost approximately $10 a dish. I really liked the French fries. They were spiced and my Catfish Po'boy was spot on except for the bread. It was a little heavy. Towards the end, I was just eating the catfish. I also got BFC chicken wing. The fried chicken is so delicious. Finger lickin' good like how Kentucky Fried Chicken was back in the day.  

Catfish Po'boy

BFC Chicken Wing

Brenda's will have you fed and on your way in no time. You won't even feel rushed. It's definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. I'd even call it worthy of a destination.

Brenda's French Soul Food
652 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Neighbors and Friends at The Queens Kickshaw

Jen and Ben holding down the fort.

The Queens Kickshaw is a neighborhood coffee shop in Astoria, Queens. It's a small business that I have been following over the past year and one that has quickly become one of my favorites to support. The owners Ben and Jen are adorable, sweet, kind, and friendly. Every time my friends and I stop by for a drink and bite, they come over for some conversation. It is this kind of hospitality that keeps customers coming back. They're genuine and the relaxing atmosphere designed by Ecosystems Brand is just as inviting.

One pitfall of small businesses is growing too fast too soon. It's dangerous to grow a business you can't support with the manpower you have or the limited resources available. The Queens Kickshaw is taking it slow and easy. In the beginning they had a simple coffee menu, grilled cheeses, and limited hours.

The owners keep their full time jobs and pitch in hours when they can. When you own your own business, you breathe life into it even if it means being on your feet all day, using extra brain power, pouring in your life savings, and working 80 hours plus every week. You do what you can to keep it alive.

The Queens Kickshaw is now open in the evenings until 1 AM. They take pride in the craft beers and wine they now serve and are experimenting with adding new vegetarian friendly items to the menu. I tried the three cheese macaroni and cheese last night. It was a dreamy concoction of pasta with smoked mozzarella, gruyere, and cheddar. Also on the menu is chestnut stuffing. I'm really excited about that. It's the same variation my grandma used to cook during Thanksgiving. Most of all, I like that The Queens Kickshaw added in the element of live music on Friday nights. The acts are locals showcasing their own style of folk, acoustic guitar, klezmer, blues, and all sorts. Last night I grooved while dj Ab*Soul* played some soulful R&B. It was a nice way to relax and end our Thanksgiving festivities. Yes, The Queens Kickshaw was open during Thanksgiving. For that, I thank them. In a city where so many are transplants and family is so far away, New Yorkers are rich with alternatives to the traditional.  Dinner in Flushing Chinatown followed by late night snacks, dessert, drink, and music at The Queens Kickshaw. Yup, sounds just like the New York life I never imagined I'd be living. And perfect at the same time.

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 26 is the second annual Small Business Saturday. It was a day created by American Express to support small businesses. Stop by The Queens Kickshaw. It's like a home away from home. They serve killer coffee to get you going, amazing grilled cheeses, and Balthazar sticky buns. Save yourself the trip to SoHo and stick to Queens.

Owner Jen Lim and Barista Alisha

Gouda w/black bean hummus, guava jam, pickled jalapenos

Inside shot of Gouda sandwich

Green Salad w/pickled golden raisins

Balthazar Sticky Bun

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

My favorite way to enjoy The Queens Kickshaw:
1. Go with 3 other friends
2. Order 4 grilled cheeses
3. Make a Franken-cheese sandwich!
Pictured: (clockwise from top) Gouda, Fontina Val d'Aosta, Gruyere, Manchego & Ricotta

The Queens Kickshaw
40-17 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11103    

Small Business Saturday

Maharlika- Making a Mark in the East Village

Maharlika (pronounced- mahar licka) means noble in Tagalog, one of the Philippines' main languages spoken. I walked into Maharlika in the East Village and felt like it was a nice place. A little regal. It was definitely different from the other Filipino restaurants I am used to in Woodside, Queens. 

Maharlika is more current, trendy, and upscale than your regular neighborhood Filipino restaurant. There is no hot counter of food here. Nor is there karaoke available or a giant television blasting TFC (The Filipino Channel) in the background. Maharlika is a proper sit down restaurant, complete with a bar and menu that reinvents Filipino food presentation to appeal to foreigners and Filipino food lovers. The owners and management are proud of what they have done with the place. They should be. Service and food was excellent.

Sizzling Sisig

We went to Maharlika for brunch. The first dish was Sizzling Sisig with Egg and a side of garlic rice. The sisig, a pork lover's dream (chopped pig snout, pig ears, pork belly, and cheeks boiled, grilled, and sauteed) was served in a cast iron skillet. The waiter offered to mix in the beautiful egg on top with the sisig. The yolk broke and quickly cooked all while adding a creaminess to the pork.

Maharlika made it a point to introduce each and every patron to the customs and culture of the Philippines. Chicharron. Vinegar. Banana ketchup. Pork. These are a few things that characterize staples in a Filipino diet and were showcased by the waiter. We made sure we had plenty to eat. You cannot go to a Filipino home and starve. That's not how Filipinos do things. We also like to share. My group ate off of each other's plate. We weren't all Filipino but the custom of sharing transcended ethnicity. I like to think of sharing as a basic rule of manners to follow.

Tapsilog and the complimentary Chicken Chicharron in the corner

The Tapsilog was complimented with a medley of tomatoes, cucumber, sibuyas, and cilantro. The tapa, fried meat, was not too greasy. It's a sweet meat. Filipinos like their food sugary.

Eggs Imelda with Caviar

The Eggs Imelda impressed me the most. The standouts on this dish were the poached eggs on pandesal (Filipino bread) and laing (taro root) with humongous grilled prawns. We opted to get the eggs with an "accessory" of caviar. As for the prawns, the proper way to eat it was to consume the tail and suck out the fat and juice from the head portion. 

Ube Waffles and Fried Chicken

The brunch special was fried chicken and Ube waffles. Ube is a purple yam. The waffle was giant, thin, and purple. It had a hint of yam flavor and was served with macapuno syrup. I liked the chunks of young coconut and the slight sweetness of it.

Mango French Toast

We ordered Mango French Toast for dessert. This dish looked the biggest and sweetest. It was actually the perfect way to end a meal. It was slathered with the same macapuno syrup used on the chicken and waffles.

The serving size at Maharlika is just right. The food was fancified, which was different than a typical Filipino breakfast, but definitely well received by everyone. I look forward to the dinner options available. Since Maharlika is only in its soft opening stages, they do not formally have a set menu other than brunch. 

If one thing is consistent, it is Maharlika's dedication to service. A few months back, when Maharlika was doing a pop up at Resto Leon, I emailed them inquiring reservations for a party of 35. Nicole emailed me back immediately ready to make accommodations. On our most recent visit for brunch, Nicole recognized one of our party from Twitter, and made it a point to introduce herself as well as to make sure we got our French Toast because, of all the wonderful dishes offered, we really came for the French Toast! I find it so refreshing that this Filipino gem really keeps in touch with their customers. I do believe that is what is going to keep them coming back. After all, don't you want to feel at home and loved when you go out to eat? It's the Filipino way.



Photography Credits: Maharlika (logo), Stella Dacuma Schour Photography

Maharlika
111 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Norma's: Where Funny Adds the Most Flavor

The big menu and complimentary
blueberry pomegranate smoothie shots

I have been hearing about brunch at Norma's for the last two years. Chocolate waffles with peanut butter, Eggs Florentine, The Zillion Dollar Lobster Fritatta that costs a thousand dollars... Norma's was promising a lot. I didn’t know what the appeal was other that it’s claim to fame on The Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Chocolate Decadence French Toast) and that it was housed in Le Parker Meridien (luxury hotel). I expected Norma's to be snooty and indulgent. The description funny never came to mind until I got an email reservation reminder from Open Table.

God bless Open Table. The online reservation process is simple. I had reserved for Norma's more than a month in advance. It was nice to get a reminder a few days before the day.

“Your OpenTable reservation is confirmed at Norma's at Le Parker Meridien.

Done. You’ve booked and you’re ready to go, almost… In preparation for your meal at NORMA’S, this is what the doctor, oops Chef, prescribes:

• 24 hrs to go—print out the menu http://parkermeridien.com/eat.php

• 24-12 hrs to go—show off the menu and seek advice on what to order 

  (yeah, they’re all jealous!)

• 18 hrs to go—aerobic exercise and strength training (preferably the Quickie) 

   http://www.parkermeridien.com/gravity/

• Lunch the day before—remember, you’re in training, so have a protein shake

• Dinner the day before—no eating after 7pm—only bread and water allowed

• Night before—dream sweet dreams of beautiful food floating through your subconscious

• Morning of—do a full yoga session with Swami Ramdev Ji 

   http://www.divyayoga.com/freePranayamTraning.htm

• Arrive on time and tell me that the “Swami sent you”

• You’ve made it, now time to eat! See you soon, Catherine Farnham Guardian of the Tables”

I haven’t had a laugh off of customer service this hard since I listened to dry jokes told by Serena Williams and Tony Hsieh on the Zappos voice mail.

My party arrived at Le Parker Meridien in our best Sunday dresses. We were greeted with tourists in shorts and teenage girls in Juicy jogging outfits. I shook my head in shame and rolled with it. While Norma’s is an indulgent meal, it isn’t stuffy in the least bit. It’s good food at a price. The brunch wasn't the best thing I ever ate but at least the service was stellar.

Brunch at Norma’s:

If you order coffee, it's one giant motherfucker.

Arepa: Colombian Corn Cake, Eggs Sunny Side Up, Chorizo

James Beard Award Winning Recipe:
Potato Pancakes. Homemade Cranberry Apple Sauce, Sweet Carrot Payasam

Flat-As-A-Pancake Crabcake w/Habanero Pepper, Dill Yogurt Mustard Sauce

Norma's

119 W. 56th Street

New York, NY 10019