Sunday fun day rolled around again, and Curtis and I went for a brunchtime stroll down to the Ferry Building. It was chilly and foggy, so first stop was for a warm cup of Peet's coffee. Then it was the usual. We commented on the uselessness of gimmicky cooking gadgets at Sur le Table. We eyed the beautiful pastries at Miette. Then we headed down along the piers.
In the shadow of Coit Tower on the Embaracadero past Pier 23, there is a little narrow club car with shiny metal trim and a big red sign that says "Fog City Diner." Fog City Diner feels like one of those landmarks that has been around since Woodrow Wilson was ordering soda malts, even though it is apparently not that old. Inside they played big band swing music. It had a softly lit, Edward Hopper painting feeling.
Curtis and I sat at the dark cherry wood bar sipping our local Anchor Steam beers to toast brunch. A hostess took us in to the add-on room facing the waterfront. The menu included the typical San Francisco brunch items.....chorizo scramble, eggs benedict, french toast. I ordered biscuits and gravy, Curtis ordered the benedict.
Next to us sat a pair of older married couples drinking mimosas. One of the husbands pulled out a piece of paper and began reading jokes about Tiger Woods to the table. We rolled our eyes, but listened anyway.
Our brunch plates were done with some thought. The gravy had the unexpected taste of sweet bell peppers, and the biscuits were the homemade, fluffy kind. The benedict looked fairly standard - English muffins, country ham, poached eggs, hollandaise.
All in all, our experience at Fog City Diner was that it is a nice little spot on the waterfront. Retro but not kitchy, it is a shiny little spot that delivers both fun for tourists and good food for locals.
