Breakfast at Judy's

I have never been a morning person. I'm one of those shameless sleepaholics who keep hitting snooze and hugging my pillow until the last possible minute before reluctantly dragging myself from the warm nest of my bed. But there are some things that I happily wake up for, like shopping sprees, dim sum with the family, yoga class, road trips, and a really tasty breakfast. And a great place for breakfast or brunch in the city is Judy's Homestyle Cafe.

There's an eye-popping selection of omelets and scrambled egg breakfasts, along with other classics like french toast, and lighter choices like fruit and cheese plates. The omelets were wonderful -- soft, fluffy eggs stuffed with cheeses and other yummy fillings.

Spanish Omelet | salsa, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Farmhand Omelet | ham, onion, home-fried potatoes, jack and cheddar cheeses

Bacon Etc Omelet | bacon, avocado, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Each breakfast dish comes with your choice of a homemade pumpkin loaf, blueberry muffin, english muffin, or toast. At my friend's recommendation, I tried the pumpkin loaf, which turned out to be the most memorable part of my meal. The loaf had a lovely texture, with the sweetness of pumpkin and a slight touch of cinnamon. It was like pumpkin pie in bread form!

Pumpkin loaf

So if you ever need something to wake up to, keep this place in mind! And happy holidays!

Judy's Homestyle Cafe
2268 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 922-4588

Zushi Puzzle

I have found the best place in San Francisco (so far) for sashimi. Go sit at the sushi bar at Zushi Puzzle, headed by a friendly Chinese fellow named Roger, and you'll taste what I mean. The fish was incredibly fresh -- sometimes we had the pleasure of watching Roger pull out the whole fish and slice it open in front of us to serve. Not only was the fish fresh, but we also got to try some "exotic" fish varieties that you wouldn't normally find at your regular sushi joint. So exotic that I forgot the names of some of the fish, so I apologize.

Hamachi and salmon


Mackerel

Trout

Butterfish (AMAZING!)


Butter Face Roll (spicy tuna and cucumber topped with butterfish and spicy sauce)

Some roll with hamachi, avocado, and unagi

And of course, no sushi meal is complete without ... uni!

Zushi Puzzle
1910 Lombard Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 931-9319
www.zushipuzzle.com