These Ain't Your Mama's Eggs

I may be the last person in SF to discover how amazing Sunday brunch at Foreign Cinema really is, but at least I'm blogging about it.

Foreign Cinema has the best brunch I've had since New York. Better than my typical lazy Sunday Chinese ordering-in. Even better than Universal Cafe. For those of you too lazy to leave your neighborhood on the weekend, this is worth the trip. And for those of you lucky enough to live in the Mission, it's worth fighting you all for a table every Sunday.

Actually, that one of the surprising parts about my visit. Sunday afternoon at 12:30, and we didn't have to wait in line at all for a table for four. Maybe that day was an anomaly. The space is really pretty - a converted cinema space (and they still do foreign film showings, go figure) with high ceilings, wide open spances, an industrial-chic look. And a pretty little patio in the middle for those craving unadulterated SF sun. This is where the pretty people hang.

The Bloody Marys at Foreign Cinema are delightful. Just spicy enough, they're mini works of art. And if you don't like yours with celery, don't worry - there's also an olive, pickled onion and caperberry for you to nibble on.

Try not to get too drunk before eating though, or you'll spoil the best part. The brunch fare at FC is amazing. I kept stealing bites from my friends' baguette French toast. The bread was seriously warm and thick and buttery soft. It was like eating bready creme brulee with a touch of powdered sugar and fruit! I've always through brioche made the best French toast, but this dish singlehandedly changed my mind.

Still, one of my greatest tests for a restaurant menu is whether it can reinvent a classic. And this place certainly has - one bite of their 'scrambled eggs' made that quite clear. These ain't your mama's eggs. They were fluffy and light, with a touch of crumbled goats cheese and lots of this picante green mole sauce. And they topped a crispy fried tortilla, laced with a touch of red mole sauce and refried beans. So good! And quite pretty, too.

Foreign Cinema - 2534 Mission St.