Sohn is a glitzy, minimalist cafe in San Francisco’s Dogpatch area — one of two shops bringing South Korea’s coffee culture to the Bay Area. Most patrons visit for the banana oat milk lattes and patty melt on a croissant bun speckled with sesame seeds. But they should be ordering the underrated breakfast sandwich with steamed egg and sweet onion bacon jam (a version without bacon is available for vegetarians). It uses the same laminated bun as the patty melt, so the softness of the egg stands out. This decadent sandwich puts an Egg McMuffin to shame.
Sohn. 2535 3rd St, San Francisco. sohnsf.com
On a recent visit to the Grand Lake Farmers Market, I tasted Texas in Oakland. Gold Star Tacos brought their Texas-style breakfast tacos and I’m happy to report that they remain excellent. Supple flour tortillas, made with olive oil, cradle fillings like machaca (dry beef) or mushroom chorizo, both of which are swirled with eggs. The former was profoundly beefy but the latter was my favorite, delivering an abundance of spice: multiple dried peppers, cumin, coriander. Both were nicely complemented by the smoked jalapeño salsa. Catch Gold Star every Saturday at the market.
Gold Star Tacos. Saturdays. 746 Grand Ave, Oakland. instagram.com/goldstartacos
The winter chill brought me back to Bacogai, a Vietnamese-style hot pot joint in Alameda, where I found a new favorite: the duck salad, a small hill of cabbage, bouncy meat and banana blossoms tossed in a dressing of anchovy and ginger that provided much-needed refreshment in between sips of soup. A squirt of lime provides extra zing while shrimp chips lend crunch and umami if needed…