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Zazie
By Ben Myers and Yamini Ohol
The Cole Valley restaurant Zazie has developed a reputation as one of San Francisco's best and most popular brunch spots. We visited on two separate Sunday afternoons and were pleasantly surprised to find that this reputation was well deserved. Zazie is the perfect location for a lazy two-hour-or-more Saturday or Sunday brunch, and, as predicted by the "Attention aux raleurs!" ("Complainers not allowed!") sign located on the restaurant's front door, we have little to criticize about this San Francisco gem. Zazie has captured the ambience and cuisine of a cafˇ in the south of France, a locale that provides a welcome respite from the frustration and sorrow that have come to define our lives as UCSF students.
Though not evident from the exterior, Zazie exhibits distinct Mediterranean influences in its dˇcor. The main dining area is bright and sunny, which allowed lots of natural light during our meal. The walls are decorated with French movie posters and artwork from the 1930s and '40s, further adding to the ambiance. Only the cluttered antique bookshelf, located at the head of the spiral staircase above the main dining area, seemed oddly out of place with this atmosphere. In addition, an outdoor patio area provides an alternate dining location perfect for one of Cole Valley's rare sunny afternoons. On our first visit, we were seated in a roomy yet intimate nook that faced the street directly, although other tables in the restaurant are quite cramped. Zazie tends to be livelier during the day, populated largely by young, talkative Cole Valley students and professionals. At night the dˇcor is a bit fancier and more subdued, featuring candles at each table.
We started our meal with mimosas. Zazie served this brunch classic with a delicious twist, substituting Odwalla mango juice for the traditional orange juice. Zazie also offers apple cider as well as a variety of other drinks, including coffee and tea.
For our main course, we ordered Eggs Monaco and Eggs St. Trop. Both of these egg dishes are variations on Eggs Benedict, featuring two poached eggs atop an English muffin, served with prosciutto ham for Eggs Monaco and salmon with chives for Eggs St. Trop.
Zazie offers other egg dishes, including the popular Eggs New York, which features scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cream cheese. All of these dishes were excellent, providing hints of flavors from other geographical locations without overpowering the palette. These entrees are served with toast and hash browns, the latter of which can be substituted with a bowl of fresh fruit.
We followed these dishes with two buckwheat pancakes served with butter and real maple syrup, a welcome change from the synthetic maple-flavored gel found at the tables of most San Francisco breakfast spots. On another occasion, we tried the ginger pancakes, served with roasted pears and lemon curd, which also proved to be excellent.
For dessert, we had the warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce, which was particularly rich and moist. Also, we sampled the chocolate orange bread pudding, which was tasty although not as spectacular as the brownie.
If you visit Zazie during brunch, be prepared for a long wait. The restaurant does not take reservations, and customers line up at the door on weekends waiting for tables. Once seated, our table service was friendly and prompt but not attentive. Our drinks and entrees arrived quickly, but our waitress disappeared while we were eating. However, this is to be expected given how crowded the restaurant becomes during this time, and the wait staff was responsive once we got their attention. Prices are more than, say, your average San Francisco diner, but overall Zazie is still quite reasonable. For brunch, entrees run in the $6-$12 range, with drinks or desserts costing around $4-$6 apiece. Considering the portion size and the quality of the food, this is truly excellent value.
Zazie is located in the heart of Cole Valley at 941 Cole Street, near the corner of Cole and Parnassus. Parking is difficult on weekends, but the restaurant is easily accessible by the N-Judah or the #6 and #43 bus lines.
Their dates and hours of operation are: Monday - Thursday (9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 6 - 9:30 p.m.), Friday (9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 6-10 p.m)., Saturday (6 - 10 p.m.), and Sunday (6 -9:30 p.m.). For further information, Zazie can be reached at 564-5332. Bon appetit!
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