The eggs benedict are phenomenal. Soft, moist egg whites surrounding a gooey dark golden yolk. No anemic daisy yellow egg yolks here. The yolks were almost as orange as a tangerine, and had a richness about them that was almost as satisfying as real meat. The hollandaise sauce was a dream. Fresh, smooth, rich without being thick or gloppy, and ever so slightly tangy. Whoever invented this sauce deserves a shrine.
This dish blows the WashBag out of the water and gives Mama (of Mama's on Washington Square) a run for her money. At $10, it's also several dollars cheaper than benedict at either of those North Beach establishments. Next time, I'm going to ask for a half order with a big cup of coffee. I always forget that a lot of restaurants are willing to sell half orders of food, which are the perfect size for me and bring reasonably priced food down to the level of cheap eats.
My server today was incredibly nice (and beautiful). She chatted with me about Dick Cheny's moron-osity, I heard her giving very good activities advice to some tourists sitting behind me, she lent the phone to some New Yorkers who were stranded here because of the storm, and she let some people stay for breakfast even though they showed up five minutes after closing. We talked about food in general and some of the various dishes Leary's trying out, so it was a fun way to spend an hour. She was the perfect diner waitress because she had the ability to maintain a warm, casual, unrushed demeanor while being efficient with service. She also had the waitress's sixth sense: knowing which customers want to talk and which ones just want to read the paper. It's not a fancy restaurant, but it was the first time in a long time that I've been thoroughly impressed by a server.
The Wall Street Journal wins the Chez Pei Best Headline of the Week Award:
"The Truffle With Turin: Eating as an Olympic Sport"
Basically, Turin is the first Olympic city in a looong time that has any kind of tradition of good eats. Mmm, wait til they get to Beijing!
Canteen
817 Sutter Street
(415) 928-8870
Edit: This is Canteen's temporary website, with correct hours and a nice photo of the interior so you can see what I mean by tiny.
5.6.06 Edit: More photos!
Mocha and chai tea: they use Jeremiah's Pick coffee, and boy is it strong! The mocha has intense dark chocolate flavor as well. It's very much a hot chocolate/mocha hybrid. The chai tea is a light, less creamy, gingery alternative. Both are delish.
Corned beef hash: tender, juicy chunks of homemade corned beef with potatoes and one of their perfectly poached eggs. This dish, unfortunately, has been rumored to be inconsistent. Sometimes it's transcendent, other times it's dry and tough. And the regular beef hash has just never been great.
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