Schmidts 2400 Folsom, Mission "EOPB"

What a fab find! 

Schmidts, on Folsom and 20th, is a food lover's dream.  "Mission" or "Munich"????  I swear......., this "More is less Mula" top pick will have you wondering!  This sister restaurant to Walzwerk, on Van Ness, offers authentic East German cuisine and I suggest you bring a hearty appetite.
Schmidts lends itself to that local neighborhood feel with its own deli-grocery for stocking up on those specialty Bavarian items you can't find at Whole Foods.
If you're a sausage lover, you're in luck!  They now offer 4 fab in-house-made sausages.  There's the smoked Hungarian pork-beef sausage which  is slightly salty and spiced with paprika!  There's the Bavarian pork-veal sausage, made with cream, egg and ginger.  Then, there's the smoked chicken sausage, prepared with roasted garlic and thyme.  Wait for it!!!!  The duck & fig sausage is duck and  pork, combined with local figs!!!!!!!!

Schmidt's style is not your typical "urban professional", but that's who you will find on a Sunday morning, enjoying a fabdelish brunch.  The decor has an almost spartan appearance.  It's hard to explain, so I suggest you go and see for yourself.  There are no pictures on the walls, but a huge walnut communal table and a long copper-topped bar are all you need to be reminded of a German beer hall in the heart of Munich. This simple, unpretentious eatery is absolutely a cool and popular spot.

I started with a lovely mimosa, but next time, I'm definitely having a "rotes bier" (bloody beer).  As you can imagine, Schmidts offers a massive array of Bavarian beer and I understand (will find out next time) that the generous food portions are matched by the size of the beer tankards.
Although I was tempted by the "kalbschnitzel sandwich" (veal schnitzel on toast with chive sour cream, a fried egg, served with red onion and mixed greens), I went with the  house-made grilled sausages, which was served with 2 different mustard's, (one sweet, one hot), and absolutely delish house-made braised sauerkraut & potato salad.

My dining partner ordered the 'kleines fruhstuck", which consisted of sliced ham, salami & cheese, quark, hard-boiled egg, and shredded carrot & raisin salad.  This German delight was served with a gorgeous array of German breads, butter, mustard, blackberry & lingonberry jams.

The service is warm and friendly and dining at Schmidt's really is a fabdelish food and cultural experience.
As I said, bring your appetite.  Don't eat a lil' somethin' somethin' before you dine at Schmidts.  But I must tell you, that somehow, there's a "fresh" touch to this fare.
Schnitzel, Sausage, Spatzel - OMG!!!!!!!!
Guten Appetit!

BTW: "Quark" is the German equivalent to a "fromage blanc" or "Riccota".

Presidio Social Club, 563 Ruger Street, the Marina "EOPB"

First of all, let me begin by letting you know that Rosalie, Staff Photographer of "More is Less Mula", has torn her meniscus. Yes, I will be doing the next several posts without the kinship and expertise of our staff photographer, often referred to as the "Joel Meyerowitz" of the food blogging world.

Bear with us as Rosalie "snaps" back to her picture perfect health!



Talk about nostalgia................. entering the Lombard gate at the Presidio to have brunch at the "Presidio Social Club" is an historic experience in itself. One minute you are in the middle of the Marina and the rush of Lombard Street, then suddenly you find yourself in a lush country-like setting with groves of trees. Needless to say, this historical location is VERY San Francisco.


The "Social Club" that once served as a men's barracks, is a low, long, white wooden building that sits on a small hill just inside the gate. Diners are welcomed by a long porch where people gather to enjoy the view, while sipping on a cocktail or a "hibiscus sangria cooler" and waiting to be seated.

Just as you enter this contemporary eatery, you see the bright red drum kit that sets the tone for the underlying vibe of "PSC". 



The décor is cool and crisp, as you might imagine. The bar is long and made of white marble, sporting a fabulous array of bourbons, scotches, etc., reminiscent of what you would imagine at an officer's club back in 1954! Materials of wood, marble and stainless steel surrounded by lots of windows makes this the perfect brunch spot on a beautiful sunny day in our city by the bay.

What a gorgeous view!
The Club also has a lovely outside deck, perfect for dining "al fresco."

Of course, I started with a barely opaque mimosa and my dining partner had a delish coffee mocha, made especially, at her request. The food is served on "mess hall" plates and the tables are set with starched white napkins, sparkling glasses and the food doesn't disappoint! 
We both LOVED the "chicken arugula salad" with candied pecans & avocado vinaigrette and agreed it was "to die for"! The salads were huge, so we had no room for dessert. (I had not yet read that our fellow food critic, Michael Bauer, had proclaimed "PSC" as "serving the finest cakes in the city - a lemon chiffon meringue cake with layers of moist cake, mascarpone and a browned puff of whipped egg white on top".) OMG!!!!!!

On my next visit to "The Club", I plan to order the "jhuevos rotos" , which translates to crispy fingerling potatoes, lamb merguez, and fried eggs. I refuse to be tempted by the "brioche beignets" with brown sugar hot chocolate or the "challah French toast" with pecan butter and maple syrup. In fact, I think I'll make reservations for dinner next time and face a whole new "menu-decision-making-challenge". For purposes of brevity, I won't tease you with those fabdelish dining options in this post.

The service was great and our fab waiter was kind enough to walk slowly, so I could snap a picture of an "eggs Benedict" on brioche. Unfortunately my neighboring diner was watching her calories and decided to forgo the classic hollandaise that would typically "top" those lovely poached eggs.

Well, there you have it!

Parking is a dream because of the location and there are no MP's outside the gate anymore. So..............."at ease", relax, enjoy great food & drink, while you soak up the history of this beautiful, verdant military post on the bay!

My new wine stopper!