Foreign Cinema - oui, si, yes!

I must preface this post by saying that I have only ever been to Foreign Cinema for brunch. I've heard dinner is good but not as good as brunch. I've just never been. So all ratings in this review are for brunch and brunch only.

With that said, FC is my favorite fancy brunch in San Francisco. There are other places that I really love - Mabels and Absinthe, to start. But Foreign Cinema as a total experience - food + the best atmosphere + the best coffee ever = great amazing delicious brunch. I go there two or three times a year and it has never, ever disappointed me.

This past Sunday was no exception. My group of SF galpals gathered to celebrate my roommate's birthday, and the whole morning was really great. I started out with a giant cup of coffee with cream and sugar, and a mimosa. The mimosa was the perfect balance of sweet oj and bubbly - tasted alcoholic but still refreshing. And the coffee - oh man. The coffee there is like crack, but not as bad for you. Or something. It's good, that's all I can say. One of our friends had a big bloody mary which I took a sip of and it was very tasty. Water glasses were constantly refilled. Drinks were good! The bread and butter, plus little pinch bowls of sea salt and fresh-ground pepper, helped to keep us satiated.....until the pop tarts arrived.

Oh, the homemade pop tarts - the flavors on Sunday were apricot and mixed berry. SO good. They look like pop tarts, and they taste like the most delicious flaky fruity pop tart you have ever had. The four of us split two and it was a nice way to start the meal.

For my entree I had two fried eggs deglazed with balsamic, and served over a bed of wilted greens and roasted rosemary garlic potato hash. It was really awesome - my first time trying it but it was delicious. I'm not a huge fan of wilted greens (this was broccoli rabe) but these were good, and the potatoes were great. My roommate had the french toast, which was battered and served with this amazing orange marmalade. Yum, yum, yum. We all split a plate of french fries, as we are on a quest to find the best french fries in SF. These didn't place, but the waiter read our minds and brought plenty of ketchup, so we were happy - and the fries were really good. No luna park or absinthe or zuni.....but good. Another friend had a great frittata with a ton of goat cheese and crispy rosemary potatoes, and the last of us had seared tuna served with orange watermelon, which I had never seen before. She said it was great and cleaned her plate.

I ate about a loaf of bread and was SO full....but their dessert menu could not be ignored, especially since we were celebrating a birthday. We split a lavender strawberry shortcake, with orange-marscapone and whipped cream. It was heaven - the flavors were so gentle, nothing too sweet, nothing too strong. Absolutely delicious, even if I could only force down a few bites.

All in all it was a lovely brunch - per usual. And the atmosphere really pushed it over the top. FC has a beautiful outdoor patio, with some sunny and some shady spots. Inside is very quaint with lots of brick and foreign films on the back wall during dinner. The waiters are very knowledgeable and attentive - our coffee cups were never empty. And the price wasn't bad either - with tip it was about 180 dollars for four people, and one of us had two drinks (everyone else had one and coffee). If you are looking for a nice brunch spot in the city - for family, for a date, or a girls morning out - look no further. The only thing foreign about the place, besides the name and the films, is that I have nothing bad to say about it!!!

Food - (for brunch only)(4.0)
Experience - (4.0)
Overall - (4.0)

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ciao!

Emilia