***June 07, 2006: Canteen***

Canteen
817 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA
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There are few things that I’ll wake up for at 7am on a day when I have nothing I need to do and nowhere I need to be. But, the promise of good food can definitely get me moving at almost any hour. This morning my friend and I had plans to check out the much-hyped Canteen before an afternoon of Union Square shopping. Canteen has been on my list of places to go for quite sometime and I was really excited to finally get the chance to dine there. With the help of the beautiful June weather we’ve been having, I even enjoyed the stroll from the Union Square garage to our breakfast destination.
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The first thing that struck me when we stepped into Canteen was how unbelievably tiny it was. There were four booths and just a handful of barstools. Even though I’d read a number of reviews (many of which included pictures), somehow the small size really didn’t register until I physically saw the restaurant. The square-footage aside, I found the restaurant to be cute and well decorated with bright colors and a fun modern twist on the classic dinner. I was once again surprised by size when we were handed our breakfast menu. There could not have been more than five options (maybe it was only four!). I wasn’t too fazed by the lack of choices since I quickly realized that I was going to be able to sample the popular chupacabra (soft scrambled eggs with black beans and chorizo). My friend and I both ordered the chupacabra from the very friendly waitress and sipped our coffees as we waited with anticipation for our food to arrive.
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The food ended up being good. I was not quite as blown away as I thought I was going to be given all of the glowing reviews I’d read recently. The eggs were light and fluffy and the black beans and chorizo were spicy just like I like my food. With a little Tabasco on top, breakfast was really quite delicious. My favorite part was actually the fresh salsa on top. I couldn’t quite place what it was made of, but there was something green that was spicy and almost sour that gave the dish an unusual flavor that I enjoyed. My guess was tomatillas, but I don’t think they’re in season right now, so I’m not sure if that’s correct. I just felt like the dish was missing something. Maybe it would have been helped by the addition of a carbohydrate like toast (which I easily could have ordered) or even better a fresh pressed corn tortilla.
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Still, breakfast was very good and I would happily go back again if invited. However, I don’t think I’d go back on my own or try to get my friend to go again. Maybe I’ll try it for lunch sometime; shopping can make me hungry and the location is pretty convenient! But, if it’s breakfast or lunch that I’m after, I’d definitely pick Tartine, Rick and Ann’s, Foreign Cinema, or the Thai Buddhist brunch instead. In my opinion they’re more worth the lost hours of sleep!