Who the hell knows why, after YEARS of happy patronage, we just got off our butts and blogged The Butler & The Chef! What are you, our boisterous readers, paying us the big bucks for, anyway?
Quaintly nestled in one of the coolest little parks in SF, South Park, The Butler & The Chef is an awesome French Bistro perfect for a café au lait and chausson or croissant for breakfast, or a tasty glass of rosé or vouvray and (killer) quiche or tartine for lunch. This place is so cute I just want to pinch it's cheeks. Butler & The Chef has an authentic, real French vibe without trying so hard. I mean, we've spent a lotta time on Belden alley and like Plouf and Bastille as well as several other frenchie spots in town and are big fans of most. But from a bistro perspective, this place wins.
Joel, the chef, is a nut. In a good way. I mean, SoPa ;) has enough nuts, in not such good ways, as it is. Always chock-full of energy and clearly LOVING his job and life in general, Joel sucks you right into things. Proudly carrying plates of cookies, quiche, or whatever else he's in the process of whipping up, past the tables under your nose, making you want it. If you bring a dog, he is over there with a box of milk bones before anyone even takes your order. Love it. And he does it right. Some of our faves:
Breakfast:
- Just yesterday AM had the Pain Perdu (French Toast, or just...Toast). OK, sure. Ces't Facile, eh? Maybe. Yeah, it's hard to f-up French Toast. But to raise the Toast to an entirely new level?? Not so facile. This stuff is soo good I'm drooling right now. And it's dinner time. Thick slabs of tender bread, and somehow moist all the way through.
- ANY pastry - from the Almost Croissant, Apple Chausson, Pain au Chocolat, you name it.
- Killer coffee.
Lunch:
- Quiche 'o the Day: always o-u-t-s-t-a-n-d-i-n-g. Veggie, Ham & Cheese, they should file a patent. Thick, hearty and moist and tender all at once. Ok, I'll stop there.
- Salad Nicoise: Line-caught (I think) Tuna, green beans, potatoes (perfectly done), boiled eggs, good lettuce, etc etc. with a great vinaigrette.
- Croque Monsieur: We're suckers for the Croque. Had 'em all over Paris. Croque snobs, you could call us. This one stands up to the best of 'em. Try it.
- The baguette tartines: especially the Fermier (chicken breast) and the Parisien (french ham). But all are good, and come with salad OR, for just a measley buck more, a cup of onion soup. The Onion Soup Rocks!
- Chicken Crepe is fantabulous and a must have. That's it.
Plus you almost always get a chocolate truffle with your bill. Yummy.
A couple humble suggestions for the Butler, mon ami:
- open up at 9 AM on Sunday (instead of 10), please!
- have the quiche ready when you open. We are an impatient culture.
- the buckwheat crepes (only had 'em once, the egg, ham & cheese, so we'll try again) were a little dry. Or was it the cotton-mouth from our partying the night before? Could be.
The Butler & The Chef Bistro
155 S Park St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 896-2075
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