New York, NY

Extra Virgin ~ 259 West 4th Street, 212.691.9359

What we came to love about New York was that we never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table and one outside - something we never find in San Francisco. We were wondering around the West Village one morning and found Extra Virgin. We really stopped because there was an adorable little dog sitting outside but then we found these incredible smells coming from the restaurant, so, we put our name in. We ordered a couple cups of joe and a Bellini (after all, I am on vacation!!). The coffee was hot and the Bellini hit the spot - cool, refreshing and bubbly! For breakfast we decided on the Morocccan Scramble and the Eggs Benedict. Both dishes arrived piping hot and looking fantastic! The scramble had a nice assortment of Merguez sausage, chickpeas (L. loves them) and it was served with a Romesco sauce. The sausage gave the dish a nice somewhat spicy taste and the chickpeas added a really great, a little crunchy texture to the eggs - not what you would expect! Now, I am a very picky Egg Benedict eater - I like the sauce made properly (butter and lemon, not chicken stock or wine or from a package), I always ask for a sample before ordering the dish. As well, I like the eggs to be on the running side, not hard-boiled and not spongy or over running .... just right! This was a FANTASTIC dish - the sauce was perfect, the eggs were cooked just right and there was a really nice smoked bacon served on the egg muffins instead of Canadian bacon as well there were some really out of this world spicy fries and a nice little green salad served with it. I give Extra Virgin 4 forks and if I lived in New York I would be having brunch there more often! They would had gotten a 5 Fork but our waitress was a bit on the snooty side.

San Francisco, CA

TOAST ~ 1748 Church Street, 415.282.4EAT

We never go out for Breakfast/Brunch - well I should never say never, we occasionally do but then I hear about it all day, how one should not have to pay $15+ per person for a plate of eggs! Two weeks ago we discovered a new place in our neighborhood - Toast! We loved it and it was not your traditional $15+ per person for a plate of eggs. Instead it was great service and exceptional eggs. Now, before I even thought about writing about it or even really telling anyone about it we decided to give it a whirl this past weekend. Let me say they lived up to all of our expectations! WE may start eating Breakfast/Brunch more often. We arrived at peak eating time and only had to wait 10 minutes for a table outside. We even got our same waiter, Leonard, who is fantastic. Not over the top and in your face, knows just the right time to come up and ask if everything is okay (not when your face is stuffed full of food)! And the biggest bonus point for me ... instead of topping off your cold coffee with hot coffee as you watch the cold cream try to float back up to the top of your cup, he brings you a fresh cup every time - FANTASTIC! The food .... really good, fresh ingredients and the portions are perfect. I hate when you go to a place and order eggs and there is enough on just your plate to feed 5 of your closest friends and you end up stuffing yourself silly or tossing it all out. We had a veggie omelet (we both had this last time) which had a nice easement of stuff: mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, black olives, artichoke hearts, onions and cheddar. It comes with potatoes or fruit, we had fruit and it was a big bowl of fresh fruit! I opted for a slight sugar rush and had the Coco Loco, which is a full stack with sliced bananas, macadamia nuts and coconut. I expected all of these goodies to be thrown on top - NOT. Instead the nuts and the coconut were baked inside and sliced bananas scattered on the top. They were really yummy and hit the spot! I definitely give Toast 5 forks and it will become our new favorite neighborhood breakfast spot. Hurry in before everyone hears about it!