At first glance, the menu at Universal Café may seem unremarkable. There are many classic American dishes to be found: scrambled eggs, oatmeal, French toast, etc. But while you may have seen these dishes before, you probably haven’t tasted them quite like this. It goes without saying that the menu is centered around local and seasonal ingredients, but Chef Avalos has a way of coaxing the most flavor out of each ingredient to create rich and satisfying meals. Starting with the drinks…
Brunch wouldn’t be so popular if it weren’t for the fact that drinking so early in the day is considered acceptable. At Universal Café, there are several options of boozy beverages, though the specials include takes on the Bloody Mary, bellini and mimosa. On this visit, I opted for the blood orange mimosa – which was delightfully juicy, tart and crisp – a wonderful compliment to the French toast. And the French toast itself? A triumph! Like most foodies, I’ve tried many different iterations of delicious French toast, but at Universal it is simple and simply perfection. Thick wedges of bread are cooked through so that they are perfectly soft, fluffy and eggy on the inside (but not too dense or wet) and toasted on the outside. The toast is paired with sweet-tart dices of apples that have mingled with butterscotch and not-too-sweet Chantilly cream. The dish is given a light dusting of powdered sugar and real maple syrup is served on the side.
Though the French toast is heavenly and easily enough for one person, I like to experience a little sweet and savory action during brunch, so I was lucky enough to share my French toast in exchange for some hash browns. Though the dish is usually made with meat, the cooks will gladly make the dish without it, serving only the crispy pan-fried potatoes, poached eggs, deeply caramelized fennel, leek, carrot, and parsnip. The potatoes themselves don’t have a lot of flavor, but lend great texture and heartiness to the overall plate. The flavor is really derived from the other veggies, which are silky, sweet, and nutty (from being cooked in butter). The poached eggs are smooth and runny and topped with a lemon and herb dressing, which play off the earthy vegetables beautifully.
There are many other dishes at Universal Café that catch they eye and the nose, but not enough room in one person’s stomach to try them all. And though the location is offbeat and the wait is long (really long!), it is worth the effort to try these classic dishes executed in a remarkable fashion.
Universal Café
2814 19th Street
(btwn Bryant St. & Florida St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-821-4608
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.