Out running errands, including picking up the perfect sugar pot from Zinc Details, we stopped for lunch at Galette on Fillmore street. It's a cute little place that in every way reminds you of what it's like to dine in France. The staff is French. The decor is French. The menu is French. The tv in the back corner has on French programs. They serve Brittany style buckwheat crepes with a variety of savory and sweet fillings. The crepes or "galettes" looked wonderful, but Lee had the brioche french toast and I had the "brittany fish soup" which was really bourride, a dish I simply cannot pass up when I come across it.
Bourride is a soup similar to a bouillabaisse made with mussels and fish and served with gruyere, garlic, croutons and a rouille. Rouille is kind of like a spicy garlic mayonaise made from red peppers, garlic and olive oil. All the toppings are served in little bowls at Galette so you can add them to the soup to your liking. Some other places that serve a delicious bourride include Baker Street Bistro in the Marina and Plouf downtown on Belden. All three of these places are run by French people and serve wonderful food at reasonable prices.
Dining "comme la Francaise" does not need to be expensive in San Francisco where there are many casual French bistro style restaurants. Other inexpensive French favorites in town include Cafe Bastille, Bistro Clovis, Hyde Street Bistro, and Le Petit Robert. Next French place to try in this vein will be Metro Cafe, which has gotten very good reviews and has a thoroughly charming web site complete with French muscial soundtrack! Check it out at Metro Cafe
This post might include affiliate links
