Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Cliff House

Wifey had warned me the previous day “Tomorrow there will be no breakfast”

“What? no breakfast?”

Wifey: “Yes we are having no breakfast”

“But why dear?”

Wifey: “Because Anureita and Sean are taking us for Brunch”

“Oh that sounds good and where is that?”

Wifey: “Its at Cliff House in San Francisco

San Francisco? But that is almost an hour’s drive from here”


Wifey: “We are supposed to leave around 9 and by 10 we should be at Cliff House. So don’t get up early as usual and say you are hungry.”

Having Brunch is one thing and having Brunch with a magnificent view of the beach and the sea gulls was an entirely different experience.
Cliff House is a regal eating place famous for its Sunday Brunch, overlooking the hillock with flocks of pelicans and seagulls.

The original Cliff House was opened in 1863.


After being devastated by fire it was rebuilt in 1920.




After parking the car we walked to the Cliff House. I noticed that all the trees were at an angle. Could be the effect of the continuous sea breeze that made them slant.


The ambiance and the service was perfect but the view from the glass windows was something out of this world. It was cloudy outside. Not a perfect situation for a photographer, but you could still see dogs being taken for a walk while the seagulls made their occasional dive.


The food was divine 





and so was the free flowing champagne .......



The desert was a different story. Once I saw the variety in that section, I went easy on the main course.



Don’t those candied orange peel look cute in the egg shells. Its funny, I remember clicking them but forgot to check if they were real shells.



Those who are drooling and want more, can have a look at the video.

A sideways glance gave us the glimpse of the Seal Rocks. Tried to zoom in to see what was actually on the rocks. You could really spot some seals among the seagulls. I could not make out if they were sea lions or seals.



In the course of the meal we made friends with Edie Chong who had visited India a few years ago.


Oh yes, a special mention should be made about the live harp music by harpist Vicki Demartini. It was very soothing and perfect for the occasion. (managed to capture some of the scintillating music on video)


After brunch we walked down to “Lands End” from where you could see the Golden Gate Bridge.


PS: Vicki's reply via mail:
Hi Joe,

Wow! You certainly did an amazing job with your blog about your brunch at the Cliff House -  interesting commentary, beautiful photos, and video, too! Thank you so much for your kind words about my music - I'm glad you felt it enhanced your time with us on Sunday.

By the way, those are real egg shells that are used as container for the Butterscotch Pot de Creme. They have a special device that removes only the top part of the egg shell. After the raw egg is removed, all of the egg shells must be sterilized before they can be used as the containers for the butterscotch cream. It's time consuming, but worth the effort to give our guests something they won't find anywhere else.

Thank you for sharing your blog,
Vicki
Vicki Demartini-Ruggeri, harpist, Cliff House

17 comments:

Indrani said...

Great pics! Love those mouth watering food shots. :)

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

I would skip more than breakfast to enjoy such a beautiful and lavish brunch! It is quite extraordinary with an amazing view! I do appreciate seeing Cliff House through your blog.

Jeannette said...

Ah....the Cliff House...that was my beach as a little child and I dearly remember being there with my parents in the Cliff House over 50 years ago. Most likely they were seals on the rocks. Your hosts were very good to you...and you are very good to your readers to share your delights so generously.

deeps said...

Doing away with regular breakfast and driving for an hr on en empty stomach can be real great too if there is a diving brunch waiting ha?

Mina Menon said...

Beautiful pics! Trust me ur post makes me want to vusit this place.. now only if I were living around SF...

Rachel said...

Wow! That sounds like such a delicious and unique brunch experience!

Sandhya said...

Beautiful photographs! Your detailed information makes it more interesting. Am sending this link to my son. He might be interested to visit this place. Thank you!

I love the first picture of 1863!

Wayne said...

Your photos are wonderful and the story is very interesting. The Cliff House sign is really cool, I love that old-style font.

Unknown said...

Oh Gawd these are sinful pictures & loved the way how you weaved to story around....
You really visit amazing places..Adopt me please....:)

Lynn said...

such beautiful shots and an informative, fun post, I have eaten at the Cliff House on two occasions a very long time ago, this has brought back some lovely memories.

TexWisGirl said...

i do believe it was worth getting up a bit later and waiting to eat. :)

Destiny's child... said...

I love food pics! And yes, your pics are so good I am drooling.

Hilary said...

Oh my.. everything looks so incredibly yummy. What a fun experience. Now, I'm hungry!

Unknown said...

The food looks truly yummy and the vintage photos are really cool.

COTTON BALL said...

Most wonderful video and the food too looked absolutely delicious. Thanks for the same

COTTON BALL said...

The video is most wonderful and the food looks absolutely delicious.

The Classic Honeymooners said...

Hi..very nice clicks and your post has inspired me to pen down my journey. I'm also in San Francisco these days with my husband. and we too are planning to visit Pier 39 this weekend. I have heard about Cliff House earlier also, and now it is for sure that we will have our Sunday Brunch there only..food looks sumptuous :)