Plan B with a View

PLAN B -- Beach Chalet Exterior

Okay, I have slack-off on the post, no excuses but the rain just put a damper on the week. So with this weekend precipitation free it was a good time to get out and have Sunday Brunch. The original plan was to head to a little French Breakfast Bistro in Cole Valley called Zazie. It is right on Cole and if there is a wait, usually there is, you can head next door to Finnegan’s Wake for a drink. Finnegan’s Wake is a great neighborhood bar, but is was food that was on the agenda.

Every person in San Francisco must have had the same idea, for food and a beverage, at the exact time. With the Sun, even in the avenues, people were swarming to and fro to get out from under the storms of the prior week. The wait at Zazie was way to long and even a drink at Finnegan’s could not comfort me for that long, so on to Plan B.

Since it was a nice day we drove towards the Ocean and headed for one of the best view places in the City, the Beach Chalet. Even though the Chalet is a bit on the tourist side the food, microbrews and cocktails are worth the trip and the tourist. The Chalet is located on the Western edge of Golden Gate Park and has sat across from the Pacific Ocean since 1925. The building opened as a lounge and changing rooms on the first floor for those heading to the beach and the restaurant on the second floor provided diners with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. Over 80-years later it serves much the same purpose.

The building was designed by the famous San Francisco architect Willis Polk and includes some fantastic murals, mosaics and wood carvings that were incorporated into the construction in 1936 as part of a federal works program.

But a few years back the building was restored and renovated and the restaurant reopened with a microbrewery. More recently the restaurant has expanded and they created the Park Chalet on the first floor of the building looking into Golden Gate Park. The Park Chalet is a very nice setting, but people come here for the Ocean View in the upstairs dining area. Yesterday, the waves were breaking between 3-7 feet and made for a great view.

The food is always solid, and the brunch menu is enough to wait for when the lines get long. I had to have one of the micros: today it was the RIPTIDE RED it has a toasty and caramel maltiness and mild hop bitterness. The finish on Riptide Red has a sweet taste. Very good and could have had a few more. We also tried the MAVERICK'S MARGARITA: Herradura Silver, Fresh Lime Juice, Triple Sec, Sweet n' Sour.

Going on a first date or looking for a way to impress out-of-towners here is a big tip. Find out when sunset is and book a reservation(415.386.8439) for 20 minutes before sun down. The place will stop when the moment happens.

The Beach Chalet is open 364-days a year (closed Christmas Day) and they do have live music, check their calendar.

The Beach Chalet

http://beachchalet.com/index.php

1000 Great Highway @ Ocean Beach
Between Fulton St. and Lincoln Way

415.386.8439