A Cozy Atmosphere for
Delicious Dining
By: Andrew Noerr, Feature Writing Student
When
I took my first bite out of the voluptuous Grove French Toast, it seemed as if
everything around me disappeared. I completely forgot about the pouring rain
outside, the noise of the crowd in the restaurant murmuring away, the sound of
food being grilled and fried in the background, and the clattering of dishes
being stacked upon each other. No, the only sensation I felt was the taste of
the delectable French Toast in its soft and chewy glory. There was no place I’d
rather have been at that moment, and I was pleased to have chosen The Grove in
Hayes Valley as my destination for breakfast on a gloomy and rainy Saturday
morning.
Even
though San Francisco was being drenched in rain at the time, the people who
attended The Grove that morning didn’t seem to notice or care. The restaurant
was semi-filled with people chatting away happily while eating the quality
breakfast and brunch items that The Grove has to offer. While the food
certainly deserves the majority of the credit, it is not the only factor that contributed
to the joyful ambience that filled the venue. The employees of The Grove also
put in a great effort to make their customers feel very comfortable as they
enjoy their early meals.
Dubbed
“San Francisco’s Living Room,” The Grove is a medium-sized communal dining café
tucked on the corner of Hayes and Franklin streets. The restaurant has a cozy
atmosphere that is created by numerous factors. First, numerous tables surround
the interior of the café, and customers have a choice of seating themselves in
a tall, comfy chair or sitting next to the large windows on pillows laying on
long wooden platforms. However, this is not the only choice for people wishing
to eat inside, as they can also veer left of the entrance of the café towards a
fireplace where consumers can eat on unorthodox and fancy chairs that look as
if they were transported from the Victorian age to San Francisco. Once seated,
people are able to enjoy the soft sounds of indie rock and other music that
plays through the speakers on the ceiling, as the café never seems to get too
loud no matter how many people are occupying the place. The Grove truly makes
customers feel that they are eating in a “grove” not of trees but of warmth and
comfort.
However,
with all that has been said about the cozy atmosphere of the café, it is the
delicious food that sticks out the most during dining experiences at The Grove.
The menu consists of numerous great breakfast and lunch options that can sate
anyone’s food tastes. For breakfast, consumers can’t go wrong with any choice,
but my recommendation is The Grove French Toast priced at $8.75. This meal is
simply superb, as it is made on Sweet Batard bread, and it is oven roasted to
make it deliciously soft and easy to consume. Lathering it in maple syrup only
increased the amount of incredible flavor that I experienced in my mouth.
Customers can add caramel bananas to their order of The Grove French Toast for
an extra $.95 too if they wish to go all out. Still, The Grove French Toast is
a superb choice upon many great times to select on The Grove menu for
breakfast.
For
those who seek to eat lunch at The Grove, there are also many appealing options
for a mid-day meal as well. Upon a second visit to the restaurant, I made
myself familiar with their lunch options, and it was The Grove Turkey Club
priced at $10.95 that won the affection of my taste buds. It is a sandwich
consisting of many different elements, and each ingredient never dominates over
any of the others during each mouth-watering bite. The Grove Turkey Club is
made up of house-roasted turkey with lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes on crunchy
Sweet Batard bread. If customers are willing to fork over another $1.25 though,
they will be treated to the addition of avocado to the already addictive
sandwich. Overall, this is an excellent sandwich that can send any consumer into
a satisfying food coma.
In
addition to the delicious food items on the menu at The Grove, there are also
some intriguing drinks that act as good supplements to the numerous breakfast
and lunch options. The specific drinks that stood out to me the most were the
apple juice and lemonade. The Grove offers something a bit different when it
comes to those basic menu items. It offers Ratzlaff Ranch Apple Juice and
Lavender Lemonade. The apple juice comes from an apple farm in Sebastopol where
all of the products are organic and freshly made. The Lavender Lemonade is
unique in its own right as well, as the mixture of different flavors really
blend well to help make one’s meal an overall pleasurable experience.
Lastly,
the service at The Grove was very helpful, and the employees really made me
feel like I was in my own living room when I went there. When I first arrived
at the restaurant, I was greeted by an African American man who smiled and
greeted me immediately. He then offered me a menu which I accepted. Since The
Grove is unlike a normal restaurant in the sense that customers get in line to
order meals and sit wherever they like, there is undoubtedly more interaction
between employees and consumers. Therefore, the quality of the service is
important, and The Grove did not disappoint. The most surprising aspect of the
service was that the manager talks to the customers more than the
waiters/waitresses do. Manager Steve Ring spends his days not locked up in some
office in the back of the restaurant, but rather he travels to every table to
make sure that all of the customers are satisfied with their experience at The
Grove. I was truly impressed with the kindness and thoughtfulness of everyone
working at the café.
Overall,
The Grove is definitely an above-average restaurant with many intriguing meals,
interesting drinks, a cozy and relaxing atmosphere, and thoughtful service. The
goal stated by Ring is to have a quality “scratch kitchen with fresh food” that
can appeal to anyone. It certainly seems like he is achieving his goal, and the
restaurant deserves the crowds that it has received day in and day out. This is
a dining experience that everyone should try, and it is recommended to not just
college students but anyone trying to grab a quick meal and relax during a
stressful day.
The
Grove, 301 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA, (415) 624-3953. Open Mon. – Fri. 7
a.m. to 11 p.m., Sat. – Sun. 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Takeout. Street Parking. Cash
and credit cards accepted. Good for groups ranging from 2-6 people. Recommended
dish: The Grove French Toast.
Alternate
Locations: 2016 Fillmore Street (415) 474-1419, 690 Mission Street (415) 957 –
0558
Rating:
★★★★
★★★★★ = Legendary,
one-of-a-kind eatery
★★★★ = Excellent
venue that appeals to everyone
★★★ = Above-Average, perhaps not worth the price
though
★★ = Average food w/ issues regarding service
or prices
★ = Not worth your money or your time
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