Monday, June 15, 2009

Early Father's Day brunch

Il Fornaio

Holidays such as those honoring our parents seem to fill up the restaurants with noisy hordes. My father is uncomfortable around noisy hordes since at 88 he has trouble hearing and trying to make sense of all the inputs around him. So it seemed the perfect solution to celebrate Father's Day a bit early. So we tried Il Fornaio's Sunday brunch in Corte Madera yesterday. And it was the right thing. Besides the food, Dad loved the friendliness of Alberto our waiter, not feeling rushed and of course, being able to carry on a good conversation.

Arancia - Freshly squeezed orange juice

We were delighted to see freshly squeezed juices on the menu. Dad enjoyed his small fresh orange juice.

Uva - Freshly squeezed grape juice

While I was ecstatic over the taste of freshly squeezed grape juice. It bears no resemblance of the purple stuff in the store. It reminded me of my Uncle Jim and Aunt Dorothy's ranch where they grew grapes, and squeezed them fresh for juice in the morning as a special treat. I would come back just for this.

Pancakes - FRITELLE ALLO SCIROPPO D’ACERO

Dad was in the mood for Pancakes with pure New England Maple Syrup, and noted how good these fresh Italian flapjacks are.

Eggs Benedict w/Crab - UOVA ALLA BENEDETTINA E POLPA DI GRANCHIO

I had a special Eggs Benedict - sauteed spinach, poached eggs and fresh crab cakes on filone bread with lobster cream sauce and parmesan; served with potatoes and caramelized onions.

Eggs Benedict w/crab close up

I was impressed that the waiter inquired how done I'd like my eggs. I chose medium. I loved my breakfast. It all melded together and just burst with flavor. I was so impressed with how beautiful the eggs looked, I had to take a close up. The cantaloupe and strawberries were was at their peak and the fruit was a nice finishing touch. Dad enjoyed his early Father's Day all the way through, and Alberto was so kind and thoughtful to my father which also added to his delight with the outing. This is a wonderful place to treat anyone.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 4/24/2009

Previously reviewed:
December 3, 2008
December 21, 2006

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3 comments:

Cristina said...

Good time with celebration with father

kudzu said...

Alberto is one of my favorite servers. I'm glad he made this a special celebration for your father. And celebrating early was just the right idea -- restaurants are like zoos on holidays/observances!

And thanks for reminding me of Il Fornaio's brunch service. Haven't been for a long time and should remember it on nice weekends.

Zoomie said...

I'm always struck by how sweet you are with your Dad. Bless you, Anna.