Show Dogs San Francisco: For a change of pace, I went Downtown to ShowDogs San Francisco for breakfast (which they refer to as “Brunch” on weekends). They’re right on Market Street (and only a block away from a place called Dottie’s True Blue Café, which I’ve been meaning to check out one of these days after hearing good things about it).
They have a good number of chairs inside (in their triangulated space, see photo above), as well as four or five outside/sidewalk tables that can seat up to four people each. I chose the latter because 1) it was pleasant enough to sit outside this morning, and 2) the Sunday morning views along Market Street are always entertaining. I believe there was also some arugula in the scrambled eggs mess; the online menu lists several ingredients that differ from the printed menu. This was also served on a delicious sesame-seeded hotdog bun.
ShowDogs only has a few different breakfast (“Brunch,” whatever) dishes to pick from, which they refer to on their menu as “For The Hangover.” Sausage and Eggs (Smoked Maple Pork sausage, 2 eggs, potatoes, bread) and Poached Egg and Sausage (Smoked Merguez sausage, poached egg on wheat toast) were two other options for me this morning, all of which I would have substituted with the Field Roast® Vegetarian sausage.
They were gracious enough to allow me to switch the Smoked Maple Pork sausage for the vegetarian choice, but I’m sure any of their other meatatarian sausages will suffice. All Beef, Italian Pork, Basil Chicken, Smoked Merguez, Smoked Wild Boar, and Smoked Polish, it appears, are among the options. I’m not sure which Field Roast® Vegetarian sausage they used (they make a couple), but I’m guessing it was either an Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage or a Smoked Apple Sage Sausage.
ShowDogs has an Outstanding Range
I’d had the Blueberry Basil Soda before and knew I loved it, but today’s version was a little too sweet for my tastes. This is to be anticipated, as they create the drink fresh for each customer, and the soda can taste different every day depending on the jerk (as in “soda fountain drink guy,” not that he was annoying or anything) who prepares it.
Because I knew ShowDogs has an outstanding range of their own created condiment supplements, I didn’t bother bringing any of my own spicy sauces from my collection with me today. On top of the sausage/egg mixture and on half of the potatoes, I used Serrano Ketchup, and on the other half, I used Habanero sauce. The Habanero sauce wasn’t particularly spicy, but it was packed with flavor; I believe the Serrano Ketchup was significantly hotter. The Habanero sauce had a distinct flavor that I couldn’t quite place my finger (or tongue) on.
Is it possible that was maple syrup? Ginger? I ended up asking one of the guys who worked there what the “secret ingredient” was, and he told me it has a little cinnamon in it (on penalty of death if I ever exposed it to anybody else… oops!) Bingo! That was the end of it. It also adds a little additional “je ne sais quoi” (which I really need to learn how to pronounce in French one of these days). This isn’t your typical breakfast… This is genocide in action!
Sunrise ShowDog 6.7; Blueberry Basil Soda 6.5 (now; I would grade it up to 6.8 in the past); Serrano Ketchup 6.8; Habanero Sauce 7.4 on the Glen Bacon Scale
- This resurrects the age-old “Hotdog vs. Hot Dog Debate.” Is it one word, “Hotdog,” as I prefer, or two syllables, “Hot Dog,” as some fools at a business named Nathan’s® Famous to appear to prefer?
Which side are you going to take? Someone who has been a vegetarian for more than 38 years or some obnoxious corporation claiming to be experts on dead, decomposing ground-up meat with skin on it?
Show Dogs and Machine Coffee
The curtain has come down at Show Dogs and Machine Coffee, its next-door neighbor: A call to the restaurant reveals that their last day of business was March 23rd and that a refurbishment is ongoing as they prepare to relocate or close entirely.
Show Dogs, which opened in 2009 near the Warfield and the Golden Gate Theatre at 1020 Market Street, was a side project of John Clark and Gayle Pirie, the chefs behind the 1999-founded Foreign Cinema, which is today a fine dining institution in the Mission. Show Dogs was recognized for its upgraded hot dogs and sausages combined with a selection of craft brews, as well as its fried chicken sandwich, which had an in-house charcuterie. According to an Inside Scoop article from the time, it expanded with the next-door Machine Coffee and Deli in 2012.
Hoodline was the first to report on the closures, after spotting a letter on the business’s door saying goodbye. The space is for sale, according to another letter on the building. Foreign Cinema has been contacted by SFist and is awaiting a response.
Update: John Clark told SFist that he’s “very sad to leave the neighborhood,” and that he believes he’s leaving it in worse shape than when he arrived. “The neighborhood isn’t better than it used to be,” he continues, implying that it has gotten worse, and he finally blames the closure on “the amount of business we were able to do with our concept.”
A Lot of Positive Feedback
“For us, we had a lot of positive feedback and made it into a few of national magazine publications, so we had a wonderful run.” We were pleased with the food program. However, for a long time, the theatre was not as busy as it once was, or as it should have been, which was a major disappointment to us. “The Warfield looked to be under-served with events and didn’t bring us as many clients as we thought,” Clark says, and “the Golden Gate Theatre has just been busy this year.”
Meanwhile, new companies have recently opened on the next block down, with Popsons Burger and Waystone, the next-door wine bar, sure to meet your pre- or post-show demands. (And, no doubt, Popsons has snatched some customers from Show Dogs, which had a wonderful burger as well.)
All is not lost for those who are grieving this particular loss. According to Clark, it’s likely that Machine may have a second act on Valencia, or that Show Dogs or a similar concept would reemerge in the Mission. “We were really pleased with our sausages and chicken sandwiches, and we’re simply searching for a lovely quiet nook to prepare them in.”
ShowDogs San Francisco is the location for this event
1020 Market Street is the address (on the corner of Golden Gate Avenue) Opening hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. (for breakfast); Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. (for “Brunch”) Sunrise ShowDog Smoked Maple Pork sausage topped with scrambled eggs, cheese, peppers, and onion; fried Yukon breakfast potatoes; and a glass of Blueberry Basil Soda
