Since we had woken up (and started working) so early today, we figured we'd meet for a late lunch. After searching for a cafe where we could eat al fresco that wasn't closed until dinner, we finally decided on Cafe Claude. However, when we arrived at Cafe Claude we found out that while they were open, they weren't serving the lunch or dinner menu, but rather an in-between menu that consisted of only some sandwiches, soup and a few other assorted, cold items. Since we hadn't eaten since out early breakfast, we were looking for something more substantial, but we decided to stay for a drink and a bite anyway, while we figured out...
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Cafe Claude went through some ownership and kitchen changes about a year or so ago (the new owner is Franck Leclerc, who brought on ex-Chez Papa chef Philippe Chevalier), but it firmly remains one of my favorite places for an alfresco lunch, or an escapist dinner. Why escapist? Because you aren't in SF anymore, Dorothy. It's certainly one of the most authentically Parisian bistros in San Francisco, and there's a reason for it. The entire interior, from the zinc bar to the red-topped linoleum tables to the wooden bistro chairs, used to be in a Parisian café called Le Barbizon; Café Claude's original owner had everything shipped over in a container and then voilà! I'm not sure if the waiters came over in the container as well, but most of them are definitely the real deal.
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Steak Tartare.This was actually quite good, somewhere between Bix and Tartare. And they didn't mix it for you and left you to your own devices.
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It feels unnatural for a dude to order a croque monsieur with an egg, you know, a crouque madame. But one bonus of eating in San Francisco is that you can do all the culinary gender bending you want.
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