The Kauff Hates on Brunch Lines, Likes on Fried Dough

This week The Kauff does a brunch round-up of Orson; Out the Door, Bush Street and Uva Enoteca: three spots where he's saved from extinction by brunch without a wait. At Orson: "The egg dishes don't quite come together...[but] the dishes that depended on a pastry chef's skill were the ones I'd order again. Like our appetizer, brown-butter doughnuts ($8)..." Meanwhile Uva Enoteca's brunch dishes "straddle breakfast and lunch," and appear to be hit (fontina-mushroom frittata, open-faced panino) or miss (French toast, pizza). And then there's the final word on Out the Door, Bush: "...breakfast dishes are worth ordering...But if there's a reason to go...it's Chucky Dugo's vanilla beignets." [SF Weekly]

Bauer puts his swimmies on again and heads to the Embarcadero for a review of Waterfront, where former Top Cheftestant Erik Hopfinger does a good job making everyone happy: "...he keeps the menu simple and seafood-centric; it's the type of food that can be appreciated by locals and tourists alike." Even thought the clam chowder is "unappetizingly brown," "one of the best cioppinos I've had" helps the fixture nab 2.5 stars, joining the ranks of other Embarcadero spot, Plant Cafe Organic. [SFGate]

Reidinger is in the SoMa eating aroma-therpeutic South Indian cuisine at Ruchi. And the experience is good overall, save for a bout of chili overheating: "an affliction that just has to play itself out, and there isn't much you can do except be patient. Sips of water and beer offered moments of respite, but I had higher hopes for the yogurt sauce...dahi vada ($6), until we recognized that there was chili heat lurking in the apparently cool, creamy, wintry yogurt. When the water gushing from your fire hose turns out to be gasoline, you experience a setback." [SFBG]

And Nicholas Boer files a freelance Datebook review of Laurus, where lunch comes out on top. And this moving pow-wow couldn't have possibly helped the Danville American restaurant into 2.5 star-ville: "...sharing an impossibly moist pineapple upside-down cake ($7) with a friend whom I hadn't talked to in more than a year. The quiet pauses only encouraged us to look deeper into our lives." [SFGate]

THE ELSEWHERE: The CoCo Times is getting the complete package at Modern China Cafe; The EBX asks, "Is Philz the new Peets?"; The Merc loses track of time at S. Dali; The Marin IJ finds the Pelican Inn charming; and finally the Chron goes all the way to Napa for this Bar Bite at Norman Rose Tavern.

[Photo: Daily Candy]