Mission Beach Cafe

[Windy]

I've been to Mission Beach Cafe many times since they opened last year, once for brunch but mostly for Alan Carter's case of sweets (cookies, canneles, ginger blueberry muffins) and Blue Bottle coffee. It's a beautiful space, the kind of place I'm reluctant to see spoiled by too many trend-seeking fans.

We had dinner there Friday for my birthday, since I wanted to try out new chef Ryan Scott's cooking. The food seemed a little complicated at first glance with too many items in each dish. But we really enjoyed the meal, and service was attentive and friendly, aside from a long wait past our reservation because another party lingered.

Highlights:
corn soup
perfectly prepared scallops
rare duck breast
corn on the cob with flecks of basil
Probably the favorite dish at the table was pork loin with black mission figs, but I was less impressed than everyone else.

We also had an arugula salad with stone fruit, watermelon salad, and heirloom tomatoes (tasty but mushy) with rough croutons and pesto. Compared to the entrees, the appetizers seemed perfunctory. Not bad, just less uninspired.

Truffle fries were thick cut but tasty. Thai snapper was okay with crispy exterior but on the verge of overdone. Corn crepes with salad shouted "vegetarian option" and was skippable.

Mission Beach is known for its pies, but I don't like pie so I got a slice of black and white angel food cake. I loved it. We also shared three pie slices, and strawberry rhubarb was the consensus winner. Huckleberry got a thumbs down.

Wines are only from California, which makes them a bit pricey (few under $35-40). Still it's not a boring list. We ordered a bottle of the Mahoney Vermentino, which was light and crisp, and another bottle I brought. Stemware is gorgeous.

Everything is served on Heath plates, which are stylish if heavy. I thought they might have paced out the order, once we'd indicated we were sharing everything, to avoid the inevitable crush at the table. Portions are big; five entrees was more than six of us needed.

I didn't see the bill, but the menu on the website is up to date, with most entrees at $24.It's hard for food not to be upstaged by the surroundings, but I thought it more than held its own.

[mizchalmers]

Brunch there is lovely, and always crowded. I had the salmon and latkes on Saturday. Served like eggs benedict with poached eggs and Hollandaise, it was crazy delicious. My husband had the huevos rancheros and no complaints. The servers were very charming as well with our two small companions, aged two and five.

[robertb]

The cannelés at MBC are absolutely fabulous. Perfectly prepared crust that is chewy and deeply caramelized, while the interior is nice and moist. Go early because the always sell out!!