Brunch at Tangerine Just Might Blunt Pride Week's Excesses

Trevor Adams

Eggs are God's little cure for hangovers.

​Clones, leathermen, bears: The Castro's long been known as a neighborhood of self-expression, not culinary revelation. Last year, that began to change. How to navigate the ultimate gayborhood's new edible landscape? As a nod to S.F. Pride Week, we're cruising the Castro's newest food hot spots and oldest favorites.

Weekend mornings, crowds flock to this classy corner on the cusp of the Castro to be wait-listed. Tangerine is a brilliant ray of sunshine on mornings following nights of debauchery and drinking, a place where you can almost hear the fizz of mimosas over the morning buzz of conversation.

Sean Pattansuvoranun's menu shows Pacific Rim influences in things like coconut ginger pancakes ($8), though a dish such as macaroni and corn cakes ($9.50) seems even more exotic. Feeling dapper on a recent morning (and slightly sauced, being on our second round of mimosas) we decided to go savory with the zucchini latke with bacon ($9).

​It was elegantly presented and abundantly proportioned, with poached eggs and a hollandaise that wasn't overtly rich, spicier than any we'd tasted before. Eggs and Bloody Marys are God's little protein gems sure to cure hangovers. Tangerine's egg dishes do just that.

Granted, rolling out of bed on a weekend morning isn't the easiest thing to do, but it's Pride, goddamnit! Get out of bed! Tangerine, at least, offers an alternative to the conventional waffle house.

Tangerine 3499 16th St. (at Sanchez), 626-1700.

Also in this series:
• Castro Hosts One of the City's Best Neighborhood Markets
• What to Have for Lunch: Kasa's Lamb Curry Thali
• Starbelly's Wine and Beer Cocktails: Relief from 'The Fuzzy Jockstrap'
• Sure, You Go to Cafe Flore to Cruise Guys. The Mac and Cheese Is Almost as Tasty