Dinner at Brenda's: The Shock of the New

For this week's SF Weekly review, I visited Brenda's French Soul Food, a brunch-lunch restaurant that became a phenomenon during the four years I was away from the Bay Area, with lines that are as legendary as the food. Brenda Buenviaje has capitalized on her success by expanding into the space next door at the beginning of the year. One of the ways she's funding the remodel: adding dinner four nights a week.

Despite the fact that she has only bumped up menu prices at night by a buck, so far, dinner hasn't yet become as popular as the daytime meals ― which is somewhat surprising, because $20 sit-down dinners in San Francisco are growing rare. Buenviaje has also maintained a good vibe ― comfortable, casual, welcoming. Over the course of my three dinners at Brenda's, I encountered another surprise: Most of the dishes the restaurant's reputation rest on came off as half-hearted, while Buenviaje's new dishes were mostly great. So if you hit Brenda's for dinner, don't get the dishes you always get at lunch. Over off specials board, get as many broiled oysters as you can tackle, and when offered a choice between beignets and chocolate chip banana-bread pudding for dessert, go for the latter.