Olea by Chef Gabriel Amaya

www.oleasf.com

Visit date: February 06, usually once every 3 weeks

So this post is definitely part one, featuring just brunch. Dinner is just as good, so much so that we closed down the restaurant and had our wedding rehearsal dinner here almost two years ago.

Olea opened three years ago and we found it by accident on our way home from work one evening. The restaurant is on a corner but not in the best part of the neighborhood. It's also hard to spot because it's essentially in the basement. But lucky for us, we found another great restaurant in the neighborhood. What started out as the occasional dinner moved to brunch on a regular basis. We wanted to support the new neighborhood restaurant as best we could, and help drum up business. Honestly though, it's not hard to support a restaurant that consistently makes good, quality, delicious food. So for the last three years, we've gone about once every three weeks for brunch. For the first year, we actually went every weekend! It sounds excessive, but I've seen a few others who are weekly regulars too.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Chef Amaya was at Boulettes Larder in the Ferry Building. Having access to the on-site farmer's market clearly influenced how he cooks now at Olea. His food is seasonal, Californian but with a Mexican flare to highlight his heritage. Chef Amaya's menu is small, probably because the kitchen is small, but I think this makes a much more consistent and tightly formulated menu.

For brunch, there is always the following:
1. challah custard toast
2. eggs baked in cazuela
3. flat omelet
4. traditional omelet (folded over)
5. egg, bacon, tomato sandwich
6. yogurt
7. salad

All these are served with varying accompaniments, as inspired by ingredients Chef Amaya sees at the farmer's market. Other menu items can include pulled pork sandwich, burger, mussels cooked in wine broth, and fries. As of late, the burger has been on his dinner menu. And I must say, his burger and fries are probably the best I've ever had. The burger is so juicy, and whatever Chef does to it is amazing.

A typical brunch for the two of us includes the cazuela dish, omelet and custard toast for dessert. The challah custard toast is probably the best I've had, so it's a must for every brunch visit. Sometimes we'll order two cazuela dishes and custard toast. To drink, we order Blue Bottle coffee served in a French press, but on hot days like this, a glass of chilled Pink Flamingo rosé is in order.

Challah custard toast with korintji cinnamon sugar and topped with sliced pached bosc pear, pure maple syrup on the side

Eggs baked in a cazuela with tomato, bacon and niman ranch ground pork sauce, organic crimini mushrooms, a drizzle of cream and parmigiano reggiano cheese, served with grilled bread (allow 8-10 minutes)

Flat omelet with niman ranch Mexican style chorizo, tortilla chips and Oaxaca cheese, served with crostini

The wait on weekends can get pretty long nowadays. So much better than the first year of opening when Olea was still being discovered. It's so great to see the crowd! Olea seats ten at the communal table, and has seven 2-top tables which can squeeze three.

See the guy in the red shirt reading his book? He's been coming every weekend for the last year, maybe even longer, always with his book.

My favorite accent for the restaurant. The flowers change every few days and liven the place. They are always so pretty!