Home Plate   

Why follow the crowds to the trendier breakfast places in town when Home Plate serves up some of the best pancakes, scones, granola and omelets around? Home Plate is hidden amongst the bars and service businesses along busy Lombard Street. A cross between a deli and a diner, the small restaurant offers nothing in the way of ambience, aside from a few framed photos and specials plastered to the wall. It's no matter. The service is friendly and happy to accommodate the health-conscious Marina crowd with egg-white omelets and large bowls of fruit. Breakfast is served all day, but if youre a three-meal-a-day person, homemade soups, salads and sandwiches are available. Try the roasted chicken sandwich. Youll be hard-pressed to find a breakfast joint with as much variety anywhere else in the city -- whens the last time you saw potato-carrot pancakes on a menu? Weekend mornings get busy, so call ahead to put your name on the wait list. -- Ana Schwartzman