Boudin SF’s “Dine and Donate” Event to Benefit Sacred Heart

Noelle’s Unilocal Notebook 2015
My 700^th Unilocal Review
I was happy to attend San Francisco Boudin’s Dine and Donate Event to benefit Sacred Heart Community Service with my mom, my hubs, my son (my dad was golfing at a tournament and couldn’t join us), my childhood friend and his son.
Donating to Sacred Heart Community Service is near and dear to my heart. I remember as a kid my family would donate food and clothes to Sacred Heart Community Service. When I was old enough to volunteer, I volunteered at Sacred Heart Community Service with my family and friends. Louise Benson started Sacred Heart Community Service in 1964 to feed the needy families in her neighborhood. It has grown tremendously from humble roots in 1964 to being recognized by the State of California in 2009 as the Emergency Services provider in Santa Clara County. Food, Clothing, education and job assistance are provided free of charge to the less fortunate.
Donating to Sacred Heart Community Service is what my family does yearly, so attending this event in conjunction with our annual donations were an easy decision.
We arrived early and found parking. With printed email reservations in hand we checked in at the tables just outside the restaurant; on these tables were the most fantastic and creative baked bread creations– one was a five foot long alligator! After checking in we donated money into an envelope for Sacred Heart Community Service. Upon entering the restaurant we were handed small menus printed of small pieces of paper (a little large than a flash card size).
Cream colored tile, sleek hardwood throughout (tables, benches), wooden shelves with bread/​cookies/​mugs for sale and further ahead cash registers with the pastry case in the center and the most delicious and freshly baked breads in baskets.
our order:
kid’s eggs w/​cheese, potatoes and toast ⁵⁄₅ — Hearty portion. Deliciously cooked eggs, seasoned potatoes and sourdough toast.
kid’s yogurt 5÷5− Large portion of yogurt (fit for an adult) topped with fresh fruit.
French toast ³⁄₅ (two people in our party orders this) Two obscene portions of bread that were overcooked, served with warm syrup and fresh fruit. I’m surprised they don’t offer whipped cream (as most breakfast spots do for FT). Tasty but way overcooked.
Veggie Scramble 4÷5− My hubs loved the fresh veggies and cheese in this veggie scramble.
Bacon and Egg Sandwich 5÷5− The most perfectly scramble eggs with cheese topped with mouthwatering bacon on Boudin’s signature sourdough bread– I LOVED my breakfast.
Muffins (one chocolate, one blueberry) 3÷5− were tasty but a tad over baked.
Lemon Bar 1÷5− very disappointing, more overly sweet shortbread crust with an almost non-​existent lemon layer.
Overall, fantastic customer service from start to finish. Restaurant was clean and the ambience was quite inviting. This is a great addition to the South San Jose area and it’s right across from where I grocery shop (Whole Foods)!
Noelle’s Notes
Happy to support a great cause like Sacred Heart!
Boudin food was fantastic, looking forward to dining there again :)

I’ve been anticipating Boudin’s foray to Almaden Plaza, here in my South SJ ‘hood, since I first heard about it (
) last September. After months of watching the construction at this new location, I was excited to learn of their Grand Opening on March 19^th. So, imagine my glee when I saw that they were having a sneak peek «‘Dine and Donate’ Event To Benefit Sacred Heart Community Service» in the events section of my trusty Android Unilocal app. I signed up for the 1^st possible time (³⁄₁₄ 8 — 9 a.m.), grabbed the boy and away we went to see what we could see.
We met-​up with Beth W, Noelle J, Noelle’s husband, and their baby boy, Ian, and checked-​into the event together. We spoke with Sarah W, Boudin’s on-​line marketing manager, and she explained to us what was going on: this was an introductory training event to help their staff get ready for their grand opening, and that all meals were free, but they asked that we make a donation to help support Sacred Heart (SH). After getting our breakfast menu cards, tickets and making a donation at the SH booth, we entered and stood in-​line to order.
Ordering:
When you 1^st enter, I was really wowed at the look and feel of this new location. I’d been to the West Valley one many times and, while really similar, this one just felt more open and polished looking; the ordering line at the other location can feel a bit cramped for a big galoot like myself, but this one was just right. We made our way through the line rather quickly, and I ordered Sourdough French Toast (SDFT) for myself and a Yogurt and Fresh Fruit Cup for the boy. The process went smooth, and the lady taking my order was knowledgeable and fast. I also wanted to buy a loaf of sourdough to take home for the Missus, but they just gave me one – score!
Dining:
We found some comfortable bench seats, sat and chatted for a few minutes and our food arrived rather quickly. The SDFT comes fried-​up golden brown; sprinkled with powdered sugar; a side of Maple Syrup and topped with fresh strawberries and blackberries. The crust was a little hard for my liking (but I ate it all anyways), and the interior was soft and custardy the way FT should be. I would’ve liked a bit more Maple Syrup to go with it, but I get enough sugar as it is.
Service:
The staff checked up on us frequently, were really quick to take care of special requests and were all exceptionally nice. So far, so good!
Good food, great friends and outstanding service – what more do you need?! Keep up the fine work, and I can’t wait until March 19^th, as I know I’ll definitely be a regular at this location.