Tucked behind Bernal Heights's Liberty Café is the bakery and wine cottage. That is, from morning to early afternoon it's a bakery, then from early evening until late it's a wine bar. Nifty, huh?

They make the best brioche I've been able to find in a bakery. They offer several fancier varieties topped with seasonal fruit and powdered sugar (today I had fig), spinach and cheese, or laced with cinnamon. But my favorite is the plain brioche. It's buttery, eggey, flakey, and moist all at the same time. Have one with a cup of hot tea and the view of the garden out the back window. The sunny patio also has a few tables where I've read the paper and knit baby hats a countless number of Saturdays.

The wine bar is a lovely 'adult' alternative to coffee shops and bars, with small plates of nibblies and dimmed lighting.

410 Cortland Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 695-8777