Guilty Pleasures

I absolutely love the following things, although I might not admit to them if you asked me directly . . . okay, I probably would . . . but maybe not to everyone:

1. Cupcakes -- I love to bake a batch of these suckers, give most of them away & then save 6 or 7 for myself to eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner over a couple of days

2. Terrible TV shows: ala Hope & Faith, Hot Properties, America's Next Top Model, The Bachelor, etc . . .

3. Decent TV shows: Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives

4. Tall, non-fat, toffee nut lattes at Starbucks

5. Neil Diamond & Barbara Streisand

6. Sleeping in very very late

7. People, US, Pink Is The New Blog, The Daily Dish & other celebrity news websites & magazines

8. Chicken selects - 3 piece order from McDonalds

9. Trashy novels by Jane Green

10. Suspense books by Dean Koontz, Mary Higgins Clark & Richard North Patterson

11. Kraft Mac & Cheese

12. Regis & Kelly

13. The View

14. Really cheap clothes at H&M, Zara, Forever 21

15. Sees Candy

Sunday Brunch

Who doesn't love Sunday Brunch? The New York Times . . . coffee . . . orange juice . . . people watching . . . gabbing & gossiping with friends . . . reading knowing you have the whole day left to kill . . . It's my favorite time of the week. To that end, the following are my current favorite places to brunch in San Francisco:

1. Cafe de la Presse, 352 Grant St.: This is the place to go when you need a quick "Paris fix." Authentic Parisian cafe-style chairs and menu options; newspapers & magazines from around the world for sale; deliciously strong coffee -- this is the place to go for brunch by yourself.

2. Polkers, 2226 Polk St.: Not much atmosphere here, but the perfect spot for a casual post-workout brunch with a friend. No reservations taken & the fare is standard breakfast food. Fills you up & they let you linger, but the lines waiting outside may make you feel guilty about that fourth coffee refill.

3. Cafe Delucchi, 500 Columbus Ave.: Right on Columbus Ave., this spot can feel a little too touristy until the owner recognizes you & you bump into tons of people that you know while sitting outside at one of the sidewalk tables. The food is light and delicious. Great place to read the paper or whatever new read you found at City Lights.

4. Rose's Cafe, 2298 Union St.: This is a great place to take out of town visitors for a neighborhood-style breakfast in one of the most charming parts of SF. You might feel a bit out of place unless you're wearing the standard-issue juicy-couture sweatsuit or designer jeans, but who cares, go anyway.