Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, for the dawn of a new era in breakfast. First, New York City was enthralled by the cronut, and now we have our own thing. Absinthe Group pastry chef Bill Corbett has perfected his recipe for the pretzel croissant, which just went on sale in the pastry case at Arlequin Cafe (384A Hayes Street) as of this week.

Tasting Table points us to the big reveal, noting that NYC's City Bakery may have been the first to come up with a version, but saying that Corbett's is "even better, we think, than the original."

The pretzel croissants are $3.50 apiece, and they involve the layering of a traditional pretzel dough with butter in a croissant dough fashion, then they're dipped in a solution of baking soda and salted before baking.

Someone please bring us one right now.

[Tasting Table]

Today in his semi-regular column for the Inside Scoop blog on SFGate, Da Former Mayor Willie Brown explains for us pleebs where the movers and shakers of San Francisco have their big, influential breakfast meetings. Let us start by saying breakfast meetings are the root of all evil.

Brown says that the "power breakfast" is "a growing component to how public policy at least gets considered." He mentions the Warriors Arena as a hypothetical project about which lobbyists, developers, port commissioners, and city department heads might be discussing over scones on any given morning at Americano at the Hotel Vitale, or at the St. Regis.

He then brags that he threw the "ultimate power breakfast" last week at the Fairmont Hotel at which he gathered Democratic Party leaders including Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and some 900 others at the Fairmont Hotel to discuss the November election. He likes breakfast, you see, because there's "no booze, no black ties and no companions" and thus "the true networking and contacting can take place." Got that? Lesson complete.

[Inside Scoop/SFGate]

We here at SFist are raising the stakes for food porn by infusing our food photos with unadulterated city porn. Gratuitously indulgent food items, photographed (and eaten) in front of iconic San Francisco backdrops.

Today's item: A Maple Bacon Breakfast Sausage Sandwich on the Ferry Plaza

Per the notes on the 4505 Meats menu board this past Saturday, the sausage patty in this sandwich had maple bacon in it. On the one hand, a patty like that is just looking to justify cramming more porky buzzwords in to a sandwich. On the other hand, we did enjoy how the sweet and slightly smokey flavor balanced out the salty breakfast sausage. We might even say it's a much more sophisticated way of making a McDonald's McGriddle. If we were the type of person who said things like that.

The egg was over easy, which is basically the chef's way of saying to you: "Hey man, slow down with your breakfast!" On a sunny and leisurely Saturday at the Ferry Plaza, that is actually the sort of dining intervention one needs from kitchen staff. The cheese was gruyere — a cheese commonly accepted as being delicious — and the peppercress greens were a nice reminder that there some things look like weeds, but are actually delicious to eat. The bun, since you were going to ask, was housemade and coated in toasted sesame seeds. It cost $8. We ate it on a pier on a 65 degree day in January.

4505 Meats operates their outdoor kitchen on the Ferry Plaza during Farmers Market hours: Thursdays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m and Saturday's 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. The menu changes regularly.

Next time: A 49er Corn Dog at 6th and Market Streets.

P.S. Know an indulgent food item available near a spectacular or otherwise uniquely San Franciscan view that we should try? Then please, let us know.

The Dapper Diner, who shot this savory image, reveals all: "Newest item from Tell Tale Preserves at the SF Ferry Building Farmer's Market: 'The Rebel Within' has a whole egg inside and Boccalone sausage."

Tell Tale Preserves can be found at the Ferry Building on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8 am - 2 pm.

Cover your eyes, insufferable food-truck-Plum-bacon-maple-donut-Comstock-organic-Misson-Pie-cod-sperm-swallowing gastronomes. It turns out that, shockingly, not everyone in San Francisco follows the fresh food philosophy mantra. Namely, new interim SFPD Chief Jeff Godown.

(Godown) regrets that he's had little time for his favorite hobby, golf, because he arrives at work each morning at 6 a.m. "I eat a microwaveable cheeseburger in the kitchen, kiss my daughter goodbye and turn around and complete the process again."

Microwave cheese burgers? For breakfast?! That sounds wildly unhealthy and wildly delicious. (Quick, someone get this man a case of Activa!) While we could bemoan the new chief's early-morning meal routine, we too, during a night of heavy drinking, have fallen victim to the microwavable spicy chicken sandwich's siren song coming from the nearest liquor store.

What's the best corner store microwavable food in your opinion, readers? If you said Pizza Rolls, then you are right.

[Chronicle]

Chowhound brings word that a waffle kiosk has opened up next door to Show Dogs. Oh yes. Waffle Mania will serve waffles at 1022 Market Street (at Golden Gate Avenue) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or whenever they sellout of 'em) Tuesday through Friday starting today. Menu: sugar waffles start out at $3.5, with additional toppings (Nutella! Whipped cream!) for $.50 a pop. Yum. [CH, via Eater]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent out a precious twitpic today, followed with the caption, "This is how I start my day."

Although the left-leaning denizens of the Bay Area are technically supposed to loathe him, he sure makes it difficult when he does adorable stuff like fashioning a smiley face in his oatmeal bowl.