Sunday, May 27, 2012

House of Prime Rib

Entropy is a fact of physics, and yet it is hard to imagine a San Franciscan landmark that is in worse shape than House of Prime Rib.

The Bay Area classic has suffered in recent years and it is sadly apparent.

While the outside of the restaurant gives a nod to days of long ago, it's the inside that brings a tear to your eye.  As you enter, you will notice the dark atmosphere where everything is tired, from the servers to the furniture and fixures.  The lounge chairs are dirty and worn, the carpets are dirty and tattered and need replacing, and there is a layer of dust everywhere else.

The most abominable thing I have ever witnessed in a restaurant happened while sitting in the lounge waiting for our table (and believe me, I've seen roaches, rats, and a sneeze in my soup service).  In a pause between the seating rush, a lounge server grabbed a five gallon bucket of mixed nuts, set it on a lounge table and began to refill the miniature glass nut containers by hand, swopping each carafe into the bucket and leveling off the nuts with her bare hand.  She did not dump the old nuts.

But that wasn't the worst of it. 

These containers are not washed between customers, a face evident by the caked on fingerprints on every surface of the container.  REALLY?  Your ware washers can't just run these bad boys on a tray through the dish washing machine and give fresh ones to the lounge servers?  The dirty containers reminded me of an episode of Dexter, where he is collecting latent prints with black fingerprint powder in order to find the killer.  Eww.

As the food, this place is a feeding lot.  People are hurried into their seats, there are only about four options of what you can eat, and everyone gets the same salad, bread, sides, and meat service.  Then you are rushed out about 45 minutes later so they can seat another trove of tourists and wayward diners, but only after you have been thoroughly steamed by the humid meat service, filling every pore and fiber of your skin and clothing.

One admirable note, however.  They sure know how to make a dime, and in a country that esteems capitalism, this is money-making its best.

While our visiting family members loved prime rib and didn't seem to mind the experience, and I am glad to have tried it also, it is not a place I will rush back to anytime soon.  At least, not until they starting washing their nuts.

House of Prime Rib | 1906 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA | www.houseofprimerib.net

25 Lusk

This restaurant is sophisticated and modern, and has it's own address -- hell, it IS its own address -- and it makes me wish I was just a little cooler. 

I've been to 25 Lusk for brunch and dinner on a few occassions, and nearly each experience was a stunner.

The atmosphere is tony yet approachable.  The open wood beam ceiling is surrounded by concrete, steel, brick, and flowers, and it strikes the perfect balance of industrial meets nature.  Smoky glass frames the kitchen and sectors the chefs away, and they look out onto the dining room, as if from behind large Armani sunglass lenses.

While I have eaten here several times, here's what I remember is extraordinary:  Brunch.  The Lobster and Benedict with hollandaise and prosciutto is out of this world, which is lucky, as your subsequent heart attack after eating this will send you out of this world to heaven, either briefly or permanently.
Oh, hi there, God.  This is what I was doing right before I died.


Combine the Bene with fresh orange juice and French-pressed coffee, and you are fueled and ready to sight-see with your in-laws for the better part of the weekend.  Other favorites are the BLT and the coffee donuts, however I don't remember being a fan of the Farm Egg Scramble (too mushroomy and woodsy for my liking).

For dinner, the scallop starter and the Miyagi oysters are superb, and you can't go wrong with any of their fish entrees, of which I've had the swordfish, tuna, and bass.

The wines and drinks are great also, and I would recommend trying the French 25, SF Yacht Club, and the Hendrick's Margarita.

This is a great restaurant if you want to impress your date or friends, and a great place to start if you need a calorie-load before a big walking excursion, like to Coit Tower or up Lombard or to the nearest Emergency Room.  I will be back, for sure.  Right, Jesus?

25 Lusk | duh, 25 Lusk (at Townsend), San Francisco CA | www.25lusk.com


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Oola

I heart this place.

I like the fact that they are located in Soma near parking. 
I like that they have settled into a comfortable rhythym with their service and cuisine and they always provide a consistent experience. 
I like the dark, split level dining area, complete with burning votives and original oil paintings.
I like that the service is impeccable and it's not arm-twisting to get a reservation.
I like the big heavy door than heaves open when you enter and blasts the first few rows with cool, foggy air.

There are a lot of reasons why I like this place, and not the least is the food.

Oola has the best baby back ribs you will ever eat in your life.  No joke. 

It's a scientific fact that has been proven by my friend, John Merz, who is a scientific expert in baby back rib cooking and eating, and hold's the multi-year title "Best Ribs in Town."  (Well, okay, the title is on his apron, which he wears every summer, and I think that counts.)  Albeit unconventional, these babies are slathering in a ginger soy glaze and braised until they reach that fall-off-the-bone-just-as-it-reaches-your-mouth consistency, and then served with delicious crunchy apple slaw. 

Other winners on the menu:  Scallop on a potato chip, Mac n Cheese, Beet and Watermelon Salad, Chicken and Buttermilk Waffles, Filet Mignon, brussel sprouts, and the Rock Shrimp appetizer.

Chef Ola Fendart sources locally and uses organic produce and natural meats, which is practically mandated in SF by now, and he was classically trained in many of the other kitchens you and I have been to before.

Who knew a Swedish Chef could make such original and delectable Californian cuisine (and not just funny "bleep-da-blork" noises like in the Muppets)?  Ola did.  I do.  And now, you do, too.

Oola | 860 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA | www.oola-sf.com