"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: August 2012

When I was in school, my favorite days were the ones when we had field trips. You know those days – you’re “learning” AND you get to take a trip to a cool place that isn’t called school? Score! Best. Days. Ever. (Only second to those special days in my Spanish class some years later, that we would come to call “culture days” - - which were really just movie days. Not just Spanish movies….any movies. Because “culture” is everywhere, right?) There is something about actually physically leaving the norm and transporting yourself somewhere else, that makes the day special. You might actually “learn” (gasp) without the reality of having to read about it in a physical book. And let’s face it, the authors of those “social studies” books really didn’t play up the suspense of actual history events in the way it could have. Especially with all those vocab words getting in the way. Please. People, tell me a story. So when we had the chance to dine at a restaurant that originally served as a military barracks in 1903 (ahem – field trip!), I was ecstatic! And the bonus? Inspired by the location’s history, the team that designed thePresidio Social Club did so in an effort to evoke the mood of a 1940s officers’ club. On an adventure that felt like it transported us to the San Diego Top Gun academy (Where are we? Oh wait, I’m still wearing a parka. Sigh), off to the end of that elusive 7th mile of San Francisco we went to conquer the Presidio. Many thanks to Tara for planning this fabulous field trip of a Where-To-Wednesday on July 25th that myself, Becky, Melissa, Chelsea, Jocelyn, Lindsey, Natasha and newbie Sarah enjoyed. So….did Presidio Social Club put us “at ease” or remind us that our childhood fieldtrips are only magical at the age of 5? Read on…you vicarious armchair field-tripper you, to see how Presidio tipped the 0/10 scale.

Ambiance 9: Aside from no serenades taking place with or without the tunes of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” the ambiance here was still pretty reflective of an officers’ club (or more accurately – for my lack of ever stepping foot inside an officers’ club – what I would envision an officer’s club looking like). Sans the man with the mullet costume sticking out his back pocket (yes, this happened…stay tuned for the photo of evidence), the place held an air of class about it. With predominantly clean, white paneled walls and beams, amidst a sea of dark wood tables and booths, the place exuded a laid back yet upscale feel. Stylish retro ceiling fans and strategically placed palms throughout the restaurant gave a nod to the past, and if that wasn’t enough – the white paneled side entry porch and the red retro drum set at the entrance paying tribute to the original building 563…should do the trick. So far field trip…you far outweigh that boring social studies book. Gold star.

Wine 9: Sometimes, with all of the amazing food on the menu, the wine selection actually seems to be the most daunting of the tasks. Perhaps that’s because we typically order the entire menu of food and only a few bottles of wine…leaving the remaining hundreds of bottles still on the menu, untried and unconquered by us. So when we select a wine…it better be good, damnit! When we were handed the wine menu at Presidio Social Club, I could feel my inner wino in me relax. With just a limited list of pretty good wines that I could actually pronounce without a question mark at the end of my order, we felt confident in the available wines and did in fact like what we ordered. We went with the Trefethen 2010 Chardonnay, which was more floral than oaky, with a minerality that lended itself to pair very well with the food. We also had a red…but I’m apparently a very selfish wine drinker and don’t give a hoot about what other wine (roll of eyes, flip of hair) anyone else is drinking. Or I’m distracted. Whatever. Let’s talk food.

Food 8: Predominately comfort food, I heard a lot of raves amongst our group. Who doesn’t love grilled cheese?? Spoiler alert… But I mean, most of us adults aren’t chomping on grilled cheese sandwiches on a daily basis, so when we do have it, it’s a freaking treat. And how do we treat our treats? With the respect that these comforting treats deserve. There are varying degrees of good though, and sometimes the fact is - that what you’re eating is more impressive than how good it is. I’ve had varying degrees of chocolate cake goodness in my days, but I have never, I repeat never, taken a bite of a chocolate cake that wasn’t out of this world and said outloud – not the best cake I’ve ever had – I’m not eating this. Come on, it’s chocolate cake for crying out loud. Be it “the best” or “meh”…it’s still chocolate cake. And chocolate cake I will eat. Okay…I’ve said my peace. You be the judge.

- Marinated Beets & Ricotta: a very simple yet refreshing dish filled with beautiful yellow beets and topped with ricotta cheese all in a light olive oil and topped with a hint of pepper. A nice start to the meal.

- PSC Gruyere Cheese Toasts with tomato fondue: seriously? Cut the shit – this is GRILLED CHEESE, people! With a boring name like “cheese toasts” it’s a miracle we even ordered this at all, but I’m glad our overzealous stomachs commanded it. It wasn’t the BEST grilled cheese I ever had, but like I said – it’s grilled cheese. Grilled cheese rocks! And..kind of reminds me of field trips I went on as a kid. Oh memories. They come with four small pieces (yes, even cut the way you liked when you were a child) of gruyere grilled cheese and topped with parsley, with a small mug of warm tomato soup to dip in. I’d recommend a few orders….and changing the name away from “toast.” Bleh.

- Pan Roasted Mussels: I actually didn’t try any of these, so I can’t comment on how good they were, but I will say that the presentation looked very appetizing. There seemed to be a fair amount of mussels in the dish (close to ten), in a cioppino broth topped with chopped fennel, heirloom tomatoes and bread pieces for dipping.

- Deviled Eggs: Great presentation – and even topped with small, crispy pieces of ham that created a nice surprise to the dish. It was very flavorful with a nice combination of textures. I will say this though – 3 deviled eggs? Why 3? Does anyone ever really eat with a party of 3 people? 2 – yes. 4 – sure. But 3? Come on. Put another egg on the dish and call it day. Yeesh.

- Island Style Tuna Poke with Kennebec chips: I’m not sure what island they’re referring to in the style this dish reflects, but I don’t think I ever want to go there. The tuna was rather tasteless outside of the ginger you couldn’t help but notice, and it was warm. Warm. I don’t like my raw seafood “warm.” That’s just asking for a fight on the island – tuna vs. my stomach. I’ll pass. And you should too. Grade: D-. Saved from an F solely by the chips.

- Smoked Trout: Don’t be fooled by the boring name of the dish on the menu “smoked fish plate.” Lord somebody hire these people a marketing team. This dish was absolutely delicious! The smoky flavor created a rich taste which was a perfect finish to the light consistency of the trout. It was served topped with peppered, sliced hard boiled eggs which kind of left me scratching my head. Not the perfect combo there…but the other toppings lent themselves very well to the dish. Vibrant yellow and fresh beets were a perfect fit with the smoky trout, while tiny pieces of garlic accentuated the rich depth to the dish and jalapeno slices created a spicy kick that left a lasting impression of the dish in your mouth.

- Chilled Corn Soup: This was sent over compliments of the chef. Aww, pretty nice of him – too bad it was also pretty blah. Can you return a dish that’s sent over for free? I’m beginning to think he had a ton of leftover corn with no ideas as to what to do with it and little time to prepare. Light bulb = cold water + corn. Well that also equals fail. Apparently I was too busy on field trips to bother doing my math homework. Although a refreshing break between dishes, I think that was more because it was chilled…and watery. So it was kind of like a glass of water, with corn in it. Skip. Unless it’s free. Then just send it back. I dare you. I double dog dare you. And then tell me what happens. Pins and needles over here.

- Sweet Creamed Corn: Yep, there it is. The dish where all the corn was supposed to go. Perhaps not many people had ordered it that night. Well, their loss because it pretty freaking phenomenal. Quite the contrast from the pretend corn dish we had just slurped down, this one was warm, creamy and buttery – an absolute delight, and even topped with cheese. Winner winner, corn dinner.

- Macaroni and Cheese: Here we go – another comfort food. Did I mention it was chilly outside? Because I feel that that is a key piece of information as to why everyone loved this comfort food so much. Me? Maybe I’ve been in San Francisco too long that the cold weather has just become the norm and the sun is the element I am more surprised by. Either way – this dish was good – not AMAZING, but good. And I know, Mac and Cheese has, over the years, become the surprise special on the menu that visitors seem to scoff at at first. Mac and Cheese? Like the blue box? You’ve got to be kidding me. And then they taste. That’s when the magic happens. Here…I saw no such thing. No fireworks. No David Copperfield shit. None of that. Just some warm macaroni noodles with cheese, herbed breadcrumbs and parsely. Good but…don’t write that letter home just yet.

- Pork Porterhouse Chop: *crains head* is there a wood burning oven back there? This pork chop is phenomenal and bursting with flavor. It’s juicy, delicious and smoky – making you savor every bite of its goodness. It’s even served with a side of baked beans, whose rich taste and opposite texture create a nice combination of flavors. Gold star #2 of the night!

- Mint Smashed Peas: I imagine this dish as one of those things where the chef is making normal peas in the kitchen, and someone comes along and just screws it all up. They’ve a pile of mint leaves in their hand and are telling the chef a story using hand gestures, and just when they get to the part of the story when something big happens, they slam their hands (with the mint) down onto the counter for good measure – to illustrate the drama of the story. But little did they know those little innocent peas were there. They are now smushed with mint leaves and ruined. Or…are they? I feel good about my make-believe story of how the peas were born. It must have been all those hours of talking on the bus rides back from field trips. It just must have been. Well, regardless of how the dish actually came to fruition, it’s pretty fantastic. Not only is it interesting, but it’s minty and refreshing – creating an irresistible veggie dish to indulge in. Guilt free!

- Whole Fish Special: The fish of the day was the Sole and it was very tasty. The fish itself was very light, but topped with the tomato salsa verde added a juicy and vibrant flavor to it – as did the fresh lemon to squeeze atop as well. Served with a side of lettuce hearts to add a crunchy texture to the mix – the overall dish held a nice consistency of flavors.

- Roasted Half Chicken: It was cooked perfectly – very juicy and flavorful with snap peas, carrots and chick peas combined in the juicy sauce. Only gripe? The sauce was extremely reminiscent of curry which was not mentioned anywhere around the dish on the menu – and was a surprise from both an expectation perspective as well as what would organically pair well with the dish. I don’t think curry was the right choice here – perhaps sticking with a thick sauce but something more rich and garlicky to bring out the richness of the veggies that came with it.

- Chicken Fried Potatoes: What’s the next best thing to chicken? Chicken fried taters! Yes, we’ll take both, thank you very much. These had a nice coating on them that was almost sweet/sugary in taste. For some bizarre reason I don’t have a picture of this dish, or the meatloaf. I must have still been scratching my head at the chicken instead of taking pictures. Fail. Sorry all.

- Classic Meatloaf: Served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with onion rings, this is the epitome of delicious comfort food. Each piece of the dish contributed a different texture and taste – creating the kind of dish that you can literally take a bite of everything on it and have it meld perfectly together in taste. Fantastic flavors.

- Summer Vegetable Lasagna & Burrata: This was interesting… Not your typical clean cut piece of lasagna, it was presented as a little more of a “messy”dish. It was very light, consisting mainly of vegetables, and what seemed to be just one layer of a pasta noodle on top of the bed of vegetables. Burrata with chives lay atop the pasta noodle – adding a richness to an otherwise very light dish. The combination of flavors was nice and although it didn’t contain as much pasta as I would have hoped, the dish was still very flavorful.

- Dessert: With a menu consisting mainly of comfort foods, you know we were going for the gusto here and somehow managed to order and eat three of the desserts. And I’m glad we did…because they were some of the best dishes on the entire menu. See…5 year olds do have it right - dessert is the most important meal!

- Chocolate Layer Cake: This rich cake had a rather flaky top to it, with chocolate sauce delicately draped over the dish which the cake laid upon. It melted in your mouth…need I say more?

- Lemon Meringue Cake: The cake just looks like the definition of perfection. With two layers of light lemon sponge cake, laden with bright lemon tart in between, and topped with toasted meringue – it was a picture of perfection. And the taste was just as good – light, fluffy and delicious with a zingy lemon zest and a light meringue topping.

- Brioche Beignets: This came with quite a few beignets (approx. 10-15) covered in sugar and spice and all that’s nice. And if that’s not nice enough…there’s a surprise of chocolate inside. Hello heaven. Served with a side of cream to dip in which added an even deeper richness to the dish, this dessert was delicious and perfect to split with a larger group.

Noise Level 5: Ladies and gentleman – we are excited to announce that the word of the day today is “what.” What’s that? You couldn’t hear the announcement? Are you perhaps….dining at Presidio Social Club right now? And…lightbulb. I can’t think of another time that even came close to using the word “what” in so many consecutive sentences all night. It’s a miracle I didn’t emerge with food all over my shirt from posting up in a permanent leaning position over the table to get a closer move to the conversation. Between that, and constantly pushing my hair behind my ear just in case it had picked up superhuman strength in the past hour and was so thick that it alone was blocking the conversation from entering my ear…I was obviously trying every trick in the book. It’s funny the things you try to control when you realize you have absolutely no control whatsoever over what’s bothering you. Here’s the point where all the features of the restaurant we judge come together and the pieces start to click. Ambience of turning an old army barracks into a restaurant that resembles an officer’s club? Stellar. Realizing that you are trying to allow 100 people to talk simultaneously in what used to be a barracks…a DORMITORY…where people did the opposite of talk? Fail.

Price 9: Mom and Dad...sitting over there in the Midwest where meals are priced at amounts that get you a drink out here…I have to tell you, you would be proud. This may be our cheapest meal yet – and we ordered multiple bottles of wine (5 I believe), several dishes AND with dessert…all for $61 each. Just think, with the extra money left over I’ve got enough to invest in a hearing aid. Zing!

Service 4: So let’s see….where to begin, where to begin. After waiting for a good twenty minutes without help, the hostess was nice enough to switch job responsibilities and left her post at the hostess stand to come over and take our order (yes, let that sink in for a moment. We were left alone, unattended in such a way that someone who has no business in the meal itself in any way – came over and swooped in to help. Points to the hostess. Negative points for our waiter who I can only imagine must have been curled up in the back, taking a nap). She was awesome and in full multi-tasking mode– not only taking our order but giving recommendations and very detailed descriptions of plates we asked about. Get this woman a raise. After another ten minutes, our waiter decided to show up and emerged to pour the wine we had ordered. No apologies for his previous Houdini act.

And now, it’s time for the latest rendition of “Seriously?” Yes, I’ve missed it too. So, Mr. Clueless opens the bottle and begins pouring the wine. Now, most of the time when you’re at a restaurant – okay 100% of the time prior to this experience – when you have ordered wine by the bottle, the correct way to pour is to pour a taste to one person who will do the tasting for the group to make sure the bottle is okay before pouring for the rest. You know, I don’t even know why I’m explaining this. Everyone knows this for crying out loud. (I think I even saw our hostess giving wine-pouring lessons with her free time when we left). Everyone…I should say, except our assigned idiot of the night. He poured the entire glass of wine and began to move on.”Ah…wait a second,” we replied. “Let’s have her taste it to make sure it’s okay.” Just like waiters do all over the world. At this point, I’m thinking it’s an oversight. Perhaps he is still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and isn’t awake enough to realize his oversight. Wrong. Without missing a beat he replies “It’s good. Everything here is good tonight.” Copeious notes on my part, ensued. Ah…Seriously?? What are you even talking about. Have you left your Houdini role and now taken over the role of a fortune teller? Have you developed superhuman skills that allow you to predict which wines are or are not corked? How dare you talk to your customers like that! Seriously? That might be the most condescending comment I have ever had a waiter say to me. Have you no manners or knowledge of wine whatsoever? Seriously? His ignorance meter was beeping. If you don’t have the common sense on how to answer questions, then don’t be a waiter. Be a mime. Okay..moving on. If you need a recess, take it. There's more to come....

...And we're back. So, most of us had ordered a drink at the bar to begin with and were still finishing those up when the “main wine event” arrived. Unlike most waiters, who bring you GLASSES when you order WINE…(isn’t there a training program here) this guy was ready to pour the wine anywhere. In our existing glasses with wine already in them (what is this, fruit punch?), in our mouths…I don’t even know what he was thinking. Oh that’s right, he wasn’t. So, most of us would have to wait for round 2 to try the wine. Par for the course at this point. After we had forgotten about our waiter…or that we had one altogether, Project Disappointment surprised us by making a cameo after our food had been delivered and dessert was eminent. So let’s review – he poured wine and passed out dessert menus. Correct me if I’m wrong but couldn’t they just hire a monkey to do this? I bet the monkey would know how to pour wine…just sayin.’ As he was passing out the dessert menus, I half expected him to ask about the meal. “How was it?” most waiters would ask. But that’s right…ours has telepathy.

All About The Area: The Presidio is a hike…but there is something magical about it. No…no magic cars to get you around the vast area, but it is so unlike the majority of the cement-ridden, apartment-clad San Francisco that we are all so used to, the Presidio is a breath of fresh air. Literally. Fresh cut grass, vast areas of land, and even history to enhance your knowledge of the San Francisco past. My reco? We might not be in fifth grade anymore, but go on – take a field trip to the Presidio and let your childhood ‘you’ explore the area and all it has to offer. You might even get a culture day out of it. My Spanish teacher would be so proud.

Overall Grade: 7.3