301902 Wed Apr 19 22:15:31 -0700 2006 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1686328 a friend is having a group birthday dinner there (san francisco location) on friday... what's tasty? what things should i avoid? or should i just stick to beer? i'm particularly interested in non-mammal dishes (no beef/pork/lamb/etc) due to personal dietary restrictions. TIA for any assistance/suggestions! Link: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/menus/gb/dinner/GB-SF_Dinner.pdf Wed Apr 19 22:15:31 -0700 2006 0 artemis 1 1686329 Garlic fries and lot's of them. Seriously. I live in NYC now and crave them!! I seem to remember they have a great ravioli - perhaps pumpkin? I thought most of their stuff was pretty good. K Wed Apr 19 22:18:55 -0700 2006 1686328 0 krissywats 2 1686368 Second the garlic fries. They used to do a mean BLT sandwich, with applewood-smoked bacon. Doesn't bacon count as a veggie ? ;-) Thu Apr 20 12:46:08 -0700 2006 1686329 0 mike g 3 1686382 When I was a vegetarian, bacon always counted as a condiment. Thu Apr 20 15:57:19 -0700 2006 1686368 0 krissywats 1 1686339 It was pretty sad last year when I went for a friend's birthday. I remember the appetizers being much better than the entrees, but that some things off the grill had that horrible kerosene taste. Thu Apr 20 02:19:29 -0700 2006 1686328 0 nooodles 2 1686362 Some friends and I had a similar experience. One of the diners ordered a salmon entree. It did not mention being seared, but it came borderline raw. She sent it back, and it came back perfect, but only on the top. The bottom was still nearly raw. Apps are probably the safest bet. Plus, you get to hedge by ordering more than one. Unfortunately, Gordon Biersch (despite the beer) is still a chain. Thu Apr 20 11:57:18 -0700 2006 1686339 0 Loren3 1 1686380 It's been years since I went (law school happy hours) but I remember the fried artichoke hearts being good. Thu Apr 20 15:12:12 -0700 2006 1686328 0 MMRuth 1 1686386 CHOW MODERATORS: move this post to SF board!! Thu Apr 20 18:07:33 -0700 2006 1686328 0 mark grossman 2 1686388 It is actually a chain in quite a few states. So this is the correct board. Sorry, I don't have anything kind to say about the place though. Link: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/index.php?pg=location Thu Apr 20 18:34:24 -0700 2006 1686386 0 rworange 3 1686409 They also now own the Rock Bottom chain of brewpubs. Never ate at GB, but the beer is solid. May not impress the beer geek who only likes high alcohol, heavily hopped beer, aged in whiskey barrels etc., but their German styles are spot on. I wish they would change the Boston RB to a GB. Fri Apr 21 10:19:06 -0700 2006 1686388 0 rl 1 1686408 I enjoyed a salad a few months ago at the Phoenix (Tempe) location -- can't remember what they called it, but it has roasted red peppers and other veggies and fresh mozzarella, as I recall. Fri Apr 21 09:05:18 -0700 2006 1686328 0 Sarah C 1 1686528 well, i went. with the exception of the garlic fries, the food was not even okay. the fried calamari was all breading with rubbery bits, served with what tasted like canned pizza sauce. the pastas were overcooked and oversauced. i had the bbq chicken burger... chicken was dry, sauce was too sweet and not even remotely smoky, and bun was squishy. the best thing about it was that it came with the fries. someone across from me had a pizza. it looked fine, in a cpk sort of way, but not as good as that. i think that might be an acceptable-ish entree there. portions were huge, but unlike cheesecake factory, where portions are huge and you take home leftovers for lunch the next day, only a couple people took their leftovers home. considering this was a bunch of college students and recent graduates, that's saying something. i could not get a refill of my water glass for the life of me. if i ever have to go back, it's fries only. Sun Apr 23 17:25:47 -0700 2006 1686328 0 artemis