427980 Sat Aug 04 16:48:45 -0700 2007 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2814290 In a pathetic attempt to offer “all the comforts of a club” for Cow Hollow and Marina hipsters, Presidio Social Club fails miserably. Its too-well lit dining area and inexperienced servers feel like an upscale malt shop, rather than a sophisticated lounge. Presidio Social Club tries too hard to evoke the 1940s or 1950s era, but fails to execute on basic blocking and tackling like having the right number of bar tenders to serve thirsty patrons or training wait staff to correctly open a bottle of wine. With a brushed steel bar and unlit cabinets of aluminum and glass, the atmosphere is more “Happy Days” than “social club.” PSC is devoid of the upscale “house cocktails” found more forward-thinking establishments, relying on only two beers on tap and few wines by the glass. PSC takes the 40s and 50s theme a little too far by serving its sparkling wines in coupe de Champagne glasses and its martinis microscopic vessels. The menu does feature some highlights like a “cannibal” raw beef open face sandwich and crab “cupcakes,” but in general, the dishes are too predictable: roast Sonoma chicken, flat iron steak, and slow cooked beef ribs – how many times have we seen that? The kitchen has some work to do as well: the rapini came out cold and the “roasted” beets were undercooked. Servers are well meaning, but lame: the waitron had trouble opening a the bottle of wine, and the bus person cleared the salt and pepper after the appetizer course. Note to management: a little training goes a long way. Prices are reasonable (dinner for two with wine $120), but nevertheless, hopefully PSC will close in six months as the sophisticated diners of SF take their business elsewhere … permanently. Sat Aug 04 16:48:45 -0700 2007 116787 cjglynn 1 2815604 Your negative comments seem directed more to the atmosphere, decor, staff and clientele of the PSC than to the actual food itself. Is that an accurate assessment of what you intended to say? Sun Aug 05 12:18:29 -0700 2007 2814290 23776 DavidT 1 2815633 What did you eat besides cold rapini and undercooked beets? Sun Aug 05 12:35:38 -0700 2007 2814290 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2817695 I'd been thinking about trying this place for a birthday dinner later this week. It seemed different, interesting location, etc.. But looking at the picture on their website, it does look rather brightly lit. Would you call it romantic? The menu also seems limited, at least the one online. Is it the same as the one you saw in the restaurant? Hmmm. You choose a side to go with the entree. That could work, or not. Has anyone else been there recently? Mon Aug 06 09:32:11 -0700 2007 2814290 11231 Glencora 2 2818092 We went in June and had a pretty lousy experience. I wouldn't call the place romantic, which isn't necessarily one of its failings, its not trying for that sort of atmosphere. The food was decidedly lackluster; crabcakes that were deep fried, fairly tasty but you've had them elsewhere for less; a very blah "seafood cocktail" complete with "cocktail shrimp" which had no flavor; and so on. They did a good job with an order of fries. The drinks were tasty, but the service took ages and what there was of it was poor. I wrote about it on my blog a bit more extensively if you're interested. http://food-guy.blogspot.com/2007/06/presidio-social-club.html Mon Aug 06 11:09:33 -0700 2007 2817695 80141 ccbweb 1 2818672 My husband and I have been to PSC 4-5 times, and have never had a bad experience. We most recently went in July. I really enjoy the frisee and endive salad with fried egg and lardons - quite good. Another starter we tried was the gruyere cheese toasts with tomato soup dipping sauce - a great comfort food. My husband usually gets the Kobe beef sloppy joe, which he really likes. We have also tried the fire roasted chicken, which wasn't thrilling nor was it bad either. The food is supposed to be comfort food - nothing too fancy. I would definitely not categorize PSC as romantic - it is a throwback to the old USO clubs of the 40's. I think the decor and uniforms illustrate this perfectly. As for the service, we have waited a bit but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I remember. The bar does get very crowded, and, as with most places, you wait if that is the case. So, if the 40's schtick isn't your thing, I wouldn't recommend PSC. But, I think it is a great place for a cocktail and some decent food. Mon Aug 06 13:22:31 -0700 2007 2814290 73886 meggie t 2 3060100 I think I once described the room as having a split personality: I like the bar and find the lighting sexy; the restaurant I think looks like a higher-end Denny's. Tue Oct 23 12:47:12 -0700 2007 2818672 10896 chaddict 1 3059507 We went for a family dinner in August and I must say that it was a nice dinner. The food was not especially imaginative but then the prices were fairly reasonable. It strives to be a country club dinner place where you don't have to be a member and this I think it does nicely. The lights were not too bright and the decor was simple and clean. The frissee and endive salad and flat iron steak were much better than at any country club I've been to. The duck pasta and oxtail stroganoff were ok but not great but my mom loved her liver and onions. The french fries were also delicious. The drinks were excellent, especially the Pegu. Chocolate cupcakes for dessert were a great end to the meal. The service was excellent (considering we had two kids under 7 with us). Plus, for a family dinner it was nice to sit at a large round table where we could all talk. Tue Oct 23 10:18:41 -0700 2007 2814290 122719 belly 2 3068432 I went with a large-ish group of friends from work toward the end of September and we sat at the long table across from the bar. We had a great time. Service was fine. And actually, the front of the house was totally accomodating -- the number in our party yo-yo'ed almost until we arrived and we squeezed in a couple more people. Atmosphere-wise, meggie is spot on - think USO. It's not as if this is a camped up 40's version of a Ruby's. I had the PLT salad (prosciutto, lettuce, tomato) and the mac and cheese. I enjoyed the mac and cheese enough to eat the other half the next day. And we'll go back sometime to try the chicken pot pie special. Thu Oct 25 20:26:41 -0700 2007 3059507 11729 kivarita 1 3061518 Wow, I'm kind of surprised so many hounds are missing the point of PSC, it's not French Laundry, just a down-home, fun neighborhood restaurant. Not just in SF, but most anywhere, these places are always lacking, and needed. Their fried okra stands up with any meat-and-three in Atlanta, and you must get the brioche beignets with the malted milk parfait. I can always count on the place to get a flawless steak and have some laughs with my mates and enjoy myself. Yes, the martinis should be larger. And I would put 40s and 50s films on the bar's flat panels (Casablanca, Roman Holiday, From Here to Eternity, Some Like It Hot, etc.), instead of the baseball or football games. But I always look forward to a meal there, and always leave happy. Tue Oct 23 20:35:17 -0700 2007 2814290 137048 mewantfood 2 3061543 I don't actually think I'm missing the point...we found the food lacking, the service poor and the fairly good drinks and interesting atmosphere not enough to make up for that. It's a brilliant idea; just in our experience poorly executed. Tue Oct 23 20:49:50 -0700 2007 3061518 80141 ccbweb 3 3061580 My rule is always give a new restaurant 6 months to get their staff settled and their menu steadied. Service-wise it's not the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, but I haven't had the problems you mentioned in your blog post, and have always found them friendly and competent. (Although, to be fair, I rarely give a darn one way or another about the service as a food industry veteran. And an idiot - me eating, me happy) It's worth another shot, only this time, scallops. Steak. Okra. Beignets. Tue Oct 23 21:11:47 -0700 2007 3061543 137048 mewantfood