VinDivine

25 Lusk

San Francisco , Ca 94107

(415) 495-5875

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VdV Rating: 4

Food:   Ca/american

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PRO: Crazy sexy cool
CON: Not much…upstairs bar is a little tiny? Maybe a couple more entreés on the menu! Waahhhh!

Newsflash! VdV just pulled a Bauer!* Hold on now, ya don’t need to pull out the Urban Dictionary. Like I had to in order to make sense outta that Like a G6 song from Far East Movement. Slizzard? Sizzurp?? WTF? Hey, my 20-something friends didn’t know what the shnizzle they were talking about either so I didn’t feel too much like a fossil. I did know G6 and 3-6 tho. Yee Haw!

Anyhoo, appropriately located at 25 Lusk, off of Townsend between 3rd & 4th on..damn you’re sharp, Lusk Alley, 25 Lusk is one of the newest spots in the South Beach ‘hood. And it’s groovy. That’s right. Sexy head to toe. If I didn’t think you’d stab your eyes with a fork I’d make a reference to Right Said Fred.

*Oh yeah, back to that Bauer reference. As in Michael Bauer, semi-well known food critic whose M.O. is hitting a spot 3x prior to writing a review. Well, well. VdV Has neither the time (n)or the patience for such shenanigans! Actually it’s ‘cuz we were too lazy…I mean busy…to get to this until now. But we’re slap-happy we’ve been here several times in just a few short weeks.

Why, you say?

First off, this place is sleek, sexy Manhattan vibe loungey coolness meets brick and timber SF warehouse. Giggidy! Kinda like  Zoe Saldana meets Daniel Craig. Feel me? Don’t get too literal or anything just saying sleek sexy + rough and tumble stud. Back off!

1st visit: Drinks and din din with our birthday girl Candida. Had some cocktails at the teensy upstairs bar, then grabbed a table. Ate like pigs, had friendly (albeit sometimes a little slow) service, and vowed to return. Highlights, you plead? Those g-d Soft Pretzels with Ale Gruyere Fondue & Pink Salt. I’m a sucker for a good pretzel. These’re little tykes, bite-size and chewy with nice bits of the sea salt and the savory beer-cheese dipping sauce. Awesome. It went right to my hips.

Speaking of appys, I like 25 Lusk’s approach to raising their Average Order Value, and weeding out the cheapskates all at once. You need to get at least 3 appys ($14), or 4 for $19 or go hog-wild and get 5 for $23. And there’s plenty of apps to chose from. Hey, there’s an app for that! Hardee har har. Other good appys include the Dungeness Crab Crepe w/ Horseradish Cured Cucumbers, Avocado, Tomato Confit. Minus that god-awful green shit. Please. The crepe is actually pretty good sized, with a nice dollop of fresh crabmeat, well-seasoned and all-in-all scrumptious. Want more? Do ya, punk?! Ok, then. The Seared Hiramasa (that’s fish) with Poached Quail Egg, Smoked Potato and Nicoise Olive Oil. I mean, this is a well-constructed few bites. All the flavors play well, and the textural elements of the dish are quite pleasing. Quite, indeed. OK, another go-to is the  Braised Short Rib with Foie Gras Torchon, Watercress, Mini Brioche Bun. Let’s just call a slider a slider shall we?  Yes. Anyhoo, it’s a fancy and tasty slider. Note, they getcha an extra $3 ones for this.

2nd visit: With our fly friend Shari. Drinks. Screw dinner, we had catchin’ up to do, and it best been done at the bar. Hooked up 3 seats at the bar downstairs. We laughed, we cried, we ate. Oh yeah, and we drank. We had these little meatballs that were tasty. Once again, appys elevated. A nice thoughtfulness to each dish. Bottom line on this visit: Great company, awesome people watching, delish drinks and a nice, non-snobby vibe. Bam!

And speaking of cocktails, they have a pretty killer list. As killer as Comstock? I dunno, but damn good, with boozy goodness like _________________. Hmm, I seem to be hazy about the specifics right now. Good sign! I vaguely remember something about a Dark & Stormy. Oh well, figure it our for yerself, they have some mad mixologysts!

3rd time: Well it was a charm, fool. The lovely J’s cousin from somewhere called Michigan came, and we had yet another funtastic time. Started with cocktails downstairs, then moved on up (stairs) for a great dinner.

Glad I took a couple notes on this one cuz…well, the next day seemed my AMEX went missing. So what’d I do? Searched my pants pockets for it but instead found a receipt from Tres Agaves for a few shots of Forteleza. I’m like “Oh yeah, that last stop on teh stumbe home” (typed it as I prolly would have said it at the time). So I call the fine folks there and nope, no AMEX there. So I backtrack. I call 25. Yessir, the friendly lady informed me. “It’s right here, Mr. VdV. And while I have you on the line, you never even bothered to sign the receipt, retard” (I’m just imagining the retard part was intended since it wasn’t stated).

Some din din highlights for ya: Cauliflower Cremé Bruleé ($12) with Sunchoke Escabeche & Truffled Arugula. This is a dinner appetizer. I couldn’t tell ya what Escabeche is except it’s some type of marinade. But yes, this dish is kinda complex and this chef knows how to meld flavors and textures. Yummy. The Lobster Ravioli ($14) with Saffron and Thai Basil is another standout, I wouldn’t have thought about those two aromatic spices on the pasta but it bring it, and the lobster was very fresh, tender and tasty.

Entreés? I dug the Grilled Top Lamb Sirloin ($26) with Roasted Garlic Potato & Apple-Spearmint Demi-Glace. Ordered and served rare, people! Excellent flavor, slight char on the outside and the spearmint was a nice nod to the traditional rack-o-lamb with mint. But upscale and contemporary.

Another star is the Verbena Steamed Halibut ($27) with Beans, Tomato & Lemon-Lobster Vinaigrette. What’s with this dude and lobster?! Good and good for you!

So bottom lining it. We love it. Everyone we have talked to loves it. If you don’t,  you’re a commie bastard!