Well, we probably won’t be calling this Range ‘home’ anytime soon…this fairly new place in the Mission, is up against a lotta local contenders – Delfina, Luna Park, Limon, etc.
Hey, don’t get me wrong – it’s a cute, cozy, cool spot w/ a decent wine list. Plus, we got rock-star front row parking (in THE MISSION no less). Thank god 4 of us squeezed our asses into the Mini Cooper. Bob and Jane were with us. Plus the place has been well reviewed by 'the pros' like Mike Bauer, etc...whatever. So we were off to a pretty happy little beginning. But that whole pesky menu/food thing…it needs a bit of work. Why, you ask? Well, it bugs us when the appetizer menu at a place is the only part of the menu you might want to order from. Whatdya think about THAT, Michael Bauer!? Hmm? And no, I'm not jealous 'cuz you actually get paid to review;)
For starters – decent selection of appys, Poached Pears w/ Feta Cheese and mâche (what the hell is mâche, anyway?) was puny, but OK. Hey, it's pears + feta. Good. The Escarole Salad was flat-out b-o-r-i-n-g (maybe blame that on us for ordering a basic salad anyway). The Venison was the best of the appys we had, Bambi was pretty tasty. Tender with just the right amount of ‘game’. Plus the portion was great. Next time we’d try the Quail or the Goat Cheese & Sorrell Pasta.
The entrees just kinda fell flat. Our server recommended that we stay away from the Steelhead, which looked like the best bet. Jane and Janine know how to take a hint;) So we had the Bevade (flank cut) Steak, which was highly recommended, and the Roast Chicken. The steak tasted like wood. The little gratin/broccoli rabe cake accompanying it was tasty though. Woo hoo! The chicken was...fine. Big piece of bird, if that’s what you’re into. But it was 'safe' chicken. Like your mom (if your mom had the culinary proficiency of mine) would make. Nothing against the fowl, but we don’t travel across town and risk having to park a mile away from a restaurant for safe chicken. Hell, we can cook chicken! Oh yeah, and the other dishes all just had that something that turned us off: Spaetzle, Kale, Mushrooms with Citrus Cream just didn’t sound like the perfect complement to Short Ribs, for instance.
We did enjoy the wine, and the conversation. We found out the Bob has now become FASCINATED with robots. You name it too. Guess who is gettin' a Roomba for his birthday? Hey Bob, watch iRobot, they always turn on ya in the end!
So there ya go, people. Maybe we hit an off week, night, whatever and they may change their menu often. Let us know your thoughts!
Range
842 Valencia St.
San Francisco, 94110
415-282-8283
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