Alrighty then. ‘A New American brasserie’, you say. I’m not sure exactly what that means, and after eating here last night still not sure WTF it means. Small, semi-intimate yet bustling, with casual, fresh food? That’s what I think. And what I think goes! You’re on my turf now, bitches! My Way Or The Highway, and all that.

So we missed out ever eating at the old South, so wanted to make sure we got in to Marlowe pretty early on. This is a tough ‘hood to make it in! Marlowe is tiny, people. A little cramped but with a nice ambiance.

We worked our way through quite a few dishes off the small menu. The cool thing was, for such a relatively small menu (4 ‘snacks’, 5 appys, 6 mains) there was a lot of good-looking stuff.

We started with a special, Ahi Tuna Tartare ($11), with Watercress and Mustard Seed. It was served in 4 nice sized chunks, very fresh and drizzled with some EVOO and laced with spicy watercress. The addition of the mustard seed was creative and added a nice subtle bite. Our guest, a chef who shall remain anonymous to protect his…wait, what does he have to protect? Well, whatever. I don;t want to put words in his mouth, let’s just say. Except for this – he thought there was too much difference in temperature in some of the filling. Some cool, some warm. He’s prolly right, I just inhaled the little bastard all in one bite and was happy..

Next we had a couple Baked Oysters ($3 ea) with New England Chowder In Shell. Hey, Chowda! So, when you include baked oysters, how can ya go wrong? These were pretty good, made for a nice bite with light breading, fresh oysters and a creaminess that I liked.

The Crispy Brussel Sprout Chips ($6) with Meyer Lemon & Sea Salt, although I had heard raves about, were kinda so-so. Maybe no matter how you try to serve brussel sprouts, I’m just a hater. I wouldn’t have them again, but if I was ever theratened to be force-fed brussel sprouts I would request they be prepared like these.

Next! The Steak Tartare ($12) with Poached Quail Egg & Crostini. Pass! We are pretty close to being Steak Tartare bitches, along with Thin Crust Pizza and…what was it again?  Who cares. Maybe Tacos. Anyhoo, this meat was fresh, but you could tell it was prepared previously, and the acidity in the mix actually cooked it. I mean, the stuff came out brown. There was no ‘moo’ in this tartare.

Then, holy crap, the MF’ing highlight of the meal! And, not to get all tangential on your asses, but I must say, me and my BFF Michael Bauer actually agree on something! Yes, Marlowe’s burger kicks serious ass. Kicks serious enough ass that I am coming back here before anywhere else in the ‘hood next time I want a burger. Its official name? The Marlowe Burger ($13) with Carmelized Onions, Cheddar and Bacon. With Fries and Aoili. It’s made of Niman Ranch beef (and maybe a little lamb) and has a near-perfect flavor and an excellent grilled taste. Nice and juicy, we even went medium rare so we wouldn’t gross out our friend Sarah. The bacon and cheddar brought it home and the Acme bun made for a nice little vessel for it all. made up for the ‘ok’ bun. The fries are thin, crispy and salty too. I just drooled. Get this burger, bitches!

Then we had the Lamb Mixed Grill ($24) with Butter Beans, Chard and Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gratin. Christ we’re pigs. The other J liked the lamb better than I did. I’ll give it this – it was cooked nice and medium/medium rare, was juicy and a decent portion. For $24 not a great size portion though, and I thought it was way over-salted. Plus when I hear ‘Mixed Grill’ I expect more than just two treatments. OK, I’m a pig and a whiner. Waaahh!

Oh yeah, we’re not finished yet! The Poulet Vert ($19) with Fingerling Potatoes, Olives and Chicory. No, not Green Eggs and Ham, Green Chicken & Spuds. This was a good dish, about 1/2 a bird, cut into thirds and plated very well. Nice and tender, and the spices – slet’s see, some chives, parsley, scallions, maybe a teensy bit of minth if I had to guess – made for a nice, mellow flavor to the plumb bird. I didn’t really get the chicory but oh well, it was still a very good dish.

And then, the Smoky Caulifower Gratin ($7) with Aged Provolone and Smoked Cheddar. Dang, guuurrl. This simple dish was smokin’! We gobbled it up like piglets. The cauliflower was diced up tiny, and tasted like even it got smoked a little. And the smoky gooey cheese was T-A-S-T-Y. This is the way to get your veggies!

Then…OMG like we needed this. Out of the blue, arrived all three desserts they serve: The TCHO Chocolate Pudding, Mayer Lemon Curd cake, and the Upside Down Apple Crisp with Bourbon Ice Cream and Brown Butter Caramel Sauce. All on the house, very generous of them. And all damn good, but guess our fave? Go on, go on! Yeah, I know the Bourbon bit gave it away. You guessed it Gomer, the Crisp was outstanding, and the blend of the strong, Bourbon Ice Cream with the caramel went with the apples like buttah. Rock on!

Like I said up top (yes I know, about 700 words ago, stay with me) the service was very friendly. A little spacey – we asked for a taste of wine and she simply never brought it, same with some dijon we asked for with the burger – but definitely very pleasant and upbeat. ‘A’ for attitudes, suckas!

They have a short but complete wine list as well (yes we worked our way through that too) and several quality brews.

Bottom line: Best burger in da ‘hood, some pretty solid menu selections.

Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30a-2:30p; 5:30p-10:00p
Sat 5:30p-11p

There’s 7 appys, all either $3 or $5 dolla. Holla! They should call this recession hour. And it delivers big time. Ya got yer Pulled Pork Quesadilla ($5) with Fontina Cheese, awesome Spicy Chipotle Aioli and Pickled Jalepenos. Inspired (we feel) by VdV, the Deep Fried Mac & Cheese Balls ($5), 5 ping-pong sized balls that sit in a Roasted Tomato Sauce bath. Yum! The Buttermilk Onion Rings ($5) are the way they are meant to be: Big, fat rings, with lotsa onion, a nice crunch and just a little sweetness from the milk. Nice. Plus, the onion doesn’t sneak out of the coating when you take a bite. Feel me? You know, when you take one bite, and the entire onion slips right out of the coating? That pisses me off. Anyhoo, doesn’t happen here and they come with a zippy little Kansas City Style BBQ sauce.

Other notables: Deviled Eggs ($3), two eggs (no not one egg cut in two, you actually get 4 pieces), with a nice smooth glob of devil inside. Not too much mustard like many deviled eggs have. Nice and simple with a dash of Smoked Paprika. Jerk Chicken Skewers ($5) with a nice cool Cucumber Salad, Popcorn ($3) with Bacon and Chedda seasoning. Mmm mmm. And last but not least the trusty Corn Nuts ($3) with Habanero Lime Powder.

So ya think were done, don’t ya? Not so fast, kittens. What’s a Happy Hour without bevvie specials? Not very happy, that’s what. So master mixologist Peter Kedas whipped up 1/2 dozen killer drink specials, all $5 a pop. Woo Hoo! Some of our faves? the Juan Collins, with Tequila, Cilantro Syrup, Sweet & Sour and Soda Water. This puppy has a dayglo green hue, and the cilantro syrup really kicks it up a notch. The other J’s go-to is the Brooklyn Bridge, with Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Bitters and…wait for it…Sparkling Wine. Like a Manhattan with bubbly attitude. Also try the What’s Kraken? with Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Fat Tire Amber Ale with a Cinnamon Sugar Rim. We wanted to call it Phil My Fat Kraken but were vetoed. Oh well. There’s also the Ginger Snap, Lavender Lemon Drop, and the Obligatory, with Gin, Pomegranate Liquer, Muddled Cucumber, Grapefruit Juice and 7-Up.  Try ‘em all! Then call a taxi.

VdV proclaims this the Best Happy  Hour in ‘Da Hood.

Happy Hour hours:
Mon-Fri 4p-6p (not during Pac Bell Park events)

Why is it that I expected Raymond Burr to wheel himself over to take our order? And then grill us on our order until we break down and cry and admit we murdered someone? Anyhoo, that wanker Bauer beat us to the punch (again). He gave this place a rating of 2 last week. And as much as I hate to agree with that has-been, we actually agree with him on at least one thing – as much as we like selection, the menu is a bit ‘rangy’. Makes it hard to really put a cohesive meal together. Case in point? The dinner we ordered just last night. Yes, kittens this review is hot off the presses, nice fresh and piping hot. And wait, he didn’t really beat us, as we reviewed Ironside for breakfast and lunch way way back in September. So there!

Well, I guess you could defend this menu as “whether you’re a carnivore, vegetarian, vegan or Aborigine cannibal (are they cannibals?), there’s something on this menu for you”. OK, I’m down with that. Nice argument. Point, counter point and all that. But there’s still some kinda weird shit on this menu, like Tempura Fried Avocado. WTF?

OK, enough waffling. Back to our order. We started with the Roasted Corn on the Cob ($7) with Queso Fresco, Chipotle Aioli and Carnitas Salad. I’ll tell ya one thing in general: corn does not break down, if ya get my drift. OK, enough bathroom humor. I love roasted corn on the cob, and this was damn good. They do make ya sing for your supper on this one though. The corn shows up on the cob, and they instruct you to take a knife and carve the corn off the husk before eating. More sophisticated than just picking it up in your clammy paws and chowing down I guess. But it works, ‘cuz you get some of that nice corn milk mixed in with the cheese and spicy aioli. Well done! And easily worth 7 bones.

Next, we had the Clam Chowder ($8) with Smoky Bacon & Tabasco Butter. Say what?! Did you just say Bacon AND Tabasco?! Talk about two great tastes that taste great together. Shit I’m gonna short out my Mac keyboard, I’m frothing at the mouth like a Basset Hound waiting for supper.

Whoa. I think this was marked as a ‘Heart Healthy’ choice. Dang guurrrlll, this is some rich chowda. Comes in a good-sized bowl, and is super-creamy. Almost a little too rich, with a few less clams than I’d like but still tasty. We polished it off like…well, like Bassets polish off bacon for supper.

Movin’ on, we then had the Vegetable Paella (OK for once, is it pronounced ‘Pie-ella’ like Gordon Ramsey says, or ‘Pie-ay-uh’ like the rest of the world? Hey Ramsey, quit trying to be a TV star and get back to focusing on your restaurants, fool! Anyhoo, the Vegetable Paella ($16) with Saffron Rice and Roasted Vegetables. I’m not a Paella bitch, like I am with Pizza and anything Mexican.

Hell, it tasted pretty good. But what I do know about Paella I learned from the Food Network. Or was it an episode of Top Chef? Yes, that’s it. That dude with the bad English got his ass booted off the island for a bad Paella. Why? ‘Cuz the rice was overdone and there was no ‘crispness’ that would have come from the bottom of the pan. Well, this rice was done just fine, it could have used a little crisp, sightly more spice and for $16 for a veggie dish, don’t bogart the veggies, Ironside! A couple more broccoli florets ain’t gonna kill your food budget for Chrissakes. Feel me?

Last and certainly not least, what’d we get? I said What Did We Get!? Yes, the Pizza. Very good. I panned the pie last time I was here, but we gave it another go. We ordered the Ironside Pizza ($9) which is basically a margherita (basil, tomato sauce and mozzarella) with additional toppings of Mushrooms, Onion, and…WTF? ‘Fresh’ Mozzarella at $3 a pop. But hold on. Extra $$ for ‘fresh’ ingredients? I call Shenanigans! What’s next: “So sir, with your Clam Chowder would you like ‘FRESH’ clams for only $5 more?” Hmm. Maybe a little word-smithing or something might help. And we asked for this puppy to be rolled THIN, BITCHES! OK I’ll stop shouting.

So did the pie deliver? Did it pick itself up off the ground, shake itself off and come strong after my previous smack-down? Simply put, yes it did. Shit, I wish I had my camera, because they did a nice job. Very thin crust, a little too much corn meal though (I know, I know I can never just give a straight compliment), with nice bubbling and crispiness. And the melange (yes, I said melange) of toppings was tight. I recommend this pie! OK here I go again, with that inability to just give an outright compliment: I recommend this pie if you are here. This place is not a Tony’s Pizza or  Pizza Nostra that specialize in pies. But if you’re here get it. And do specify ‘thin’ or you may be disappointed.

We topped it all off with a carafe of Pinot Grigio, which pretty much went fine with all the random stuff we ordered. Somehow the tab came up to about $90 bucks, which if you have been keeping track doesn’t really make sense. To us it seemed like a $75 dollar meal, but I will quit whining. Hell, maybe we had two carafes of Pinot! Each individual dish was pretty solid this time around, and we polished off everything. The service was attentive and friendly (it was pretty dead last night), food came out quickly, and it was a comfy spot for a dinner on a rainy, stormy Satu
rday night. And yes nice catch – we did substitute stupid random graphics to cover up for the fact we forgot to take pix of the food.

Hours:
Coffee: Mon-Fri 8a-close
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11a-2:30p
Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30p-10p

Ironside Restaurant
680A 2nd Street (@ Townsend)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(416) 896-1127

• Shitty, overpriced and weak margys. I mean, we had a pitcher and got brain freezes from all the ice way before we caught any type of happy buzz.
• Workers with bad ‘tudes that would play with their greasy hair then touch the food and make you drinks without washing their hands. Ewe.
• Marina crowd. ‘Nuff said
• Eric the Owner. He screamed at me one time. Me?! I’m lovable!
• And their whole: ‘Tres Agaves … Rocks, No Salt’ line. Don’t you dare tell me how to drink my tequila, d-bag!! That said, this is still their tag line and they need to replace it. Call us for brand consulting;)

But the other day, what do they say, Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder? or one of those gay sayings, and after a disappointing experience at the recently opened Iron Cactus on 4th& Townsend, we wandered past TA and figured we’d roll the dice and after a few years see if the situation had improved. I mean, we’d had some friends from area restaurants go there to work, so who knows. Plus, I gotta give them props since our dear, deceased Bassett Hound Stanley liked this place better than anywhere ‘cuz the two cool hosts/hostesses with the mostesses would pet him and give him snacks every time we walked by.

And, grudgingly, we also dug their Carne Asada ($19.95), we would cheat occasionally and order that to go. Basically so Stanley could get some pets and treats. But that steak is damn tasty, made to order (i.e. RARE) and still on the menu.

So how is this post Sammy Hagar and Tommy Tres Agaves? Well, apart from the fact Eric Ruben still runs it, (we hear he mostly pushed out Sammy & Tommy), here goes:

So, the usual d-bags behind the bar were absent. We actually had a very nice guy (spaced his name) that was friendly and not tequila-snobbish.

The Chips were the same, which is fine. They are good chips, a little thick but fresh and good taste. The Salsa improved! How? Just better flavor, maybe better ingredients, a little better texture and spices. Not too hot, not too wimpy. Plus as opposed to some spots in NYC, these puppies remain free. Bravo!

The tacos – hey remember, we just waddled over from Iron Cactus so didn’t go whole hog. We ordered the Tacos al Pastor ($13.50), which is (or is it ‘are’?) not one, not two, but count ‘em four tacos, two each of adobo marinated pork and chicken from their wood burning oven. These are served on corn tortillas, soft not crunchy. And they are served with rice and ‘beans of the day’ whatever that means. I prefer black beans but these were some type of Kidney bean, and they were meaty and good. The tacos were pretty good too.  Big step up from Iron Cactus, who looked like some blind spastic put the tacos together.  And y’know what, haters? They’re about the same price as Iron Cactus
too. Since you get 4, that’s only $3.38 per taco, mathematicians.

The tacos here are well made and well presented. The bird taco was very good, well spiced, a generous portion of it and
all in all tasty. The blend of meat, onions, spices and, with a little salsa on top, was very tasty. The pork though was somewhat bland. Dunno what
happened but it was disappointing. It was slightly over cooked,
and like I said, pretty much void of taste. So it’s not all horny love here for Tres, but they do seem to have kicked it up a notch. Keep it up, suckas, and maybe we’ll come back!

VdV Rating: 2.5 (reserving higher points until we go back again)

Hours:
Sun-Thu 11:30a-10p
Fri-Sat: 11:30a-11p

Tres Agaves
130 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 227-0500

Hola, muchachos! Qué Pasa mo-fos! We’re reporting live (OK, not live we were here a couple days ago and I’m just getting around to this. We’re busy, people!) from none other than the brand spankin’ new Iron Cactus Taqueria. They call it Iron Cactus. We call it Iron Cactus Taqueria so your expectations are set right.

Know why, cousin? ‘Cuz we didn’t know it was a taqueria, we thought it was a proper restaurant. Not that taquerias can’t be proper, it’s just that we thought it wasn’t a cafeteria style place, like Chavos down the road. We thought we’d get waited on. Hey don’t you dare call us snobs, you bastard! Lazy, but not snobs. It’s just if I’m in the mood to shuffle down a cafeteria line like I’m looking for hand outs, I’ll go to the soup kitchen. Just kiddin’.

So we mosied into Iron Cactus on Sunday, jazzed to see a new Mexican joint in our ‘hood. I mean, we were so happy when we heard Tres Agaves was opening, then so buzz-killed by our experiences there we’ve been waiting for someone to come around and kick their asses (update on Tres Agaves coming soon).

The space is warm and inviting, rustic, a little cavern-like but a really nice space. It’s actually an old dairy.  Like that makes a difference to you. Anyhoo, big concrete walls, high ceilings and a large skylight give it a nice feel. We both felt the table layout could be adjusted to allow for additional seating, but oh well. They can fix that later. If it ever becomes a problemo.

OK, back to the ‘Taqueria’, and why we have a stick up our butts about this distinction. So to us Taqueria means: Get in line, move down the line, bark out your order, get a lot of questions back, answer the best you know how, get more questions and stuff about ‘extra this and costs more that’, finalize said order, get to the counter, order your drink, pay and go find a table. Dunno, I like getting waited on. But it is what it is.

So that said, we have a few issues: 1) If you’re gonna do that type of set up for ordering, place some menus up front so as people are waiting in line (or before they get in line) they can pretty much figure out what you serve and what they want, helps to keep the harmony going b) the blackboard they have is basically ‘the menu’ and is confusing. Why? The specials are written in super-small handwriting and it should have provided a nice simple 1-2-3 type of message on what ya are expected when you get in line 3) if, and it’s a big ‘if’, ‘cuz every time a low-end sushi place puts those weird samples of what your dish will actually look like it grosses me out, but if you are going to place ‘representative’ samples of the dishes you serve, for the love of Cristo tell us WTF the dishes are!

We actually saw the manager walking around talking to guests here and there, (well, we think he was the manager ‘cuz he was wearing a tie and the only whitey working there), and hoped to get his attention and give him a little constructive criticism. Just tryin’ to help ya thrive, Cactus! But alas, he pretty much ignored us.

But the hell with all that mindless drivel! If the food is solid I’ll slog through a field of burro crap for it. We of course, ordered tacos and chips and salsa. And a couple beers ‘cuz they don’t have a big-boy liquor license. I hope they’re working on it. So, the tacos. We ordered one tinga-style chicken and one steak. Wait! First the chips and salsa.

The Chips & Salsa ($3). Well, the chips are light and fresh. Not saying ‘instantly baked on the premises by Grandma Espinoza fresh’ but crisp and decent. But the salsa. Actually Pico de Gallo. Hey we love tomatoes, onion, cilantro and peppers so PdG is a fave of ours. Read: It’s hard to F this stuff up. And Iron Cactus didn’t, it just could have used a little more heat, and a better tomato to onion ratio. Meaning a little more tomato.  And it came in a little to go container. It’s like, people: ya have ‘to go’ people and ‘eat in’ people. Treat them as such, not the same. If I’m eating in, I don’t want a to go container of PdG. Feel me?!

Next, tacos. We ordered the Soft Tacos ($4), one
tinga-style chicken and one carne asada. They should rename them ’Sopping Wet Tacos’. Or ‘Sweaty Tacos’. Yummy! And they weren’t wet with salsa or meat juice, or from the taste of it the black beans.

Unless when they scooped the beans in they gave us a ladle-full of bean juice. Hmm, maybe that was it. But no, the beans were on the side. Let’s just call it a mystery. I mean, look at the photo. ‘Glistening Tacos’ they could also be called. Just ‘wet’. Kinda weird. They’re served on corn tortillas. Make that sopping wet corn tortillas and neither had much flavor to them. The meat seemed pretty bland, the spices were not very spicy and that sopping wetness made them a little hard to eat and definitely did not add to the texture or flavor. Next time, we’ll try the crispy tacos.

Bottom line, this place has some kinks to work out, as most new places do. They should do well from the Caltrain traffic and have a good to-go biz, but remains to be seen if they can make some refinements and attract the locals to come back more than once. That said, we’ll give ‘em a few weeks and give it another go, amigos!

VdV Rating: 1.5

Hours:
Mon-Sat 11a-9p

Iron Cactus
683 4th St (betw Bluxome St & Townsend St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-1004

PRO: Cool space, nice people, promising lunch spot
CON: Need to work out some kinks, upgrade the pizza, some people may not like the queue-up routine

Alrighty then. We’ve hit this cool new SoMa spot a couple times now. And we previously talked about how we think the decor is groovy, so I’ll hop right into the chow. We were actually the first paying customers opening day Monday AM, and my buddy Daav and I perused the breakfast menu.

People, do not expect french toast, biscuits and gravy and 3-egg omelets. No si-ree, Festus. This is a ‘grab a snack’ place, with stuff like granola, yogurt, cookies (my kind of breakfast!) coffee (nope, no tea yet) and these things called the Evil Breakfast Bun ($2). Ironside, ya got me at Evil. The Evil Bun is a maple roll with bacon in it. You evil, evil bun you. You need a good spanking. Ooops, sorry.

So, was it so dee-lish it was evil? Well, it’s kind of puck-ish, but I really don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just a dense pastry. Slightly larger than a hockey puck, more maple colored, and sweeter than a puck. But, with about the same amount of bacon flavor that a puck has. Meaning, not so much. I mean, I DIG the concept. Taking sweet and savory to the max. Expecially (don’t you hate people that pronounce it like that?) in the AM. It’s just that the sweetness completely put the smack-down on any flavor of pork. “So, with all those little nit-picky complaints did you only have a couple bites, VdV?” Nope, we both polished the entire buns off!

They also brew Four Barrel coffee. VdV does not imbibe in the brew, nor do we consume caffeine. Our hands are shaky enough as it is! But taking one for the team, as is our Mantra, I had a cup of decaf. This is prolly up there with Blue Bottle or whatever. Like I say, not into coffee that much, but this was strong, not bitter at all and if I liked coffee, I’d love this stuff.

So for the AM wrap-up? Ironside is all in all a great spot for an ‘over coffee and a bite meeting’, doing a little work, or just hanging. Its a very comfortable spot. NOTE: No Wi-Fi yet, so pack your own extra long ethernet cable. OK, or WiFi card for you show-offs.

Then, probably looking like a pathetic loser or new restaurant stalker, a couple hours later showed up again, this time though for lunch. And, with a different friend, Josh. That’s right, we have friendS.

As I forgot to mention above, this is a queue up, order, take a number and grab a table type spot. And the line can get a little long, but really no longer than just sitting down and waiting for someone to wait on you. But it can be weird, standing in line, feelin’ like a number, all that jazz. But not us!  So we ordered the Cheese Steak Sandwich ($10) and the Ironside Pizza ($13 for large, $8 for small`) (aka Margarita). I think I freaked the poor woman out when I demanded a Marg, then I looked again at the menu and translated for her – simply, The Ironside.

The food arrived in 15-20 minutes or so. Not bad for a brand new place! I’m sure everything will get streamlined pronto. So, the pizza. Should we have ordered a Margy pie on opening day…Hmmm. Hells yeah! The verdict? Well, beside the fact we’re pizza bitches, that is? I’ll be completely fair: My bud Josh thought the pie was just dandy. And Josh is probably much more representative of your normal person than me. I will give it another try in a few weeks but I wasn’t a fan of the opening-day pie, and here’s why: (Hey I just made a rhyme!)

First, the crust was relatively thin. Yay, that was a good start. They use corn meal, which I’d rather not have, but I don’t mind it. It can help give it a crisp crunch. But it was a combination of both a little tough as well as chewy, not crisp. Waahhh! Next, the sauce. Well, it was very salty. Salt lick salty. And that saltiness made it too…salty. OK, you get the idea. The salt wiped out any other flavors the sauce may have had.

The cheese, you ask? (with bated breath I might add). Hey I wasn’t expecting, and in their defense they did not promote, Bufala Mozzy or anything fancy. So it was mozzarella cheese, but definitely like you get in a basic pizzeria. Not blobs or anything, more like strings or shredded. Feel me? They did put basil leaves on, which I like. They were put on before they fired it, I prefer after.

Key Ingredient Distribution? Although I wasn’t a big fan of the ‘I’ part the ‘D’ part was OK.

Next, the Cheese Steak Sando. I’m not from Philly. My friend (yes we’re up to 3) Elliot would probably pull his well-coiffed hair out about them calling this a cheese steak sandwich, even though they didn’t prefix it with ‘Philly’. So I guess they can make this sando whatever they want, no trademark, patent or copyrights in place to protect it. But y’know what, Elliot? At least they make one!

Why’d Josh and I both enjoy it? First it came on a nice, soft, fresh hoagie-ish bun, but with sesame seeds. The steak was good quality, tender and sliced thin and layered pretty thick. It coulda used a few more onions, and did lack enough cheese to make it a

righteous cheese steak. For the love of Christ where’s the Muenster!? But I’ll give ’em this: It tasted good! I’d get it again.

Another friend…Shit. I can’t lie anymore. It’s an acquaintance, OK?! Said he really enjoyed the Ahi Tuna Nicoise salad. Generous serving of fresh tuna on a bed of roses. Sorry, mixed greens. We’ll try it next time and letcha know.

Bottom line? I don’t think Joshua will ever dine with me again. I think I sucked the enjoyment out of every bite he took!

So the real bottom bottom line? We hit these guys after only a 1-week soft opening. There are so many things to bring together. Nice people, Ryan is a manager over there and super friendly, the folks behind the counter are nice. Hey that makes a difference! Because I think it means they’ll work out the kinks. I mean, even with the 100% completely blah blah criticisms, Id go back here for a quick AM meeting or to just hang and do some work, and we’ll work our way through the lunch menu too. We’ll definitely go back, and are jazzed about checking them out for dinner on October 5 when they start service. Stay tuned, bitches!

VdV Rating: 2.5

Hours:
Mon-Fri 8a-4p

Ironside
680 Second Street (betw Brannan & Townsend)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 896-1127

Although the menu isn’t official yet, we chatted with Chef Bob Cina (formerly of Le Club. Hey Le Club, get an f’ing website already, we would’ve linked to you!) the other night and he showed us his WIP lunch menu. It has a good mix of salads, 4-6 good-lookin’ pizzas and another 1/2 dozen or so sandwiches, most in Panini-style made with a press. The Cheese Steak and Cubano look the best. We won’t get too lathered up though until we see (and taste) the real deal.

Prices are pretty reasonable too, with most dishes in the $9-12 range. With Jack Falstaff leaving our ‘hood several months ago, it’s good to have a new alternative to the MoMo’s, Pete’s, Paragon and 21st Amendment, Butler & Chef and South Park Cafe line-up. Are we spoiled?!

They serve beer and wine, no hard stuff so if you’re that 3-martini type, tank up somewhere else before or after!

Good luck, Ironside! We’ll check it out Monday and give a review.

Ironside
680 2nd Street (betw Brannan & Townsend)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 896-1127

We’ve been to Tsunami Sushi a few times now, and it has consistently been very good. We were here Friday night with our friend Candida, who needed some cheering up after almost having her Pug flattened by a SF Fire Truck a few minutes before. And that Pug’s face is flat enough as it is.

This place is owned by the Dajani Group, who also own Tsunami in the Panhandle and Nihon Whiskey Lounge among others. So this isn’t their first rodeo, and it shows. This place has a great design – loft-like, modern and hip with a fair  amount of authenticity. It blends in well with the neighborhood and actually adds some class to the endless rows of mainly ‘blah’ condos that are being built on top of each other. Plus they have some serious booze and people that know what to do with it. The mixologists here definitely get jiggy with it.

So we started off with what I think may be the largest bottle of Saké I’ve ever seen in my life. And hats off to our very cool server Janet, who confirmed with me not once, not twice, but three times if the 1.8L bottle of Wakatake Daiginjo was what I really wanted. She even brought the saké list over, pointed to it and asked me again. I think she recorded my voice acknowledging the fact. I mean, the damn bottle was so big a sherpa had to bring it to the table. Thing was the size of an oil drum…and set us back $163! I didn’t notice that little zinger until the bill came. That said, it was dee-lish. Wakatake is some of the best Saké around. Yee Haw!

So our fave dish here is the Hamachi Shitake ($12). You have to get this. If you just come in, grab  a seat at the bar, a drink and this dish it’s worth coming. We had four orders! And it is exactly what the name implies, kittens. Tender Hamachi stuffed into Shitake Mushrooms. The blend of flavors and texture is awesome. If you get this and don’t like it, well then you are crazy. If  this isn’t their signature dish it should be. It’s almost up their with Nobu 57′s Yellowtail with Jalepeño signature dish in our humble opinions.

They do some good rolls too, including the Phat Cat ($13), with Spicy Tuna and Unagi, and the Veggie Tiger Roll ($12). And the Sashimi, you ask? Yes, we are Hamachi fans. The Hamachi Sashimi ($16) was very fresh, and had excellent texture. The Toro Sashimi ($26) was too pricey but again fresh and tasty. Not worth 26 bones, but it was good.

So would I drive across town for Tsunami? Maybe not, there’s just too many good sushi spots in SF. But it is a great addition to the SoMa ‘hood so if you’re anywhere remotely close definitely swing by. Tell ‘em VinDivine sent ya!

VdV Rating: 3.5

Hours:
Mon-Sat 5p-1a

Tsunami Sushi
301 King Street (@ 4th)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 284-0111

“Hey, we were just talkin’ about you.” If ya know that line, you have been to Hi Dive and greeted by the owner, John Cain. If you haven’t been, get over to this place!

Contrary to the name, this isn’t a dive bar. Why not? What constitutes a dive bar to VdV? Dunno, we just know a dive bar when we see one. And we’ve seen plenty, people! I mean, this isn’t some fancy-shmancy white napkin place either. But here’s why it’s not a dive: It has copious amounts of natural light. None of the upholstery is torn or tattered. They have a really nice outdoor deck with decent furniture. The glasses don’t have lipstick or other schmutz on them. Oh yeah…and they do crazy shit like serve Niman Ranch beef and Acme Bread. What self-respecting dive bar would do that?

OK, now that that is settled, let’s proceed. We like this spot, big time. It’s got that cool neighborhood hangout, kinda old school casual vibe. All sortsa characters for patrons, but everybody gets along. And whether it’s John Cain, Brett (co-owner), Nick, Angela, Jessica (wow this almost starting sounding like that song Mambo No. 5 from Lou Bega) that you’re dealing with, you’re gonna get treated right and have an absolute blast.

There’s a bar on the left-hand side that seats about 15, and indoor table seating for about 40. Great views across the bay too.  And just this summer, they opened up an awesome outdoor patio that easily seats a couple dozen. Great views, and on a sunny day one of the best outdoor spots in SF.

OK, I think you’ve got the picture. Let’s talk grub. First off, food is not a passing thought here, just meant as soakage for all the booze you’re drinking. No sirree Bob. They serve up a great brunch, some of our faves include the Mission Huevos San Francisco ($8.95) – Huevos with eggs made to order, with pepper jack cheese and salsa on two flour tortillas, and the Veggie Omelet ($8.50) with Zucchini, Mushrooms, Onion, Tomato and Cheddar.

For the main menu, these guys have a serious menu, about a dozen appys, 10 burgers/sandos, tacos, quesadillas, and a handful of entreés including Baby Back Ribs ($21.95) and Grilled Sea Bass ($17.95).

Our absolute fave is the Steak Tacos ($12.95), (rare!), Niman Ranch Steak, with a side of excellent Veggie Chili, Sour Cream, Hot and Mild salsas, etc. etc. Listen up! You need these tacos. Other standouts include The Downtown Burger w/ Cheddar ($10.95) made with Niman Ranch Beef and an awesome bun, Cajun Chicken Quesadilla ($9.95), and the ever popular and heart-healthy Chili & Cheese Fries ($8.95). You will not leave hungry.

VdV Rating: 4

Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30a-11:30p
Thu-Fri 11:30a-1a
Sat 10a-1a
Sun 10a-11:30p

Hi Dive
Pier 28 1/2 (Embarcadero @ Brannan)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 977-0170

The folks from Farmer Brown’s expanded into the SOMA ‘hood a little while ago with little skillet and lunch hasn’t been the same since. This place is literally a hole-in-the-wall. Ya just go up, place your order, hang in the alley like a transient while they prep it, and either take it to go or hang out on the loading dock across the alley and chow down. Nice and simple. Cash only kittens!

Same for the menu, it’s child-proof: Ya got yer Chicken & Waffles, Po Boys, and Salads.

I dig this place. We had the tried and true Chicken & Waffles, and a daily special – Chile and Molasses Chicken Wings. The place was doin’ the biz on a beautiful SF afternoon, so the line was kinda long but it moved fast, and it only took about 5 minutes or so to get our food.

First the Chicken & Waffles. I had the small order (2 pieces of bird and a 2″x2″ waffle). Both the chicken and the waffle prepped just like they should be – crispy on the outside, tender on the  inside. Mmm Mmm good. Finger Lickin’ Good. Take that, Colonel  Sanders! The chicken had good spice, killer crispy skin and juicy meat. I got the thigh and a drumstick, both generous sized. You can also add gravy for an extra buck. Insider tip: you can request which pieces of fowl you’d like. Just don’t get carried away, OK? It’s not like ordering your ’1/2 caf no foam low-fat mocha’ at Starbucks, people.

The waffle? It’s not a waffle fry, as some people think. It is a breakfast waffle. And y’know what? Even on a 80-degree SF day that warm waffle hit the spot. This entire dish was only $7 and filled up the tank big-time.

Next, the Molasses & Chile Chicken Wings. This was an $8 special o’ the day, and it was pretty good. I didn’t expect Buffalo wings, so I was not disappointed. We got about a dozen wings, some Ethiopian- sized and some regular sized so all-in-all plenty of wing-age. Tasty rascals too, the sauce was a little sweet for me. I woulda liked more chile heat but again, lots of food for the buck and it definitely did the trick.

The Po Boys looked good, I inspected a couple that some people in front of me ordered and they looked tasty. I hear they drown their salads in dressing, so if that’s not your bag tell ‘em to lighten up or put it on the side.

So bottom line, this is a great, unique place to grab some good grub for lunch. Solid basics plus enough else on the menu to keep ya comin’ back for more!

VdV Rating: 3

Hours:
Mon – Fri 9a-3p

little skillet
360 Ritch Street (@ Townsend betw 3rd and 4th)
San Francisco
(415) 777.2777