Presidio Social Club feels like a throwback to another era. It's stationed in the Presidio in a converted army barrack; you can just imagine the Company B boys sauntering in at any moment, and the Andrews Sisters singing this little ditty:
He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way.
He had a boogie style that no one else could play.
He was the top man at his craft,
but then his number came up and he was gone with the draft.
He's in the army now. He's blowin' reveille.
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of company B.
Though it has a retro vibe, the decor is comfortable, current and convivial -- and the service congenial. It's perfect when you want a great meal in an environment that's very nice but not stuffy. And the food? My oh my...
My corn chowder was tasty, but I was expecting corn kernels in a chowder. Their absence was mitigated by the light, crispy, buttery croutons.
Rebecca and I both ordered the beef filet for our main course, and shared a side of mac and cheese (natch).
Mine was perfectly cooked and accompanied by a delicious cauliflower gratin. Has anyone else developed a taste for cauliflower later in life? Can't believe I wasn't turned on to it sooner. If you prepare them right, they're even better than potatoes, and much better for you. This night, however, wouldn't qualify in the "better for you" category given how much butter was used. Rebecca also set aside the pat of butter on top of her steak, but I slathered mine around. Perhaps she was anticipating the next part of the evening in which we order four (yes, four) desserts. The mac and cheese was very good, but strangely enough not the most memorable part of the meal for me. (In fact, I'd forgotten about it until I went to upload the photo.)
The PSC menu is the only one I've seen that features both main and side dishes for dessert. In fact, when we were ordering our main meal, the waiter asked what I'd like for my side. I looked at the menu and responded quizzically, "Cupcakes?" I'm guessing that's not the first time that's happened.
After our steaks we returned to our menus and had a meeting of the minds. See, Rebecca and I are kindred spirits when it comes to dessert. Not only can we always count on each other to have some, we can actually read each other's minds about what we want to order. We ended up with two mains and two sides between the two of us: Cupcakes, Beignets, Frozen Malted Milkshake and Chocolate Pudding. The cupcakes were topped with incredible mini chocolate pearls. The milkshake enrobed crunchy pieces of malted milk balls. Maple syrup accompanied the beignets, and the chocolate pudding was rich and creamy. Unfortunately, as seems to be my habit lately, the dessert photo is blurry....no doubt from my hands trembling in anticipation.
There are so many great restaurants to try in San Francisco that I tend not to want to repeat. Presidio Social Club is an exception -- draft me any time!
Presidio Social Club
563 Ruger St Bldg 563
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 885-1888
www.presidiosocialclub.com
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