Oxtail three ways, a hammy biscuit, gourmet meatloaf… comfort comes in each of these forms at new spots (or in the case of Presidio Social Club, with a new chef) in meat dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
BREAKFAST: HAM HEAVEN
AMERICAN EATERY, Embarcadero (1 Ferry Building at Market St., 415-391-0420)
Barrel aged cocktails at Presidio Social Club
Prather Ranch is to be commended for raising sustainable, humanely-reared meats with a whole-animal (let no part go to waste) sales model. I’ve long enjoyed sausages and quality meats from their Ferry Building butcher. A few months ago, they opened American Eatery, providing their meats to go in drool-worthy dishes like Chuck Wagon chili ($6.50), a mixture of pork, pinquito beans, sharp cheddar, scallions and sour cream, or Munich-style white bockwurst sausage ($7) with whole grain mustard sauce and sauerkraut.
American Eatery executive chef Erica Holland-Toll came from the former ACME Chop House and Lark Creek Inn. Long using Prather Ranch meats at her restaurants, she was well-qualified to oversee the Ferry Building menu. Breakfast is playful with unusual offerings like braised pork scrapple ($8), a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch mix of pork trimmings, cornmeal, flour, and spices in a sort of panfried loaf. Their burgers tempt, even at breakfast, particularly The Stonebreaker ($12), laden with cheese curds and meat gravy.
Divine ham & cheese biscuit at American Eatery
I go for their maple smoked ham. Try it in an Acme Torpedo roll ($10) joined by avocado and Eatwell Farms egg, perfected with basil and cheese curds. I’m particularly smitten with the maple smoked ham and cheese biscuit ($8). The thick biscuit cushions Prather Ranch’s thinly shaved slabs of ham, San Joaquin Gold cheese, a fried egg and red eye gravy mayo. Biscuit Bender’s flaky buttermilk biscuit is the right choice – a local baker whose biscuits can also be found at Mission Cheese and Hollow, they wisely make larded and non-larded versions. Ah, lard! Kudos for keeping tradition alive. I devour the sandwich with a Blue Bottle cappuccino, then sigh with contentment.
LUNCH: OXTAIL THREE WAYS
O3, Civic Center (524 Van Ness Avenue between Golden Gate & McAllister, 415-934-9800)
O3 sleek, comfortable space
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O3’s oxtail grilled cheese
It’s fall-apart tender braised oxtail that calls out to me. At lunch and dinner find it in wonton shell tacos ($8-10) with jicama slaw, while at lunch there’s oxtail hash ($13), a mixture of caramelized onions, roasted red bell pepper, and russet potatoes over kimchi dirty rice, topped with bacon dust and a fried egg. Does it get much more comforting? At a recent lunch I indulged in an oxtail grilled cheese sandwich on rustic, thick slabs of bread, glorified with sweet spice in the form of five spice raisin jam. Braised oxtail any which way? Bring it on.
DINNER: (SORTA) LIKE MOM WOULD MAKE
PRESIDIO SOCIAL CLUB, Presido (563 Ruger St. at Lombard, 415-885-1888)
PSC’s fresh sardines
Long one of the more uniquely beautiful SF dining rooms, Presidio Social Club (PSC) is set in a 1903 military barracks like a sunny, white, 1940’s clubhouse with hints of red and chrome. Grabbing a bar stool for an Anejo Sour or Aviation from bar manager Tim Stookey and crew is a timeless respite. Their rotating barrel aged menu pleases, particularly the Aged Reasons Rye: rye, Punt e Mes vermouth, Cointreau, orange bitters.
Brightly seductive smashed peas
New chef Wes Shaw hails from Texas, working with longtime chef/owner Ray Tang on a new menu that doesn’t neglect PSC classics like a Dungeness crab Louis sandwich ($18) or their above-average mac n’ cheese ($10). But he also adds new life with TX nods, like 8-hour smoked brisket on Tuesdays or marinated calamari, kicked up with butter beans and chiles. Fresh Monterey sardines ($10) come flaky over chickpea puree, shrouded in celery, while cracked Dungeness crab or a platter of oysters (Thursdays are $1 oysters, 4-7pm) remain ideally suited eats in PSC’s crisp space.
Hefty but elegant PSC meatloaf
Surprisingly, two vegetable sides ($6) are among my favorite menu items, both deftly prepared, as fresh and healthy as they are palate-satisfying. Broccoli di ciccio is tossed in lemon with garlic and chiles, while smashed peas in mint oil are brightly seductive. How about that meat? One of the best dishes on the menu remains classic meatloaf ($17), infused with a new life – a seemingly bigger slice than I remember in years past. Like mom would make if mom was a gourmand, the juicy, meaty loaf rests atop a sea of mashed potatoes, crowned with slivered carrots and fried shallots for a pseudo-light finish.
Who’s ready for more meat?