Presidio Social Club San Francisco Restaurant Menu Photos

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Presidio Social Club: From Army Barrack to Fine Dining

on November 04th, 2011

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04 Nov

meatloaf 300x225 Presidio Social Club: From Army Barrack to Fine Dining

Meatloaf at Presidio Social Club

by Tiffany Apczynski

Presidio Social Club is one of those out-of-the-way restaurants in San Francisco that nobody ever minds going the extra mile or bus route to get there. It’s located in a quaint clapboard building in the city’s Presidio national park that operated as an army barrack long before it was a fine dining establishment. The interior has this 1930s clubby feel to it and its atmosphere exudes post-colonial design.

When it opened four years ago, it did so with a bit of a bang. Folks not only liked the location and vibe, but Ray Tang’s menu of upscale comfort food won diners over immediately. But Tang, who is a co-owner of the restaurant, left the kitchen two years ago, and, well, the menu started to slide.

But now Tang is back and things are definitely on the up and up (and thank goodness for that). What’s always been the popular draw for this restaurant is the opportunity to eat unpretentious food in a clubby, upscale atmosphere that is surrounded by gorgeous views. It’s one of those rare gems where you can find something on the menu for everyone, without having to settle on a franchise or something mundane. With Tang back in the kitchen, his original premise is back on track.

Most of the dishes on Tang’s menu remain unchanged, but there are a few newbies, such as the ridiculously addictive Dungeness crab cake sliders; the crab packing an
unexpected spiciness that gives this dish distinction.

Potato leek soup with preserved Meyer lemons is so silky and rich, it’s hard to believe there’s no cream; just good ol’ fashioned chicken stock, salt and pepper and onions. A dollop of fresh thyme adds an herbaceous element that saves it from monotony.

I forget if mussels were on the original menu, but if they were and you overlooked them, don’t do that this time. Mussels are something some chefs throw on a menu because they are ridiculously easy to prepare. But Tang’s mussels clearly have been given a lot of thought and attention. The shellfish are clearly fresh from that day’s catch and Tang forgoes the traditional white wine and garlic-based broth for the cioppino.

Now it’s time to go into the most decadent, delicious bout of meatloaf; a serving of home-cooking that, yes, you can’t help but feel guilty and utterly American for liking, but OMG. It is a moist, slightly charred, hunk of nostalgia topped with shoestring fried shallots and laid upon a totally buttery pile of creamy mashed potatoes. You KNOW it’s bad for you. You know this isn’t how anyone should eat, but hey, it’s just too good, and there are carrots on the side, and that’s a vegetable, right?

We continued to choose the comforting over the healthy with the mac and cheese: bleu cheese, cheddar, parmesan, and gruyere in a giant ramekin, covered with breadcrumbs. Then we finished with the “dirty half dozen” fried brioche served beignet-style, with molten chocolate, and vowed to do some Army calisthenics to make up for the meal.

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