THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sydney's Home

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sydney's Home Restaurant Review:

Located inside the Jewish Community Center San Francisco, Sydney's is a culinary anomaly---hip enough for financial district after-workers to have a drink and some appetizers, casual enough for members of the health club to swing by after a workout, and family-friendly enough to bring the kids. Chef John Beardsley honed his sense of Asian flavors at well-received San Francisco restaurants like Ponzu and Azie. At Sydney's, Beardsley's affair with Asian flavors is evident in a few dishes, like the Thai Cobb chicken salad with peanuts, lime, ginger, coconut and spinach, and an interesting if a tad overcooked teriyaki salmon salad on sushi rice with mizuna, avocado and wasabi dressing, but much of the menu is rooted in the Mediterranean. There are seven meze ranging from sweet and savory warm feta-phyllo turnovers to tart fried green tomatoes topped with a cool, spicy tuna rémoulade. Don't miss the Reuben---griddled marbled rye bread stacked with lean corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, served with a pile of thin, crisp french fries. The old school matzo ball soup is more new school, with less robust chicken broth and lighter, fluffier matzo balls, but we like the bountiful vegetables and piping-hot broth that is restrainedly salted and has just a hint of dill.