Restaurants

Curlys Coffee Chop in North Beach

Say what you will about this place but Curly’s Coffee Shop in North Beach holds a special place in my heart. First of all, I have always loved their classic American breakfasts with a Japanese twist. I used to walk over from Sunday services at Sts. Peter and Paul Church at Washington Square Park, often getting their french toast almost every week.

Secondly, I appreciate any cafe that can stick around this long in San Francisco without going under financially or being closed by the Health Department. And thirdly, I think they also kind of kick *ss for being such a long time North Beach “non-pasta related” merchant in a sea of excellent Italian cafes and restaurants. I mean, I think I have followed them around to at least three different addresses in a two-block radius of Columbus Avenue.

Today was a nice reminder that though I can’t walk here for breakfast anymore, I can still drive over and enjoy classic menu items like the french toast or one of their delicious omelettes!

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Enjoy "old school" atmosphere at Presidio Social Club in San Francisco

As you can guess from my previous writing here, I love “old school” restaurants, bars, hotels and other destinations here in San Francisco. We are fortunate to live in a city that has survived fires, storms and earthquakes and thrived.

An incredible area of San Francisco that has thrived is the Presidio of San Francisco, built in 1776 and now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Many of its officer’s housing, airfield and barracks have been either restored or converted to commercial or residential uses.

In Building 563, across from Lucas Digital Arts on Letterman is the Presidio Social Club, located in converted barracks. With its large bank of windows and open floor plan inside, this old school restaurant is perfect for dinner or a large group event.

We stopped in for an early dinner on one of the hottest days this spring and had a great time. They have a long bar underneath a row of fans, combined with the sound of cold drinks being shaken and it felt like we could have been in Hawaii or a plantation setting.

We started with an appetizer of grilled baby squid with artichokes that were fabulous. We ate them way too fast. We skipped salads to go straight to our entrees, though we did get a side of roasted tasty Brussels sprouts. I had their daily special of mashed potatoes and meatloaf while my husband had the grilled hangar steak.

Savory Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts side

Though we were definitely full, the dessert menu was too tempting to pass up so we shared the home made ice cream sandwiches, served with hot liquid chocolate to pour over them, along with a killer banana cream pie that was out of this world. Easy parking as well makes this a cool place we will return to with friends and family.

Killer Desserts

563 Ruger St
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 885-1888
www.presidiosocialclub.com

Photo credits to my iPhone.

Glass of wine and neighborhood hospitality

San Francisco has quite a few original restaurants that have consistently been part of our “destination dining” experience for decades, like John’s Grill or the Buena Vista Cafe near Ghiradelli Square. Another wonderful place to share with you is the Pacific Cafe, a classic seafood restaurant near Lincoln Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor.

This wonderful city original has been serving fresh fish every day for dinner since 1974. It is the perfect place for a family dinner or a nice date night out.

They have a large chalkboard on the wall above the kitchen with all the fish that they have for the day. They list the way each will be prepared: fried, grilled, poached or sauteed. Every dinner comes with soup and salad.

You also get a choice of classic dinner fries or baked potato but I often just a big piece of steamed broccoli instead – then steal a few fries off of my husband’s plate. They serve local ice cream from Mitchell’s and usually have other desserts like lemon tarts. You won’t go home hungry that is for sure.

Scallop Salmon Combo

What starts the whole dining experience off though is the service. They open at 5:00pm but because they do not take reservations over the phone, by 5:30pm a line forms inside and out. However, more often the reason for the line is that spending time waiting is half the fun. After you write your name down on the clipboard inside, a waiter comes up with full glasses of white wine – on the house!

They will refill your glass as long as you are waiting for your booth. A very nice touch. Street parking can be tricky but we almost always find space on Clement Street, one street over.

Cozy warm booths

7000 Geary Blvd
At 34th Avenue
(415) 387-7091

Mon-Fri 5:00-9:30pm
Sat-Sun 5:00-10:30pm