Restaurants

Love Izzy's Steaks and Chops in SF!!!

I’ll just say up front that I love this place. They opened their doors in 1987 on Izzy’s birthday and we showed up soon after. We have had date nights here and business dinners over the past two decades.  Izzy’s Restaurant can be found in two other cities in the Bay Area but the only location for me has been in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco. I’ve been coming to this cool spot for steaks and chops forever.

Izzy’s in San Francisco, which was their first location, is a great date night restaurant. It isn’t cheap but you will get incredible food, like their enormous bone-in ribeye steak which melts in your mouth!

This restaurant serves great filet mignon and prime rib dinners and for me, love their side dish of creamed spinach.  This old fashioned veg dish is something my dad would always share with me as a kid when we went out to dinner.  Izzy’s menu always have their famous potato side and equally amazing shoe-string potatoes.  Yum! My husband loves getting the New York Sirloin Au Poivre, with Pepper Cream Sauce for $28 along with a martini.

I’ve been here for company dinners but larger parties are a bit hit or miss with the service. Sometimes they don’t get the orders right or served on a timely basis. I’ve sent stuff back that was cold or just wrong. They were also slow with getting us the bill. On the upside I found out that they started validating your parking at the garage on Webster Street, a block away.  Izzy’s has been around a long time and I think it is still a nice place for a steak dinner whenever you are in the Marina neighborhood.

3345 Steiner Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 563-0487
www.izzyssteaks.com

Sun-Th 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Fri-Sat 5:30pm – 10:30pm

Prime rib is back!

I’m so excited.

We celebrated a friend’s birthday over the weekend at Steak n Ale … excuse me, I mean Polo Club Steakhouse. It’s easy to see why I would confuse the two: same location, same furniture, same layout, same menu and same staff. When the national chain closed the doors on this 35-year favorite last summer thanks to its bankruptcy, Indianapolis southsiders were dismayed, to say the least.  

Some stranger just shut down our memories of Prom nights, wedding receptions, Thanksgiving meals, business victories and those “just because I need a good steak” moments.

One patron, apparently, was honked enough to do something about it. He secured the general manager’s commitment, bought the business and reopened under the new name a mere 8 days before Christmas. I’m sure it was a fantastic gift to the nearly 40 former employees who had a job again. 

Frankly, I was so delighted to be back, I nearly hugged the hostess. 

Mike, our birthday “boy,” got his Kensington, a.k.a prime rib and lobster tail. His wife had her filet mignon again, and I was grinning ear-to-ear when I said, “I’ll take the herb-roasted prime rib, rare, please.” My husband, just as confident, asked for his favorite peppercorn steak.

lobster tail dance

And that was when our luck ran out. That one didn’t make the transition, which was side-splittingly funny if you know my husband’s history of asking for things that aren’t on restaurant menus all over town. And once you get our crowd in a mood to laugh, it goes downhill quickly. The teens salted my husband’s water while we were loading our plates at the famous salad bar, and Mike couldn’t resist using the lobster shell as a puppet to torment his tender-hearted daughter on the other side of the table.

Don’t worry — we weren’t the uncouth country cousins out of place among civilized society. Polo Club Steakhouse, like its predecessor, is what the business world labels dress casual. Sure, they’re about good food and special occasions, so they supply the trappings. But these are, after all, our neighbors, who don’t have a stuffy bone in their bodies and also appreciate the sound of laughter among good friends out for an evening.

Polo Club Steakhouse

4302 S. East Street

Indianapolis, In 46227

(317) 780-1711

Photographer credits: Larry&flo,  Chiacomo,

The Palm in San Diego (Photo courtesy of ThePalm.com)

The Palm is a family-owned, well-known upscale steakhouse chain with around 25 restaurants scattered across the country. In San Diego CA, The Palm is downtown but basically on the edge of the Gaslamp District, on J Street. Like the other Palm restaurants, this one has a wide variety of menu options available in a classy, old-style restaurant. The decor is reminiscent of the original Palm in New York City – caricatures and old photographs all over the walls, classy settings at tables and booths, and a convivial atmosphere.

Some logistics of The Palm in San Diego: There is a spacious open dining room with seating for approximately 130 guests,
three elegant private dining/function rooms, each with a flat/plasma screen TV, full AV capabilities and data connection for laptops, accommodating a total of 130 guests, and perhaps best of all, a fun bar scene, with seating for 65 guests and adjoining lounge, with two flat/plasma screen TVs.

Classy, festive bar at The Palm, San Diego (photo courtesy of ThePalm.com)

The Palm is referred to as “the place to see and be seen.” This is likely in reference to the various star sightings that occur at all the Palms. Famous people that already have their caricatures, photos, and portraits up on the walls have even, occasionally, autographed them.

The Palm serves very generous portions, and the atmosphere encourages leaning over and sampling from your friends’ or family’s plates. Really; the appetizers and entrees are oversized, and meant for sharing! The large and varied menu includes all the usual steakhouse options, along with fish prepared most ways imaginable, and classic Italian choices as well. The appetizers are all seafood, and really can’t be missed; try the jumbo shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque. Delicious. But why the Italian flair? Easy: The original restaurant was founded in 1926, by two immigrants from northern Italy. The Palm is still owned by their Italian-American descendants, and all the Palm restaurants keep the tradition. It works. Some of the Italian specialties at The Palm are linguini with clam sauce, veal martini, and chicken scallopine. They are all recommended for guests not interested in the fantastic Porterhouse steak or prime rib.

Luckily for San Diego’s leisure and business travelers and locals alike, The Palm on J Street opened strong just a few years ago (2005) and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s not only one of the best steakhouse restaurants around the Gaslamp Quarter, it is one of the best in San Diego, CA as a whole.

Ambiance at Epic Roasthouse

Epic Roasthouse is the “steakhouse” sister of the seafood restaurant, Waterbar, with both San Francisco restaurants being co-owned and designed by world renowned Pat Kuleto.

Pat Kuleto has designed and built more than 175 restaurants worldwide, including Martini House in St. Helena. He is the proprietor of his namesake Kuleto Estate Winery in the Napa Valley as well.

When you arrive at Epic the first thing you notice is its location on the waterfront, facing the Bay Bridge. It sits near the striking Cupid’s Span sculpture. As you walk inside, the tables in the large dining room are laid out for maximum viewing pleasure of the beautiful water and the Embarcadero.

This is the type of restaurant that gets lots of business dinners and special occasion dinners, so you will want to dress up some when you go. If you can arrange it, I suggest arriving early and going upstairs for a cocktail. There is a wonderful and cozy bar with intimate seating, beautiful dark wood details and more of that killer view. Their martinis aren’t so bad either.

Beautiful view of the Bay Bridge

When it is time to sit down for your dinner, I suggest ordering a bottle of fizzy carbonated water for the table. They have taken vintage glass water bottles and turned them into classic seltzer bottles (think Marx Brothers slapstick).

For meat lovers the Epic Prime Rib is out of this world and is offered until 8:00pm each night. I also love the Wood Oven Roasted Pork Porterhouse Chop, the glaze they use is divine. And definitely try the Scallop Potatoes Au Gratin as a side dish.

If you find yourself running behind schedule, this restaurant offers valet parking for $10 that is a bargain, for the location and convenience.

369 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 369-9955

Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30-2:00
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:30-10:00 Friday & Saturday 5:30-10:30
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 11:00-2:30

Photo credit to Epic Roasthouse and sfcphotography

Nick's cool neon sign

Pacifica is a town just outside of San Francisco, along the Pacific Ocean. Close enough to be considered a bedroom community but far enough away to maintain its own coastal personality.

It reminds me of small beach towns in Southern California – quaint, small family businesses and many unique restaurants and local bars – but a lot colder temps.

One such unique spot in Pacifica is Nick’s at Rockaway Beach – that name alone makes me forget that they are just outside San Francisco’s city limits. You can definitely stop here for a meal on any Sunday drive along Highway 1.

Nick’s Restaurant and Sea Breeze Motel is right on the ocean. It is so close that when you pull into the parking lot, there are many signs warning you to be careful because of rogue waves.

Nick's at Rockaway Beach

Stepping into Nick’s you will find a wide open dining room with a large bank of windows facing the water. The wait staff has always been friendly whenever we have gone, and if you go for dinner but arrive early, you can enjoy some of the best people watching at their huge horseshoe shaped bar. This classic bar is next to the largest dance floor I have seen since my high school gymnasium. And they have dancing and music on most weekends.

Nick’s menu is known for having a savory crab sandwich offered at lunch or dinner. During crab season in the fall, I suggest getting their marinated cracked crab to share as a starter, it is delicious!

NICK’S RESTAURANT
100 Rockaway Beach Ave.
Pacifica, Ca. 94044
650-359-3900

Open Daily for Breakfast, lunch, and Dinner

Photo credits to ikkoskinen and sfcphotography