Presidio Social Club

The boyfriend and I have been meaning to dine at the Presidio Social Club for a while and finally, last Friday, we came here for date night. First, this place gets massive props just for its parking lot!! Yes, you heard it right, free and easy PARKING!! And not just a 3-4 car dinky lot, but it has at least 20-25 spots!! I thought I died and angels carried me to suburban heaven. And on a completely unrelated note, even for the Marina/Presidio, this place is extremely white (not that there's anything wrong with that). I have never seen so many blondes (fake or otherwise) in my life.

After perusing the menu, we agonized between sharing the pork chops and burger or get the ribeye steak for two. In the end, we decided to hedge and error on the side of variety. We also ordered the chicken liver pâté to start, a Moscow mule for me and Makers on the rocks for the boy. We held hands and dreamily locked peepers over the flickering candle night -- another romantic date night was about to commence. Not sure if it was the booze or the dim light, but hot damn, the boyfriend looked good! Hope the sentiment was mutual :).

First up, the pâté. It had a nice layer of fat on top, which my boyfriend (not so) surreptitiously scrapped off and dug in for the pink stuff. I didn't mind the fat, more flavor for me! The pâté was smooth and didn't taste organ-y at all; paired with the fig (?) jam, me likey! The toast points that came with the dish could use a bit more refinement, they were essentially whole wheat bread cut into sticks. I think a fancier, more toasted bread would be preferable. Nevertheless, it was a great start to the meal.

Chicken liver pâté 

After we sufficiently mopped up every last morsel of the pâté, our entrees promptly arrived. I got the burger first and Orin the pork chops. The patty of the burger was chubby and thick, almost like a meatball. We requested it medium rare and the kitchen delivered. The center was nicely pink. Although not the most juicy or flavorful burger that I've tried, the fact that the patty was so compact made the mouth feel seem more succulent than it was. I say that because there were no run-off from the burger at all. Maybe it was because they rested the patty? Although, do people really rest hamburger meat? The thin cut fries were crispy and paired with the garlic aioli, pretty much spud heaven. I would give the burger a B+.

The pork chop, on the other hand, was lackluster. I told our waitress that, if possible, I prefer the pork less done. The meat was pretty tough and dry, especially the parts that were further away from the bone. It was seasoned well, though. The greens provided some needed moisture to the dish, but they were on the salty side. The apple sauce balanced the flavors out a bit, but the chop itself was simply too overcooked to salvage the dish. In my book, that's a C-.

Pork chop in the background;
burger on foreground

I read on other yelp reviews that the banana cream pie was the star of the dessert menu; however, I was informed that the restaurant hired a new pastry chef and they no longer make the pie. It was nice to know that the place made desserts in-house, but I had my mind set on the banana cream pie so didn't end up ordering anything. Next time, I'll be sure to save room for sweets and have an open mind.