Presidio Social Club

The rest of the USA is having a heat wave. As the fog rolled into SF Bay and over the Golden Gate Bridge we put on our jackets and said a silent "thank you" for nature's natural air conditioning. If you like warmer summers this wouldn't be your ideal summer day but it works for us.

After a visit to the Legion of Honor for an exhibit of Dutch and Flemish Masterworks that was truly a visual feast, we headed for lunch at the Presidio Social Club. Based on a previous visit there with daughter, Megan, I wanted my husband to give it a try. And yes, this was after our early morning visit to the Farmer's Market, that's why you go early––so you can eat again before the drive home.

I ordered lobster bisque and a Jamaican-style red lager beer. Sounds like an odd combination but it was actually quite good. The bisque was absent of any pieces of lobster but the flavor was absolutely captivating–– it had a roasty, nutty, slightly salt-water taste that kept me anticipating each spoonful. There were a few tiny springs of sliced basil, just enough for flavor. The surprise was the few kernels of roasted corn that hung out in the bottom of the soup. When those got added to a spoonful of the bisque it was a wonderful pop of flavor. Although this was a simple bisque every flavor counted and it was delicious.

My husband Joe had the burger and fries. The fries were addictive and some of the best we've had. (Are you noticing how I'm sharing his lunch with him? There is more of that coming up...) I had just a small bite of his burger and it was almost creamy––the meat was smooth and just greasy enough to be tasty. I'm not a burger lover but I'd add this to my short list of burgers I will eat: Shake Shack in NYC is at the top––this burger is number 2––and there is no number 3.

Joe had to try the brioche beignets and Mexican hot chocolate. I'd been dreaming about them since my last visit–– so hungry or not (whose ever really still hungry for dessert?) we ordered them. They arrived hot and liberally sprinkled with sugar & cinnamon. They were totally delightful even though we decided they could have used a bit more time to cook...they were just a tad doughy. But we did find ourselves making that little "hum of happiness" sound as we ate them, enjoyed the spicy Mexican hot chocolate and marveled at how fortunate we are to live so close to a food mecca like San Francisco.