Nob Hill Grille

I swung by this place on recommendation from Justin while we were looking over San Francisco's Dine About Town restaurants. The event runs for about two weeks, and participating restaurants create a two-course menu for lunch and a three-course meal for dinner. The price is fair at $34.95 for dinner per person, considering that you get an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, with small perks depending on the venue. We picked the Grille, because the menu seemed like elevated comfort food which appealed to all of my friends.

We arrived about 45 minutes early, and the maitre'd gave us a little bit of attitude but led us down to the table that we had prepared. Since we were still waiting on three folks, we ordered a round of drinks and truffle fries to begin. These are the standard cut fries with a better truffle oil than Yard House, though I much prefer the matchstick cut. Served with mayonnaise, they cut out the trouble of asking for some aioli or something else to dip. I found that the truffle fries were tasty, but nothing spectacularly different about them compared to other restaurants.

I had the poutine, which is french fries with cheese and gravy (which ultimately seemed like a bit of a mistake after the truffle fries). The gravy was delicious and thick, strong in the stock, and the fries were a lovely repeat of the fries earlier, less the truffle oil. I had to cut myself half of my portion to take home to avoid a full stomach before dinner.

For my entree, I had the baby back ribs, mac and cheese, with chard. Here is where the Grille surpassed expectations. The meat fell right off the bones (eatable with merely a fork), the rub and sauce on the ribs was a delectable chipotle barbeque adding just enough heat to make the rib stand out, and the portioning was much more than I expected from this sort of course meal. The mac and cheese was fair, had a nice subtle cheesiness, but paled in comparison to the stark tastiness of the baby back ribs. I don't really like chard (and other spinach family greens unless it's in a sour cream and mayonnaise laden dip). I ate every last piece of meat and about half of the mac and cheese before I realized that I had dessert to look forward to.

Served as a part of the prix fixe meal, the Noval Ruby Port exceeded our expectations for something seemingly just tacked on to possibly entice further customers. It was a rich drink to finish up our night and warm the belly for the cold wind of San Francisco. Apparently, it was amazing with the chocolate cake dessert, which I did not have. Instead, I had the lemon cheesecake, which was fluffy and had strawberry bits on top to add texture and sweetness. I've been disappointed by cheesecakes lately it seems. However, with a swig of the port, the full bite of the cheesecake really did shine with its coconut-y crunch, creamy cake, and crisp fruit.

When the bill came around, it was fairly reasonable for what we had consumed, though we had a little hiccup with the credit transactions. Overall the experience was pleasant for a small corner restaurant. Definitely tasty and worth it if you're in the mood for slightly-fancier comfort food.

Nick's on Main

My cousin Chi graduated from his MBA program, so we were celebrating his accomplishment with a nice dinner at Nick's on Main in Los Gatos. This restaurant has been excellent for lunch (often very packed) and superb for dinner (always packed). Reservations for dinner are a must, as their small space fills quickly, but it's best to call ahead for both meal times. Parking can vary, as there is only street parking, though general parking in Los Gatos will suffice if you're up for a walk (I always am; it's better for my digestion).

To begin, their bread is lovely, light, and fluffy, but instead of serving with butter, they have a sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and olive oil spread. A healthy dab on each slice is wonderfully sweet with a nice kick to finish. It's always tasty, so we usually have to ask for more bread and spread.

Nick's also boasts a selection of choice wines, but we preferred to bring our own for a corkage fee. Consider doing so if your table will drink a whole bottle, and you have a particular favorite vintage. Alternatively, there are also sodas and water for the non-drinkers in your party. We had brought both a white and a red, but only drank the red.

To start, we "trusted the chef" which is a regular on their menu. The chef has creative license over what he or she has in the kitchen and serves up. Here, we had elk, brandied cherries, risotto, and string beans. The elk, medium, didn't have the usual game taste, which was excellent, but paired with the sweetness of the cherries and the buttery texture of the risotto, a perfect bite was delightful. We also had duck confit with polenta, a favorite of my family's whenever we dine at Nick's (we get it at lunch too when it's not on the menu; ask your waiter if it's possible because it's worth it). The duck is tender, sweet, and fatty enough to delight, while the polenta grabs up the excess moisture and smoothes down the palate.

For my entree, I had their rib eye, medium-rare, served with dungeness crab, potatoes, and asparagus. The butter slathered over my steak also had a strong crab flavor, which made this steak unexpectedly surf and turf (where I had not been expecting it). The bites were rich and buttery, and the potatoes soaked in the leftover butter were absolutely mouth-watering (I ate all of the leftover potatoes on a cousin's plate). I forwent the asparagus, because y'know, awfully crunchy. Among the other plates ordered at the table, we had sea bass, lamb, Ahi tuna, and pheasant (the bites of which I had, I most preferred the seared Ahi).

Lastly, for dessert, I had the lemon cheesecake, while my brother and parents had the banana bread pudding (their specialty and probably the best dessert; I just have a weakness for cheesecake), and my auntie and cousin had creme brulee. To be fair, the cheesecake was disappointing and a bit thick. It wasn't supple in the way that cheesecakes are creamy and full of melting texture once inside your mouth. However, the bread pudding packs a severe punch, and the creme brulee is standard and delicious.

I always enjoy Nick's on Main for lunch or dinner (their burger is absolutely awesome and the only time I can really enjoy blue cheese), but the dinner menu blows lunch out of the water with the sophistication on each dish. They're hearty but elevated, with lots to fill, but full of technique. The dessert (for me) was a disappointment, but it wasn't bad enough that I dislike the restaurant. I was already extremely full of steak, potatoes, duck, and elk, so I wasn't about to complain. However, it's worth stopping by if you're looking for good eats.

Yard House

My cousins have been talking about this chain of restaurants ever since they went to Houston for a family wedding. I was not there, but they keep talking about it to me as if I had been. My anticipation for Yard House was high.

The restaurant is on the corner of Santana Row, a ritzy area with high end shops and some decent eats. Yard House is the latest addition to these shops, further straining the parking lots at the nearby Westfield Valley Fair Mall and the parking lots behind the Row. Originally, the wait for Santana Row was ridiculous. On a friend's birthday, we had stopped by on the off chance that perhaps there was an easy table  for a Wednesday evening. Two hours was nowhere near an "easy" acquisition of a table.

Coming again during my day off before finals, the wait for lunch was none, and I was seated at a table near the door with Sri and Takuro. The lunch specials seemed to be a good deal, but I was in the mood for something heftier, so I had the Surf and Turf Burger with the Belgian Beer Sampler. The Surf and Turf is served with cheese, grilled asparagus, and lobster (clearly one of my favorite foods), while the Belgian sampler consists of six imports that do not change over time (in contrast to their Traditional sampler). The burger was excellent at medium, with a nice juiciness. However, the bottom bun got a bit soggy easily, and while that doesn't deter me, it may prove unsettling for other eaters. The combination of lobster, asparagus, cheese, and beef was nice, in a more portable "surf and turf" fashion than a proper steak and lobster tail. The beer sampler is something of a treat. I personally like to try lots of drinks in order to find the one I like, and this sampler was a good "entry" into the Yard House collection. It had a nice selection, with a muscat-infused beer proving to be my favorite of the bunch. The traditional sampler that Sri had contained a stronger variety of beers, including an IPA I didn't care for much, but overall had a pleasant quality in its choices.

On my second coming, I split the Truffle Fries and a lunch combo of Crab Cake Hoagie and Clam Chowder with Nick and Joy, while sampling several beers before settling on the Imperial Rasputin, a delectable dark stout with coffee tones. Starting with the truffle fries seems to always be a good choice. The fries smell strongly of truffle and aren't overly doused in oil, though they are heavily seasoned with garlic and parmesan. I enjoy the fact that they use matchstick fries over the standard "chip" cut. It makes it easier to palate, and with some mayonnaise or their awesome garlic aioli, these fries are a perfect starter for the group. The Hoagie had nice slices of fresh avocado as well as a slice of tomato. The crab cake had strong seasoning, and the lovely cheese melted right into the breaded crevices. I removed the tomato, as per my usual dislike of crunchy vegetables, but the whole bite was still very refreshing. The clam chowder with gratuitous pepper was very creamy and perfectly thick. It was definitely more of a clam chowder, than a potato chowder, as often happens with this soup. I thought it was a plenty good deal for lunch (half sandwich and soup).

The third time, I came with my cousins Mai and Linh, and my brother. We shared another round of Truffle Fries (which I still adored), and then I had the Bearnaise Sliders. The Sliders were the standard seasoned beef from the original Surf and Turf burger, though accented with onion strings. Served alongside these sliders is a large and (un)healthy portion of bearnaise sauce, which when lightly spread over each slider accents the seemingly ordinary burger aspect. It was a nice serving size as well, with plenty of meat, and plenty of fries to go around. Another upside to Yard House's service is that you can replace the standard fries with truffle or sweet potato fries for a bit extra added cost.

I still haven't had the opportunity to try their desserts as I've usually been super full after an appetizer, an entree, and a beer. Update coming whenever I'm hungry enough to come again :)