Best of Northside Food & Wine 2008
Best hunks of meat
By Susan Dyer Reynolds


Filet mignon: Bobo’s
1450 Lombard Street (at Van Ness), 415-441-8880, www.bobos.com
The bone-in filet mignon is a cut rarely seen in restaurants, but you can get it most nights at Bobo’s (it’s so popular they sometimes run out). Cooking with the bone in enhances the flavor of the filet, which is often leaner, but not as tasty as other cuts. Pan-seared with olive oil, rosemary and garlic and then finished in the oven, it arrives sizzling and meltingly tender.

New York: The Brazen Head
3166 Buchanan Street (at Greenwich), 415-921-7600, www.brazenheadsf.com
The signature New York strip steak at The Brazen Head – juicy, flavorful, certified Angus beef swathed in a peppery brandied cream sauce – is well known to the restaurant’s many regulars. It’s also one of the most underrated hunks of meat in the Northside and well worth a visit to this charming little gem with no sign.

Porterhouse: Alfred’s Steakhouse
659 Merchant Street (at Kearny), 415-781-7058, www.alfredssteakhouse.com
The corn-fed beef at Alfred’s arrives as primal cuts and is dry-aged behind glass in the entry for up to four weeks. They cook the steaks over Mexican mesquite charcoal, which gives it a lovely smokiness. The gargantuan 30-ounce porterhouse is beautifully marbled with just enough succulent, flavorful fat that it cuts like butter.

Rib eye: Harris’
2100 Van Ness Avenue (at Pacific), 415-673-1888, www.harrisrestaurant.com
Harris’ has Kobe – not the American Wagyu, but the real deal, imported from Japan. Arguably the best steak in the world, Kobe is so marbled that it appears mostly white when raw, but don’t be nervous about all that fat – like salmon, it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids. Cooked medium rare, Kobe gives credence to the cliche “it melts in your mouth.” At $170, it might also cause your wallet to melt, but it’s a red meat treat beyond compare.

Prime rib: Harris’ and The Stinking Rose
2100 Van Ness Avenue (at Pacific), 415-673-1888, www.harrisrestaurant.com
325 Columbus Avenue (at Broadway), 415-781-7673, www.thestinkingrose.com
Yes, we went to the House of Prime Rib (HOPR) – several times over the past year, in fact. When you only do one thing, you have to do it flawlessly, and the venerable HOPR, usually one of my favorite restaurants in the City, has unfortunately slipped a bit. On all four occasions, the quality of the meat was inconsistent, and on two occasions we had to send the meat back because it was sinewy and tough. After striking out at the ringer, we went on a quest that took us from Epic Roasthouse to Lark Creek Steak and beyond. We finally found our winner just up the street from the HOPR at Harris’ – a juicy, loamy slab that gave us the tenderness and the flavor we so desperately wanted (no spitting gristle into the napkin here). We also found a less expensive, dressed-down version at The Stinking Rose that was just as good, and it’s garlic roasted for some extra pizzazz.

Four best cheeseburgers
under $7:

Mo’s Gourmet Hamburgers
1322 Grant Avenue (at Green), 415-788-3779
Any truly great burger must have the proper bun-to-burger ratio, and Mo’s has it down pat: seven ounces of house-ground center cut chuck fills the crusty, soft bun. It’s broiled over volcanic rock, creating a slightly smoky patty with a caramelized exterior and a juicy interior.

Johnny Rocket’s
2201 Chestnut Street (at Scott), 415-931-6258, www.johnnyrockets.com
The Rocket burger reminds me of In-N-Out with better meat – and I mean that as a compliment. The cooked-to-order Niman Ranch patty is sandwiched between a warm griddled bun with the classic LTO (lettuce, tomato, onions), melted cheddar, and a tangy Thousand Island-style special sauce.

Bill’s Place
2315 Clement Street (at 24th), 415-221-5262, www.billsplace.qpg.com
Bill’s is that place you went with your parents and wind up taking your kids to years later. The ground-fresh-daily burgers at this Richmond institution are unpretentious, huge and drip-down-your-arm delicious.

Pearl’s Diner
708 Post Street (at Jones), 415-409-6120, www.pearlsdiner.com
This city-savvy sister of the popular Mill Valley Pearl’s Phatburgers comes from a family of beloved burger joints that started with Phyllis’ in San Rafael. The juicy diner classics are Meyer Angus and come half-pound and quarter-pound. Pearl’s is also the cheapest of our winners at $4.95. In fact, you can gussy it up with everything from sauteed onions, bacon and bleu cheese; to cheddar, Thousand Island and a hot dog (yes, on the burger) and still stay under seven bucks (heck, you can even substitute a buffalo patty).

– S. D. Reynolds