My last supper on my last night in San Francisco. I actually wasn't even planning to eat dinner, since we had a late lunch that day. But after my nap and refresh, I was getting hungry and ready to eat again. Besides, it was my only chance to see my friend Joel. We had met a few years ago at the Big 12 basketball tournament, and he lives in San Francisco now. My friend Reg was still in town and was staying with a friend, so we all decided to meet for dinner. Craig recommended Izzy's Steak & Chophouse, which is in the Marina District.
I wish I had more time to spend in the Marina District. There are so many cool bars, restaurants & shops in the area. I'll have to add it to my list of places to visit on my next trip.
Izzy's is another one of those institutions, a family-owned restaurant in business since 1932. There's a good sized bar on the left as soon as you walk in, and seating both upstairs and downstairs. I think there are a lot of regulars, because the staff and managers were calling guests by name. We were seated at a very cool booth towards the back of the restaurant.
I like how they have all of the sauces on the counter at each table. They have pretty much anything you could possibly need.
Sourdough bread arrived at the table first
Sourdough bread arrived at the table first
At many steakhouses, the meals are a la carte, so you have to pay extra for salads and sides. I like Izzy's, because you get 2 sides with your entree.
I had looked to see if Izzy's had any deals on restaurant.com. There were none there, but I did find one on Groupon. However, there are 2 catches: first, there is a separate menu if you use the Groupon; and second, not all of the entrees are available. The price includes soup or salad, entree, and a dessert. Depending on what entree you want, it does work out to be a good deal.
Reg got the Groupon, and we split the Caesar salad
I was quite surprised at the size of each salad, considering it was just supposed to be half. It was good, and the sourdough bread croutons were delicious.
Reg and Craig both got the marinated skirt steak. Reg got the creamed spinach and Izzy's own potatoes on the side
Before here, I'd only ever had skirt steak in tacos. This one was delicious,and gave me a whole new appreciation for this cut of meat. The marinade had tons of flavor, and kept the meat super tender. I tried a bite of the creamed spinach as well. I'm usually not a fan of creamed spinach, but it was really good.
Joel got the prime rib, and ordered his rare.
I'm pretty sure if you got close enough you would hear this mooing. And this is exactly why I don't do rare. Joel said he usually doesn't either, but decided to be adventurous. He said it was good, but he was a little too adventurous.
Ribeye is my favorite cut of meat, and they have one, but it's an 18oz bone in. I did not need that much food. I then narrowed my choices down to the thick-cut pork chop and braised lamb shank. The server said pork chop before I even finished the sentence.
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| Extra thick pork chop with apple chutney |
He was right. The pork chop was fantastic. Even though it was really thick, it was not dry at all. It had been marinated really well, which definitely helped keep it moist, and it had a lot of flavor. Izzy's Own Potatoes is one of their legendary dishes...one bite in and I understood why. It's like scalloped potatoes, but creamier and cheesier than others I've had. So good. I had ordered the broccoli, but the server came out and said they had run out. So I went with the asparagus. It was okay, but I'm pretty sure they had to cook it super fast to get my food out on time, so they weren't cooked enough. I thought about sending it back, but I decided not to.
Since Reg had gotten the Groupon, we had dessert as well. It was just the 2 of us eating it, and we went with the cheesecake
Since Reg had gotten the Groupon, we had dessert as well. It was just the 2 of us eating it, and we went with the cheesecake
It was a pretty big piece, perfect for sharing. Cheesecake is usually on the heavier side, but this one was not at all. It was so light and fluffy. I don't know how they get it that way, but it was fantastic. I almost wished I had it to myself. Almost.
This was a really great experience, and I understand why there are so many regulars. If I lived there, I would be too. The prices are much more reasonable than fancy steakhouses, the food is delicious, the servers know their stuff, and the atmosphere was really fun.
This was a really great experience, and I understand why there are so many regulars. If I lived there, I would be too. The prices are much more reasonable than fancy steakhouses, the food is delicious, the servers know their stuff, and the atmosphere was really fun.
