The San Francisco Chronicle: Day 3

Today was another day where there was little to report in the world of food. This is because we once again ate lunch at the hotel, which I refuse to report on, and then packed a lunch. Therefore, our only true meal came at dinner at a restaurant called Park Chow.

Dinner:

Our experience at park chow was much different from all of our other experiences because we decided to eat our meal with the entire J-term, greatly constricting our ability and freedom to choose from the overwhelming menu at Park Chow. Our dinner began with appetizers, the best of which was fried calamari that was thankfully much better then my previous calamari on this trip. It was not rubbery and had all the tentacles a boy could dream of. Next came the salad portion, which was mediocre at best. It lacked sufficient dressing to compliment the assortment of local fresh greens, however this is a case where in a smaller party it would have been possible to solve this problem very quickly. Next came a 

flank steak with the best French fries I have had all trip. The steak was not cooked to my specifications, however this was not the fault of the restaurant because our party was once again so large. Also, there was a wait between the salad course and main course that I would normally complain largely about, however this would be inconsiderate considering that we cannot truly experience a restaurant’s ambiance in a group of over 30. Finally came the dessert that I considered simply the most outstanding part of the meal, a huckleberry and pear cobbler topped with home made whipped-cream. This warm cobbler combined with the fresh fruit made an impressive impression at the end of my meal, which left me begging for more. The only piece of criticism was that I would have loved to have a scoop or two of ice cream to go with my cobbler to combine the warm and cold tastes. Unfortunately for all the top chief fans, really only one dish that fit specifications for appearance, the cobbler. The most unique piece of this restaurant was its obvious attention to local ingredients and their willingness to become as green as possible. Furthermore, it had a retractable roof in the upstairs that allowed diners to view the stars during their meal, completed with a series of heaters to ensure the greatest of comfort for the customers. This restaurant seemed to leave nothing to chance in regards to helping the customers be comfortable except in one spot. There were two bisexual bathrooms opposed to the normal method of a men’s room and a ladies room with many stalls. 

This allowed for only two toilets in the entire facility and zero urinals. While this is not the most important part of a meal, I consider it an integral piece of my experience when eating.

My greatest concern is that I could not truly appreciate this restaurant because of the overwhelming size of our party limited our ability to choose in meals and scrutinize the wait staff. This fact makes it extremely hard to compare in the normal list with other restaurants. I liked most of the food I tried, however it did not quite measure up to the quality and atmosphere provided by the market. 

1. Osakaya

2. Farmers Market

3. Park Chow

4. Cucina Toscana

5. Starbucks in Indiana

6. My left shoe

7. Wipe Out Bar and Grill