Presidio Social Club, 563 Ruger Street, the Marina "EOPB"

First of all, let me begin by letting you know that Rosalie, Staff Photographer of "More is Less Mula", has torn her meniscus. Yes, I will be doing the next several posts without the kinship and expertise of our staff photographer, often referred to as the "Joel Meyerowitz" of the food blogging world.

Bear with us as Rosalie "snaps" back to her picture perfect health!



Talk about nostalgia................. entering the Lombard gate at the Presidio to have brunch at the "Presidio Social Club" is an historic experience in itself. One minute you are in the middle of the Marina and the rush of Lombard Street, then suddenly you find yourself in a lush country-like setting with groves of trees. Needless to say, this historical location is VERY San Francisco.


The "Social Club" that once served as a men's barracks, is a low, long, white wooden building that sits on a small hill just inside the gate. Diners are welcomed by a long porch where people gather to enjoy the view, while sipping on a cocktail or a "hibiscus sangria cooler" and waiting to be seated.

Just as you enter this contemporary eatery, you see the bright red drum kit that sets the tone for the underlying vibe of "PSC". 



The décor is cool and crisp, as you might imagine. The bar is long and made of white marble, sporting a fabulous array of bourbons, scotches, etc., reminiscent of what you would imagine at an officer's club back in 1954! Materials of wood, marble and stainless steel surrounded by lots of windows makes this the perfect brunch spot on a beautiful sunny day in our city by the bay.

What a gorgeous view!
The Club also has a lovely outside deck, perfect for dining "al fresco."

Of course, I started with a barely opaque mimosa and my dining partner had a delish coffee mocha, made especially, at her request. The food is served on "mess hall" plates and the tables are set with starched white napkins, sparkling glasses and the food doesn't disappoint! 
We both LOVED the "chicken arugula salad" with candied pecans & avocado vinaigrette and agreed it was "to die for"! The salads were huge, so we had no room for dessert. (I had not yet read that our fellow food critic, Michael Bauer, had proclaimed "PSC" as "serving the finest cakes in the city - a lemon chiffon meringue cake with layers of moist cake, mascarpone and a browned puff of whipped egg white on top".) OMG!!!!!!

On my next visit to "The Club", I plan to order the "jhuevos rotos" , which translates to crispy fingerling potatoes, lamb merguez, and fried eggs. I refuse to be tempted by the "brioche beignets" with brown sugar hot chocolate or the "challah French toast" with pecan butter and maple syrup. In fact, I think I'll make reservations for dinner next time and face a whole new "menu-decision-making-challenge". For purposes of brevity, I won't tease you with those fabdelish dining options in this post.

The service was great and our fab waiter was kind enough to walk slowly, so I could snap a picture of an "eggs Benedict" on brioche. Unfortunately my neighboring diner was watching her calories and decided to forgo the classic hollandaise that would typically "top" those lovely poached eggs.

Well, there you have it!

Parking is a dream because of the location and there are no MP's outside the gate anymore. So..............."at ease", relax, enjoy great food & drink, while you soak up the history of this beautiful, verdant military post on the bay!

My new wine stopper!