I've lived in the Nob Hill/Russian Hill neighborhood for several years and never knew that there's a steakhouse right on California Street, between Taylor and Jones. I must have walked by it many, many times and never realized its existence. The restaurant is hidden on the ground floor of the Gramercy Towers, a chi-chi high end condominium complex at the top of Nob Hill. One evening, while walking home, I passed by the front gate of the Towers and noticed a menu posting. I looked at it and realized that there's a restaurant, the Osso Steakhouse within the premises of the Towers. Looking into the driveway, I espied the restaurant facing the front parking area. Well, well, I thought, I should try this to see what's it got.
That was several months ago, and tonight, I thought I'd give it a shot. Osso Steakhouse has a very elegant art deco theme. I like art deco and so the decor appealed to me. That, pretty much, was the extent of what appealed to me with this restaurant. After being seated, I pretty much got the gist of what I wanted to order: a glass of zin, caesar salad, filet mignon and two sides, portobello mushrooms and creamed spinach. But, there I sat. And sat. And sat. Finally, about 15 minutes after my arrival, someone bothered to come by to get my order.
The bread came in, a large half-boule sourdough. Standard fare, nothing to write home (or here) about. My zin came. Ok, that's one other item that appealed to me. The zinfandel was quite tasty.
The salad came quite quickly, which I wouldn't expect otherwise. That was all right. No anchovies and a bit too heavy on the dressing. After finishing the salad, I then sat. And sat. And sat. It was probably another fifteen minutes before the entree was served. Hey, all I ordered was a medium rare filet mignon. How long does that take to cook?
The filet mignon was more medium than medium rare. That's not good, as filet mignons should be eaten as close to rare as possible. The portobello mushroom was too salty and the creamed spinach was not.
But it's not the meal that makes or breaks a restaurant. It's the service. It's often the service. Here's the problem with Osso: when I need the server to come by, like for taking my order, no one comes by. When I don't need the server to come by, like when I'm putting a piece of food into my mouth, the server comes by and asks how's everything. "Mmm-gharrghs. Thank you," I reply.
Time to pay? Where is everyone?? And it wasn't just me. A party across the aisle also had to deal with long waiting time, complaining to their server about the tardiness. They did get free desserts. Maybe I should have complained as well, but I was too full.
Osso steakhouse has great potential: wonderful ambiance, exquisite location, sharp looking servers in tuxedos, and a fairly mouth-watering menu. But the servers seem jaded and have no interest in offering top service. I passed by this location many times before noticing it. I recommend that you too pass by this location as well.
That was several months ago, and tonight, I thought I'd give it a shot. Osso Steakhouse has a very elegant art deco theme. I like art deco and so the decor appealed to me. That, pretty much, was the extent of what appealed to me with this restaurant. After being seated, I pretty much got the gist of what I wanted to order: a glass of zin, caesar salad, filet mignon and two sides, portobello mushrooms and creamed spinach. But, there I sat. And sat. And sat. Finally, about 15 minutes after my arrival, someone bothered to come by to get my order.
The bread came in, a large half-boule sourdough. Standard fare, nothing to write home (or here) about. My zin came. Ok, that's one other item that appealed to me. The zinfandel was quite tasty.
The salad came quite quickly, which I wouldn't expect otherwise. That was all right. No anchovies and a bit too heavy on the dressing. After finishing the salad, I then sat. And sat. And sat. It was probably another fifteen minutes before the entree was served. Hey, all I ordered was a medium rare filet mignon. How long does that take to cook?
The filet mignon was more medium than medium rare. That's not good, as filet mignons should be eaten as close to rare as possible. The portobello mushroom was too salty and the creamed spinach was not.
But it's not the meal that makes or breaks a restaurant. It's the service. It's often the service. Here's the problem with Osso: when I need the server to come by, like for taking my order, no one comes by. When I don't need the server to come by, like when I'm putting a piece of food into my mouth, the server comes by and asks how's everything. "Mmm-gharrghs. Thank you," I reply.
Time to pay? Where is everyone?? And it wasn't just me. A party across the aisle also had to deal with long waiting time, complaining to their server about the tardiness. They did get free desserts. Maybe I should have complained as well, but I was too full.
Osso steakhouse has great potential: wonderful ambiance, exquisite location, sharp looking servers in tuxedos, and a fairly mouth-watering menu. But the servers seem jaded and have no interest in offering top service. I passed by this location many times before noticing it. I recommend that you too pass by this location as well.
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