I've been trying out various restaurants in San Francisco, discovering the good and the bad.  Some are quite good, some are just so-so.  But I hadn't discovered a "wowza" moment as yet.  Until, that is, I went to La Folie.

La Folie is a french restaurant located in the Russian Hill/Pacific Heights area on Polk Street.  This family run restaurant shows that small businesses and simple, homey dishes can be both extravagantly delicious and financially successful.

My party of four started off with drinks at the lounge with seven others.  I only had wine, so I can't tell you whether the mixologist was as good as any other.  However, the appetizers were amazing to behold and addictively tasty.  I had to refrain from gorging on them as I knew I had dinner coming soon.

Four of us from the group of eleven split off and entered the dining area next door to the drinks lounge.  We were shepherded into the green room, which evoked a Napoleonic era establishment.  The ceiling was stunningly high, the green walls were decorated with elegant paintings, and the ambience was most certainly Parisian.

I had the four course, starting with a tempura duck egg.  Imagine a soft-boiled egg deep-fried in a tempura batter.  It was both fragile and hearty.  The serving size was just enough to whet the appetite for the remaining courses.

For the appetizers, I had the sauteed burgundy snails.  Unlike snails at probably every other snail-offering restaurant, these aren't stuffed into ceramic shells and boiled into a tasteless gummy substance stewing in garlic and butter.  The snails were unshelled and stuffed into a veal bone and covered with bone marrow gratin.  Yes, you can actually taste something that is snail-like.  And the bone marrow gratin added to the flavor to make this attractively presented dish a keeper.

Unlike many other restaurants that favor quantity over quality as a way to charge exorbitant prices, La Folie favors quality.  This actually makes the dining experience more enjoyable as one isn't likely to be shlepping back home a doggie bag full of leftovers.  I had the duck breast for the main course and it was very pleasant.  The portion, as I mentioned, was just the right size.  It was served with some sort of a corned beef, which was not mentioned on the menu.

Others in the party had the John Dory fish and the lobster.  Another had the same duck breast.  Each dish was a sight.  The presentation and the arrangements, as well as seductive aroma of each, made the dining experience unforgettable.

For dessert, I and another had the bread pudding.  One had the cheese souffle and the fourth had the chocolate fondant and a beaufort cheese plate. In between courses, we had several amuse bouches and ended the evening with this amazing set of sweet treats.

While the prix fixe courses may seem expensive, it really isn't so much more than other restaurants where a dessert here or an appetizer there adds up to practically the same amount. So in the interest of helping others decide where to go before the coming armageddon, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit La Folie at least once in your lifetime.  You'll thank me for sure.

On Van Ness in the Pacific Heights/Russian Hill area are two well known steakhouses. No, I'm not including Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on Van Ness and California. That POS chain is of little interest after having been to several around the country and consistently been served generous helpings of char.

The two in contention are the venerable House of Prime Rib and the slightly newer Harris' Restaurant.

The House of Prime Rib (HOPR) is a San Francisco landmark having been around since the 1940s (or so they say on their awning). The decor is distinctively English. The bar is a happy, inviting, familiar-feeling place that you could call home.

Just a block north is Harris' Restaurant, founded in 1984 by Ann Lee Harris (who died in 2003 in Texas).  This restaurant is related to the Harris Ranch where some of the tastiest beef is raised.  For a time, the restaurant served beef from the Harris Ranch (located on I-5 near Coalinga halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles). The restaurant no longer serve beef from Harris Ranch, as it brings in midwestern beef from Kansas and Missouri.  It's association with Harris Ranch is now only by name.

So there they are, two storied houses of full-bodied red-blooded U S of A all-American beef.  Now the big question: which to choose, which to choose?

Without skipping down to the denouement, could you guess which I chose?

Here are some immediate impressions.  HOPR has a very royal ambience.  It exudes English nobility as nothing else.  Harris' doesn't pretend to be English, but rather has a more of an old-school 'Hahvahd' feel.  Harris' bar, at least when I was there, was dark and ominous.  It could be the time of the day, but I don't think that was the issue.

I can't make a complete comparison, but I think Harris' has a more extensive and tastier list of drinks than HOPR. Again, I can't be fully sure, so if I'm wrong, I'll agree to any corrections.

Now to the main course, so to speak.  HOPR serves its famous salad bowl concoction. This lovely and tasty bit of vegetable starts off everyone's dinner. The whole production is in itself an entertaining sight to behold. The server will toss the salad, then spin the salad bowl while drizzling the dressing along with seasoning onto the salad. As a lover of salads, now that I'm transitioning to vegetarianism, I can safely say that the act and the taste of this portion of the dinner is a fantastic one.

Harris' doesn't offer the dog-and-pony show. Salads are a la carte for those who wanted one. I was not hungry enough when I was there to desire a helping of salad. Harris' does, however, offer more than just Prime Rib. HOPR is prime rib. No filet mignon, no NY steak, no chicken. They do have a fish dish for those who don't or won't take red meat (but why would you go here, unless it's a business meeting or something of the sort).

HOPR's serving also includes potato. mashed or baked whole, creamed spinach and yorkshire pudding. The two sides at Harris' may include potato and creamed spinach, but no yorkshire pudding for sure: it's not on the menu at all.

HOPR also does another song-and-dance number when presenting the cut. The servers wheel out the cart with the roast prime rib still simmering in its juices. You get your slice and the helpings and then off you go to the races.  Harris' does display the meat at the window; makes you drool everytime you walk by the restaurant. Harris', however, doesn't do the show-and-tell for the food. It comes and the server plops them on the table and that's it.

Now here is where we really separate the two. Which piece of prime rib is better? Without much more unnecessary windup, I will say for sure that Harris' beef is much tastier and tenderer than HOPR's.

Here are some problems with HOPR's meat. First, the cut was thinner than a usual thick chunk that most people like. It was slightly overdone for medium rare. And the worst part was that the best parts of the cut were excised from the serving. For me, the best part of a prime rib is around the edges, where the dark meat resides. There's some marbling and some fatty sections, which are also tasty parts. Instead, HOPR shaved off those tasty portions (probably to give to their servers for take home?) and left just the eye part, which is rather bland in most cases.

Harris' cut was, however, the whole thing, including the bone. All the tasty portions were left intact and the taste was exquisite. The creamed spinach was quite a bit better than HOPR's as well. And the scalloped potatoes from Harris' was extremely tasty, too. At HOPR, I had mashed potatoes, which is nice, but it's generally not as well prepared as scalloped potatoes.

As for the cost, Harris' was slightly more than the House of Prime Rib. But if I were to buy the King Cut at HOPR, a size comparable to the one served at Harris', the price would have been closer. Hence, no real economic difference. So all in all, the winner of this battle is clearly Harris'! But for the terminably hungry, HOPR offers one slight advantage: all the meat you can eat. As long as your plate is clean, you can get another slice with no extra charge. That would have been beneficial for me 25 years ago.

In San Francisco, there are three nightclubs to speak of.  Oh yeah, those of you who frequent places like the End-Up and Cafe Cocomo or others might quibble, but for me, there are three clubs of note.  It used to be five, but the demise of the clubs at the tops of the Hilton Union Square and the Westin St Francis reduced the number to three:  Harry Denton's Starlight (HDS) at the Sir Francis Drake, the Top Of The Mark (TOTM) at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental and the Tonga Room (TR) at the Fairmont Hotel.

These three are the last surviving hotel nightclubs with a dance presence.  What can we say about these three?  Which one would you frequent?  Will any other hotel step up and offer a danceable venue?  Let's see.

Having gone to all three recently, here's my take.  Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.  It depends on what you're looking for.  I have my preferences and that would point towards the Top Of The Mark, but you're not required to follow my prescription.  Let's go down the line of what is important and rate the three.  Let's use the sliding scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being "eh, skip it."

On matters of elegance, the TOTM is the most elegant with a strong rating of 8 out of 10.  I can't give it 10 only because the patrons no longer adhere to the elegance deserving of a 10.  If each and every one of the patrons of TOTM are dressed in black tie and tuxedos or gowns, I might bring it up to a 9 or 10.  Alas, that was 70 years ago and we don't expect it again anytime soon.

Harry Denton's Starlight, HDS, comes in a distant second at 5 out of 10.  It could be more, but the dark, dingy atmosphere does not lend itself to the black tie look.  To be sure, there are a number of well dressed men and women there.  However, the women there are dressed less elegantly and more skankily (nothing specifically wrong with that :wink:, :wink:).  The plebian Tonga Room (TR) comes in at a lagging 3 out of 10.  At the TR, you get college kids decked out in jeans and t-shirts, women in capri pants and flip-flops.  On occasions, you might get a gentleman in double-breasted jacket with a well-dressed woman by his side.  That's on a rare occasion, though.

On the dancibility front, the TOTM holds the lead with very danceable tunes, although it's very limited to the Natalie Cole style of music.  Ricardo Scales does a bang up job, as well as the other bands that headline the TOTM.  The TR and the HDS are neck and neck tied with each other with what they offer for music. The TR slightly edges out the HDS because the TR trio plays a bit longer before taking their break.  The HDS band poops out after a paltry 35 minutes or so.  All three live bands, when they take their breaks, have a decent DJ putting some danceable numbers up, although the Tonga Room's DJ music is almost inaudible.  So, 8 for TOTM, 6 each for TR and HDS.

In terms of dance floor space, the TR has the best, only because there aren't anyone there dancing.  At worst, you'll have 3 couples (6 people) there altogether.  That gives the three couples a lot of floor to do their thang.  The TOTM is second with a generous dance floor and a small number of dancers.  The dancers at the TOTM are the most sophisticated with ability and appreciation for partner dancing.  Dragging the back end is the HDS with the skanky go-go booted dancers and playaz looking to score some booty.  The HDS also has the smallest space (or maybe it's the most crowded; most likely the latter) and is so limited that partner dancing is basically impossible.  Freestyle it and have fun shaking your booty.  Yeah, the HDS's dance floor curves around the DJ booth, and the band takes up a significant portion of the floor.  Very little straight line to even do slot-type dancing.

The TOTM has a slower, more 40s to 50s style graceful, fox-trotty music.  The TR plays more recent pop, but rarely the undanceable, unlistenable hip-hop mistake birthed the world in the mid-2000s.  HDS plays a good number of R&B blues and throws in an occasional hustle beat.  During the DJ portion, that's when it goes all to hell.  Unfortunately, that moment in hell is about 30 minutes long.

How about the gustatory indulgences?  For the sweet, islandy drinks, you can't miss with the TR.  So on the scale of 1 to 10, TR rates a good 9 for island drinks.  If you prefer a straight up scotch or a whisky neat, then the TR is not as good.  For here, HDS offers a better option, but it'll cost ya.  TOTM has the greatest variety of martini drinks.  The costs for drinks are comparable among the three.

As for eating, TR again has an island theme.  All three has generous portions, with TOTM offering a more sophisticated assortment.  (Get the idea already that I prefer TOTM?)  But really, TOTM has a larger selection on the menu.  HDS's menu is limited, but very tasty; good choices in whatever you choose.

And don't forget, there's the view.  The Tonga Room scores a 1 for view, unless seeing a floating bandstand and an occasional faux rain-shower floats your boat.  TOTM has an astounding view, given that it's on top of Nob Hill and overlooks the whole city.  HDS has some good views, but the Sir Francis Drake is at the bottom of the hill in Union Square, so it doesn't have a complete view of the city.  Worse yet (or maybe better, if you're the voyeur) is the main views at HDS, aside to Union Square, are to the two neighboring hotels, the Grand Hyatt and the Westin St Francis.  TOTM scores a perfect 10 here while HDS comes in second with a solid 7.

Back to the nightlife portion of these nightclubs.  Both the Mark and the Tonga room are date places.  Go there alone and you'll sit alone, male or female.  Going alone or in a group without a date to the Starlight is not unusual.  Many men circle the waters for a possible hook-up, and many women are willing to get caught.  It used to be both the Hilton Towers and the Westin St Francis offered that atmosphere, but now, the HDS is the last of the breed.  There are probably more guys looking at the TR, and among these two, the Mark is the least welcoming for the gawkers and the gawked, not that there's any official policy against it, though.

Needless to say, the vibe at the Starlight makes the ladies there dress the most provocatively among the three.  The Mark has a more elegant look and the Tonga Room has either a businessy look or the family vacation look.  The TR brings in college aged kids, so if you rather hang around people over the age of 25, the TR probably won't work for you.

My summary for the three places is: bring your gal (or guy) to the Tonga Room for a first date.  Bring your significant other to the Mark for your first anniversary.  Bring your wing-(wo)man to Harry Denton's Starlight for a pick-up.