Restaurant Review: Park Chow

By Peg Wallace

When the fog rolls in, there's no better place to eat than Park Chow. With its menu of comfort food, a fireplace in the corner and friendly staff, it provides all the warmth you need on a chilly San Francisco summer day.

Not to say Park Chow should be reserved for the chillier days - there's also a great wooden deck out back and a patio in front, both equipped with heat lamps.

Inside, you'll find Park Chow accommodates all types of clientele. At one table there's a group of friends, by the fireplace a couple with their baby, and at the bar several solo diners are chatting with the bartender Chris.

The first Chow opened in the Castro, and following its success Park Chow arrived on the scene. Although a scene this place is more of a haven for locals, with the occasional tourists finding their way in after checking out Ocean Beach or Golden Gate Park.

In a city that is full of celebrity chefs and hip restaurants whose employees are almost too cool to wait on you, Park Chow is a beacon in the fog.

Unpretentious, inviting and friendly, it offers excellent food at reasonable prices. I've spent many an evening there, and am always pleased how the menu is consistent, yet subtlety adjusted to reflect the seasonality of the ingredients.

On my last visit, I started with the marinated tomatoes on grilled garlic toast ($5.50). Juicy tomatoes sat atop two slaps of thick grilled bread rubbed with garlic. Often a dish like this can deliver too much garlic and everything tasted afterward is clouded by it. Not in this case. The dish woke up the palate, with just a hint of garlic that left us when the plate was cleared. In the winter, the tomatoes are replaced with a wild mushroom sauté that is every bit as good.

The steamed black mussels are also a favorite, a generous amount of mussels served in a spicy tomato, garlic and herb broth ($6.75). Make sure you ask for extra bread - the broth begs for dunking crusty bread in it. In fact, the mussels, along with one of Park Chow's salads, make an excellent meal. In the winter I always have the pear and walnut salad, however that has been replaced with a seasonal salad of spinach, stone fruit almonds and goat cheese ($5.50). The peaches in the salad were ripe and juicy, as delicious as the ones I had sampled at the farmer's market that morning.

The entrees are an eclectic mix of classics. You'll find a four-cheese and spinach lasagna ($8.75), grilled pork chops with shaved fennel, arugula, and seared spice peaches ($9.50) as well as noodles with tofu, mushrooms, Asian greens, peanuts and miso ($6.95).

The spaghetti and meatballs ($7.50) is a classic with a twist. Park Chow now makes its meatballs and hamburgers with grass-fed beef. On my last visit I ordered the Gorgonzola cheeseburger with French fries ($8.50). The grass-fed beef is less fatty and is almost delicate in flavor, yet it stood up to the strong taste of the Gorgonzola. The crispy fries were, as always, excellent. I'm looking forward to trying the meatballs on my next visit.

I also ordered the salmon, grilled and served on a bed of wilted greens. Park Chow has a way with fish. It is always cooked to perfection, moist and flavorful, never overdone.

The pot-roasted beef shortribs with red wine, bacon, mushrooms and mashed potatoes ($11.25) are a staple on the menu. At one point the dish was taken off the menu to make room for something else but there was such an outcry from customers that it was immediately put back on the menu.

The desserts also evoke the comfortable feel of the place.

The ginger cake with pumpkin ice cream and caramel sauce ($4.95) is slightly reminiscent of a New England favorite, Indian pudding, though much lighter. The warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce ($4.95) is completely decadent. The rich chocolate cake was somewhat airy, a pleasing surprise.

The beverage menu is extensive and suits all tastes.

In addition to bottled and draft beers and an excellent selection of wines by the glass, you can find a variety of fresh-squeezed juices, milk shakes, smoothies, coffee drinks, lemonades and teas.

Park Chow seats 120 people, but seems intimate no matter where you sit. In addition to the outside deck, main dining room and front patio, there's also seating for 25 upstairs in a room for private parties.

With great food at reasonable prices and a variety of seating options, Park Chow is a neighborhood gem that suits every mood and any weather.

Park Chow

1240 Ninth Ave. (at Irving Street)
Phone: (415) 665-9912
Fax: (415) 665-9914
To go orders available
Banquet rooms available
Reservations not necessary
Beer, wine and full bar served
MasterCard/Visa/American Express

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.;
Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11p.m.;
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Atmosphere: ****

Food:****

Service: ****

Overall: ****