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SEE
ALSO
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The
Granada Cafe
lost an Italian Füd Trial
versus Gaspare's
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Granada
Cafe
4753 Mission
Street/Russia, SF
Map
This Restaurant
Pretrial
hearing at the bar
10/24/00
Guest
Judge Sarah
The Granada
Cafe rules!! I have said it before and I will say it again and again.
This place does not have a wine list (you can get Burgundy or White by
the glass or in a carafe), but it serves up heaping helpings of seriously
tasty Italian dishes. I had the New York Steak, and it was rosemary-y
and tender. All main courses are accompanied by homemade, lumpy, buttery
mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day. You also get a plate of
meat set down in front of you before you can unfold your napkin! Awesome!
And a choice of salad or soup of the day. I always go with the salad because
I love the trio of dressings: mayonnaise with perhaps some blue cheese,
vinegar with a touch of oil, and a VERY thick 1000 Island. Scrumptious.
The salad is cold, crispy, you guessed it, iceberg lettuce with some kidney
beans scattered about. I have eaten the Chicken Parmesan on other occasions,
and highly recommend it for those in the mood for a cheesy treat, but
the steaks are truly delicious. Would I lie to you? All this good food
is served in a humble and original vinyl booth and formica table setting.
I must end this with a tribute to the often deserted but lovely and functional
bar. It takes up 1/2 of the building, and the bartender makes a fine martini
and a stiff tall drink. Most of the employees have been with The Granada
for quite some time, and they have it down. Thanks for listening...
 Turner
Thanks to guest
judge Sarah, the Court ventured "way out" to the Excelsior
district for some old-fashioned home-style Italian-American cuisine.
And it was well worth it. Especially considering the hysterical cab
driver that Judge Vardigan and I were lucky enough to have. But I'll
let him elaborate (just below my corn dogs).
Going to the Granada
Cafe is like stepping back in time. A time when Frank and Deano were
still on top, and Louis Prima was still jumping in Vegas. If you squint
your eyes and imagine the great neon signs are still all functioning,
you're there.
It's family-style
at the Granada, and that means massive amounts of food. You start
with an antipasti plate, consisting of salami, mortadella...and something
else. Olive loaf? With your dinner (as opposed to the a la carte menu)
you get a salad or soup after that. Plenty of bread, of course. Then
comes the pasta course, in this case: spaghetti with meat sauce. The
salad was an average iceberg affair (with beans) and the pasta was
so-so in my opinion. Then comes your entree, with potatoes and veggies.
I chose the Chicken Parmesan...or Parmagiano...or however they spell
it. It was a very large, flat thing, with an ocean of mozzarella and
tomato sauce on top. Quite tasty. Veggies swimming in butter, of course,
and good lumpy mashed potatoes. By the time I finished that, on top
of the salad, pasta, bread, and several glasses of fine cheap red
wine, I was about to explode. Or, "full as a tick," as my
dad used to say. No room for the ice cream, which is included with
the meal.
All in all a good
meal, and a fine deal. Around 13 or 14 bucks for a multi-course dinner
of large proportions. Next time I'll try one of their many steak options,
which I suspect may be their specialty.
Vardigan
Quite a hike to
the Granada Cafe. Judge Turner and I took a taxi and the drive was long
enough for our driver to explain his disdain for tourists, say "fucking"
at least 348 times, run down the pros and cons of the Power Exchange
sex club, and show us the prophylactics he keeps in his wallet (for
his trips to said club).
We thanked the
man for the enlightening lecture and entered the Granada Cafe out on
Mission and Russia (that's one past Persia, to give you no idea). This
place wins for atmosphere. The New York teams were in the World Series
on the TV and the bar was filled with mostly older Italian men, some
of whom were eating ice cream, which I found delightful. Our gracious
guest judge Sarah and her husband Bobby (hailing from Detroit Rock City!)
come here all the time, because they live nearby (possibly on Saskatchewan
Street).
The dining room's
got great booths, but we didn't sit in one. There was also a separate
dining room with long tables. At one, our waitress explained, sat about
20 more older Italian regulars, while at the other sat 20 "footprinters,"
which I took to mean "not Italian and not regulars."
The food was good
but not as good as the atmosphere. I had Chicken Toscano, running 11
bucks. About half a chicken smothered in artichoke hearts and mushrooms
and a wine-based sauce. The mashed potatoes were excellent, and the
amount of food is staggering. That 11 bucks also got me bread and deli
meats prior to the meal, choice of soup or salad, and strawberry ice
cream afterwards! Mandatory ice cream after a meal -- how great is that?
 McClure
It's
on Mission Street, but it may be an area you are not familiar with.
Why would you go that far down Mission? Because you want to eat a tasty
meal and check out a different part of town, that's why. You must pop
into the bar on the way in. Nothing fancy, mind you, but full of neighborhood
charm. On our night there it was full of locals chatting it up. Don't
stop there, though, or you'll miss out on some fine Italian fare. We
had a couple guests with us, including Guest Judge Sarah. This ensured
that our table would be full of a variety of the many dinner choices
available. It started off wonderfully: when we reached our table they
already had bread and antipasto set out for us. The antipasto was the
best, for the meat lover, as it was meat only. Another nice thing about
the Granada is that the meals are complete. They include the antipasto,
soup or salad, a plate of spaghetti for the table to share, your entree,
and to finish up, a dish of ice cream. The downside is that the salad
and spaghetti were so-so -- more filler than tasty additions to the
meal. I chose the grilled pork chops which were served with creamy,
yet stiff, mashed potatoes and butter sautšed zucchini. Great sides
to go with great chops. The other choices for our group were: the London
broil, salsbury steak, chicken toscano & chicken parmesan. The price
range was $11 to $14 on these meals. Wine was extra but what's an Italian
meal without a carafe or two. I don't recall seeing any disappointed
faces. The food, atmosphere, and service were all very nice. If you
make it to the Granada Cafe I hope you enjoy it as well.
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