Episode Eighteen: Restaurant Review: Pisces Restaurant

Pisces California Cuisine (Reviewed 12 March 2009)
3414 Judah Street,
San Francisco, CA 94122
Three and a half out of 5 stars

It’s two Saturday before finals week, and like any good pharmacy student, I procrastinated, but with a good reason. Last Saturday, for my friend Hai’s surprise birthday dinner party, we went to Pisces Restaurant, this out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere restaurant in Outer Sunset, a place not necessarily renowned for its culinary expertise. And at first glance, it doesn’t look that much of a looker. Surrounded by houses, and with the N-Judah whizzing by giving you a feeling that there’s earth-shattering earthquake every five minutes, this particular location doesn’t quite help the restaurant’s cause. And if you weren’t looking close enough, chances are you’ll miss the place because its nondescript sign was not effectively doing its job.
As I walked in to the restaurant, I got a different vibe. The restaurant was nicely decorated: elegantly simple lamps, minimalist wall decorations, and comfortable yet sturdy chairs, though my only minor complaint would be the fake fireplace that wasn’t giving out warmth. For such a small restaurant, they sure did maximize the space without sacrificing aesthetics or comfort. Unlike other small San Francisco restaurants, my elbows were not touching my neighbor’s, so that’s a plus.
For such a huge party, I would say that the service we’ve received was quite prompt. Taking all 28 orders didn’t take as long as I would’ve thought, and I guess it helped that there was prompt bread service to distract my growling stomach.
For starters, I had the clam chowder, which was not too salty, which is a good thing, though I have to say I’ve had better ones. However I must say that I scarfed it down quite quickly because of my intense hunger; the bread service wasn’t enough. I didn’t get to try the other option for starters, which was the Organic Green Salad with honey-mustard vinaigrette, but from the looks of it, it didn’t seem that I missed out on anything; the salad seemed to be swimming in the vinaigrette, which to me is a big no-no! I don’t like to eat a tub of salad dressing with a side salad.
For my main course, I usually go for things that either 1) I don’t know how to cook or 2) something that I don’t normally eat, so I went ahead with the Slow Roasted Muscovy Duck Leg. It was quite tasty, with the meat falling right off the bone. The garlic noodles gallette that came with it, on the other hand, was not to my liking. It just seemed a bit odd-tasting, and not in a good way.
I also got to try the other main dishes that my friends ordered; the “not-so-boring” salmon with asparagus and sautéed potatoes were quite scrumptious. The Braised Beef Short Ribs with spinach and mashed potatoes were well prepared. It was tender and juicy, just the way I like ‘em.
The Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée for dessert was the perfect end-of-the-meal finishing touch. It was quite light, wasn’t overly sweet, and the sugar glaze part was delectable.
A three-course prix-fixe menu + tax/tip + covering the birthday girl’s dinner only set me back $30, which I would say was reasonable, quite good-for-San-Francisco-prices even.
Surely, this section of Outer Sunset doesn’t have that aura of sophistication like the SoMa, or the hustle-and-bustle feel of the Mission, but what you get is proportionally-correct, satiation-inducing and delightfully crafted meals at reasonable prices.