Finding delicious treasures is fun. Especially ones in the middle of tall, dusty warehouses. Slow Club sits on the edge of the Mission and SOMA, far from the hustle and bustle of the taquerias and fruit markets. Across the street from grimy MUNI buses and carved inside of a cold slab of stone, you can find a dark cave that holds a bunch of treasure, namely lots of loud, hip folks sharing some pretty good comfort food.
Check out the inside, with those beams chilling right in the middle. The industrial look is alive and well here at Slow Club, and although it may be a bit sterile, it works. The stone keeps the noise in, so the volume keeps cranking up as more and more people get their chow on. It’s a stone cave, with little lighting, but the lighting gives the place that underground feel. I can’t even imagine how dark it must be after sunset. One interesting observation: most of the dudes had facial hair (I was one of them), so if you have a Y chromosome, grow some fuzz before you chow down. Good service, very helpful, but with an attitude. The server noticed and then proceeded to fix our wobbly table, which I very very much appreciated. Pretty impressive.
I love them pizzas, so when I saw the grilled flatbread with montasio, white anchovies, and heirloom spinach, I couldn’t help myself. Good thing I didn’t hold back from ordering or I would have been a sorry man. The flatbread was crisp and flaky, with just enough chewiness. The montasio was creamy and the perfect canvas for its toppings. The anchovies added just the right amount of salt and the spinach evened the flavor out. Sometimes I just can’t understand why those ninja turtles never liked anchovies. The appetizer was a great start and the sheer size meant I could have stopped there, but I didn’t!
If I’m ordering pizza, I might as well order the other American favorite, the burger. Slow Club doesn’t even try to give it a fancy name, but instead loads it up with fancy ingredients like balsamic onions, Prather Ranch dry-aged ground beef, aioli, and gorgonzola. Damn, what a tasty burger. The meat was cooked perfectly juicy and the fries were some of the best ever. Even though it just had some parsley on it, they were fried just right. Sorry Pearl’s, but this burger has you beat. Too bad you have to cough up a little more dough to get it. Might be one of the best I have ever tasted. No joke.
I also tried the fresh egg pappardelle. The braised short ribs were sinfully smooth and melted in your mouth, but the sauce was lacking; just didn’t quite have the oomph that I was expecting.. The currents gave it a bit of a tart and sweet kick, but I couldn’t figure out what it was missing. The pappardelle itself was amazing; you could tell that the noodles were hand-prepared with some love.
Be prepared to wait because they don’t take reservations. The place is as trendy as ever and people come in droves for the food. The menu changes according to season and the chef’s whim. Would I recommend it? Definite yep. But you better have the swagger or look the part (probably be under 40 also), otherwise you might feel a bit out of place. And damn, you can actually watch the chef make the food. Amazing. Being able to serve 40 people with a kitchen like that takes some serious skill. Slow Club should be one of your after-work hangouts if you live or work anywhere nearby. Something about that stone cave in the middle of nowhere.
Slow Club
2501 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
415-241-9390
Check it. Even the workers on break are hip.
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