My awesome, fun, thoughtful, generous boss (hi, Paul!) spoiled my team and me one last time in 2011 by taking all of us to the Ritz Carlton's brand new restaurant Parallel 37 for a long lunch. Several things caught me by surprise: the quality of the food (my expectations are low for brand new openings) and a guest appearance by one of my childhood heroes, Joe Montana. JOE MONTANA!!! I needed a seat belt to contain my excitement (you can find personal anecdote at bottom*).
The restaurant - which is named for the geographic latitude running near The San Francisco Bay - opened just a few weeks ago after the historic Dining Room closed. I hadn't been to the Dining Room so I can't speak to the transformation, but the outcome is a place I'd happily return. It is a vast space marked by earthy tones and a huge central bar area. It is neither pretentious nor overly trendy; it's simply an upscale yet enjoyable environment. I'm now curious to see what this place can do at Happy Hour, dinner, and maybe even a Sunday brunch. Mom and Dad: get ready to eat Friday Lunch here soon.
As I perused the menu, my brain said "you are at a work lunch: scallops, scallops, scallops" (scallops are mature people food); while my heart battled back furiously with "burger, burger, burger!!!!!" My heart won out. I'm now inspired to follow it more often. The burger is a solid A and, I daresay, worth hiking up that big-a$$ hill in three inch heels. What sets it apart? Every ingredient is of the best quality and each played perfectly with the other: a sweet, eggy bun coupled with exceptional quality beef. Most importantly, the thick slice of cheese wasn't lost calories as is often the case in a burger. Rather, this white and tangy cheese emerged as the star of the show. While I prefer a thicker cut of French fry, I had no trouble polishing these off. My one critique is the home-made ketchup: its savory-sweet and seedy texture was simply too much for my taste buds. And, let's face it, we all know Heinz does ketchup best. As if to prove my point, I noticed the waiter "pass" JOE MONTANA a bottle of Heinz after he apparently rejected the homemade version.
My Ceaser salad starter was so large I only ate half. It is served with six large slices of garlic bread (when I start eating more salads in 2012, I could definitely pass this as an entree). The nine or so other diners with me seemed very happy with their selections; the flat iron steak and the scallops looked particularly enticing. The acoustics were such that I could hear everyone and the decor was pleasant to gaze at. While it seems nit-picky to me, I suppose it's only objective to point out that the servers placed a dish with the wrong person on multiple occasions. It's easy enough to say "nope, not mine!" but I have to say it occurred enough for me to take notice.
The average age at my table was about 30. Excepting JOE MONTANA's two daughters, we brought down the dining room age average by about fifty years. This is a refined, leisurely lunch spot. Take your in-laws, your business partners, or someone you want to have an audible conversation with.
*Granted, it only takes a D List celebrity to get me excited but Joe Montana reminds me of the Sundays I spent watching football with my Grandpa when I was a kid. And Grandpa let me eat chips and salsa (unlike my parents) ON THE RECLINER. The 49ers' resurgence has been so exciting this season; just wish my Grandpa was here to enjoy it with me.
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