Home

Those four stars above are not actually representative of my most recent experience at Home, but I'm going to stick with them because I know they're better than that. I think I just ordered something boring off the menu.

I went to Home (I guess I don't need the "to," right?) for breakfast and ordered the mushroom scramble. Not a mistake per se, but just a really unexciting choice. I probably could have made it myself. At home. HA! The potatoes, however, were very thoroughly spiced. Impressive. I tried a bite of my friend's french toast and wished I had ordered it instead.

The real draw at Home is the dinners, I think. I've had the fried chicken, the mac and cheese, and the brussels sprouts in the past, and all have been delicious. The mixed drinks here are also worth trying--they're strong and creative (and tasty, forgot to add that). And I'm all for awarding points for creativity.

Without even knowing, he picked the perfect place. I really like that. I've always wanted to try Home, I ride by here almost everyday and love comfort foods. It seemed like the perfect place to meet up for dinner and drinks.

I had the Homegirl cocktail, it was hawt and just my type, vodka based. We ordered the appetizers, my selection? The mini corn dogs. Delicious. Next time, maybe pair those with the sweet potato tots. All those tempting comfort foods teasing me....

For my main course I went with the Kobe Beef Burger with Bacon and Pepper Jack. They must have switched my order at first because I ended up with a Well Done Burger. The Waitress was very nice and understood and switched it out to a Medium Rare. When ordering fine meat hamburgers, i always like it a little pinker and juicier. Why waste Kobe by going well done?

I also had some of the Steak Frites, the steak was very juicy and flavorful. If I didn't go with the burger, I would have been all over that steak. I took home half my burger and ate it the next day. It was still so good and I didn't even mind sitting at my desk on a Friday afternoon.

This was a great place for dinner. It was perfect place to enjoy a meal in good company without it being too loud, crowded and fancy for a weeknight. I loved my meal and would gladly come back again.

I highly, highly recommend coming here at least once in your life.

Everything was wonderful here. I wish I lived closer so I could come back more often.

We started off with the Mac N' Cheese as the appetizer. It was a hard decision between the Duck Spring Rolls and the Mac N' Cheese.

I went with the Mac N' Cheese. If your going for carbs go all the way with them. I told the 3 lbs I just lost Welcome Home!

I had the Meat Loaf Sandwich. It was the perfect home cooked meal in sandwich form. It had these Caramelized Onions on it that I want to put on everything now.

I chose the salad to go along with my sandwich. They mixed the dressing in the salad for you and my husbands didn't have enough dressing on it. So if you get the side salad ask for the dressing on the side.

Now to my favorite part, the drinks. Oh their drinks are amazing. My favorite was the Homegirl. Citrus Vodka, fresh lime juice, cranberry juice & triple sec shaken & served up with a champagne float.

Homegirl is my new home girl for real! We also had the Hugo's Besitos and the Homeboy. All very good but my favorite was the Homegirl. We had like 4 of them so they must have been good.

We were here for lunch and it wasn't busy at all. I made reservations online, via their web site, which was really convenient. We got there early and there was plenty of seating. Home is the perfect lunch spot.

The food was fantastic, the service was fantastic and most importantly the booze was Amazing!

I would love to come back here again and again.

Dammit, Thomas Wolfe is right. You can't go home again. However, you can go Home again, just not home. Get the difference? Do I have to draw a map? OK, gimme a pen. I'm drawing the intersection of Church and Market and marking arrows straight to Chow. After all, why go Home when you can go Chow? Hey, I'm not talking like a Chinese immigrant.

But seriously, why would anyone go to Home when the superior Chow is so close by? I'm not sure why Home fails to deliver the goods, but it just does time and again - which is why I never reviewed this standby before our last, unplanned visit. Jamie W. and I were taking the T MUNI line from AT&T Park where we were listening to Paul McCartney for free off Lefty O'Doul Bridge. By the time we heard the refrain of "Hey Jude", it was getting late, and our options were getting fewer and fewer. Home is open to midnight, so...

We weren't terribly hungry, just kinda peckish. I simply ordered the $8 Iceberg Wedge, which I'm starting to order more and more maybe because there is a retro-comfort vibe to the dish with all the bacon bits, carrot juliennes and radish slices (see photo). But it was hamstrung by what tasted like overage buttermilk ranch dressing. The sour flavor left a bad taste in my mouth. Jamie opted for dessert, the $8 Black and White Molten Chocolate Cake which came with a scoop of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (see photo). He was underwhelmed - which believe me, is very hard to do.

The one victory for the evening was a minor one, the $4 tin cup of French Fries - which was pretty good for what it was (see photo). I'm not sure if our experience would have been balanced out by their entrees, but this is where Chow really triumphs since the comfort food choices on the menu sound quite similar. I always thought the decor was nice in here though, a tad more formal than other restaurants in its price range. The young waiter was very nice though too skinny to have any credibility in stating that he had been dying to try Jamie's cake because he loves having dessert all the time. Yeah right.

FOOD - 2 stars...maybe you should go home, not Home
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...better than most in the area
SERVICE - 3 stars...like I said, a nice guy but did he mean it?
TOTAL - 2 points...a bonus point for being open late but not much more than that

We went to Home because B. wanted to eat more food so we walked over from the Randall Museum - it's a bit of a walk, but doable.

They serve brunch on Sat & Sun from 10-2.

FREE breads w/ jam & butter. Breads were sweet cake bread like banana bread w/ chocolate, etc. I loved it.

B. got a crab omelet w/ breakfast potatoes $12 (menu said $10) & side of avocado $1 extra. He asked for an egg white omelet and they made it for him. Crab meat wasn't Dungeness or imitation said the waitress, some other kind. Didn't taste any meat at all, was ok for me.

Refill of water & breads were given.

They have a bar too.

Two unisex bathrooms on the Left near the entrance.

I liked it and one day hope to try their famous mac & cheese in the evening.

Feb 14 Valentine's Day they'll have a 3-course dinner for $40 (reg. menu available too). 5p-Midnight. RSVP taken now.

They're on Twitter @Homesf

New hrs:
M-F 5p-12AM
Sat & Sun 10am-12AM

Website:
http://www.home-sf.com/

Couldn't even make the cut for 3 stars... I deliberated before deciding to plonk down the 2 stars.

So Home is certainly nothing to write home about... in fact, I probably should have *stayed* home and eaten.. yes. I always feel mean when I write candidly like this, but eating here brought out these sentiments in me!

Early bird dinner served at $13 for 3 course meal which includes a glass of red or white (merlot or chardonnay; opted for latter) between 5-6P. {sounds SOOO great on paper, don't it?! wink... i fell for it too} Cocktails are discounted to $4 from 7 and some beers are $3.

Why yes it *is* Zagat-rated, and yes, also has had some recipes published from the exec. chef, but all that is willy-nilly if my meal is tasting completely homemade (as in lay chef)!!!!

Ooh....just nothing great about it. Ceasar didn't have a tasty dressing, which I was so hoping for. The few croutons found were tasty, however, and the romaine was crisp enough. Main of ratatouille spaghetti.... what a let-down! I have made this roasted veg stew before, many times, and this veg ragout did nothing for me. Really....

Most redeeming moment of the night was the company, and perhaps the strawberry shortcake dessert. Wonderfully light whipped cream and a great biscuit which was warm, lightly buttery crunchy on the outside, and warm/moist in the center.

One member of our party didn't even like her peach cocktail. When mentioning it, they brought her a glass with like 5-7 drops of peach schnapps and told her to add it to existing drink instead of re-doing it properly.

For yet another member of party who ordered off the regular menu--chicken pot pie--she said, "Meh... it is alright."

There you have it: my 2 stars. What a shame... soo conveniently located right outside of the Muni underground K,L,M lines, and on Market. We joked that we should have hit up Chow for dindin instead (teasing us from across the street), and 2223 for dessert and drinks afterward.

Let's eat at Home tonight.

HEY EVERYBODY! OVER HERE! There's a prix fixe early bird menu that will keep you in beer money! Here is what they had for tonight's 3-course meal:

1. black bean soup
2. open face sloppy joe with fries
3. cobbler
4. A GLASS OF WINE

$13.00
======

Although we were there at 5:20 pm, and a party of 12 was seated near us on the patio, there were plenty of tables open for you guys to come in and enjoy a $13 prix fixe menu.

Oh, My Lady and I were charmed by the blazing fireplace on the patio, and the unique, individual hanging lamps that reminded us of the Blue Bayou. We had fun washing our hands in the lavatory, watching the soapy water swirl down the long trough. That was so much fun, we were sure the crew had clean hands!

We were drawn here by My Lady's desire for roast chicken, so that's what she ordered. The chicken came with grilled broccoli and mashed potatoes on the side, and at My Lady's request the "caramelizing" was left off the broccoli. I asked for a hamburger, medium rare, with the most excellent crispy shoestring fries. The catsup, mustard, and mayonnaise were served in little porcelain cups. These, with a shared large bottle of Pellegrino, were ours for $36 + tip.

Did I mention the $13 PRIX FIXE early bird menu?

5 stars for a great brunch menu on Sundays, plus mix your own bloodies for four bucks!

5 stars for happy hour, and really late hours - when most of the other places that are open are crap.

4 stars the rest of the time, still I'm rounding up.

Good food at value prices, just by trimming the portions on John Frank-quality food, with the same great interior (windows, mirrors, flowers & decorator-loos) and location.

Seriously 5 stars as brunch joint, especially out on the patio. It's where I taught the gf how to appreciate the bloodies. Especially celery salt, "muy importante!" The croissant bacon & egg sandwich is to die for and they can take omelets to the next level...good coffee and great service too.

"There's Home!"

"Umm we're in San Francisco. You don't live here."

Sitting down in the covered outside patio I stopped to ponder. If I could choose my home would I choose one that had heaters everywhere? Yes. And a huge fireplace? Yes. And people waiting on me? Hell Yes.

That's right people, I'm home.

Starting off we were treated to some very tasty sourdough bread, with perfect butter... that's right I said perfect. Not cold, not melty, just spreadable regular butter.

As an appetizer we ordered the quite good artichoke dip, which came in a sourdough bowl a la Boudin with a sourdough hat on it. A hat people!

I ordered the filling meatloaf which came with yummy potatoes and cooked carrots. The entire plate was delicious but as I'm used to homemade meatloaf, I just hate paying 15 dollars for it. Especially since the portion was about fist sized.

I'd come back, but it wouldn't be a regular of mine for the price.

Oh and a very interesting observation, the horseradish sauce on the pot roast mixed with the sugared yams from the mussels can create a very unpleasant taste, so be aware not to mix them ;)

I'd been to Home with large groups several times over the years, but Saturday before last felt like the first time because it was just my kid and me so we were able to have a more personal experience.

Chris was our server, and he made us feel welcome right away. I never had to wave him (or anyone) over for anything...everything was timed just so.

We shared a Caesar salad and the steak frites. It was a simple, down-to-earth, satisfying meal washed down with strong, tasty cocktails (root beer for my second-grader!).

During the ensuing week, I found myself yearning to go back. In particular, I couldn't stop thinking about the super-fresh and perfectly-dressed Caesar salad.

So, this past Saturday, we returned. We coincidentally ended up in Chris's section again; he surprised me by not only remembering us, but by remembering what we had ordered a full week prior.

There was one minor glitch during our meal but I didn't bother mentioning it; however, Chris noticed on his own even in the hustle and bustle of busy Saturday evening service and comped our dessert of banana bread pudding.

Home and Chris now have our loyalty...we can't wait to return!

*insert corny restaurant name pun here*