>Tuesday Lunch Club @ Jack Falstaff

>This week and next, Pellegrino is sponsoring USA DineOut in a few cities across the country, including here in San Francisco — featuring three course prix fixe lunches for $20 and dinners for $35 and benefitting Share Our Strength. And, at the same time, my team at work has instituted a Tuesday Lunch Club since half of us work in the City and the other half down on the Peninsula. Today’s destination — Jack Falstaff.

Tough to get a res here for dinner, this plan was weeks in the making — the anticipation only heightened by the fact that they never posted their menu in advance!

And upfront — I have to give them credit for not copping out and serving chicken — the cheapest of all cheap restaurant meals. The DineOut menu included:

Summer greens with a dijon vinaigrette and cherry tomatoes OR Roasted Mediterranean vegetable soup

Ahi, salmon & halibut brochettes w/
mashed potatoes and a vegetable melange
OR
Pork scallopini w/ green beans & asparagus

Fresh berry cornmeal shortcake

w/ vanilla ice cream

Although they have two killer sounding hamburger options on the regular menu – one served knife & fork style and stuffed with wild mushrooms – I opted for the salad and pork scallopini. The salad was simple, but fresh, well dressed without making the greens limp. The pork medallions were served a top a mix of green beans — standard and Romano.

But the standout of the meal (which was definitely leisurely paced) was the berry shortcake. No ordinary shortcake, this one featured fat, juicy blackberries, blueberries and strawberries with vanilla ice cream laced with vanilla bean flecks.

My cohorts, to whom I’ve recently revealed I write this blog!, will have to weigh in on their own selections — including the Dakota burger (the basic model), the James burger (the knife & fork number), and the Nicoise salad. I can see why this place can be such a tough res to get.

Next week’s selection? Town Hall. Also on the Dine Out plan — it’s got a lot to live up to.

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