Can the space which housed Bacar - a visible symbol of the late 1990s dot-com boom - be revived? It's certainly the hope of the new tenants - Alexander's, the Cupertino steak house that garnered a Michelin star last year. In September, the owners opened this South of Market location.
While the expansive warehouse space has much the same look, with the sleek wine wall at the entrance, exposed brick and warehouse windows, it's been rejuvenated; the look is more cohesive and finished. Acoustic tile, new carpet and tablecloths have helped to marginally muffle the once boisterous sound and make the dining experience more pleasant.
However, as I opened the menu and saw the prices, the only sound I heard was my own gasp. More than half the steaks are above $50.
I should have been prepared because at a steak house you know you're going to be paying prime money for prime meat, but this is really top dollar. In the end, it's the bells and whistles that distinguish a steak house by bringing customers in and keeping them coming back. While there was much to like about Alexander's, I'm not sure I'd give it a ringing endorsement.
Appetizers, steaks and sides have Japanese overtones, and at times this connection can seem forced. The raw fish in the hirame sashimi ($15), for example, should have been the star, but it became a supporting player to a dusting of pepper, dollops of reduced balsamic, scatterings of micro-greens, puddles of a red pepper and quarter-size rounds of mosaic-like maki. It was pretty and tasted good if you didn't mind that the delicacy of the fish was obliterated.
Presentation trumped execution in the warm chicory salad with lentils ($12) that served as a base for greens, overly generous chunks of pancetta and a runny egg yolk. I liked the contrast of cool and warm, but the flavors didn't seem to come together, something that also characterized other dishes.
Many seemed overloaded with embellishments, muting the main ingredient, such as sweetbreads ($16). They were expertly sauteed, then set atop three pools of onion puree with oxtail and red lentil ragout, accented with a translucent cracker made of dehydrated onions. While this added an interesting artistic element, it had the consistency of fruit leather and annoyingly stuck to the teeth.
More Japanese influence is seen in several raw-fish dishes, including bigeye tuna sashimi ($14) accented with citrus spheres, fennel ponzu, tarragon and olive oil powder. A few steak house staples round out the offerings, including Caesar salad ($11) and the iceberg wedge ($10), in this case dressed up with eggs, celery, bacon, blue cheese and Fuji apple.
The heart of the menu is the steak, of course, and many are enhanced with various herbs and sauces. A grilled filet mignon ($38 for 6 ounces/$44 for 10 ounces) is accented with dried green olives and a black olive hollandaise. A bone-in 24-ounce New York steak ($52) has brandied peppercorn sauce.
The 8-ounce fire-roasted tenderloin ($42) comes with kimchi butter, a Japanese spice rub and sesame salt. I wasn't expecting the half cup of chunky sauce, thick with peppers and other seasonings, that doused the meat. It masked the taste of a very nicely cooked steak. The same thing happened with the 12-ounce dry-aged prime strip steak ($55); the meat was good, but the truffle sauce poured over it had distractingly sweet elements.
I'd go back for the slab of prime rib ($37 for 14 ounces, $42 for 20 ounces). It was beautifully marbled, served with natural juices and three kinds of horseradish: one with beets, one creamed and a third with wasabi. That's really all you need.
As at most steak houses, sides are extra. The creamed spinach ($8) also had a sweet aftertaste, and Tony's potatoes ($9) were long on cheese, so you didn't really know there was anything else there. On another visit the macaroni and cauliflower gratin ($12) was brought to the table at room temperature, so we sent it back to be heated.
Alexander's does offer some unusual non-steak options, including a pan-roasted branzino ($42) and Binchotan roasted chicken ($28), one of the best chicken preparations I've seen. It's brought to the table on a fiery-hot plate with a domed cover. When the waiter removes the lid, steam from the vinegar sauce, smoothed with butter, dances around the bronzed chicken, leaving an enticing aroma of meat and pungent vinegar. Braised daikon and a leek ginger salad complete the plate and helped to create a truly exceptional dish that shows what the kitchen can do when all the elements come together.
On one visit, our waiter strongly recommended we try the duck shabu shabu ($55) because of its unusual presentation. However, it ended up illustrating how divorced chefs and owners can be from the reality of the dining room. We were at a small table that couldn't comfortably hold the hot pot, utensils and oversize plates that accompany that and other main courses. No wonder servers remove the bread plates with the appetizers.
We asked them to take away the wine bottle to free up space, and still it was difficult to reach for the wineglasses and take a sip. When the plates were removed, we could see a thick film of spattered broth and foie gras all over the glasses.
The dish itself was long on flash, short on substance. The breast was cooked sous vide style until rare, so a few swishes in the hot broth, fortified with a few slices of foie gras, heated and cooked it. It was the best part of the dish. Fat mushrooms and the thick-stemmed bok choy needed more liquid than was provided by the nearly flat-surfaced pot, so they had to be eaten nearly raw. The broth was subtle and the two dipping sauces had sweet undercurrents, so I went for the wedge of lime and a little salt.
I also wondered about the white bowl the waiter brought with the hot pot. I didn't understand the explanation, so I asked again and was told it was in case we wanted to taste the broth. However, it was impossible to pour the liquid from the dish into the cup because everything was so hot. Finally, as they were removing our plates, I asked again. The waiter explained it was a play on the Japanese tradition of serving a bowl of rice, which is held up to the mouth to capture any juices. In this case there was no rice, just a bowl taking up precious space on the table.
In other instances the service was also less than stellar. Dishes were delivered to the wrong person, and overenthusiastic busboys tried to remove glasses and plates too early. However, the staff was solicitous, with more suits coming by the table than Hillary Rodham Clinton has Secret Service agents.
After the shabu shabu, we were happy to get the table cleared for dessert, all of which sound complex. The Winter Solstice ($12) was listed as "citrus cheesecake ice cream/kumquat/Grand Marnier blueberries/yuzu curd/blood orange gelee." It was actually a bowl of ice cream with a sheet of fruit gelee draped over the top. Red Velvet ($12) did offer more distinct elements: torn pieces of cake, dollops of strawberry gelee, panna cotta, creme fraiche parfait, raspberry lemon sorbet and macaron all on one plate. Still, it wasn't very satisfying. I would have liked to try the souffle ($15), but the waiters never mentioned it beforehand and it takes a minimum of 15 minutes.
In the end, the desserts were fine, but like much of the rest of the food and the service, they didn't quite hit the mark.
448 Brannan St. (between Third and Fourth streets), San Francisco
(415) 495-1111 or alexanderssteakhouse.com
Dinner 5:30 -10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, until 9 p.m. Sunday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Valet $10 (Tuesday-Saturday).
Overall: Rating: TWO STARS
Food: Rating: TWO STARS
Service: Rating: TWO STARS
Atmosphere: Rating: THREE STARS
Prices: $$$$ (Very Expensive; most entrees more than $25)
Noise rating: Noise Rating: FOUR BELLS Can only talk in raised voices (75-80 decibels)
Rating: FOUR STARS Extraordinary Rating: THREE STARS Excellent Rating: TWO STARS Good Rating: ONE STAR Fair Noise Rating: BOMB Poor
I can't quibble about the quality of the beverage list at Alexander's. It offers exceptional spirits, along with several whisky flights, a good selection of craft beers and a 32-page wine list that combines familiar and lesser-known exceptional wines.
However, diners pay dearly; Alexander's has the highest bottle markup of just about any restaurant in the city, or at least the one's I've reviewed in the last couple of years.
While most restaurants with this type of list will mark up their wines around three times wholesale, at Alexander's the markups are often between 3 1/2 to four times wholesale prices.
Again, it seems to be the steakhouse mentality, so many people must not mind paying the price. If you're willing to, there are plenty of choices. Sommelier favorites are highlighted, and interesting information about the producers accompanies the listings. The restaurant clearly is serious about the wine service, and the bottles are well stored and properly served.
The 33 by-the-glass selections each carry a well-edited description of what you'll get. That includes the 2008 Miura Pinot Noir ($18/$72), which retails for about $30 for the bottle. On the lower end, there's the 2007 Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon ($10/$40); a bottle would cost between $12 and $13 retail. The list announces that the pours are 6 ounces, and bottles can be purchased for four times the glass price.
If you bring your own wine, corkage is $35, with a limit of two bottles.
FOUR STARS = Extraordinary; THREE STARS = Excellent; TWO STARS = Good; ONE STAR = Fair; NO STARS = Poor
$ = Inexpensive: entrees $10 and under; $$ = Moderate: $11-$17; $$$ = Expensive: $18-$24; $$$$ = Very Expensive: more than $25
ONE BELL = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); TWO BELLS = Can talk easily (65-70); THREE BELLS = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); FOUR BELLS = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
Prices are based on main courses. When entrees fall between these categories, the prices of appetizers help determine the dollar ratings. Chronicle critics make every attempt to remain anonymous. All meals are paid for by The Chronicle. Star ratings are based on a minimum of three visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit.
Reviewers: Michael Bauer (M.B.), Nicholas Boer (N.B.), Tara Duggan (T.D.), Mandy Erickson (M.E.), Amanda Gold (A.G.), Allen Matthews (A.M.), Miriam Morgan (M.M.), Carol Ness (C.N.) and Carey Sweet (C.S.)