Outerlands

Reviews 4

SA

Samantha Berg

While I enjoyed my visit to Outerlands, it didnt quite live up to the hype. I came in recently for dinner with a couple of girlfriends. We were seated at a little table towards the back of the bar, perfect for the three of us. Our service was mostly good - we had one of the bartenders serving us and he was mostly attentive. We ordered a bunch of things to share. House bread - 3 stars. My friends had raved about the bread, one even bought some to go, and while I thought it was tasty, I wasnt blown away. Hot apple ginger cider - 4 stars. A tasty, warm, and boozy drink perfect for cooler SF nights. I wanted more cider flavor but overall this was a special treat. Burrata - 4 stars. Served with walnuts, brown butter, chives, and nori flakes. The burrata wasnt the creamiest Ive ever had, though it had good elasticity. I didnt taste the chives and I only got nori on certain bites, but the brown butter and walnuts were plentiful. Dungeness crab salad - 3 stars. With black garlic bisque, grapefruit segments, and soft herbs. On arrival the black garlic bisque looked dark and heavy, but it ended up tasting lighter than expected and it was served cold, quite refreshing. The crab meat was all shreds, which made it hard for the flavors to stand up to the other ingredients. I found the grapefruit quickly overwhelmed the crab, as did the garlic sauce, despite being quite light. Asparagus - 4 stars. With a duck egg, bacon, currants, banyuls, and sherry. This dish was quite rich for being mostly veggies. The egg was nicely done with some yolk to spread around the plate and the asparagus was nicely blanched so it was tender yet crunchy. I liked the sweet tartness from the currants, but I wanted more bacon and less "stuff", what I think was cabbage of some sort. Short rib fritters - 5 stars. The absolutely best dish of the night. Served with pickled jalapeños, pepita hoisin, consommé, and mint. Each fritter was super crispy and full of Asian-flavored goodness inside. The fritters were hearty, savory, and slightly spicy. The crunchy sprouts added some pop in texture, the mint brought brightness to the dish, and the acid of the pickled jalapeños added a depth of flavor to the heaviness of the meat. I would definitely order this again. Overall, Im glad I came, but Im not running back. I found the food overpriced for what it is and its not exactly a spot in my neighborhood. I have heard their brunch is good so if friends invited me, Id probably try it.

AL

Alan Burk

My wife and I were given this place as a recommendation during our trip to San Francisco last week. It was our second trip out to the Bay Area and we had already gotten all of the tourist-y stuff out of the way on that last trip. This one was more to experience the great food that this city has to offer. We had some tasty meals up to this point, so the bar was set pretty high when we got off of the N-Judah at 46th. It was no small feat getting to this place from the Union Square area, either, but what followed made us forget all about that trek. With our hopes set high and our bellies empty, we stepped into Outerlands. First off, the decor is unlike anything I had ever seen - ship lathe uniquely lined the walls and all of the furniture, lighting, and bar fell into the same design aesthetic. It was cozy, but modern. We were greeted with a smile by the staff and were promptly seated and then our server greeted us and took our orders. My wife had the latte and I had the house coffee to start - both were superb. Next, the food. This was the make-or-break, but I felt that if the coffees that we were served were any indication of the quality of the food, then we were in for a treat and boy, was I right. My wife ordered the avocado toast and added bacon (were from Texas, after all). I had the granola with yogurt and the donut of the day. Listen, I could go into an even breathier explanation of our culinary experience at this fine establishment, but Ill make it short and sweet. In the 4 days that were were in San Francisco, this was probably one of the best, if not THE best meal we had on our trip. Everything was classic and simple, but very well thought out. Imagination is the key and while other places will dazzle you with plating (their plating was beautiful, by the way), the food will either leave you underwhelmed or - as is the case at a lot of restaurants in San Fran - overwhelmed. If you are like me, then balance is everything and Outerlands fits that bill perfectly. My eyes were happy when the food came and then my mouth was happy. Our empty bellies were well fed! If youre considering a visit to this place, then stop now. No need to think any longer. Go. Just go. You will not be sorry. Oh, and do have the donut.

VI

Victoria P.

Get here early or be prepared to wait! My friends and I went on a whim and waited for almost 2 hours. We were starving by the time we got to our table, which probably had an effect of how we tasted our food. I ordered the chicory sandwich, which came with salsa verde, bacon, fried eggs and a side salad. I found the salad to be salty, which was weird but not unpleasant. The open-faced sandwich was really delicious and I highly recommend that. I got to try the rice porridge with pork belly and that too was very yummy! The rice reminded me of what my mom used to make, and the pork belly was very soft. The one thing that threw me off was the Dutch pancake. It said on the menu that it would take the longest, yet it was the first thing on our table, lukewarm. Not sure if they made a few beforehand.. but I would rather wait for it to be piping hot instead of getting it right away cold. The décor is your standard hipster fair of wooden benches and lampshades. The hostess and staff are friendly and patient. So, the big question is would I eat here again. And thats a maybe. I devoured my meal, but it was because I was hungry. Ill need to make the trek earlier to finalize my decision. Otherwise, 4 stars for now.

ME

Melissa Watson

Hmmm... Im torn. I wanted to go here for such a long time and I was so excited and thoroughly enjoyed it when I did. However... might not quite live up to the hype. Totally worth doing once but I like other brunches just as much that are just a bit easier. Ive read old reviews about getting on the list being a pain and they made you wait right there but its easy and electronic now. They send you an SMS and you have 15 minutes to get back there. If youre late you hold your spot but you might need to wait until the next table is ready. Not so bad then, is it? I waited a few minutes for my husband to join me after parking, we settled on getting coffee at the very nearby Trouble Coffee Company, sipped our cappuccinos (cappuccini?) and chatted a bit and then decided to walk down the block to the beach. We took about two steps and my phone buzzed. The one to two hour wait I had been quoted was only 40/45 minutes. The food was delicious and we of course opted to take home a loaf of bread. Im really glad we went and I might go back for dinner (for which they take reservation) sometime but for all the anticipation it didnt blow my mind as much as it should have. Sorry, most indecisive review ever!