At the new Public House, which took the space of Acme Chophouse at AT&T Park, I'm not sure whether I'm walking into a bar, a Best Buy or a Budweiser distribution center. Twenty-two flat screen TVs tuned to sports flash as brightly as Time Square with kaleidoscopic intensity.
The partition separating the two bars from the kitchen and dining room is inset with a huge TV screen surrounded by 76 kegs of beer. While there are both bar seats and regular dining tables, in reality the entire 108-seat dining room is a massive sports bar. That doesn't include the 60-seat Mijita, a branch of the Ferry Building spot, which was also carved out of the Acme Chophouse space (see sidebar).
For eight years Acme had struggled to find its niche as a steak house, but earlier this year chef-owner Traci Des Jardins decided on a new track. She's created an uber bar that serves up equal amounts of sports and food, accompanied by the shouts, claps and hoots of sports fans fueled by a serious wash of alcohol.
If you go on a game night it's like walking through a BART station at 5:30 p.m.; on nights when the Giants are away it's way more mellow, yet it gives fans another opportunity to wear their black and orange hats and windbreakers and to settle down to a hot dog, beer and watch hockey, soccer, basketball or baseball - they're all playing simultaneously on the screens. Conversations can still get animated, pierced by seemingly random shouts and bursts of applause, depending on the game being followed.
Sports food with twist
As for the food, Traci Des Jardins does an admirable job of reinventing sports-friendly food, particularly the hot dog. The 4505 Golden ($8.50) puts anything in the ballpark to shame, but you do pay a premium. The flavor of the meat really shines, served on a nicely toasted bun.
Then there's a Fatted Calf duck sausage ($9.50), Boccalone Italian sausage with peppers and onions ($9.50) and 4505 bratwurst ($9.50). You can also get a chili dog ($10), but I'd save the chili for a bowl ($7). It's some of the best around: thick enough to be scooped up with a fork and loaded with beans, meat and a sauce fronted with cumin.
It's good, honest fare, but don't expect a coursed-out meal even if you order salads and main dishes, which might include a nightly special of cioppino, because everything will probably arrive at once. The restaurant does feature a nightly special; on Wednesday, for example, it's cassoulet and on Friday it's a fresh market fish. Problem is that often the waiter forgets to tell you about them.
Start with a drink
So here's the best plan: Order alcohol; otherwise you might not be in the right mood for what's unfolding around you. Then decide on a dish or two at a time, as the mood strikes. That strategy changes if you go on game day. The waiters, who are generally efficient and know the menu and beverage list, are so slammed you may have only one shot to shout your order.
This is serious snack food, familiar but well prepared. One of the top selections is Buffalo wings ($7.50); the Public House version is smoked but appropriately spicy with just enough sauce to make them gooey. They're served with a chunky blue cheese dressing and requisite celery sticks.
Lamb sliders (three for $9) are the thing to order if you're in a burger mood; the thick patty with caramelized onions are sandwiched between a soft bun; each one affords three great bites. The regular hamburger ($13) is stacked too high with tomato, cheese, avocado sauce and bacon; it's so wet and loaded down that it's hard to pick up and eat.
For me the best sandwiches are either the grilled cheese ($9), where the butter-soaked toasted bread is filled with Gruyere and caramelized onions; or Thom's Cheesesteak ($12), named after longtime Acme chef Thom Fox, who spearheaded the Public House menu but left about two weeks ago. The sandwich is his legacy. Philly fans might clutch their stomachs in dismay at his version, but after a recent trip to Philadelphia I can say that Thom's version, while different, competes well.
The beef, according to our waiter, who said it was a must-order item, is massaged in coffee and marinated, then sliced thin and doused with white cheddar, onions and loads of red and yellow peppers and served on a Panorama sourdough bun.
Good fish and chips
Public House is also a pretty good place to get fish and chips ($12), fingers of battered fish with a thick tartar sauce and fries that would be better if they didn't quickly go limp. And for lighter fare, the restaurant does a good version of the iceberg wedge ($7) with creamy blue cheese dressing and bacon.
While the onion rings ($5) are a side worth ordering - they're thin and crisply battered - I'd avoid the German potato salad ($4). The cubes were waxy and hard, the pancetta like little rock pellets. The coleslaw ($3) is also a letdown and doesn't have much tang beyond what you'd get from raw cabbage.
