The House Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Since 1993, The House San Francisco has been cooking up top notch Asian fusion cuisine in San Francisco’s North Beach. Using local ingredients and blending American foods with Asian accents is their strong suit. Their mastery of sauces is evident in many dishes. The House flies under many foodie radars, but is one of our Favorite restaurants. Our last visit was in March 2013.

The Larry Tse Chef Owner and wife run The House and ensure a high level of consistency. We have been visiting this restaurant for years and can fondly remember their now closed 2nd location, near Golden Gate Park on 9th Avenue.

Decor, Vibe – The House is a small, cramped, noisy 40 seat restaurant, not exactly very comfortable or romantic. Wood wall paneling, black and wide pictures on the walls, pretty basic wooden tables and chairs. Mostly small parties in their 30′s and 40′s dining who already knew about this place. A smattering of lucky tourists.

The House Food Picks:

Steamed mussels with garlic infused shrimp broth ($11) comes with a bunch of mussels in a tasty broth. We have to order rice to sop up all the delicious broth. Occasionally they have steamed clams as a special.

Deep Fried Salmon Roll ($9) with Chinese hot mustard is a signature appetizer.  Crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside.  Excellent miso soy wasabi dipping sauce. The salad has a little kick to it. The crust could be a little more delicate. This is priced extremely well.

Ahi Tuna Tartare with roasted nori chips ($10) has 5 thick slices of fresh fish, topped off with some nice accents.

Korean BBQ Ribs ($16) was a special on one visit. A bit on the expensive side for the 3 ribs.  Tender meat on a bet of slaw. This was the weakest of the appetizers.

Daily Special: Seared dayboat scallops ($11) with micro greens and ponzu sauce had 3 perfectly carmelized scallops and very light mango citrus sauce.

Daily Special: Miso Cod ($25) while not as good and well-rounded as the Sea Bass, this rich, fatty fish is still cooked perfectly in a ginger soy sauce and includes some Chinese yuk choy veggies or beans.

Grilled Sea Bass ($26) with garlic ginger soy, green beans, and noodles is a signature dish. They cook the fish perfectly. Beans and noodle are perfect to round out this reference dish. They instruct you to carefully dip each piece in the sauce, no dunking this sauce all over the fish. This dish is a must order.

Kurobuta pork chop ($24) with pomegranate currant sauce, asparagus, and mashed potatoes is also a signature dish. Cooked to a perfect juicy level of doneness, the sweet and zesty sauce is a perfect accent to the decent sized, tender, bone in  cut. Best pork chop in San Francisco.
This could easily cost $10 plus more elsewhere.

Bittersweet chocolate truffle cake ($8.50) with coffee ice cream. How can you make a bad fudge cake? Good stuff.

Apple Crumb Pie ala mode ($8.50) is a popular dessert. Freshly made, served warm, beautiful crisp crust.

OK:

Sesame soy glazed salmon ($18) in a bonito sake broth with seaweed was a good dish, but the sea bass is way better. This is drowned a little bit by the broth.

Mango Tapioca ($6) was average. With entrees and appetizers so strong, this could use a tune-up. Too creamy.

Pans:
None

The House’s service was good but not stellar. Their weakest area has been and continues to be dessert, you can skip it and get dessert in Chinatown or North Beach. Be sure to make a reservation a couple weeks in advance, as it is a tiny place with few tables. It is impressive that they can perform all this magic, and maintain consistency with such a small kitchen.

The House is an excellent value. You will definitely pay more to get this caliber of food elsewhere. If you are looking to save money, visit them during lunch time.  Keep in mind that The House is not a place for a long romantic dinner.  The food comes fast and few people linger. Short wine list with glasses of wine from $7.

North Beach spots of note include decent Italian Restaurant – Ideale Restaurant

Nearby recommended Chinatown restaurants City View for dim sum lunch, R&G Lounge.

$25 Dining Certificate for $5

The House Overall Rating: (Excellent 3)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Excellent)
Service Rating:	(Good)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Good)
Value Rating:	(Excellent)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Beer, Wine
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	Mon-Sat 1130am-230pm, Sun-Th 530-10pm, Fri-Sat 530-11pm
Parking:	Street (Hard)
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$12 - $26