The Weekly Review
By Susan Dyer Reynolds

Live Entertainment and Wood-Fired Meats the Draw at Broadway Grill

It’s tough to find a place these days that serves grown-up food, has a line-up of live entertainment, and still manages to be family friendly. There is certainly nothing like that in San Francisco, but Burlingame’s Broadway Grill, just a short drive away, fits the bill.

The 4,100-square-foot restaurant is housed in a historic building that had been a Bank of America since 1923. The name references the theater district of New York, and it suits the interior with its grand staircase sweeping from the mezzanine to the main floor; colored stage lights suspended from the high, dramatic coffered ceilings; and My Fair Lady-like street lamps glowing above roomy, comfortable booths. A mirror ball seems surprisingly not out of place, casting colorful patterns on the walls.

Proprietor Nick Bovis also owns the legendary Lefty O’Doul’s in San Francisco. He greets customers like family; many are regulars whom he knows on a first-name basis.

Director of operations Frank Tognotti runs the front of the house, utilizing over two decades of experience, from overseeing the Windsor Casino project in Fukuoka, Japan to working as the general manager of San Francisco’s Max’s Opera Cafe. After a three-year stint for Bovis as GM of Lefty’s, he landed at the Broadway Grill.

Executive chef Cesar Vazquez spent over 15 years in Mexico cooking for notable hotels such as the Four Seasons and the Crown Plaza. He taught classes on seafood and shellfish at Claustro de Sor Juana University before opening his own restaurant, L’Enchilada. In 2006, Vazquez moved to Los Angeles where he oversaw the kitchen and menu implementation at Amaranta Cocina Mexicana, which was named one of the best new restaurants of 2008 by Los Angeles magazine. Shortly after, at the coaxing of long-time friend and associate Tognotti, he moved to the Bay Area and took over the kitchen at the Broadway Grill.

The menu includes appetizers, salads, pastas, entrees, and desserts and ranges from Italian classics like chicken parmigiana to specialties from the wood-fired grill such as steaks, ribs and fish.

We started with grilled tiger prawns ($14) and the wood-fired rack of lamb (appetizer portion, $16). Both dishes would set forth a theme for the evening — nicely cooked, quality ingredients drowning in sauces. The prawns were perfectly prepared and served with crunchy, cornmeal-crusted onion rings, but they didn’t need the sweet, spicy sauce. Likewise, the lamb was juicy and medium rare with a hint of smokiness that was overwhelmed by a port wine reduction. Portobello salad ($14) was more successful — spinach, mozzarella, red onion, and chopped bacon drizzled with a tangy, house-made Italian dressing. The best salad on the menu is a classic (and one of my all-time favorites), “the wedge” — crisp iceberg lettuce, crumbled blue cheese and chunky blue cheese dressing, and chopped bacon ($12).

It’s interesting to me that Bovis owns Lefty O’Doul’s, a hofbrau that serves hand-carved meats in their simplest form — roasted and drizzled in natural juices. You get exactly what you’re expecting, and it never disappoints (except when they’re out of rare roast beef). The Broadway Grill has a wonderful wood-fire oven that most restaurants would kill for, yet they don’t do pizzas, which taste best cooked that way. The oven also lends itself to a straightforward menu of meats, seafood and other ingredients where the flavors are allowed to shine, as is the case with the much-acclaimed Camino in Oakland. On any given night, Camino offers 8 to 10 selections, ranging from simple (wood oven-baked eggs with herbs and cream; wood-roasted local clams with pancetta and potatoes) to the more elevated (Belgian endive and black trumpet mushrooms with faro, cardoons and an egg cooked by the fire). The very premise of Camino is allowing that rustic, wood-fire oven to show off the ingredients in all their glory. The Broadway Grill could take a lesson from this confident style, where seasoning is there only to enhance the flavors; and sauces, except for the occasional cream or butter, are merely the meat’s natural juices.

They get it right with the “Double Cooked Prime Rib of the Stars” (10 ounces $21, 14 ounces $28, 18 ounces $32), which lives up to its name. Certified hand-cut Angus beef is slow roasted and then grilled, creating a charred, crisp outer coating and a smoky, robust essence akin to a barbecued rib eye steak. It’s served au jus with a sinus-clearing ramekin of creamed horseradish. Because it’s cooked twice, you can only get it medium to well done — I am a fan of medium rare myself, but the medium was still pink and the summertime smokiness from the grill is a trade-off. If you absolutely must have your prime rib rare to medium rare, Broadway Grill also offers it cooked traditionally — slow roasted without a turn on the wood-fired grill. The baked potato, wrapped old school-style in tin foil, is crowned with bacon, sour cream and a pat of butter that has been rolled in paprika, lemon, spices, and breadcrumbs. I cringed at first, but after mixing it all into the fluffy flesh of the spud, I couldn’t stop eating it. The vegetables, fresh baby carrots and haricot vert (small, slender green beans), are tossed lightly in butter and cooked the way I like them — not so little they break your teeth and not so long they turn to mush.

Other meats benefit from the wood oven as well, including a 14-ounce New York ($35) and herb-crusted rack of lamb (entrée portion, $32), but each one is sitting in a pool of superfluous sauce. Crusted blue cheese filet mignon (8 ounces $35) makes my list of the most decadent dishes I’ve eaten so far this year — wrapped in pancetta and draped with a generous slab of Stilton. It worked, with the sweet smokiness and saltiness of the cured pork belly matched by the boldness of the Stilton, and the filet still managing to be the star. My dining companion is more appreciative of rich dishes and he loved it; I could feel my heart stop and all I could think of was how much longer I would need to walk the pit bull the next day to work off what must have been 1,200 calories. The unadorned filet (8 ounces $32) was more my speed, topped with delicate fried onion rings. The crusted filet was in a port reduction and the regular in a green peppercorn sauce. Both sauces were tasty, but next time I would ask for them on the side.

Wood-fired ribs were one of the night’s best offerings, slathered in a sweet, tangy house-made barbecue sauce ($24). The meat had just enough resistance not to fall off the bone too easily (usually a sign of parboiling) but had a velvety texture. They’re served with my kind of fries — virtually greaseless in a thick “steak cut” with crisp exteriors, soft interiors and just a sprinkle of salt.

Pastas are one occasion where the sauces should stand out, and the house-made versions at the Broadway Grill are very good, from a simple pomodoro ($16) to a creamy Alfredo with wood-fired chicken ($20) to a pesto with asparagus, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan cheese ($16).

Vazquez’s knowledge of seafood is evident in well-prepared dishes including wood-fired sea scallops ($24), grilled prawns in garlic herb butter ($23), and wood-fired salmon with lemon caper sauce ($24). On one visit we tried the fish special, succulent, rich escolar ($24) in lemon butter. Escolar, also known as butterfish, contains high levels of indigestible fatty acids and alcohols called wax esters that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in some consumers. For this reason, portions should be limited to six ounces, though I am not one of those affected. Ironically, the potentially nefarious oils are the very thing that make escolar the closest, texture-wise, to Chilean sea bass, a species so over-fished it could be extinct in less than five years. American-caught Escolar is sustainable due to progressive management in the Atlantic that has reduced “by-catch” (other creatures caught in the nets).

Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m., the Broadway Grill offers Blue Plate specials including spaghetti and meatballs ($10), meatloaf ($12), fish and chips ($11), and chicken potpie ($11). We tried the chicken potpie, a delightful surprise when it arrived resembling a homemade Hot Pocket — a golden, flaky pastry filled with white meat and vegetables in a rich béchamel.

Broadway Grill also has a terrific line-up of live entertainment, including Motown Mondays and Fridays with the popular group Pure Ecstasy; the music of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald with Darlene Coleman; a tribute to Dean Martin on Wednesdays; and Jazz Brunch Sundays with Santana lead singer and eleven-time Grammy winner Tony Lindsay. I love the fact that Bovis supports musicians, and it’s an easy-on-the-wallet way for parents and their kids to spend an evening together — something we don’t find enough of in the Bay Area anymore.

The relaxed, homey feel and live entertainment combined with good food makes Broadway Grill a great destination for the whole family. It is evident from his background and the way he knows his way around the wood-fired oven that Vazquez is a talented cook — I have a feeling if they let him pull back on the sauces and focus more on letting the ingredients shine, he just might surprise them.

Broadway Grill
1400 Broadway Ave. (near El Camino Real), Burlingame, 650-343-9333

Breakfast: Monday through Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Lunch: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Breakfast menu available) Dinner: Monday through Sunday 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant or by visiting OpenTable.com

Two diamonds



View Larger Map

AMBIANCE
Warm and friendly neighborhood gem is great for couples, families, groups, or business meetings; nightly live entertainment is a big draw.

SOUND LEVEL
Even during peak hours, you can hold a conversation without screaming.

LIGHT LEVEL
Leave your Mini Maglite at home — the tiny type on the menu is still readable at night with help from the stage lights above.

NOT TO MISS DISHES
Double-cooked prime rib; grilled fish and meats (with sauces on the side); the wedge and Portobello salads; barbecued ribs; pastas.

WHAT THE DIAMONDS MEAN
Yummy ratings range from zero to four diamonds and reflect food, atmosphere and service, taking price range and style of the restaurant into consideration.

OUR REVIEW POLICY

We conduct multiple visits anonymously and pay our own tab.

E-mail: susan@yummyletter.com

Dishing with...Tyler Florence
By Susan Dyer Reynolds
Photos by John Lee

Whenever I interview “celebrity chefs,” I’m not sure who I’m going to get — the TV star or the real person. I must say that over the past several years of writing this column, I have been pleasantly surprised by how nice and how humble most of them are. Still, of all the celebrity chefs I’ve met, Tyler Florence takes the cake for the most down to earth and genuine. He has worked hard for his success, and after just a few moments of conversation, it becomes obvious that he never takes his success for granted.

Florence recently moved from his hip former bachelor digs in New York City to Mill Valley (his wife of two years, Tolan, is from Marin). He is beaming, and with good reason: He and Tolan have two beautiful children – son Hayden, 21 months old and daughter Dorothy, 6 months old. They share their 1926 Craftsman bungalow with their Boston terrier, Jake, and Florence’s 12-year-old son, Miles, visits during the summer.

A South Carolina native, Florence loves northern California and has set down some strong career roots as well. In June of 2008, he opened the Tyler Florence retail store in downtown Mill Valley, which is more drool-worthy than the best stocked Williams-Sonoma, and features everything from French copper cookware to antique chopping blocks to Marin County preserves. Florence recently turned his passion toward winemaking, and his first restaurant, Bar Florence, is scheduled to open this year in San Francisco’s old York Hotel, now the Hotel Vertigo (“We’re shooting for stars,” he says).

This past October he released two new cookbooks, Stirring the Pot and Dinner at My Place. The first is filled with Florence’s kitchen tips and sensible, appetizing recipes; the second is an intimate look into Florence’s life at home set to food. As if all that isn’t enough, he’s filming the new season of his hit Food Network show, Tyler’s Ultimate, between book tours and cooking demos.

 “I love what I do — I love doing live demos and getting people excited about food and cooking,” he says earnestly. “I am jazzed to be me for a living.”

Fun Fact: Florence’s Boston terrier, Jake, might better be described as a Boston terror — he was kicked out of Philadelphia after he ripped apart furniture and turned wicker into pretzels at a hotel. “I tipped the bellman to watch him, and when I returned to the room after a 14-hour day, it looked like Armageddon,” Florence says. He received a bill for $2,800.

Last thing you cooked for yourself?
Two eggs over easy and bacon from the Mill Valley Market — I love bacon.

Favorite food from your childhood?
Fried chicken. I make great fried chicken. I didn’t learn to cook at home — I came from busy single parents. I learned in culinary school. I started working in kitchens when I was 15. I washed dishes in a restaurant and started dating the owner’s daughter, so I moved up quickly [smiles]. I fell in love with cooking. I went to Johnson & Wales in Charleston [South Carolina] and graduated in 1994. I received an honorary doctorate in 2004.

How would you describe working in your kitchen?
At home with family and friends and wine and music, it’s relaxed. Professionally, it’s intense. When people are paying for dinner, that’s different.

Something in your fridge or freezer that would surprise people?
Homemade baby food — most store-bought baby foods are highly processed, and it’s really easy to make healthy versions at home. There are some recipes in Dinner at My Place. And a bottle of Dom because you never know.

A meal or a dish that, as a young chef, was an inspiration or a revelation?
When I was a line cook in South Carolina, I took the train to New York City and spent an entire paycheck on dinner at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant, JoJo. That was a tipping moment — I came home with empty pockets, a matchbook and ideas. A week after I graduated, I packed my meager belongings and moved to Brooklyn. I ended up working with Charlie Palmer.

Last restaurant you ate at?
The new Balboa Cafe in Mill Valley.

Your signature dish?
I don’t have a signature dish — it’s more signature styles. On TV it is giving viewers the tools to get a good dinner on the table; at the restaurant, it will exemplify who we are, and I’m really excited.

If you had to eat one thing for a week, what would it be?
Sushi; I could eat sushi every day.

How did you and your wife, Tolan, meet?
We met at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah — Tolan was working as a publicist for Rocco DiSpirito and he introduced us.

Did she know who you were?
Yes, she did.
Tolan: [laughs] No, I didn’t!
Tyler: She was hard to impress …

For more information about Tyler Florence, visit www.tylerflorence.com.

The Penny Pincher: Ono Hawaiian BBQ
5075 Main St., American Canyon (Napa)
970 Serramonte Blvd., Colma
2472 Whipple Rd. and 20493 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
13808 E. 14th St., San Leandro
1501 Sloat Blvd., San Francisco
Grand Opening: 1041 Cochrane Rd., Morgan Hill

Fab Five… Places to Eat Oysters

Dollar oyster happy hours are great, but I think where you eat oysters is just as important as the oysters themselves. Here are five of my favorite places to slurp the briny bivalves:

5. Sotto Mare
552 Green St. (between Columbus and Grant), San Francisco, 415-398-3181
  
I grew up with an Italian grandfather, so I know you can’t get any more real than Sotto Mare raw bar. Owners Gigi Fiorucci and Giovanni Toracca are longtime North Beach fixtures, and the staff is made up of family and friends — all characters — who love to parlare del più e del meno with the regulars. The long granite counter has room for 37 folks to slurp wonderfully fresh oysters, priced at $1.50 a piece.

 

4. Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St. (near California), San Francisco, 415-673-1101

My dad and I used to come up to San Francisco for father-daughter days spent at the Steinhardt Aquarium visiting the manatee (named Butterball) and then over to Ghirardelli Square to view the fabulous mermaid fountain cast in bronze by artist Ruth Asawa in 1968 (this Pisces girl has always been obsessed with mermaids). Before heading home to Sunnyvale, we always stopped at Swan Oyster Depot, which my dad said reminded him of his favorite old-school haunts in his native Rhode Island. I can remember dangling my legs off the wobbly bar stools, slurping like a champ as grown-ups marveled at how a little kid loved raw oysters on the half shell. Family owned and operated since it opened in 1912, the oysters are about $1.30 a pop and rate as some of the plumpest and freshest in town. Even during the week, there is usually a long line for one of the coveted 19 seats at this diminutive lunch counter-style spot, but it’s worth the wait.

 

3. Waterbar
399 Embarcadero (at Harrison), San Francisco, 415-284-9922

With its sweeping views of the bay and Bay Bridge, ample outdoor seating, and gorgeous interior (which includes two floor-to-ceiling glass column fish tanks displaying native species), Waterbar is one of the most spectacular restaurants in the Bay Area. Even more spectacular is the fact that they serve local oysters for a buck every day from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., quite possibly the best example of champagne taste on a beer budget you’ll ever find.

 

2. Bill the Oyster Man
1011 Lewis Circle (near 30th), Santa Cruz, 831-476-4187

The traveling bivalve bar of Bill “the Oyster Man” Callahan is legendary in the south bay. His journey began over 30 years ago, after he received a degree in oceanography from Humboldt State University and moved to Santa Cruz (where he resides until this day) to startan oyster farm, Intertidal Aquafarms, Inc. With the farm, he began developing the ever-growing Bill Oyster Cult, a dedicated group of connoisseurs who know that his oysters are topnotch. He used to be a fixture at farmers’ markets, but after dealing with some health issues, he’s a bit elusive. Fortunately you can still find him at his regular gig at CB Hannigan’s in Los Gatos on the first Sunday of every month from noon to 4 p.m., as well as at a variety of local events. On his Web site, you can sign up for e-mail alerts about upcoming appearances, and his traveling bivalve bar is also available for private parties.

 

1. Hog Island Oyster Farm
20215 Coast Hwy One (about 10 miles north of Pt. Reyes Station), Marshall, 415-663-9218 (ext. 255 to reserve a picnic table)

Hog Island is renowned for growing some of the best oysters in the entire country, and we’re lucky enough to have the farm right in our own backyard. Once you eat an oyster plucked fresh from the water in all its briny wonder, you’ll never forget it. The minerality, plumpness, and chin-dribbling goodness of Hog Island’s bounty are unparalleled. For $8 on weekends or $5 on weekdays per person ($10 for walk-ins), you get your own picnic table, shucking tools, access to a barbecue, and a shucking lesson for newcomers (oysters sold separately). Sitting in the sunshine looking out at Tomales Bay is one of life’s simplest — and greatest — pleasures. If you don’t feel like roughing it, Hog Island’s pristine San Francisco Ferry Building location (1 Ferry Plaza, 415-391-7117) is also terrific, with dollar oysters Monday and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. and glorious views of the bay from the counter and the heated deck.