As I mentioned in my two-star review of the House of Prime Rib, there is another contender for best prime rib in the city a mere block and a half north, on Van Ness. Unlike the House of Prime Rib, Harris’ Restaurantis a house of steak, more broadly, and you can find everything from filet mignon ($83 for a 12 oz. steak) to Japanese A5 Wagyu ($289 for 13 oz.) on the menu. Our steak Diane ($69) was woefully overcooked, but the bone-in ribeye ($87) and the prime rib ($83 for 22 oz., on the bone) were excellent. I’d go so far as to say that I preferred the beef at Harris’, although the overall experience — and, all things considered, value — of House of Prime Rib cannot be matched. Still, Harris’ ambience has considerable charms. The dining room, with its soaring ceilings, dark wood and potted palms, was designed by former owner Ann Lee Harris, a Hollywood actress best known for her work in “Boots Malone,” a 1952 William Holden vehicle about jockeys. Production stills of her in Western attire grace the walls.
Harris’ Restaurant. 2100 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. harrisrestaurant.com
When I think of spaghetti al limone, I picture a tangle of pasta in a glossy, emulsified sauce bright with lemon zest and juice. The lemon spaghetti at Bosco ($22) is something else altogether. While there is lemon in the dough of the homemade pasta, it’s subtle, and had our server not tipped me off I likely wouldn’t have noticed it, so cloaked is the spaghetti in a remarkable sauce of confited yellow tomatoes. Leaves of purple basil pop against the buttery-acidic-sweet sauce, marigold in hue, and the whole pile is finished with a dusting of Parmesan. Cesar has his favorite spaghetti pomodoro; this might be mine.
Bosco. 888 Brannan St., San Francisco. boscosf.com
Tomato season lingers on, and a great way to fulfill your summer quota is with the heirloom tomato and shishito pepper bánh mì at 3 Bottled Fish ($14), Paulette Tran’s pint-sized Vietnamese café in Fruitvale. Juicy as hell on a proper baguette, the tomatoes shine against the lightly charred peppers, cilantro and đồ chua…