fog city diner and que syrah

do you have a friend that you dine with whom you always end up spending a fortune on one evening's meal? that person for me is danna.

we always seem to end up with a bill of $80 - 100. now i'm not complaining. danna is great company and we both now how to appreciate good food. but damn, girl! my wallet is thinning at the temples. (she remarked the same to me.)

i like fog city diner. it's got that classy, old school feel. everytime i'm in there i feel i should be hanging my bowler hat and cane umbrella on the brass hook before sliding into the tight, dark wood booths. service is always friendly and attentive. food is tasty and well done.

i've been to fog city diner 3 times now. i will say this last time, while good, was a bit overloaded on the salt factor. everything was a bit too salty. but we still had a grand time.

whole clam and roasted sweet corn chowder. lightly creamy, good clam flavor, lots of fresh roasted corn sliced off the cob. 9.95

oysters "jackpot" baked with dungeness crab, pancetta and cheddar. smallish, but good. i rarely eat baked oysters, preferring raw, but this was a tasty combo. the mixed greens bed was oversalted though. 12.95

veal parmagiana with angel hair pasta and wild mushroom sauce. veal wasn't as tender as it should've been and the sauce was overly salty. disappointing. it could've been amazing. 19.95

marinated hanger steak with wild mushrooms and sweet corn ragout. we subbed the "amazing" truffle fries with asiago for the mashed potatoes. o. m. g. we made the waitress take the plate of leftover fries away at the end. we couldn't stop eating them. 19.95

we made room, nay, forced room, for dessert. apple crumble with vanilla bean ice cream. great together, although the apples were a little tart by themselves. it wasn't as tender as it should've been either. 8.00

we headed to a wine bar in west portal afterwards called que syrah. cute little place, dark and somewhat cozy, but they could improve the environment a little more. it felt a little unfinished and imparted a more homey vs sophisticated feel. not many wines by the glass. more geared towards bottle selection.

i did a flight of pinot noirs. 16. i liked the 2nd glass the best, a 2005 russian river valley. the others were too thin or too big.

i'd go again but there are other wine bars with more bang for the "experience."

thanks danna for a fun friday nite!