Broken Record review
By Catherine Lee
The Guardsman
“The Supper Saviors of the Excelsior”
The nights of forced choice between beer o’clock and a good dinner are over, as The Broken Record Bar and Restaurant in the Excelsior will resolve those evenings of divided households when some want Texas toast and some just want to toast your health.
The kitchen serves up delicious, affordable and sustainable dinners to eat-in or takeout, but there is a catch: It’s behind a pub where people (mostly men) quaff pints, play darts and pool or sit lumpy at the bar.
The two large storefront windows facing Geneva Avenue are clean and bright, and through them it’s easy to preview the wide, high-ceiling pub. But it’s quite difficult to see that there is a large dining room in the back, beyond the hanging red lamp fixtures.
Through two narrow snouts of a hallway, patrons can access the dining room after passing through the front pub.
The red and black dining room has a 20-person communal table, four brown leather booths, some bar stools and a smaller table for six. There’s also a huge patio out back with 12 picnic tables, which are deserted on cold nights but probably appealing in summer.
The large white board hanging on the candlelit wall playing movies like a drive-in theater, and excellent framed black-and-white photography, make it a great place to dig into some comfort food.
Menus change daily and seasonally so call ahead if there’s something you really want.
The prices are shockingly affordable considering that the ingredients are generally local and organic. The meat is mostly free-range and prepared by actual chefs who “plate” your dinner. And they’re nice.
For starters, a basket of chubby buttermilk chicken wings, served with dense blue cheese dressing and smoky hot sauce, could be a complete dinner for $6, and even has some celery sticks so it’s a balanced meal. Add a $4 bottle of Magners Irish Cider and all food groups should be covered for an even $10!
On a cold night the promise of warm and creamy dinner was irresistible: a bowl of mac and cheese ($6) with bacon addition ($8), or a porcelain bowl of creamy polenta with a plume of shredded Parmesan and a pool of burgundy braised.
The savory polenta was super filling. We were sad to leave some in the bowl but couldn’t manage to finish it.
The warm pear salad ($8) we ordered as the veg dish was large, but a little too drippy with dressing. So the delicate macha shriveled and even the sturdy red Belgian endive was overcome.
The “special”—a crispy shrimp sandwich with avocado, crab mayo, crystal sauce and gem lettuce served on giant soft french roll ($9)—was rich and ample. Each ingredient complemented the shrimp and perfectly toasted bread. Two people could easily split this sandwich and some half-pints of draft “Arrogant Bastard” and be deliriously happy for under $20.
At the large communal table next to us, a neighborhood group of middle-aged activists shared baskets of sweet potato fries and the signature Parmesan fries, and broke up the meeting when their pints were done.
As they left, groups of men shook themselves out of heavy jackets and into the chairs to share pitchers and dig into all the savory sandwiches ($8–9) offered on the black board.
Burgers also appeared frequently on tables. Ground in-house with bacon and served with molten cheddar on a charred brioche-like bun, they are highly rated on many burger blogs.
Also highly praised are the pulled pork sandwich and the portabello mushroom sandwich. Next visit, the fried chicken sandwich with house-made mayo is my priority.
Broken Record, the gastropub, is a great solution to a persistent problem if you want to eat something gourmet-good and sustainabe for a bargain price.
Given that it’s a pub with great food, it’s a great place for 20 people to drink whiskey and rye and discuss charcuterie with no attitude. Or skip the whiskey, drink 50-cent PBRs and add nitrite free bacon to all your dishes.
Details:
1166 Geneva Ave. (between Paris and Athens)
near the 280 Geneva/Ocean exit, and the Balboa BART
Kitchen hours: 6-11pm
Cash only