El Raigon; 510 Union Street (Grant);(415)291-0927; www.elraigon.com;elchefjeff@msn.com Dinner nightly from 5:00 until 10:30. This is as close to Argentina as Bay Area gringos will ever get. I came here with my friend Brent, a writer who has a retentive mind, had just finished reading Carlotta Monti's biography, W.C. Fields and Me (1971). I asked him to recite some lines on W.C.Fields' view of marriage. Do you remember that "Bill" ran away from home at the age of 9, committed petty larceny, moved in with his grandma for a while in Philadelphia, drove shot-gun on a horse-drawn ice wagon, was a wheezy-toned"tramp juggler", and pool shark? He made his "fortune" in the movies, of course...who can forget his character portrayals as "Cuthbert Twittie" and "Egbert Souse"? Who didn't make fun of his bulbous proclivities.
Born in 1879 "Uncle Willie" sadly died Christmas Day, 1946 of alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. He lived by his own rules and knew that it was "disposition" and not "position" that matters: laughter was the way to live life!
W.C. Fields:
Ah yes, marriage! I believe in tying the marriage knot, as long as it's around the woman's neck.
Marriage is a two-way proposition but never let the woman know she's one of the ways.
Never trust your wife behind your back, even if she claims she only wants to wash or scratch it.
In marriage a man must give up many of his old and pleasant habits, even if it means giving up the woman he married.
Always have a woman sign a pre-nuptial agreement that if she leaves your bed and board, she takes off with as little cash as possible.
Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard for the night, she can still survive.
Marriage is easier than leprosy, because it's easier to get rid of.
An ideal start for matrimony would be to have a drunken rabbi perform a Catholic ceremony in an Episcopalian church. Then it could be declared illegal in the courts.
Back to El Raigon. This gorgeous "red meat temple" is covered in hides and gaucho memorabilia. One of three owners, Will Harris, spent 7 years in Argentina and this restaurant serves the best beef in the city: grass-fed, Piedmontese breed grown in Montano or Uruguay. All steaks are grilled estancio style over charcoal and almond wood by Chef Jeff Addington, raised in Sausalito, a prior Sushi Ran Chef. He's a happy-go-lucky, red-head who is quick with the joke, friendly. The restaurant had lost its "100 Best in Bay Area" rating but in Playboy, May, 2007, it ranks No. 6. He was elated about that!
All meals come with bread and chimchurri sauce (the steak is drizzled with it): olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs!
Here's my recommendations:
Argentian sausage. (7) Straightforward, brilliant taste.
Arugula: avocado, parmesan cheese, red wine vinaigrette. Delicate, tasty. (7)
Tapa de Ojo de Bife (Center cut rib eye): this had a nice smoky taste and was served with a side of mashed squash. 31.
Sides are seasonal and are 7. The squash was perfectly sweet and delicious but too sweet as a companion to steak. (Comment: why not start a fad and serve it as dessert?)
Bombe de Chocolate: dark chocolate mousse with mango, strawberry, raspberry sauce:To Die For should be its name! 7.
Downstairs in the VIP, the talk was of irrelevant Don Imus, and would he be back on satellite radio? Of course! Upstairs, Jeff was happy at his grill and writing down for me his favorite "Last Supper" menu on my "Spring Stroll" card:
Tapa de Ojo de Bife (Rib eye), roast potatoes, asparagus.
Cef Jeff Addigton works hard to satisfy his meat lovers (there was even a vegetarian at the table next door who frequents El Raigon). He even put his mother on a "meat and salad" diet! On the way out, I asked him: how can you tell when Pinocchio is in love? "When he has a woody?" he whispered! Close but he didn't get the cigar. What would Egbert Souse have said? I loved El Raigon, and you will too!
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