Alfred’s is an old school SF steakhouse (the oldest in San Francisco - established 1928) located in an alley next to the Hilton hotel in the Financial District across from Portsmouth Square. It was sold to chef Daniel Patterson’s (Coi, Plum, etc.) group back in 2015, and recently sold back to the previous owners in December of last year. Patterson is still an investor.
It has a classic steakhouse vibe with dim lighting, white tablecloths, comfortable booths, and red colored walls.
I had been a few times to Alfred’s before chef Patterson took over, but somehow never made it back during the Patterson era. I’ve been to Alfred’s twice in its latest incarnation - once shortly after it re-opened and once this week. When it reopened in December, it had steak in a multi course menu with a range of prices averaging in the low $50’s. Prices varied based on the cut of steak. Included with the steak price was an appetizer, a choice of starter, two sides, and a sauce. Dessert was extra. Sounded like a pretty good deal. This is what I had back in December:
December Menu
I remember seeing chimichurri as a sauce option on the menu when I first went to Alfred’s - looks like that’s gone.
Bread
Basically sourdough bread crusts with some butter.
Martini
A stiff gin martini. They leave the shaker with a little more martini in it - milkshake style. Minus points for coming with olives when I asked for a twist.
Appetizer
Some salami, cheese (brie and parmigiano reggiano) , some nuts, and olives.
Caesar Salad
I chose the Caesar salad as my appetizer. This was only ok. The vinaigrette could have been more emulsified and creamy and/or eggy. Had good anchovy flavor but was a bit too acidic.
Alfred’s Steak
An 18 oz bone-in NY strip steak, aged 28 days. This was good. Rare as ordered, with a nice seared crust from the mesquite grill. Good flavor, tender, not super marbled though. For my sides I had the creamed spinach and french fries. Fries were shoestring and fine. Creamed spinach was also fine but could have used some salt, which I added. I liked both sides, but maybe they could have been a little bit bigger. For my sauce I chose the béarnaise, which was good. Basically a herby hollandaise. It was beginning to break a little at the top.
There was a lemon cheesecake and a bread pudding available for dessert with an extra $9 but I was too full to partake.
I went back to Alfred’s this week.
Menu
Interestingly, it looks like they’ve actually lowered the prices a bit. There is also now an a la carte option for most items in addition to the full dinners from before. A la carte omits the starter (salumi, cheese, etc. plate) and appetizer, and you get one side rather than two. It’s a bit less than the full dinner option.
This time I had the a la carte 14oz ribeye and chose the creamed spinach as my side.
Bread
Sourdough bread crusts again. I wonder what they do with the rest of the bread.
14oz Ribeye
I chose creamed spinach as my side. This steak was actually better than I remember the Alfred’s steak I had back in December. I generally like ribeye more than NY strip so that probably has something to do with it. Quite tender, flavorful, and juicy with again a nice crust from the charcoal grill. I ordered it rare but it came out a little closer to medium rare. Still, this was a very good steak.
The creamed spinach wasn’t as good as before - lacking a bit in the cream department. The horseradish sauce was nicely sharp and sinus clearing. I preferred it to the béarnaise.
An 18% service charge is added to the bill and shared with the front and the back of the house. I believe this is a holdover from the Patterson era. Alfred’s serves some good steak dinners for fairly reasonable prices. Their sides and the one salad I tried weren’t quite as good as the main event though.
