Had a great meal at the new-ish SR24, "An American Eatery". It's a block closer to the freeway than Pizzaiolo and Dona Tomas, in the little shopping center that has the Walgreens and the Pawn shop.
Of course, the name SR24 (State Road 24) is tongue-in-cheek. Instead of the high-brow, well traveled addresses of RN74 (in Burgundy) and A16 in Southern Italy, Route 24 is right next door to the restaurant, a name tied with the over-all humility of the restaurant itself.
Interestingly, it only has a Facebook page, not a regular website. The wine list is full of unusual bits too, including my starter wine, the unusual and delicious 2009 David Noyes Tocai Fiulano Pagani Vineyard-Sonoma Valley. You probably know Pagani grapes from Ridge's excellent zinfandels. I had no idea they grew Tocai! This is a bracing, crisp, thriling wine and I can't wait to get some more.
We wanted to try so many things, the waiter told us we were ordering too much food. I'm glad we did because the portions are larger than you would expect from the reasonable prices. I started with the BLT Toasts which are Acme bread toasts with home-cured bacon (yum) and heirloom tomatoes, a little smear of good Avocado, chopped baby romaine and a little green goddess dresssing. We also had the local corn soup which was silky smooth and delicious. Again, the bowl was huge, so beware of how much you order!
On to the entrees...Our waiter (who I recognized from many years of eating at Blue Plate in SF) recommended the pot roast, which was excellent. Kobe beef in a smooth sauce with some perfectly cooked fingerlings and carrots. My lovely wife had a duck breast that was a tad less rosy than I usually like, but had a great butternut squash side scented with 5-spice powder and a sweet peach gastrique.
No room for dessert. Next time. And there will be a next time, I'm sure. This is a great spot. Go early and it's a bit quieter. It got pretty loud by the time we left. Oh. If you go during Happy Hour, be sure to get the password on Facebook. You get a second beer or glass of wine at a huge discount (sometimes a penny!).
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