Steaking a Claim

Mel Hollen's Bar & Fine Dining

A A A Comments (0) By Matthew Stafford Wednesday, May 8 2002

Anthony Pidgeon

Club Mel: The atmosphere at Mel Hollen's is clubby, smoothly masculine, and impressively decorated with sports and movie memorabilia.

Details

Cheese bread $3

Chopped tomato salad $9

Petrale sole $18.50

New York steak $28

Crème brûlée $6

Strawberries Romanoff $8

Manhattan $6

434-2900

Open for lunch weekdays and brunch weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. Bar menu served daily from 3 to 5 p.m.

Reservations accepted

Wheelchair accessible

Parking: difficult

Muni: 15, 30, 39, 45

Noise level: moderate

673 Union (at Powell)

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The best dessert on the menu was the strawberries Romanoff, a big goblet of surprisingly sweet, juicy berries combined with thick whipped cream and a hint of citrus. The cheesecake, on the other hand, was thoroughly Sara Lee, which is a fine supermarket option but isn't worth the $6.75 stipend demanded here. The white chocolate bread pudding was decidedly disappointing, like a half-loaf of Wonder bread soaked in bourbon, but the crème brûlée à la Vincent Price, despite its sinister moniker, was smooth, rich, and velvety.

Out on Union Street after our meal, I could see the spires of St. Peter and Paul across Washington Square, hear the clatter and clang of the Powell Street cable car, and smell the distant aroma of peppers and eggplant frying in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, and maybe just a hint of fresh basil. It's nice to go traveling, but it's so much nicer coming home.