Dixie Restaurant Bar & Lounge

Really bad customer service. Bad isn’t even a strong enough word. HORRIBLE customer service is a better description.
I’ve been to Dixie twice and each time I’ve actually eaten there, it’s been great. BUT, two months ago I made a reservation for a group of 18 adults and five children for April 12, 2014 (today) at 11am. I spoke with Dean, the co-​owner, by phone and even exchanged several emails with him. A week and a half ago I called to confirm the reservation. Last week, my friend called to see if there was a kids menu.
All seemed fine.
Then, I get a phone call at 10:45am this morning from one of the people in my brunch reservation. DIXIE IS CLOSED.
My reaction: WHAT!!!
What’s even crazier is that when you call the restaurant the voicemail still sounds as if the restaurant is open and provides driving directions. The website is still operating. And the Facebook page has posts as recent as April 1.
I learned later that even the employees there didn’t know the last day the restaurant opened was on Sunday, April 6. Employees had showed up to work on Monday, April 7, to learn the restaurant had closed.
Talk about THE WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE. A decent restaurant would try to contact the people who have made reservations to let them know of the situation. Especially large parties like ours. No, not this restaurant. They don’t even have the decency to let their employees know.
Luckily the Presidio Golf Café was able to host our 20+ party at 11:30.
See also:

I stopped in for lunch on a visit to San Francisco with my parents. What a delight!
Nestled in the old Presidio Army base, Dixie has a nice, open dining room with plenty of natural light. Pleasant music piped in. For lunch I had the fried chicken — great! Crispy outside and tender and flavorful inside. Really delicious. The crab omelet was good too.
Outstanding and very attentive service. Excellent wine list. There were a number of groups of mothers with smaller children that were a little noisy, but the staff did all that they could to try and make everyone happy.
Highly recommended.

A co-​worker and I went to Dixie today, since they were having a deal for employees of the Letterman Digital Arts Center through the month of January. We had been there about a year ago, and had a terrible experience, so we were giving it another try, since the menu has changed.
The deal we had was «Buy one entrée, get one entrée free.» We were also told that from the time our order was taken, our food and check would be delivered to us within 45 minutes (enough time, if you had an hour lunch break).
There was no wait when we walked in and the restaurant was full, but not packed. Within a few minutes of sitting down, our server came and greeted us and promptly took our order. Very to the point, which we appreciated.
We ordered the deviled eggs starter ($ 7), the blackened chicken sandwich ($ 12), the fried chicken large plate ($ 18), and a diet coke. The deviled eggs were tasty with fresh shaved horseradish on top. The chicken sandwich was a large size and came with BBQ chips, but was not super flavorful. The fried chicken was moist with crispy, seasoned skin. It was served with grits and veggies. We split the dishes and ended up taking home most of the sandwich, since we were full.
Overall, the food and portions have gotten a lot better in the past year. I think $ 17 WITH the deal was reasonable, considering we got an appetizer, but if we had to pay $ 25 a person, it would’ve been not worth it for lunch. They did, however, bring our food and our check in 30 minutes.

Too bad their previous chef, Joseph Humphrey, resigned, so they no longer offer a lot of the dishes reviewed and pictured such as the chicken fried quail and roasted garlic waffles.
We had a Bloomspot coupon that allowed a prix fixe tasting menu for two that we redeemed in October 2013. We ordered:
– Hushpuppies: different than before when we tried it at Off the Grid with the previous chef. It was better before.
– Deviled eggs: nothing special here
– Brussels sprouts: they chopped and diced the brussels and sauteed it. I prefer brussels roasted or fried whole…
– Wagyu Steak: too rare for me and also didn’t have much flavor. It needed some more gravy or A1 sauce.
– Fried chicken: Moist and tender inside, plus the batter was nice and crispy! I would have preferred that they serve the mashed potato on the side, because it made the crispy batter on the bottom pretty soggy, which was unfortunate. All in all, it’s not a bad deal at $ 16 for good fried chicken when other places like Maverick are charging in the mid twenties.
– Pumpkin bread pudding: THE BEST part of the meal! This was so original and creative with huckleberries, a crunchy rice cracker, and hazelnut ice cream on top; I don’t normally like bread pudding because it’s too soggy, but I’d never tasted anything like this before. Too bad it was seasonal.
I might go back for the fried chicken and check out what seasonal desserts they have in store, but the rest of the dishes were a pass for me.

Still an excellent restaurant for southern food. Last night’s menu didn’t have my two favorites fried quail and uni grits. Not sure if they are seasonal but I guess it’s not a bad thing so I can try out different items. I had the fried chicken but it’s nowhere near as good as the fried quail. I will have to call ahead next time just to make sure they are serving the fried quail.
Wait staff Jessica and others were extremely friendly and provide great service.

The food here was alright. I went here twice for lunch and the first time I was here I got the po’ boy of the day, which was shrimp and oysters in a sandwich. I was kind of surprised that the po’ boy did not come in the right type of bread (New Orleans style baguette) and instead came on a ciabatta roll. This wasn’t a huge deal, but I kind of find it odd. Anyway, the sandwich itself was a bit weird with oysters in it. The texture was really mushy in a bad way and I felt kind of disgusted while I was eating the sandwich. Luckily they were saved by the surprisingly good bbq chips that come on the side. They were sweet, salty, and tangy.
Second time I came here I got a brussel sprouts salad with bacon and poached eggs, which was mostly better than my first experience. I think overall the salad was a bit too rich, but it was pretty decent. The brussels sprouts were nice and not bitter and the bacon was nice and crispy. I only wish there was something to lighten the flavor a bit.
Overall an okay experience. The space is really cool and has plenty of views of the park outside, and the interior design is rustic yet modern. However, the food and the service can be hit and miss. The first time we were here the service was really slow (40 minutes for food) and I disliked my sandwich, but the second time it was better.

Went here for after playing Hide ‘N Seek with:
The Adult Hide ‘N Seek League of San Francisco Bay Area
(search on Meetup; they play right in the park on Saturdays a couple times a month)
I had drinks and a duck wing appy, while some members of my group had the burger and something shimpy with grits. The duck wings were very good, but a little small. That was to be expected for a high end place though. Cooked well, and excellent presentation. I only wish they added some veggies to go with.
The Mint Julep that was spectacular. It came in a traditional copper mug with that soft ice; the kind you can chew on. It had plenty of mint flavor and was well worth the $ 10. I appreciate a place that takes pride in crafting their cocktails.
The patio is huge, and so is the restaurant. Very upscale and prestigious. I felt pretty under dressed in a T-​shirt and jeans but there were other people dressed down as well and the staff were really friendly and didn’t seem fazed.
What I loved most is the owner came and checked in with our table personally. He even asked us what we thought of the beers on tap and for us to vote for which beer he should put on tap next. Hawk Eye was the consensus I think. Lastly I was pleased that despite having 6 in our group we were not charged any extra fees and they happily split our bill for us.
Will be back!

Everything at Dixie has great promise.
…and, everything at Dixie falls a little flat.
We got the 5 course tasting menu and were quite excited at the prospect of down home southern food done with the elegance of upscale white tablecloth dining. Though we did get just what we wanted, it was not… what we wanted.
Canapes. These should be fun, bursting with flavor and personality and decadent. They are not.
Deviled Eggs were slightly dry and boasting no other flavor than yolk and mayonnaise. Pickled Beets; these were good and great as a palette cleanser. Hushpuppies. I am not going to lie. These are WHY I came to this restaurant. I adore a great hushpuppie, and will still devour the mediocre. This was in the middle. These lacked that signature corn flavor, and really any other sort of flavor. The saving grace is the honey that comes with.
Smoked Cod Fritters. YUCK. This was the only thing inedible to me, and that is SAYING something. I will say that Brown Eyes really liked his though, so it’s a matter of taste in this case for sure.
Spring Garlic Soup with Crispy Smoked Oysters and Sweet Pea Salad. This sounded disjointed, and hey, it was. While enjoyable, the flavors were lacking here too, the fresh peas were a treat and the crispy oysters were the saving grace.
Acorn Grits with Soft Poached Egg, Duck Skin Crackling and Sea Urchin Butter. This came with an explanation over the preparation of the grits. Apparently, it take s 12 HOURS for the Chef to make this humble dish, and I am dumbfounded as to why, as I challenge any and all to tell me where the acorn flavor is. Were my Mom to come out with a bowl of Malt-​O-​Meal, as she did when I was little, I would have thought them the same. The Urchin butter is decidedly fishy and the ONLY source of seasoning for this dish. It was right around here that we noticed a running theme here. No seasoning. Dishes that could have sang of their quality and freshness and origin just sat there like a dejected teenager on a Friday night with their parents instead.
Chicken & Dumplings. This was the best dish so far, dumplings had flavor and texture and the chicken, though without seasoning as well; juicy and nice.
Then, there was the Grass Fed Beef with a bone marrow sauce and here, HERE is where we saw the brilliance of this place, flavor! Finesse! Taste! Here is was. All waiting in the last dish.
Dessert is usually easily everyone’s favorite, but this too, though very enjoyable lacked a bit of something. When you Say Bananas Foster Soufflé, you conjure New Orleans itself and a feel and a taste and this just wasn’t it.
The décor is an echo of the food, nice but — no soul.
Our wines were excellent, our servers were extremely knowledgeable and attentive. The location, though a little confusing to find — was beautiful and serene. I just don’t know about the future of this place though with these funky hiccoughs.

Located in the Presidio, Dixie boasts a lovely view and would totally be a great spot for afternoon lunch/​cocktails (if San Francisco were ever really sunny).
I came here for cocktails with friends last Saturday early afternoon/​evening. There is more than ample space to comfortably socialize and imbibe tasty cocktails. When I see the copper cups, I always choose a Moscow mule. They’re so simple, but when served with crushed ice — it adds a little somethin’. They do have featured cocktails — only they weren’t advertised or offered. Another Unilocaler had posted a pic of a Strawberry-​jalapeño purée margarita with smoked salt that I REALLY wanted to try — only the bartender said no-​can-​do. Boo!
I didn’t try any of the food this go ’round — sorry guys!

Time.
It’s something that you can’t get back once its wasted.
I was prepared to fully enjoy and walk out of here happy since I studied the menu online beforehand and was excited to try «elevated Southern food». But, I can’t recommend this restaurant at all after our bad experience.
Isolated incident? maybe a bad night? short staffed?
Whatever the case, I’m NOT coming back.
I made a reservation for 8:30pm seating and was informed by the hostess that they’re running a few minutes behind.
Sure, I can live with that.
10 mins, 15 mins, 20 mins pass by. No word from the hostess and my Negroni cocktail is gone. I look at the bar and three other couples who were here before us are STILL here.
We finally got seated 45 minutes AFTER our reservation!
* WHAT?! *
If I knew they were running that late, I would’ve stayed at Burritt Room and ordered another cocktail.
If I knew they were running that late, we would’ve taken our time driving to Dixie instead of rushing.
I really hate it when others waste my time.
I wish the food was so stellar and the service so exceptional that I’d be willing to overlook the fact that they wasted my time.
We shared an appetizer of grilled shrimp glazed with sugar cane syrup. One dimensional and overpriced at $ 15!
The grass fed beef were presented as chunks on the plate but was poorly executed. The outsides were charred nicely but the meat overall was tough even though it was cooked as I requested. (Medium rare) I did like the cheesy grits. While the chicken and dumpling entrée was uninspired and bland, the dessert was flavorful and spot on. In fact, despite the TINY portion of the banana foster soufflé, this was actually the BEST dish of the night.
The service … what service?!! We barely saw our waiter except when we ordered and when we got the check.
The prices definitely reflect the lovely ambiance, but I find the dishes we had were more misses than hits and conclude that it’s not worth the money.
I’m still pissed about getting charged $ 5 to park here. We are in the Presidio, at night, on the WEEKEND, where basically nobody goes. GET RID OF THE $ 5 PARKING CHARGE! (yes, I know it’s only $ 5, but it’s the principle!)
To top it off, the parking machine ate our money and short changed us. We’re still waiting for the «refund check» from the parking company to be sent in the mail and this dinner was almost a month ago.
You really don’t want to come here.
But if you do, I hope your experience is much, MUCH better than mine.

This place is fancy. This place is a secret spot. Justin, our bartender took great care of some friends and me. We found this place while photo walking through the Presidio. There really isn’t a whole lot around Lucasfilm. We had already eaten at a neighborhood pub so we opted to get drinks here. Lorrayne and Mike ordered old fashioned’s, I ended up getting a green tea.
They even brought me fresh honey for my tea. I wasn’t in the mood for more drinks so this was definitely a great way to end a nice day.
If I’m craving Southern food and I happen to be in the area, I’ll have to try it.

I had a travelzoo for their 5 course tasting with 3 wine pairings. For $ 89 for 2 people, that’s a steal! But it kind of ends there. The food was a little lackluster, but the service was great! All servers and wait staff were super friendly and brought eveything in a timely manner. Props to our busser who made us a nice cup if coffee! Much appreciated end to our meal.
The good:
The wine pairings. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the sherry pairing, they were generous pours. I really enjoyed the first brut pairing. And that pour was the biggest of them all! :)
The ok:
Canapes. We got about 4 different canapes. The pickled okra was super salty, but I enjoyed the deviled egg. Since I started with the okra, the deviled egg ended up having a nice savoriness to it. Otherwise, it might have been overly salty. The variety in canapes was super generous as well.
The beef though tough, had a nice sauce and flavor. But you have to remember, this is grass fed beef, so it’s not going to be super tender. I’m a filet girl myself, so the chewiness was a little off putting. They did cook it med rare to rare, so it was perfect in terms of cooking temp!
The bad:
Pork belly. Super tough! Reminds me of a time where I tried cooking pork and overcooked it making it a chewy piece of leather. This pork belly reminded me of that. Though not quite as bad, the pork belly lacked the fatiness to keep it moist and tender.
If I didn’t have a travelzoo deal, I would have probably given this place 2 stars, but given the price of the deal and amount of food and alcohol you get, Dixie is A-​OK!

Had a fantastic meal here last night! Service was great, there was always someone there for exactly what we needed (greet us, take our coats, fill the water, etc) at just the right time. It was a kind of slow Monday night, but I will appreciate spot-​on service no matter what.
I would dub the overall vibe here as. high class southern comfort.
Total bill incl tax/​tip = ~$ 160 for the five of us (1 cocktail, 2 starters, 3 entrees, 1 dessert).
MUST-​HAVES: Cod beignets, Chicken fried quail, roast duck.
DON’T ORDER: Heritage pork.
* complimentary crackers & lucky lentils — 4.5 stars
pic:
Best free starter ever. The crackers had a lot of grains. They were densely packed the way pita chips are, so they aren’t super dry & crispy like normal crackers. The lentils were cooked just right — soft but not starchy — & had a light flavor.
* ginger cocktail — 4 stars
pic:
I just told the server I like light refreshing drinks, especially those w/​ginger, & the bartender whipped this up! It was great, light on the alcohol flavor, intense on the ginger, tart w/​a kick & a hint of sweetness.
* deviled eggs, chicken liver, horseradish ($ 7) — 3.5 stars
pic:
Nice, but not super impressed. I found the filling to be a little too heavy. But the chicken liver on top was great, very crispy.
* smoked cod beignets ($ 6) — 4 stars
pic:
cross-​section:
A heavenly texture! This was crazy soft, & I don’t know how they got the outer part of the beignets to be so perfectly even & thin. The cod was so soft that it blended in just about perfectly. The sauce was mustard-​like & added the right amount of kick.
* chicken fried quail ($ 15) — 4.5 stars
pic:
(sourdough waffle, spicy cabbage salad, buttermilk)
Absolutely delicious. The breading was thick & had a really great crunch to it. The meat was intensely tender & soft. Everything went very well together.
* chicken & dumplings, the DIXIE version ($ 25) — 3.5 stars
pic:
Kind of a disappointment. The chicken was a little on the dry side (but the gravy helped), the veggies plain, & the dumplings (though nice w/​greens mixed in) weren’t too much to speak of.
* roast duck, turnips, toasted mustard greens, risotto… dirty rice style ($ 26) — 4.5 stars
pic:
risotto:
Another hit at our table! The duck was really well flavored & moist. The risotto had a wonderfully herby buttery flavor — delicious!
* heritage pork ($ 24) — 3 stars
pic:
red beans:
(loin, boudin noir, & belly, red beans, butternut squash, cauliflower)
Least popular dish. While the belly was pretty good, the other pieces of pork were really dry & flavorless. The cauliflower sat in a little bit of sauce that also had zero flavor. The butternut squash was lightly sauteed & soft, but not too memorable. This was actually the only dish recommended by our server!
The saving grace was the red beans, which were really well flavored & had these toasted bread crumbs on top that gave it a wonderful crunchy texture. If it were the red beans alone, I’d give them 4.5 stars!
* salted caramel pecan pie, malted vanilla ice cream ($ 7) — 4 stars
pic:
The crust was wonderfully buttery, flaky. The sweetness was pretty intense, but I actually didn’t taste the salt. The ice cream = very creamy & rich, nice!
* chocolate olive oil cake, dark chocolate & bourbon mousse, crème fraîche sherbet ($ 9) — 4 stars
pic:
The cake — a little dry, but a good semisweet flavor. The mousse — CRAZY intense in flavor, I thought it was espresso flavored actually. The ‘sherbet’ was really nice, light & tart. The mousse had a little chocolate cracker that was salted. Every component complimented each other very well, but only eaten all together.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Dixie but I was not impressed with my experience, especially for the cost. I purchased a voucher through Gilt City for a five course tasting menu with three wine pairings at the chef’s table for two, so I already received a discount.
Dixie was easy to find and parking was not an issue. Walking in, I was awe-​struck with Dixie’s inviting, open dining area. As I was guided into the kitchen for my meal, I was excited and ready to experience southern food. Girlfriend and I got front row seats to the kitchen where all the action happens and the opportunity to talk to the chefs.
Service was excellent and the pacing was perfect but I expected something more from the food and the experience. The kitchen was awkwardly quiet, making me feel like I was an intruder in the kitchen. But that alone would not deter me from enjoying dinner.
First up appetizer plate, which included deviled eggs, sliced country ham, hush puppies and picked okra. This was a good start to the meal — bite-​sized and packed with flavor. Next was a unique take on bread service, which was black beans and crackers. This was followed by sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke) panna cotta topped with toasted brussel sprouts. Next was my favorite of the night, the acorn grits with oysters and sea urchin butter. The chicken fried quail then grass fed beef were the meats for the night. And dessert was a banana soufflé with milk chocolate ice cream.
For the wine pairings, we received a brut rose for the first two courses, a sherry for the acorn grits and fried quail, and a syrah for the last beef course. I enjoyed the syrah the most and learned that sherry is not for me. Dixie has great dishes utilizing local ingredients, but it wasn’t amazing or worthy of the hefty price tag.
What I recommend:
– hush puppies
– acorn grits

The Short and Sweet Review:
The location is gorgeous. The ambiance is lovely. The service was great. The food was of a quality I expect for the price. Props for great plating. I felt that the portions were a tad small given the price (if you don’t have a guiltcity deal). If I was in the area, I would go here again. Would I go out of my way to dine here? Probably not. Overall, it’s a solid pick for date nights.

An optimist only sees the good in things. The pessimist only sees the bad. The realist has a balanced perception of both.
I am a realist. My take on Dixie? It is good. Damned good.
Optimist:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Deviled Eggs with Chicken Liver and Fresh Grated Horseradish, the Fried Quail with sourdough savory waffle, and the Rabbit wrapped in bacon with fingerling potatoes. How wonderful it is that Dixie celebrates California with our state bird (Quail) paired with a sourdough waffle, (Sourdough) San Francisco’s gem! They should make that their signature dish. The wine list offers great options for many combinations of courses that any wine lover will appreciate.
Pessimist:
The parking shouldn’t be $ 5 if you self park. Seriously. Why do we have to pay for parking? Don’t they use this lot for the surrounding offices during the day? They should re-​negotiate their lease to include validated parking. I spied the list of businesses in that building. A recognized the names lot of venture capitalists and heavy hitters.. . they can afford to pay parking — why should we?
Realist:
Dixie’s chef shows off his culinary prowess by offering Southern food with French style refinement. I love seeing game on a menu. When it is done well, I am loyal. The rabbit and the quail were both perfect along with the bottle of Barolo I picked. The playful crème fraîche sorbet with the Olive oil chocolate cake and chocolate mousse left me craving more. I smartly paired it with Framboise Lambic (they even happened to have my favorite brand). I want it again just thinking about it! Every dish shows a discipline and fondness everyone on the line in the kitchen have toward food.
The story:
When I dress to dine for date night, I make sure I either bring a bottle of wine from my cellar or have my options pared down for which bottle to buy there. Dixie has a gorgeous wine room with a beautiful door. You have to check it out. I am considering remodeling my cellar to mimick theirs.
We were late. An hour late. I rang three times to change the reservation because of horrific traffic on 19^th Avenue. Elizabeth was so kind to me on the phone. I really appreciate that. John, our server, was outstanding! I ordered in my weird way and told him we only had an hour. He made sure all of our courses came out with respect to the time. He complimented my wine choice for the entrees we chose. He made sure we drained that bottle of wine by minding our wine glasses. I really love interacting with people who are knowledgeable about wine without the snob factor. It’s the little pleasantries like this that I enjoy.
I hate writing reviews describing food with adjectives that make me seem like a «wanna be food critic» because I am not. I have particular taste for just reason. I have experience. I am not a pretentious foodie — I just love good food. I love wine because I understand wine. I am also an experienced spirits drinker.
Without snobby pretense — these 5 stars come from my heart. A simple girl who grew up poor, went to school, and developed refined taste from solid real world and classroom experience. I love Dixie because it marries both the simple and the complex with heart. It isn’t just fancy food on a plate. Read everyone else’s reviews and you will get a sense of that subtle nuance in their writing.
Dixie offers flawlessly professional, warm, and friendly service that leaves you to focus on enjoying their love for food.
Five well deserved stars for perfection all the way around! I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant to everyone I know.
Thank you to my dear friend and fellow Unilocaler Cherylynn for her great review and enthusiastic recommendation that brought me to this memorable restaurant.
PS: I went back for lunch a few days after my dinner here. I enjoyed yet another 5 star experience! I plan to go again. This is easily my favorite restaurant for 2012!

This is one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had. We did the tasting menu. $ 72 for 5 course and a few extras. The few extras turned into another 5 courses or so. At one point of the meal, they brought us into the kitchen to meet the chef and for some treats. It was the highlight of the meal. It made the meal into an experience.
All the courses comes out as a surprise because the menu is basically just a list of ingredients. They do ask if you have any allergies or dislikes before they start. I thought that was a nice touch. Many places refuse to accommodate preferences when it comes to tasting menus.
The food was californian with a southern twist. See my pictures for details of each course. Everything was great but the stand outs were the quail, grits and lamb.
As for drinks, we had the watermelon margarita (Dixie Triple S) and the strawberry mint julep. If you don’t like salty, sweet and spicy, do not get the watermelon margarita but if you do like salty, sweet and spicy, this is a must. The strawberry mint julep was typical.
Our server Keith was very friendly, patient and attentive. He was always there when we needed him. We never had to ask for anything and we never felt rushed.
The meal took 2.5 hours but we had so much fun it felt more like an hour.
We were told that the menu changes with the season. I wish it changes more often. I will be back as soon as it changes.

My friend reserved a booth in the lounge at Dixie’s to celebrate her birthday. What a great spot to gather a large group of people! The drinks are solid and the southern bites don’t disappoint. The restaurant is only a few months old and located in a pristine part of the Presidio.
Round 1. Pimm’s Cup ($ 5 happy hour): Happy hour runs from 4−6pm. You definitely want to take advantage of the HH prices if you can. It tasted like a spiked iced tea. A nice starter drink.
Round 2. Strawberry Mint Julep (see photo): The infamous mint julep. I didn’t know how to drink it! Do i hack away at the protruding snow cone? Do i let it melt into the cocktail? I have no patience and just drank away, leaving the chunk of ice just as it arrived. It was too sweet for me so i was probably supposed to wait for it to melt… woops.
Round 3. The Derby Cooler: Bourbon, rum, orange, lemon, and grenadine. I saw grenadine and thought — «adult shirley temple»? Eh. sort of. It’s way tastier than a shirley temple ;)
Round 4. Manhattan — half bourbon, half rye: Just can’t go wrong with a sturdy Manhattan. I took a couple sips of my friend’s High West Manhattan and didn’t like the acquired smoked bitters they used. Stick with the classic.
Our party ordered the entire snack bar menu to munch on in between the excessive drinking. I highly recommend the deviled eggs with fried chicken liver. I hesitated when i heard horseradish but neither the liver or horseradish felt overpowering. My second favorite is the hushpuppies! Mixed with cheddar and scallions plus a little sweetness from honey, you really get a nice balance of savory-​sweet. They are so easy to eat. Had to restrain myself from grabbing a handful of them! I wasn’t really concerned about maintaining composure after a few drinks either.

Good, not great. Would give them 3.5 stars, but since I don’t have that option it’s going to be a 3. Came here for lunch today with some coworkers and had a pretty decent meal. The food is more Californian with hints of southern influences, so don’t come expecting classic upscale southern food if you’re like me and grew up in the region. Flavors are very muted across the board, and presentation is classic Californian. I will say the hushpuppies with honey butter are among the best this 7^th generation Texan has ever had though.
For my first course I had the chilled asparagus salad with tasso. While ok, the portion could have been a bit larger, and the tasso wasn’t quite as smoky as I like tasso to be. I liked that it contained okra though, as it’s a highly underutilized vegetable in California in my humble opinion. For the main course I had the roasted pork with yellow grits, of which I have no complaints. The pork was perfectly cooked, and the grits were phenomenal. The plating looked a bit light, but ended up being quite filling. This was followed by complementary dessert which consisted of chocolate pecan biscotti and a crème fraiche ice cream which I thought was great but one of my dining companions hated, so your mileage may vary here. Also of note, my friend’s soup was served at nearly room temperature which he found off-​putting.

The space is really well designed, and the bar looks like it has real potential. I can see myself walking over here for drinks and an order of the hushpuppies after work at the bar. Kudos for having Shiner Bock on tap, though $ 6.50 for a pint feels a bit steep. Also of note, like the other buildings in the LDAC complex, the windows have a UV coating on them that practically turns the building into a faraday cage, so if you need a reliable cellular signal while doing lunch here, sit outside. Also, they open for lunch at 11:30, not the 11:00 that their Facebook page states.
In short, I look forward to seeing the restaurant evolve and think that it has real potential if they focus more on bringing the southern influences and flavors to the foreground. Also, they’ve been open for a couple of weeks now and still don’t have their daily menu on their website. I’m sure their business will pickup once people can actually see what they’re serving before they commit to dining there that day.

Don’t burn your bridges.
Finding a job is both daunting and frustrating. Finding your first job out of college is even more so. After applying with nearly 35+ companies after graduating, one person decided to take a leap of faith and hire me without having any office experience. With my accident incident rate of 99.999%, I didn’t burn down our office building so fortunately, my former boss and I remained on good terms. *Phew*
Knowing how much of a foodie I am, she asked me to accompany her to Dixie’s private pre-​grand opening dinner (OPENS TODAY). Having been following Dixie’s much anticipated opening from the chef-​owner Joseph Humphrey from Meadowood (holds three Michelin stars) and Cavallo Point; I couldn’t turn down the offer.
Located in the former Press A Vi space in the Presidio, Dixie is both a stunning and massive venue which is one of a kind in San Francisco. More on that later.
The menu is Southern focused with a California twist. With starters at $ 12 – 15 and entrees at $ 22 – 25, Dixie is appropriately priced.
We started our dinner with the Mint Julep cocktail.
Normally, I don’t drink darks but this cocktail was so refreshing, it had me wanting to drink every drop. That was until I started feeling giddy just one-​fourths of the way through. The thought of me jumping on top of the table and «dropping it like it was hot» and the horror on my former boss’ face was enough for me to exercise some self-​control and stop drinking. Don’t burn your bridges remember?
F O O D
*Fried Oysters w/​Creamed Cress & Pickled Onions and Point Reyes Oysters w/​Hot Pepper Vinegar
Though the point reyes oysters were delightfully sweet, the fried oysters were my favorite among the two. The creamed cress and pickled onions gave the crunchy bite-​sized crustaceans a burst of delicious herbaceousness.
*Grilled Andouille Sausage w/​Parmesan Flan & Artichoke Salad
What girl can resist a sausage that’s packed with mouth-​watering, robust flavors? I sure couldn’t. Paired with a lusciously rich, cheese flan and you have a winning combo.
*Fried Quail & Roasted Garlic Waffles
My fav of the night, the fried quail had a toothsome crunch with a succulently moist center while the waffles were crisp and fluffy with a lovely garlickyness. My biggest gripe? I wish there was more of it.
*Halibut w/​Uni Remoulade & Sugar Snaps
As a carniwhore, I’m not a fish person but I DO love my uni. The uni remoulade is what made this dish shine adding a sweet indulgent layer atop the flaky halibut layers.
*Wagyu w/​Yellow Grits & Buttered Green Beans
Perfectly cooked to a rare-​plus, with each bite, rich beefy juices just burst in my mouth from the marbling of the wagyu sirloin (Skywalker Ranch). I loved the addition of the shaved cheese on top of the grits which gave it a salty punch.
*Coconut Cake w/​Macadamia Nut Ice Cream & Toasted Pineapple
Like an exotic island on a plate, the nutty coconut cake along with the buttery macadamia ice cream and sweet pineapples was the perfect sweet ending to a scrumptious meal from start to finish.
*Chocolate Olive Oil Cake w/​Chocolate Mousse & Lemon Ice Cream
My least fav of the night, the chocolate olive oil cake was too heavy for my liking and the lemon ice cream just didn’t work with the duo of chocolates.
S E R V I C E
The entire staff at Dixie’s was professional, genuinely warm, and very knowledgeable. Each dish was presented and explained to us just as you would expect from an owner hailing from a Michelin rated restaurant. Overall, service was phenomenal and incredibly polished given they haven’t officially opened yet.
A M B I A N C E /​D E C O R
With a unique Southern plantation theme, Dixie’s venue is charming and its sheer size stunning (300 capacity). With a huge bar/​lounge area, dining room, and an enclosed patio area overlooking the lush greens outside, Dixie is perfect for parties and large private events.
P A R K I N G
Street parking and a underground parking lot.
As Mama Harper would say, «Bless your heart, Dixie!» for bringing some much needed Southern charm to the WESTSIDEEE!