the white horse
635 sutter street
Tel: 415-673-9900
This pub style oddity is located in the Hotel Beresford close to Union Square and yet a million miles away as one discovers upon entering the off-sized rooms that house the White Horse. It’s so authentic that it almost doesn’t feel like it belongs here, and its small and loyal clientele supports it through thick and thin while the rest of the urban landscape passes without noticing this little gem. The restaurant is dark and has an olde worlde club feel to it with lots of mahogany and British bric-a-brac cluttering the walls. The bar is cozy and intimate like most English pubs with a small but judicious display of whiskies and other potables offered for sale. There are more beers and ales available than wines, and that, too, adds to the authentic atmosphere. The bar area has a handful of tables intimately spread around, and just beyond the bar room is the small and cozy dining room.
The establishment is open for lunch from 10:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. and dinner from 5:00 p.m. till 9:00 p.m. every day, and offers hamburgers, some simple and robust sandwiches that range from $4.95 to 6.95, a limited number of ‘blue plate specials’ like lamb stew, corned beef and cabbage and a turkey plate at 4.95, chicken Monterey at 6.95 (don’t ask) and a surprisingly good New York Steak at 8.50. There are a smattering of salads offered and five types of pasta at 4.50 on the lunch menu. Dinner is in stark contrast with a hearty housemade soup of the day at 3.25, a decent Caesar Salad at 4.95, house salad with choice of dressing at 3.95, and a warm goad cheese salad featuring baby lettuces, roasted peppers, California goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette at 5.75. A generous shrimp cocktail is offered at 4.95, and here the pastas that are offered on the lunch menu are morphed into linguini with a choice of prawns or chicken, tossed with spinach, tomatoes and pesto at 11.50, angel hair pasta tossed with fresh seasonal vegetables at 8.95 and grilled briochete of vegetables with a spicy mango sauce over pasta at 9.95. Entrees, all served with seasonal vegetables include a maple-cured pork chop with homemade ginger apple and wild rice at 11.50, grilled salmon with tobiko caviar and tarragon tartar sauce at 13.50, Lord Beresford meat loaf with house made ketchup and chive masher potatoes at 10.95, very tasty southern fried chicken with pan gravy and those chive mashers at 10.50, New Zealand rack of lamb at 13.95. A filet mignon with mushroom, shallot and cabernet sauce at 13.95, a T-bone with balsamic butter at 14.95 and roast prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish cream on Friday and Saturday only at 14.95.
There’s a wild schizophrenia about the menu at this establishment, and it can be somewhat scary, but it appears that they hold the line at lunch for a large clientele of Seniors who live in the immediate neighborhood, and feel free to compete with commercial establishments in the area at night. This is really a sweet place, almost sure to be a discovery for your friends, so save it and savor it for a really inexpensive lunch or quite good and reasonable dinner. Service is almost quaint, but friendly and efficient; there’s a full bar, limited desserts and a great location for theatre and shopping downtown.
I recommend the White Horse for value, location, convenience and a genuine pub-like atmosphere and suggest you hurry because a find like this won’t last forever.
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