Never tried this with a Russett but I get the same results with small Yukon Gold potato's by pricking them & microwaving them for 2-3 minutes -- enough so the inside gets par cooked. Then I rub them down with oil and roast them for ~15 minutes to crisp up the skin --- makes all of that wet/wrinkled mw disappear into golden crispyness. BTW: I put them on the shelf in my gas grill when I turn it on to pre-heat for the steak or the oven when I'm cooking indoors. Quick & good!

I remember Pressed Ham from those days...sort of in an oval shape but not Pressed Corned Beef. And I don't see it anymore either.....but I didn't like it back then, my brothers did -- which is why my Mom would buy it. She knew better than to put it in my lunch.

Today, most of the "Corned Beef" that you can buy in supermarket deli departments (just like the "Turkey" or "Roast Beef") is pressed or pre-formed meat product. Safeway Primo Taglio or Hormel come to mind. They aren't described as pressed but that's what they are.

Genuine, real corned beef is irregularly shaped and typically has fat running through it....the best stuff is sold hot and is more expensive than the deli dept. stuff.

I've had good experiences with Private Dining at Harris Steakhouse, although it's near all of your designated neighborhoods. Old school but great food and service. Here's a link to their private dining rooms: the boardroom and the library are for smaller groups. They try to do 2 seatings each evening but will sell you the room for the night if you need it.

http://www.harrisrestaurant.com/priva...

You're all WAY too fancy. My German mother would brown ground beef in butter and add cooked elbow macaroni to it, with MORE butter. She'd let it sit in the frying pan until the noodles on the bottom would get golden brown and stir it. She'd do it a few times so you'd get some crunchy noodles mixed in with the soft. She'd add more butter & salt at the dinner table to hers; I'd add ketchup to mine. I still eat it occasionally but have courageously added some chopped onions & mushrooms to the ground beef. Much more modern:>)!

South Park Cafe, the final suggestion on the Chow list posted above by Robert Lauriston, is a quiet and intimate restaurant with great French food: vegetarian, fish, and steak. My husband is a meat and potato's guy too and their steak more than satisfied him, as well as my more adventurous tastes. Highly recommend it and both times we've eaten there, we got reservations for that same day. Also not nearly as pricey as some of the other recommendations.

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South Park Cafe
108 South Park, San Francisco, CA 94107