Out the Door, San Francisco (Westfield Mall)

Yes, AP, I finally went. And they were OUT OF THE GREEN PAPAYA SALAD!

Disappointed, I began frantically looking at the menu trying to figure out what to order. My waiter suggested that I try the steak salad; it's his favorite on the menu. Clueless as to anything else on it, I trusted him and ordered an iced tea as well.

Fortunately, the waiter didn't lie. AP, if you get the chance and the green papaya salad is sold out, try the steak salad. It's delicious.

The base of the salad ($13) is a bed of mixed greens covered in a slightly spicy dressing that tastes of ginger and jalapenos. The lettuce is surrounded by sweet orange slices, and the salad is topped with fried taro slivers and thinly cut, rare steak.

While I thought that the dressing was a bit heavy on the salad (as in there was too much), everything else, including the actual flavor of the dressing, was perfect. The steak was tender and just melted in my mouth. It had been seared with some type of sugar on it because the outer crust tasted a bit sweet. The inside, which was still nice and rare, was juicy and tender.

I also loved how the taro chips stayed crispy the entire time it took me to eat the salad. While the slivers were deep fried, they managed not to get soggy or taste greasy.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about my meal at Out the Door. It was a nice escape from the mall, where I was able to be waited on, not rushed out of my seat, and relax after school and shopping.

There are two Out the Doors in addition to the Slanted Door restaurant. The one I went to is in the food court at the Westfield Mall, on the new side. They don't have a website, so I'll link to Yelp!: http://www.yelp.com/biz/fcy_cuoUXrXdcWgQvY4jaw#hrid:WDtWwI6Q58Lhpp28Tm7qFw/query:out%20the%20door