This is the first part of a two-part steakhouse series; today, the latest steakhouse, and sometimes at a later date, one venerable institution, the Palace Steakhouse

Bullshead has big shoes to fill: it occupies the space of Tallula, the Indian-fusion restaurant in the heart of the Castro. Tallula was such a sophisticated, refined place that the big shoes were more like size 7 Manolo Blahniks, but it is still an uphill battle for any new tenant.

We checked out on the Tallula web site, and it's still alive. We even found a new blog with, for now, one single Lorem ipsum post. Either chef Harveen Khera is a fan of Cicero, and recites it on her blog in Latin, or it is a place holder for better content in the future.

We feel somewhat the opposite regarding Bullshead: the more appropriate content for the place was in the past, in the previous Tallula's incarnation. The space is a multi-level restaurant, with a mezzanine on top of a bar, a kitchen on a half floor, a narrow staircase leading to an array of rooms upstairs, of intimate nooks and crannies. The layout begs for an intimate, hushed restaurant, with soft lighting, preferrably candles on the tables and couples whispering to each other things they would not want others to overhear.

When we visited, Bullshead did not fit our preconception of the environment: bright lights, with the same loofah fixture in the front room as at Koo, basic furniture, and a slightly disheveled service which was endearing, but definitely not refined. Hopefully, the people who don't remember Tallula won't get hung up on the vibe and just go with the flow.

If they do, they'll have a satisfying meal. We sampled a delicious rack of baby back ribs smothered with a spicy bbq sauce ($11.25 as an appetizer, $19.95 as a half-slab, $26.95 as a full slab) and a perfect spinach salad ($6.95): a generous helping of crunchy spinach leaves with walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, grilled onions, and perfectly dressed.

We wanted to try the buffalo, a meat that we rarely find around SF. The only two other places we can think of with buffalo are the frozen section at Trader Joe's, and the excellent Redrum Burger (formerly know as Murder Burger) in Davis, right off Highway 80. Bullshead serves a buffalo NY steak, but we went for the burgers: a cheeseburger ($11.00 for a half-pounder; we actually had order the bacon cheeseburger, $11.50, but oh well) and a sauteed mushroom and grilled onion burger ($11.25).

Buffalo was advertised to us as being leaner than ground chuck (which Bullshead serves in regular and organic; you can also choose between 1/3 and 1/2 pound) and indeed it was. Since the last thing we wanted was a healthy burger, we just added more mayo to our bun. We have to say we were quite happy. A half-pound is a lot of burger, it was cooked as we ordered, and the tomato, lettuce and onion were fresh and crisp, and it was juicy all right. It came with cole slaw or onion rings (fries are the last option, we did not sample it) and both sides were adequate, if not earth shattering.

The menu proselytizes buffalo with some nutritional information: 40% more protein than beef, and much less fat, non-allergenic, the only mammal not to contract cancer, and the main staple in the plains Indians' diet, who "never had cancer, never had heart disease, and lived to 85 to 90 years old AND would have lived to be 125 with adequate dental care." For all its vaunted health properties, buffalo does little against tooth decay. We pictured 90 yo grandpas going to hunt down a buffalo for dinner, and surely, it's the lack of universal dental coverage that killed them. The hoof of the buffalo which knocked the teeth out had nothing to do with that.

For our own sweet tooth, we sampled one dessert, which name and price we cannot find right now, blame our lackadaisical note taking. They serve the apple pies and carrot cake you expect, but we were full and picked a specialty of fresh fruits in a martini glass with whipped cream and a cinnamon-infused rum syrup (which they'll kindly agree to serve on the side if you so request). Fresh summery fruits can't go wrong, especially with a shot of rum, so it was a fitting conclusion.

Bullshead Castro is the 2nd location, the first one in West Portal stands the test of time, so they must have figured out the right formula. If only they could make the space a bit more welcoming in the new location.

Bullshead Restaurant
4230 18th St @ Diamond (Castro)
840 Ulloa St @ Claremont (West Portal)
tel: 665-4350