![]() ![]() The Kodomos tasted strong, something like the proverbial bottom of a fishing boat, the Miyagis in their deep deep cups sweet. Both the Kodomos from Hammersley Inlet in Washington state and Royal Miyagis from British Columbia displayed an oddly creamy but hardly nasty taste. We had come to Ferry Plaza Seafood for the oysters and were not disappointed. It was loaded with a mince of colorful vegetables and bits of cured meat in no way resembling the essential salt pork a nice hearty soup but hardly chowder. ‘New England clam chowder’ appeared to be based on a roux rather then spiked with milk or cream. Many of these variations on clam soup are good but by none of them are by any means authentic.Īt Berkeley Bowl across the bay, an upscale hypermarket for food and drink of all kinds with an attached cafeteria, they serve soup in portions the size of a lake. ![]() Like most places serving seafood in the bay area they have something they call ‘New England clam chowder,’ and like just about everywhere else out west that is not what it is. They do not serve crackers, deep fry food, offer tartar sauce or countenance ranch dressings, and take defiant pride in their strictures. The menu at the idiosyncratic Ferry Plaza Seafood is short and good. The best action is inside at the bars, even if unlike eastern and Gulf iterations you will have trouble trying to banter with the shuckers, who work at a certain remove. Each of them spills onto the esplanade outside, where patrons happily linger even in the darkest days of January and February. Two oyster bars, for example, face off across a narrow track. Perhaps the competition accounts for that. Prices in San Francisco tend to be high, and the tariff at establishments in the Terminal is no exception, but they do not seem to get a premium for their lovely location: Prices at these places are fair. The Ferry Terminal exudes all the magic that Quincy Market, Boston’s ravaged heart, lost long ago. The managers who lease the space have not raced straight to the bottom line of chainstore staples and tourist traps, and so discerning tourists have come anyway to mingle with local devotees. The shops, selling herbs, meats, mushrooms, cheese, honey wine, cookware and all other manner of culinary requirements, are predominantly singular and local the bazaar even nurtures an endangered species, the bookstore. The farmers’ market without is nothing short of spectacular, even during these winter months of relative scarcity the shops and restaurants within boast serious and friendly proprietors eager to talk and to please. Now it is devoted, fittingly enough in this city that feeds itself with fervor, to food. ![]() Ships have returned to the slips of the Ferry Terminal and its great central hall has reopened to the city. Among them was the resurrection of the Ferry Terminal at a prime location on the Embarcadero which, like Grand Central Terminal in New York, Union Station in Washington and countless American urban landmarks had been reduced to a squalid shell pocked with plywood by the 1980s. But like New Orleans, another city perched at a geographical precipice, the place is nothing if not resilient and some good arose from the disaster. In 1989 an earthquake, predictable and tragic, struck San Francisco. They're hoping to arrive sometime this fall.Ferry Plaza Seafood & the Hog Island Oyster Company: Two oyster bars at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal & a note about clam soup on the west coast. Once Hogwash opens, happy hour and dinner will be the primary focus, with the possibility of lunch further down the road. The space is being designed by Lauren Geremia of Geremia Design, with handmade plaster tiles, a designated bar area, and communal tables custom built by designer Alexis Moran. And, in keeping with an up-and-coming local trend, beer floats and milkshakes will figure on the menu as well. As far as drinks go, cicerone-about-town Rich Higgins (who also curated Schroeder's list) will team up with Thompson to oversee the beer selection, with 30 taps offered. Le Beau Market owner Morgan Hamm is behind the food menu, which will include housemade sausages, pretzels and more. Called Hogwash, it's the brainchild of Paula Thompson and Zeki's Bar owner Nick Rothman, who've teamed up to transform the Sutter Street space formerly occupied by Crackers Grill, Persimmon, and J Tu Cafe into a beer hall and restaurant focused on craft brews and Bavarian-inspired bites made with locally-sourced ingredients. But Tablehopper brings word that another beer concept is in the works. With Hopwater Distribution, Mikkeller Bar, Golden Gate Tap Room and the newly revamped Schroeder's all vying for the attentions of thirsty beer drinkers around Union Square, it might seem like the area's brew-hall market is on lock. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |