Anchor’s Away– I so Hope Not! :: San Francisco

I just returned from a press tasting at Anchor & Hope, the new East Coast gone West, oyster bar/fish shack from dream team, Doug Washington and the Rosenthal bro’s,(Town Hall, Salt House), and I gotta tell you, THEY NAILED IT! Finally… a seafood resto in S.F. that I can call home.

Love the Ambiance:
The 3200 sq. ft. rustic old brick building , an auto garage in a previous life, reminded me of a theater set, it was so perfectly styled-out with it’s exposed ropes & beams, mile-high ceilings, pine crafted tables and redwood banquettes, sprinkled with antique oil lamps, lobster cages, and other sea-faring flea market finds. Be sure and check out the black ink Fish renderings behind the bar—painted by Freya Prowe, Washington’s wife. (I heard she’s having a one-woman show soon at local Hang gallery that I want to check out.)

Adore the Food:
As an ex- New Yorker, I am a major fan of anything restaurateur, Danny Meyer, puts his name on. So when I heard that Anchor’s chef was Sarah Schafer, (Schafer was chef at Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern before relocating to SF) I was psyched….and after a few tastes…totally hooked.

Her food is clean, pure, and in the words of Simon Cowell, “spot on”. After a few bites of her traditional sea-starters like Angels on Horseback (smoked bacon wrapped oysters), greaseless Fried Clams w/ tangy tartar, and a succulent Lobster Roll (Chef Schafer even bakes her own brioche rolls for these) I grabbed my Blackberry and entered 415-501-9100 into speed dial because Anchor & Hope surpassed my wildest!

Anchor & Hope
83 Minna St (in Soma)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 501-9100
anchorandhopesf.com