Crab at Fisherman's Wharf? (Sigh)
My family is coming into town and my stepsister want crab from Fisherman's Wharf, because that is what she associates with San Francisco.
I live in the city, but normally avoid eating at or being anywhere near Fisherman's Wharf. Does anybody have any recommendations of a place that is not overly expensive that serves crab near the area? If not, can you recommend a restaurant elsewhere in San Francisco?
I was thinking of Swan Oyster Depot, which I have wanted to try, but I'm not sure we'd be able to get in there. The fam is not coming till Friday at 5:00 and are only staying for the weekend. Is it possibly to eat at Swan Oyster Depot on a Sat afternoon without waiting in line for an hour or more? I don't think my dad has ever had fresh oysters (though he eats the jarred kind), so I thought it might be fun if he could try them here.
By megmosa
on May 27, 2008 09:49 AM
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Fresh local crab is out of season, it comes from Washington or Alaska via the airport.
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That's not completely true. Large scale commercial crab fishing is done for the season, however technically the season is still open and there are still some local crabs coming in from small fishers in the area (like Bodega Bay). While the crab at the wharf is almost certainly not local, I wouldn't say definitively that crab at an upscale restaurant the specializes in locally sourced ingredients *couldn't* be local.
That said, I suggest megmosa compromise and go to the Ferry Building. You dad can have fresh oysters from Hog Island and you can get crab at the Ferry Plaza Seafood across the aisle. You can tell your sister -- truthfully -- that the Ferry Building is the new place to be on the waterfront in SF.
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That probably won't deter her...she's fifteen. Honestly, she'd probably be happy as a clam eating at the Red Lobster. I plan to hijack the dining wagon and take them to places they would never eat if they were here on their own. This is the one request they have, so I would like to do my best for fulfill it.
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If you have to eat on Fisherman's Wharf, how about Bistro Boudin? Yeah, its touristy but its a nice, new, clean facility with a good view and the food is pretty decent.
http://www.boudinbakery.com/at-the-wh...
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Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe at Bakers Hall
2890 Taylor St, San Francisco, CA 94133
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Has anybody been to Crab House or The Franciscan Crab Restaurant? Are any of them any good? There menus look VERY similar...are they owned by the same people?
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Yeah, they are owned by the same people. I have'nt eaten at either one, but I have eaten at one of their other restaurants, Dead Fish, which basically has the same menu. There was a less than enthusiastic report for the Dead Fish crab recently. They do have good mussels. I noticed looking at The Franciscan menu that they serve Hog Island oysters.
Don't know the situation at Swan's on Saturday, but wouldn't it be better to drag the folks to the Saturday morning Ferry Plaza farmers market and stop by the outdoor Hog Island Oyster stand ... or indoor if it is no longer outside?
If those restaurant menus don't seem too expensive to you, you might consider Scoma's instead. Their fish is super fresh and they have a nice cioppino.
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I agree Scoma's was very good. We ate there twice last month when we were visiting. Also we really enjoyed Capurro's, had a wonderful lunch there and met the owner Paul who has been working that restaurant since he was 15 on the sidewalk selling crabs. Very friendly and family friendly place.
it's across from the Argonaut Hotel.
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I guess those prices actually seemed high for me, but I wasn't sure if that was just how much whole crabs cost. I know my stepsister wants a dungess crab, so the restaurant would need to have that on the menu. Scoma's looks good, so maybe we'll go there. I think she just wants basic buttery crab legs.
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Go to Scoma's and tell your server (likely to be an elderly gentleman) that you want whatever is freshest. The last time we were there, they were unloading petrale sole. We had to wait a bit while it was unloaded and prepped. But, it was the best fish I've ever eaten!
Note that most of the meat in a Dungeness crab is not in the legs...
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You know you're going to end up at FW so the question is if you eat there or
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Just wanted to make sure you caught this positive recent report on The Franciscan.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/51669...
I actually do have this joint on my list to try when I'm in Fisherman's Wharf. There are a few interesting things on the menu and it does have a super view and three hours validated parking (though Scomas has free valet parking at the door0.
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