The venerable Hayes Street Grill, a restaurant specializing in seafood in Hayes Valley opened by onetime SF Chronicle food critic Patricia Unterman back in 1979, reopened recently for indoor dining. I went here for dinner for the first time last Saturday.
Started with
Bill’s Tomatoes, Pennyroyal Sheep Ricotta, Grilled Bread, XVOO, Basil ($16)
Bill’s tomatoes were good but not great. A large amount, with cherry tomatoes and larger tomatoes. They were not terribly flavorful though. The grilled bread (I think from Acme) and dense ricotta with both very good.
For a main I had the
Half Moon Bay Sand Dabs (on the bone) Meuniere, Watercress, French Fries ($28)
which was very good. The sand dabs (a locally caught fish a bit like a small flounder) were sweet and nicely cooked and tender. Not a lot of work to separate from the bone. In a nice buttery lemony Meunière sauce on top of some watercress. The fries that came with the fish were excellent, medium cut and perfectly fried with a bit of a crust. I used a little of the sauce from the fish as a dip.
And for dessert I had the
Creme Brulee ($14)
which was also very good, a nicely executed crème brûlée with a shattering caramel topping.
An enjoyable meal. They have a fairly mediocre (3 star) Yelp rating for some reason, which was a bit baffling from my one visit, but I will be back.
