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.
3 star Yelp likely due to generational differences of reviewers and based on “dining experience” and not food. I like Hayes Street Grill. They handle fish and seafood well but the vibe is very different from the usual SF places. The green carpet, good acoustics and quiet service remind me of a convent or nunnery. You can actually have a conversation without yelling but it can be sedate.
I had an enjoyable dinner at the bar at the Hayes Street Grill today, which was very busy as apparently a show at Davies Symphony Hall had just let out.
To start, 6 Hog Island Highwater Oysters (Humbolt Bay) on the half shell ($26). They were very nice oysters with a lot of liquor. There was mignonette and lemon as condiments. Minimal shell bits.
Bistro-style Skate (Gloucester, MA) with Brown Butter, Capers, Scallions, French Fries ($38)
As a main, the pan fried skate. This was delicious. The skate wing was I think floured and fried so that it was a little crispy outside. It was perfectly cooked inside and was in a sauce with brown butter and savory salty capers, into which I dipped some of the very good fries.
Dorie Greenspan’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting ($14)
For dessert I had a double espresso ($7) and the carrot cake, which had a good amount of nuts and raisins, and layers of a creamy cream cheese frosting that wasn’t too sweet.
