SF Dine About Town (DAT) 2005

[Krys Stanley]

With accolades from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Food and Wine, to name a few, 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar is one of San Francisco’s gems.

It is on the best of lists of the Chronicle, Examiner and Citysearch. Patricia Unterman includes the restaurant in the most recent San Francisco food lover's guide.Their DAT menu is fabulous with generous selections from the regular menu. (see below).

Chef Peter Erickson was part of the opening staff at Bizou and was a Chez Panisse alumnus, my two favorite Bay Area restaurants. It is no surprise that I absolutely love this restaurant. Like the two restaurants mentioned, 1550 Hyde features seasonal, top of the line and often organic dishes. The philosophy of 1550 Hyde is that good wine should be affordable. What a concept for a wine bar.

One thing to note is that this restaurant is open Sunday night when many of the better SF restaurants are closed.

This was the DAT menu when I dined there Sunday.

First course, choice of

fingerling potato and leek soup with truffle oil and chives

hearts of romaine with aged balsamic, finocciona salami and pecorino

montery bay sardines roasted with sunchokes and meyer lemon vinaigrette

Entrée, choice of

risotto with black trumpet, yellowfeet, and hedgehog mushrooms with spinach and reggiano parmesan

grilled hoffman farms chicken marinated in pimenton, lemon and thyme with roasted cauliflower

local petrale sole with carmelized brocolli, german butterball potatoes and fines herbs beurre blanc

dessert, choice of

Scharffen Berger Bittersweet chocolate pot de crème with shortbread cookies

Chantenais carrot and pine nut cake with cream cheese frosting

Maple syrup tart with crème fraiche

Affogatto: Vanilla gelato drowned in espresso with orange-almond biscotti

I was one of 1550 Hyde’s first customers when it opened in 2003. It was love at first bite. I moved out of the Bay area for a while, and tonight, Jan 2005, when I walked in not only did they remember me, they remembered my table. I was given a complementary glass of sparkling wine to celebrate my return.

I have to confess, two dishes from the regular menu were so tempting that I reluctantly passed on the DAT menu.

For a starter I had some of the best fried oysters I have ever tasted in my life. I bit into the crisp, delicate, greaseless coating and the creamy oyster melted in my mouth.

For an entrée I chose sonoma rabbit braised in aromatic vegetables and tomato with aged balsamic and polenta

This was the second time in my life I tried rabbit. It was a revelation and I understood the attraction to rabbit. The rustic dish was fall off the bone tender. There was a perfect marriage with the rich sauce and rosemary polenta. It was exactly the right comfort food for a cold rainy night.

The only other time I tried rabbit was at the French Laundry. After eating the tiny rabbit sirloin hidden under a cherry and the matchstick rabbit rib, I still had no idea what rabbit tasted like. Chef Keller should stop by 1550 Hyde to see the way rabbit is meant to be served.

Perhaps it was subconscious, but after the rabbit, I ordered the carrot cake for dessert. I don’t usually like carrot cake, but this light bundt-like piece had a restrained use of pineapple. The pine nuts were a wonderful idea. The cream cheese frosting was light like a crème fraiche. This wasn't your 1970's, hippy, damp, leaden carrot cake.

The restaurant is a great place to unwind. The lights are low, candles flicker on the tables. Some great jazz plays in the background. The large storefront windows look out on the Hyde Street neighborhood and cable cars pass back and forth. In better weather, there are a few outside tables.

The restaurant has and extensive wine list and offers wine flights. Currently there is a flight of sparkling wines. Wine is also served in the correct type of glass. No one size fits all wine glass.

Rereading Michael Bauer’s review, he mentions that one night frog’s legs were on the menu and even people who might be squeamish about frogs legs would thouroughly enjoy them. In the past, I was a bit squeamish about rabbit, but 1550 Hyde has made me an enthusiastic fan.

I think I implied it earlier, but the staff is freindly, knowledgable and exactly right for a neighborhood bistro.

The Mediterranean menu changes frequently, but check the web site to see what may be currently available. The pictures posted online make the restaurant look darking than it actually is. Even with the soft lighting it was easy to read the menu.

Moderator's note: This message was edited to remove an image that did not adhere to our copyright and fair use policy.

[jschyun]

I went once this summer to 1550 Hyde and thought it was the worst restaurant in San Francisco that I've been to in 15 years. Bitter Lolla Rossa type lettuce in my salad (gee it was organic though!), something they called "insalata caprese" which was this yellow rectangle slice of I dont know what but it wasn't mozzarella, on an unripe tomato slice, pasta bolognese that is easily the most uninspired I've ever had, some dessert where I distinctly remember strawberries that were white with the faintest touch of pink on the outside and even fainter flavor. The only good thing about that meal was the ribeye steak someone ordered.

I may try it again thanks to your report, but am only a little bit more enthusiastic about it. Not a particularly comfortable space as far as I'm concerned. Lackadaisical service.

Edited January 3, 2005 by jschyun (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

Krys -- have we mentioned yet how pleased we are that you are posting here?

Keep up the great work!

[jschyun]

Yes, great work Krys. Please don't be put off by my bad impressions of this place. It doesn't reflect on you at all.

[Krys Stanley]

I went once this summer to 1550 Hyde and thought it was the worst restaurant in San Francisco that I've been to in 15 years.  Bitter Lolla Rossa type lettuce in my salad (gee it was organic though!), something they called "insalata caprese" which was this yellow rectangle slice of I dont know what but it wasn't mozzarella, on an unripe tomato slice, pasta bolognese that is easily the most uninspired I've ever had, some dessert where I distinctly remember strawberries that were white with the faintest touch of pink on the outside and even fainter flavor.  The only good thing about that meal was the ribeye steak someone ordered.

I may try it again thanks to your report, but am only a little bit more enthusiastic about it.  Not a particularly comfortable space as far as I'm concerned.  Lackadaisical service.

←

I'm sorry and really surprised to hear about your expierince. Talking to the staff I know the commitment to get the best ingrediants. Supposedly the chef was a fanatic about getting the best oysters in the world.

Different people have different tastes. There are quite a number of people who are dissapointed in Chez Panisse because they don't appreciate the simplicity of the dishes where the flavors are allowed to shine.

I am still in the process of getting to know which posters have tastes that are similar to mine and which are different. I would say our tastes are different in some areas, which is cool. At least you can think twice about going to a place I recommend. I saw your post on Chuou chocolate which I think is one of the top Chocolatiers in the country. I am curiuos if you tried the Parchita which has that outstanding liquid caramel passionfruit center. I don't like all flavors at Chuao equially.

i agree that organic doesn't necessarily mean delicious. It matters to some people though. There are quite a few name organic vendors at the Ferry Plaza Farmers market that are over rated. Just because you paid five dollars for a peach doesn't make it great.

Also, just because a place has a slew of rave reviews doesn't make it good. That is why I love food forums. You are allowed to stand up there and say, I really wouldn't go back to the French Laundry.

I did include references to all the reviews because I am new to the board and posters don't know my tastes yet. Out of the 13 memeber reviews on Citysearch only one was negative and one said average. For the most part it seems this place is a pleaser ... but again, that doesn't mean you must love it.

There is also the matter of how developed your palate is. I will concede I do not have the most sophisticated palate. I go on and on about how I thought French Laundry was a wash. I could really appreciate the skill, the top quality ingrediants, etc, etc, but there was nothing memorable in flavor for me. Likewise Recchiuti chocolates leave me cold. I appreciate the fine ingrediants, but for me, the taste is way too subtle and not for me, especially at those prices. I appreciate that Michael Bauer said in his round up of top restaurants that Michael Minna wasn't for the 'casual diner'.

Your post about 1550 Hyde was an inquiry about whether the restaurant was good. I see there are no replies with the flame being deleted. However, I'm curious about why you would choose to go when you say someone so disliked the place. Depending on who is posting, that type of reply would move the place down on my list of places to try. Just curious.

I would say that you should not go back to 1550 Hyde as it doesn't match your tastes. I am thinking that 1550 Hyde is pretty consistant and what you experienced was not an off day or a fluke. I just think this restaurant doesn't offer dishes that make you bliss out.

I haven't read enough of your posts to see what type of food and restaurant makes us both go mmmmm. Will get there. Slowly enjoying the board and getting familiar with all.

Again, this is what I love about the boards. The fact that you have people presenting intelligent different points of view.

Edited January 4, 2005 by Krys Stanley (log)

[Carlsbad]

Thanks for the review. I may give 1550 Hyde a try next time I'm in SF.

By the way, I not fanatical about chocolate, but I also believe that Chuao chocolates are some of the best I've had anywhere. My wife is fanatical, and she agrees, too.

[Hest88]

Thanks for the detailed review!

It's also important to recognize that all restaurants have off nights, so it's definitely possible that Krys had great food while Jschyun and someone else had bad experiences. For instance, I keep hearing that Daniel in NYC is one of the most inconsistent high-end restaurants possible, so even top tier experiences can differ greatly.

[jschyun]

I'm sorry and really surprised to hear about your expierince. Talking to the staff I know the commitment to get the best ingrediants. Supposedly the chef was a fanatic about getting the best oysters in the world.

<snip>

I am still in the process of getting to know which posters have tastes that are similar to mine and which are different. I would say our tastes are different in some areas, which is cool. At least you can think twice about going to a place I recommend. I saw your post on Chuou chocolate which I think is one of the top Chocolatiers in the country. I am curiuos if you tried the Parchita which has that outstanding liquid caramel passionfruit center. I don't like all flavors at Chuao equially.

<snip>

There is also the matter of how developed your palate is. I will concede I do not have the most sophisticated palate. I go on and on about how I thought French Laundry was a wash. I could really appreciate the skill, the top quality ingrediants, etc, etc, but there was nothing memorable in flavor for me. Likewise Recchiuti chocolates leave me cold. I appreciate the fine ingrediants, but for me, the taste is way too subtle and not for me, especially at those prices. I appreciate that Michael Bauer said in his round up of top restaurants that Michael Minna wasn't for the 'casual diner'.

Your post about 1550 Hyde was an inquiry about whether the restaurant was good. I see there are no replies with the flame being deleted. However, I'm curious about why you would choose to go when you say someone so disliked the place. Depending on who is posting, that type of reply would move the place down on my list of places to try. Just curious.

<snip>

Again, this is what I love about the boards. The fact that you have people presenting intelligent different points of view.

←

I have to admit, I was surprised myself, because I fully expected something that would be a nice neighborhood joint, if not a blow of the socks type of meal. But I really do hope it was an off day because that meal was just awful. I said to my seatmates that i wouldn't give it another chance, but later I reconsidered and thought I'd go again. Now with your review, perhaps I'll make good on this and revisit.

The poster that disliked the place earlier posted after my meal. He actually was one of my seatmates, though I didn't realize he had posted about it until a while afterward.

I have had a lot of organic produce in my time, and this place is supposed to be very interested in OG produce. But what I got was almost definitely organic (the strawberries had some sweetness) but also definitely unripe and not particularly well handled. One of the reasons why I was disappointed.

Yeah, I hate to say that Chuao Chocolatier is not one of my favorites. But that chocolate caramel passionfruit heart, I could eat 20 of those. That is my favorite piece hands down.

Just my $.02 and glad to hear your opinions. Please keep posting! Your posts are just excellent and it's good to see you here.

[cookingwithamy]

I have agree with Krys. I ate at 1550 Hyde last week for the first time and did not order the Dine About Town menu but my husband did. We were blown away by the meal. I will try to reconstruct it and blog about it soon but I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

Briefly, we had the liver pate, split pea soup, the chicken roasted under a brick, the rabbit, and shared the carrot cake. The quality of everything was wonderful and I have to admit my expectations were rather high since so many people have raved about this place. The portions were very large and everything had a unique quality to it that made it feel special and unexpected, such as the split pea soup which had a nice smokiness to it or the carrot cake with pine nuts and when was the last time you had carrot cake served warm? Even the polenta was special--it had a rustic rosemary flavor and fluffy texture as opposed to the super-creamy type I am used to.

[tanabutler]

I have agree with Krys. I ate at 1550 Hyde last week for the first time and did not order the Dine About Town menu but my husband did. We were blown away by the meal. I will try to reconstruct it and blog about it soon but I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

Briefly, we had  the liver pate, split pea soup, the chicken roasted under a brick, the rabbit, and shared the carrot cake. The quality of everything was wonderful and I have to admit my expectations were rather high since so many people have raved about this place. The portions were very large and everything had a unique quality to it that made it feel special and unexpected, such as the split pea soup which had a nice smokiness to it or the carrot cake with pine nuts and when was the last time you had carrot cake served warm? Even the polenta was special--it had a rustic rosemary flavor and fluffy texture as opposed to the super-creamy type I am used to.

←

Thanks for the report, Amy—it really does sound wonderful.

(And for anyone who's been living under a rock, Amy's food blog—very broadly focused on cooking and dining, not just the latter—is one of the best in the San Francisco area, if not the country. Congratulations on making KQED's list. Long overdue!)