ANCHOR & HOPE

I’d forgotten how good Anchor & Hope is, but fear not as I’m making up for lost time by having dined here twice in one week.

As I walked to the restaurant in the FiDi from SOMA I passed by the grid-lock that is called 5 o’clock bridge traffic. I strolled past mad people in their cars, fancy people in suits making impolite gestures, and gas guzzlers trying to cut in front of hybrids – just a lot of unhappy drivers.

To them I say why not pull over and replace your car-seat with a bar-seat at Anchor & Hope?

Would you prefer this? (Uh huh.)

Or this?!?

Wait out the traffic with a plate of oh-so-delicious bi-halves that will have you smilin’.
Chill out with a glass of chilled wine.
Get acquainted with roasted Shishito peppers.
Meet new friends and bond over pitying the poor suckers boiling over in their cars while you guys throw back another oyster. (Sorry if you are one of those poor suckers.)

When you hit the road again, you’ll probably get home at roughly the same time it would have taken had you sat in traffic, but you’ll have a belly of goodness and you’ll probably be a much happier human being?

If you order the Shishito peppers, I recommend making sure you have some of their really good bread in front of you to SAVE -YOUR- LIFE in case you bite into a HOT one. (Water will psychologically make you feel better, but bread will soak up the hot oils in your mouth.)

I like dresses with pockets as much as I like oysters. This star-fish cuff is from Lucky, and it matches the decoration on the hostess desk – bonus points for blending into your eating environment. Ha.

Other great places for oysters include: Hog Island (because it’s at the Ferry Building and they make a lovely grilled cheese), Waterbar (for it’s amazing views of the Bay and nice people) and Grand Cafe (for its beautiful brasserie design; because they are friends; and because I’ve been hanging out there for years.)

ANCHOR & HOPE
83 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-3003
(415) 501-9100
www.anchorandhopesf.com