Anchor & Hope – SoMa
83 Minna St (betw 2nd & Shaw)
San Francisco , CA 94105
(415) 501.9100
See larger map and more nearby
VdV Rating: 3.5
Food: Seafood
Ambiance: Casual
PRO: Great seafood menu and daily specials, excellent Lobster Remoulade, good service
CON: A seafood place with bland, clam-less chowder?!
What’s up with the name Anchor & Hope? Personally I don’t like a restaurant with ‘hope’ in the name, feel me? Hope ya don’t contract food poisoning! Hmm. Or maybe it’s that they’re throwing out a big ‘ol Anchor, in Hopes that the Transbay Terminal Project doesn’t yank ‘em away by eminent domain like is happening to neighbors Jon Collins and Zebulon for that stupid muni line between the upcoming Transbay train/bus station and the Caltrains station on 4th. Stupid? Yes! The damn thing is proposed to go under my building too…Take the ‘N’ line people (or whatever the hell it is, I’ve never been on Muni), and leave our neighborhood alone!
OK, off the soap box. We took our friend Candida here last night for her b-day. She’s a fish-eating vegetarian so it seemed a solid
bet. First impressions? Cool space, dude. It’s a big barn-like space with wide open rafters, old brick walls, a wide bar on the left and tables scattered everywhere else. And they didn’t over do the nautical angle either. More of a ‘fishing’ vibe. A few ropes hanging from the rafters, a cool mural over the bar with big fish swimming after smaller fish.
First, any self respecting seafood restaurant has to have a chalkboard with daily specials. And this place does. Oysters of the day, items like Tuna Carpaccio, Lobster Remoulade, Tuna Tartare, etc. One thing, sorry for the diversion. But if you’re not used to those from VdV, then you prolly 
aren’t reading this anyway! We did not sit at the bar. What?! Are frogs gonna rain from the sky?!?! Hope not. That’s creepy. Hey, add Frog Legs to the menu!, But next time? Fo sho. It’s a big wide bar area, metal top, and just made for some drinks and chow.
So yes, we ate at a table. And we treated that menu like our bitch. First, they serve excellent bread here. Comes in a little paper bag, and we polished it. And we’re trying to be on a no-white diet (meaning no flour, pasta, etc. White wine excluded). Which is good, ‘cuz they don’t have real liquor, only wine and beer. Anyway, the bread is supplied by Acme and it’s tasty.
First we ordered some appys from our very friendly server. We did not waste time on a salad, although they have a few that look good. We went for the Lobster Remoulade ($14), we had no idea WTF ‘remoulade’ was so I texted by bud Spencer (Executive Chef at Paragon) and he aptly said ‘fancy tartar sauce’. Word. And fancy it was, kittens. First it is nice chunky lobster outta the tail so you don’t have to work. Very firm yet tender and the remoulade rocked it. It’s made with sour cream, a little tabasco, 
tarragon, a little pepper and 5-6 other ingredients, that gives it some good yet subtle heat. Loved it! Next, the Shrimp Fritters ($12), which were excellent as well. They don’t scrimp on the shrimp, let’s say. And they weren’t over-battered either, and came with a tasty, little spicy dipping sauce. Last appy? The Clam Chowder ($10), bien sur. Just like a litmus test of a Mexican place is their chips & salsa, a seafood joint has to have kick-ass chowda. Noper. This dish was the disappointment of the meal. Kinda put me in a funk. Waaah! Why? Well, I think the line cook forgot to add one little ingredient…the clams! And besides that, it was simply bland. Get a new chowder cook, Anchor!
For the entreés, we had the Cornmeal Crusted Salmon with Heirloom Beets, Sauteéd Spinach & a Red Wine Reduction ($25.50). I wondered about the cornmeal crust as it can quickly overtake a mild salmon, but it was more like ‘dusted’ and gave the salmon, which was very well cooked, a nice sweetness and slightly crisp texture. Next, the Pancetta Wrapped Brook Trout in a Sage Brown Butter Reduction ($23), which was a fave as well. Again, a nice combination of tastes. I dunno if pancetta would go well with trout, but it did, and the flavors and texture of the trout were excellent. Nice and firm, yet tender and relatively mild in flavor. Last but not least, the Seared Scallops on a Bed of Cous Cous ($24), three enormous, well cooked scavengers of the sea, on a bed of Israeli cous cous. Hey, these were very good, and for the huge size still plump, juicy and full of flavor. The cous cous provided a good bed for the scallops as well, but I have come to the 
conclusion that scallops are more of an appy dish for me; an entire enteé is just scallop OD.
They have a good wine list here as well, lots of vino by the glass and a good selection of varietals. Next time, I’m coming for lunch, sitting at the bar, and gorging on a Lobster Roll Sandwich, Angels On Horseback (bacon-wrapped smoked oysters) and guzzling a beer or four.
Note: this place is owned by the folks from Salt House and Town Hall, so they are batting 3 outta 3 on good spots to hit in SoMa!
VdV Rating: 3.5
Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30a – 2p, 5:30p-10p
Fri 11:30a-2p, 5:30p-11p
Sat 5:30p-11p
Sun 5:30p-10p
Anchor & Hope
83 Minna St (betw 2nd & Shaw)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 501-9100
