Dungeness crab season is officially in full swing in San Francisco and will last through the end of July. At Pier 39, where you can find prison pajamas at the Alcatraz shop, robots for sale, and a rubber duckie boutique, you can discover fresh crab at the Fog Harbor Fish House. It is now serving up a dedicated crab menu starring the crusty critters caught in local waters. It is as fresh as fresh gets.
What to order? Hard to decide. There’s crab-topped clam chowder, crab-topped filet mignon, crab-topped fries with truffle aioli, crab and avocado salad, crab risotto, the Dungeness crab roll, and the list rolls on. The seafood-allergic can run for the hills, but for the rest of us, this is hard-shell heaven.
The day we come to Fog Harbor, I don’t know what to expect. I live near San Francisco, and I only go to Pier 39 when I play tour guide to out-of-towners. I mean, the barking seals are cute, but they can get on your nerves. And the food at these places is generally expensive and mediocre at best.
However, Fog Harbor delightfully delivers. According to our waiter Jason, even the locals will make a point of coming out for a seafood dinner. And after we order, he adds, “It’s the best restaurant in Pier 39.” Okay, but he is biased.
Certainly, Fog Harbor scores high on energy vibes. We are tackling an early 5 p.m. dinner, but on this foggy and wet Saturday, the place is packed and full of commotion. No sunset viewing tonight, unfortunately. Outside, wanna-be diners are jockeying to be on the waiting list at the hostess station. I, too, am standing in the covered patio. It features a cozy fireplace and outdoor living room couches. A couple is already imbibing as they sit and wait.
Once led inside, I am amazed. The dining room is bowling-alley long and cavernous, partnered with window panoramas of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Conversations are animated with patrons huddled along the lengthy bar. Aromas of steaming crab and clam chowder sail out of the kitchen as wait staff balance trays upon trays of bayside bounty.
We are seated in the very back, and I am disappointed that every cushioned booth and every butcher block table with views is taken up. Away from the sights of the ferris wheel, the water, and the terrace of shops, I figure that our attention will focus on the views of the food. I’m pretty good at resetting expectations, and it is a little quieter back here. Plus, our waiter Jason is a chatty and friendly fellow who seems to know every item inside and out. The general menu offers five non-seafood hot items: the Fog Harbor burger, New York steak, filet mignon, grilled chicken breast, and pesto chicken pasta. A kids’ selection where items are $12 and under is a very good value.
But today, I am not with kids. I am treating myself to a cocktail, opting for the Perfect Blood Orange Margarita, and the $17 sip does not disappoint with the appropriate balance of sour and sweet. Fresh juices are used in every cocktail, and I am so pleased that the zesty blood orange packs a proverbial punch.
Husband Frank orders the lychee-infused cocktail called the Crimson Cobra (also $17) highlighted on the seafood listing. It is a subtle drink that is going to pair well with his roasted garlic-encrusted crab. And speaking of crab, he gets an entire 4-5 lb. crab for $59, with a bib, cracking tool, and special crab fork.
Up until now he has been the kind of guy who wolfs down dinner in three to four bites. But this time, he is savoring every shred as he mines for hidden treasure. Frank the crab connoisseur tells me that this one is sweet, succulent, and cooked to perfection with a capital P. As flakes of crab dangle on the lips of his smile, I too am excited about my dish, the $41 seared scallops and crab risotto. Like his crab, my four scallops run big and moist, crowning the abundant bed of crab risotto. The rice is bursting with ocean memories from the crab broth and bits of crab meat (kind of wish those bits were larger pieces, though).
Prior to these dishes, we inhaled the appetizer crab cakes with mango bits and lettuce. The mango need to be cut in larger chunks so you get more than a dinky taste. The $20 dish needed more lettuce to accommodate the healthy-sized pair of crab cakes with spicy, harissa aioli sauce. It was sweet, it was fresh, and every swallow was full of bliss.
Another home run is the $32 crab and avocado Caesar salad. Piles of crab and avocado arrive on a lightly seasoned bed of romaine lettuce. But that’s not all. Also sharing real estate is chopped bacon and thin crunch tortilla strips. We could have eaten just the salad and crab cakes for dinner which would have been more than satisfying.
Meanwhile, Jason brought us complimentary sourdough rolls and butter, a staple on the wharf in San Francisco since Gold Rush days. These were ideal accompanying players to the dining experience. Chewy with the right amount of sour, I give it an A for texture and taste given that I regularly make my own sourdough at home.
By the end of the evening, we forced ourselves to order dessert. How could I resist the $12 three-layer tiramisu, and how could Frank refuse the $17 chocolate flourless torte with crème brulee? Impossible.
The bill totaled $220.50. We went home with plenty crab, risotto, scallops, tiramisu, and torte for lunch the next day. My conclusion is that Fog Harbor Fish House is not your run-of-the-mill tourist trap. The vibe is dynamic. Prices are fair. Service is excellent. Views, if you can get them, are superb. Note to readers: if window tables are not available, insist on waiting until one opens up.
This is a seafood institution unto its own, and it happens to be located in a popular destination worthy of a repeat visit.
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If you Go:
Fog Harbor Fish House
Pier 39
Open daily
415.421.2442
San Francisco
www.fogharbor.com
Entrée prices: $19-$72