This time I planned on getting there early enough to get a seat! Swan Oyster Depot opens promptly at 10:30am. We arrived at 9:50am on a Thursday. We were the first people there! So we walked up the street and got a cup of coffee and walked back to the Swan to officially get in line. It was about 10:10am and we were still the first people in line… but not for long.

People began to appear and suddenly the line was about 20 people deep. Apparently this was a “slow morning”.

Here’s a guy setting up the windows. The sun was beating down so he had white paper covering all of the fish until the sun wasn’t so direct.

This shot was taken right after they put all the stools down… 5 minutes before this shot all of the stools were piled up in sets of two against the wall. This is it though, this is the entire restaurant. One main counter with stools. It doesn’t seat many people, hence why there is always a line to get in. It’s awesome, old school, authentic and everything you’d hope a seafood diner would be.

Yay, they finally opened and we took our seats about halfway down the bar, directly in front of the menu on the wall. I ordered what I had the last time I was there – the combination seafood cocktail and a bowl of clam chowder.

There was a huge bowl of oyster crackers every 3 feet or so… we were lucky enough to sit right in front of one! When you sit down you also get a big hunk of bread and butter, but I forgot to take a photo of that…

My view from the bar…

Ahhh the combination seafood cocktail! It’s served in a little sundae dish and it looks small but boy does it pack a big punch. The bottom is filled with lump crab meat, it’s topped with a jumbo shrimp and an oyster. And you get a big dish of cocktail sauce to dip everything into. It’s pretty mild and ice cold which is yum.

The first time I had this clam chowder I remember it being the absolute best clam chowder I’ve ever had. This past time I beg to differ but only because it was slightly luke warm… but I’m going to blame it on the fact that it was 10:30am and we were the first people in line. It was still very good and I ate almost the entire bread chunk they gave us.

What makes this soup so tasty is the fact that the broth is super flavorful and isn’t not super chunky… it’s definitely creamy but on the thinner side which makes dipping bread into it completely OCD and oyster crackers absorb the broth faster.  It’s really, really good.

So, long story short, place is great. Despite all the hype surrounding this place, I still think it’s worth going (if you have time). The seafood is super fresh, nice and cold, and the ambiance brings me right back to the diners of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  You really don’t find many down home places like this in San Francisco. I love everything about it, except the super long line.

Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109

The post Swan Oyster Depot – Seafood Cocktail and Clam Chowder appeared first on Fryhole.

I went to Fresca Restaurant in Noe Valley to shoot the restaurant and some food.  Fresca is a Peruvian restaurant and all of the dishes are rich and flavorful.  They even have a fresh oyster bar and serve ceviche and a number of other fresh seafood appetizers.  In the process of shooting, I met the chef’s mother, who insisted that I stay for dinner after the photoshoot was over (yay I was so happy!).  As I was shooting some food, one of the dishes that caught my eye (and nose) was a big bowl of what I thought was paella.  It smelled amazing and it reminded me of this awesome paella that I ate in New York City last fall.

Anyway, after all of the photos were taken, the chef asked me what I wanted and I told him I’d love to try the rice/paella dish with seafood.  They brought it out to me and I couldn’t wait to dig in.  All I can say… PARTY IN MY FREAKING MOUTH.  This was a total fiesta de mi boca… the most amazing rice and seafood dish I’ve ever eaten.  I seriously can’t even describe it… maybe it doesn’t even deserve words?  All I can say is that it’s been 2 days and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see that the dish is made up of seasoned rice, scallops, shrimp, mussells and calamari.  It’s also tossed with some peas.

I sat alone at the oyster bar and inhaled every last piece of rice.  All that was left were empty shells.  I can’t wait to go back and have it again (or try something new).  I’m really kickin myself for not taking a picture of my empty bowl to add to the Clean Plate Club gallery…

Fresca has 3 locations in San Francisco (Noe Valley, Fillmore and West Portal).  I visited the Noe Valley location.

3945 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 695-0549
www.frescasf.com

The post Fresca: Arroz con Mariscos appeared first on Fryhole.