Mission Mania: Anchor Oyster Bar - Runner Up #1

Okay. It's true. I am yet again filled with lies. This restaurant (gasp) is not even in the Mission. It's technically, okay...pretty obviously, located in the Castro, with it's small yet prime real estate location at Castro Street and 19th. But, to be fair, San Francisco neighborhoods roll over you like a windy set of waves if you walk more than 2 or 3 blocks anywhere in the central city. I mean, I've lived here for 3 years, and I could probably only name half the SF neighborhoods, let alone orient them on a map. So Anchor. You're within walking distance, a mere 12 minutes from my Dolores Park abode, and you are tastefully delicious. Hence your place at Runner Up #1 on my maniacal Mission mania list. Being the lady that I am (ie. someone from the PNW), for me, this here dinner menu represents what some may call Soul Food. And everybody needs Soul Food from time to time. That's right: buttery mashed potatoes and fatty fish fillets, crab cakes, caesar salad, cioppino and pasta - these are the foods that I was raised on, and these are the foods that I run to in times of homesickness, sadness or a desire to put on a couple of pounds. And it is glorious. The oh-so-necessary oysters are clearly the piece of resistance as they say: the veritable cherry on top. In my humble opinion, you can tell a lot about the quality of a restaurant based on their oysters. For example, some places have fresh tasty oysters but can't be bothered to sever them from the shell and you're stuck there trying to saw through the muscle with a tiny fork or pull it from it's home with your teeth or maybe just leave it dangling from your lips like a sad, sad piece of spaghetti (cough...Woodhouse...), and that is not a good thing my friend. Or other places sever the oyster but then rinse it in tap water so many times that it is completely flavorless by the time it hits your table and then begins to live up to the horribly hurtful "loogie" stereotype propagated by non-believers (choke....Fog City....). That is also not a good thing. I mean, don't they realize that the oyster juice is half the flavor-battle? Idjits. Okay, okay. I digress. Needless to say, the oysters at Anchor are like a precious pearl recovered from the depths of the ocean only to be gently placed on my tongue and burst like a gusher of salty-brine goodness. Usually, I'm a west-coast only kind of girl. I love the fresh, almost carbonated, tingling flavor of a good, briny Pacific oyster. Last time though, I dabbled in some Canadian Atlantic's and I was not disappointed. It was completely different, but the thick smokey taste of those puppies swirled in my throat and left a rich, brie/stinky cheese wall of flavor that opened my eyes to the wonders of that other ocean-world. Ahh, oysters. Whew. I might be drooling a little. Okay, so Anchor. A one-man creation of Delicious, Satisfying, Cozy and so on. The space is pretty tight, but you don't notice it much once you actually get inside. That's right folks, waiting takes place on the sidewalk. So, in these San Francisco summers, be sure to bring your ear-muffs. If you want oysters, be prepared to throw down $40 per person, a reasonable exchange for fresh and well-prepared cuisine in this fair city. Oddly enough, for a highly-habitated area surrounded by water, I tend to find myself disappointed in the seafood. Thankfully, I know that I can always drown my sorrows in a giant piece of fresh halibut at my local Castro Oyster Bar. Amen.

Final Judgment: "Best tourist-free, sit-down oysters in the city. And then some."