1550 Hyde Wine Bar and Café

1550 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Get Directio(415) 775-1550
www.1550hyde.com

I have mentioned that San Francisco is a wonderful place. I think either I have lived there in a past life, or am destined to. Either way, every time I am there, it gets better and better. Whether it is the weather, the food, or the people it just keeps calling me back.

This trip was superb. I will first discuss 1550 Hyde Wine Bar and Café.

(I must tell you, I did not take this pic which will be explained later...)

1550 is located in the Russian Hill neighborhood and was about a one mile walk from where we stayed near Union Square.
The San Francisco night air was crisp and cool, and as we climbed up and down the hilly streets our anticipation grew for what was awaiting us behind the glass door that read "1550".
We entered into a lively candle lit room, full of positive energy, so far so good. My eyes scanned the small packed dining room and were immediately drawn to the ceilings which were adorned with wine corks arranged in the shapes of flowers.

We were greeted by a gentleman that told us there would be at least an hour wait for a table. We spied two seats at the end of the six-seat bar and promptly grabbed them. The bar was tiny, but pleasantly cozy, and the gentleman that originally had greeted us was now telling us the evening's specials as he handed us menus. We ordered some wine and started with their Antipasto Plate offering.

(Now before I continue, I have to say because I enjoyed this whole experience so much, the camera stayed tucked away in my bag. I am sorry, but the place was that great, pics were momentarily forgotten about, my sincere apologies.)

Anyway, the Antipasto came complete with about six different types of olives that had been warmed and dressed with just a bit of oil, a locally farmed and cured Salami, a warm beet salad, a beautiful Porcini Mushroom Crostini that I could have eaten all night, and finally a nice mix of roasted nuts.
It was a perfect selection of items. On the menu that evening were also a selection of cheeses. We selected the Toma Piedmontese, a cow' s milk cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy, which arrived with slices of walnut bread. The cheese was divine. Since returning to Cleveland we have been scouring the city to find it, no such luck yet. (I may just have to order it online, it was THAT good.)
As we continued to nibble on our lovely items, the gentleman informed us about how the restaurant has personal relationships with food suppliers and farmers all local to that region of California. Because of these relationships the menu changes often as menu items are dependent on the fresh harvests and the availability of various cured meats. We wanted to try some of the entrees next, but we decided that something sweet was in order after all of the salty choices.

We were given the dessert menu, and everything sounded fabulous. We were then informed that the evening special dessert was a Brown Rice Pudding with Sauternes macerated Strawberries. That clinched it. We ordered the rice pudding and the Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Chocolate Pot de Crème with Straus whipped cream and shortbread cookies.
Holy $#%@! The Brown rice in the pudding had a perfect texture; not mushy and not stiff, right in between, the pudding itself was not overly sweet, and the Sauternes with the Strawberries was an exquisite compliment.
Now onto the Pot de Crème. This was absolutely delicious. The consistency of the chocolate was so smooth and creamy we fought over whom got to lick the dish. The Straus whipped cream was also a perfect addition and the crisp shortbread cookies lent a delightful crunch.

1550 Hyde Wine Bar and Café was such a wonderful neighborhood find in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco. If it were my neighborhood, I know I would be there all the time.