Swan Oyster Depot
Although I lived just one block away in San Francisco, CA, I had absolutely no clue about the famous gem in my neighborhood – Swan Oyster Depot – until I had moved away. After I realized I had missed out on my opportunity to just walk around the block to grab a bite at a San Francisco classic I made a vow that I would make an effort to eat there some time when I was back in SF. An opportunity presented itself when my wife Connie was scheduled to have tonsillectomy surgery at the nearby hospital (had she been able to go with me to eat there it would have been the perfect opportunity!).
Menu options
While headed to the hospital on a Thursday (February 23, 2012), Connie and I drove by Swan Oyster Depot around 12:30pm and saw the crazy long lunch line to get in. I didn’t have enough time to whip out my camera to photo-document, but the line was easily 30-40 people long! Do those people work and how long do those people have for lunch?! Thank goodness I was not going to attempt to eat there at that time but later in the afternoon with a friend of ours while Connie was in surgery.
The Swan story
Swan Oyster Depot is a tiny place. The setup is basically a deep room with a counter that runs down the middle of the room until you reach the wall that separates the dining area from the kitchen. One side of the counter is for the workers, and the other side is set up with stools for the patrons. I didn’t do an actual count of the number of stools but I’d estimate that there are only 20 spots or so, and the spots are snug. You’ll definitely bump elbows with your fellow diners.
Horseradish . . check
Rayna and I got to Swan’s around 4pm and although it was not prime dining time there was still a line to get in. While waiting in line we salivated at the different menu items available as we watched food being prepared, served, and eaten. Thankfully, the line was short and we just had to wait for four people in front of us before we got seated.
We decided we had to try a couple of dishes:
- mixed dozen oysters
- seafood combination salad
- smoked salmon (with smoked trout)
- sea urchin
Once we had put in our order we got our drinks and some fresh sourdough bread to tide us over until we got our food. The first dish that came out was the mixed dozen oysters which was made up of Blue Point, Miyagi and Kumamoto oysters that day. There were four of each kind so for two people it worked out pretty well. For any fan of oysters one could have easily polished off the mixed dozen by oneself but since we did have a number of other dishes still to come the six oysters apiece worked out perfectly. Mmmmm, so delicious . . . .
The mixed dozen oyster plate made up of Blue Point, Miyagi, and Kumamoto oysters
After slurping down the oysters to open up our appetites we were ready for our main entree selections. I had ordered the seafood salad combination plate which was just an absolute feast. Why peel and crack your seafood if you can just go to Swan’s. The dish comprised of large succulent pieces of prawns, crab, lobster, and shrimp on a bed of chopped lettuce. The portion size was huge but I’m definitely not complaining!
Seafood salad combination - large succulent pieces of shrimp, prawn, crab, and lobster on a bed of chopped lettuce
The smoked salmon dish is typically pieces of smoked salmon served with french bread and a side of shrimp salad, but for a little extra, Rayna had pieces of smoked trout added to the dish in order to try both types of smoked fish. “It’s all in the technique . . . and the freshness of the fish of course” one worker kept telling us as the diner next to us gushed about how incredible the smoked fish tasted. The smoked fish did not disappoint . . . the smokiness in the fish was indeed amazing!
An order of the smoked salmon dish with smoked trout added
We decided to finish up with some sea urchin. It’s been a while since I’ve had fresh sea urchin out of the shell. I still recall my first experience many years ago in the Caribbean when we picked up some white sea urchins off the sea bed, cracked them open, and enjoyed the rich, creamy, yellow roe – mana from the sea. But I digress. Swan Oyster Depot served black sea urchin (Stronglycentrotus franciscanus) presenting the “roe” on the half shell. Sea urchin is a delicacy, but it can be an acquired taste of sorts as it can have a unique texture which some people may not like. When sea urchin is served in little portions you might not be able to taste the texture, just the rich flavor e.g. when it is in sushi. I’m not sure if it’s because it was black sea urchin or if it was due to actual whole pieces of raw sea urchin as it was served at Swan Oyster Depot, but it seemed like the texture of the sea urchin tasted a little different from what I had had before. It was definitely still very fresh but the texture seemed a little firmer and more “filtery”? Essentially, the “roe” or yellow meat is the sea urchin’s reproductive system so the roe isn’t necessarily just eggs as one may think. I surmise that the unique texture may be related to the accompanying gonadal tissues. Whatever the case, the sea urchin still tasted great.
It's not every day that you get to have fresh sea urchin
All of the ingredients were incredibly fresh and tasted absolutely delicious. No wonder Swan Oyster Depot has been around San Francisco for a century and still consistently gets top marks from everybody, not just foodies and food review agencies! For those fans of Anthony Bourdain it probably is no surprise that Swan Oyster Depot was featured recently on his new show “The Layover” when they showcased San Francisco as he openly admits to always being at Swan’s whenever filming in SF. Swan Oyster Depot is most definitely a San Francisco institution and a trip to San Francisco should include this stop. My tip for potential SF visitors – skip the stalls and restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf and go to Swan’s Oyster Depot instead! You may not be right by the ocean but you wouldn’t be able to tell by how amazing the food is.
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101
Flying the friendly (United Airlines business) skies
My wife Connie was going to undergo a tonsillectomy surgery so I had to make a cross-country trip to be with her for surgery and her recuperation afterwards. Being a loyal frequent flier of United Airlines (UA) in the past few years, I’ve been able to gather enough miles in their MileagePlus frequent flier program to have Premier Executive status. One of the perks of being an elite member of their MP program is the unlimited complimentary upgrades – meaning elite members are automatically put onto the waiting list for seats in the next higher class of service for any UA flights that the member is traveling on. If seats are available in the higher class, they’ll be assigned to the elite members based on UA’s formula (members’ status level, mileage earned, etc).
I don’t typically fly business class though I have been fortunate to get a few upgrades once in a while. Typically, as I’m flying hub-to-hub, specifically Washington Dulles to San Francisco International or vice versa, there are (a) few business class seats left open, and (b) so many high level elites that a lowly PE member like myself would never get the complimentary upgrade. Perhaps it was because I was going IAD-LAX-SFO on a Wednesday (February 22, 2012), but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually got the complimentary upgrade to business class for my cross-country flight! This was also after I had been trying to use the automated kiosk to print my boarding pass and it kept not letting me do so and insisting that I had to talk to an agent to complete my check-in process.
After having my upgrade confirmed and receiving my boarding pass, I was looking forward to my flight as I knew I would be having a served dinner instead of being offered meals for purchase. Plus, I was looking forward to seeing the changes of United Airlines’ recently revised in-flight menu and premium cabin service. Airline food hasn’t garnered rave 3 star Michelin reviews but there have been efforts by multiple airlines to make their food better. United did so recently by getting assistance from internationally acclaimed Chef Curtis Stone.
Warmed peanuts
The in-flight service began shortly after takeoff with a hot towel and warmed nuts in a ramekin. The nuts were a good snack. I also appreciated the mix of nuts which included almonds, cashews, and peanuts. I don’t usually have peanuts as a snack at my place, and when I have had them I’ve never taken the time to warm them. However, after having the warmed peanuts on my flight, I might just have to make an effort to have warmed nuts next time.
The main dinner service was served on a tray that had a salad, appetizer and main entree on it. Maybe it’s because I have realistic lower expectations for meals on airplanes, or just lower expectations in general (which I’d like to think not), but all of the dishes actually looked good. Thinking about the serving style some more though, I think what makes the whole meal experience on airplanes seem less appetizing, apart from the fact that you’re eating in a cramped space on a plane, is that the entire meal is being served on a tray. Meals on trays just make you think of food in cafeterias, school lunches, or prison meals, even if you do provide real silverware in a clean white napkin, and have a linen on the tray. Perhaps if the food dishes were served one at a time that would actually make it seem like airplane food was better. It’s not like you’re pressed for time on cross-country flights (P.S. United, maybe you can learn from Air New Zealand who does this even in their premium economy class).
United Airlines business class dinner spread
Regarding the food that was served for dinner, the appetizer was a smoked salmon dish served with capers and a lemon slice. The smoked salmon wasn’t the best smoked salmon that I had ever had, but it wasn’t the other extreme either. It also did not taste just like a piece of smoked salmon from a store bought package. The salad consisted of pieces of romaine lettuce with diced tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. It was served with a prepackaged sesame ginger dressing on the side that was nice, light and refreshing together with the salad. My main entree was a chicken dish that was definitely Italian influenced. The chicken was seasoned with Italian seasonings, and served with gnocchi, pasta sauce, carrots and long beans. The generous chicken piece wasn’t overcooked, as can be easily done, so all parts were nice and moist. The gnocchi had a good texture – firm but still soft in the mouth – though a little floury tasting.
Smoked salmon appetizer
Chicken entree
Once the main tray had been taken away, the flight attendants came down the aisles with our dessert – carts of ice cream sundaes with our choice of size toppings. I chose to have my ice cream sundae topped with chocolate syrup and strawberries.
Ice cream sundae with chocolate and strawberry toppings
Overall, my dinner experience in United Airlines’ business class was good. All of the food was presented in a nice manner, tasted good and seemed fresh. I only wish they could have brought out the dishes one at a time rather than serving all on a tray. My last business class experience with United Airlines had been about six months ago on an international leg from Taiwan to Japan. I cannot remember what I had exactly or how things were served but based on my recollection the international experience was still better than this domestic meal which was definitely pretty good. I must say, airline food has come a long way since back in the day, and food up in United Airlines’ business class isn’t just reheated frozen dinners. Maybe one day I’ll be able to experience first class cabin service as I’m sure it’s even better.
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As an aside, when I first decided to blog about my food experiences the broad categories that came to mind were my test kitchen and my eating out experiences, the latter of which I decided to collectively group as “Restaurants”. However, it seems like I may have to come up with either a better term for encompassing my eating out experiences instead of “Restaurants” e.g. “Out and about”, or add some additional segregation to allow for better classification of experiences like this! Any ideas?
Foodie Forays 