Four days of eating, walking, drinking and more eating in San Francisco and Eric and I were begging for mercy as we rolled ourselves back to Seattle. But oh, what an amazing trip! The highlight of the entire weekend, hands-down, was a feast of a meal at the Wayfare Tavern.
Opened in 2010, the Wayfare Tavern is located in the Financial District in downtown SF with Chef Tyler Florence, celebrity chef and host of various shows on the Food Network, at the reigns. This timeless representation of a true Americana eatery is established in an old Wells Fargo building with four amazing floors of turn of the century artwork and decor. It beckons a sophisticated, yet casual elegance in not only the atmosphere, but also in the food.
Eric and I heard of this amazing find from a local bartender at The Thirsty Bear Brewery, also in San Fran, and we were eager to try it out. So, on Day Two of our long weekend in the city, we set off on foot from our downtown hotel, grabbed a hot cup of black coffee from Peet’s, and made our way to the tavern.
We arrived right at opening, which turned out to be perfect timing since the bar and restaurant filled up quickly. We saddled up at the bar to be carefully ushered through an incredible two-hour lunch by our bartender and hospitality guardian, Sean. We immediately ordered a rather large smattering of items off the menu and began nibbling on the delicious popovers that the waiter brought out shortly after cozying up at the bar.
From the French Fried Oysters to the American Kobe Tartare, this place turns out some amazing comfort food at a higher level than I would have ever expected possible. The oysters are fried in a crispy, light batter and are packed with a sweet, juicy flavor that is obviously a reflection of the fantastic quality of the local seafood from the Bay Area. And let’s not forget the Wayfare Tavern Deviled Eggs. They have a sweet and tangy richness to them from the honey mustard with little hidden candied pumpkin jewels at their core, and are topped with crunchy fried brussels sprouts. Delicious!
There is truly not enough time or space for me to continue to rave about this place, but I assure you, it will be the first place we visit on our next trip to SF. Perhaps next time we will try the Organic Fried Chicken, which is actually the dish that they are most known for as they have been dubbed the “Fried Chicken Guru” by Food & Wine Magazine.
Until next time, here are a few pictures to drool over…
The Curiously Hungry Traveler 