I went to dinner with my best high school buddy who just happens to live in San Francisco as well, and I thought, what better thing to do than for two New Englanders to go eat clam chowder in California? And so our dinner location was obvious: My #5 destination and #28 on the list, Anchor Oyster Bar for clam chowder.
My friend Lizzy is a born and raised Bostonite, and therefore has a refined pallet when it comes to clam chowder, so she would be my guru on this particular adventure.
The restaurant had a funky diner vibe. Small, open kitchen, stainless steal furniture and a long counter with stools. The bread they bring is nothing fancy, just a tasty, medium crust, loaf of Italian bread.
I know it's hard to mess up any food that involves cream, butter and clams, but I've had some BAD clam chowder, the worst of which, if I had tipped my bowl upside down, the soup probably would've fallen out keeping the shape of the bowl with an exciting jiggle.
This chowder was LOVELY. The texture of the soup was smooth and creamy, but not so thick that I felt I was eating "glop." It wasn't overloaded with stuff, but it had a nice amount of chopped potato, bacon, and clams (perhaps it could've used a bit more, but every element was cooked perfectly).
The thing we loved most about it was its simplicity. No bells and whistles here. Just a simple, creamy, sweet and savory New England clam chowder in San Francisco. We were impressed with the restaurant's restraint in keeping clam chowder the way it should be, and not inventing some spicy, swanky, and so called creative chowder. For California, it was good. This, paired with a glass of their house Chardonnay, left me feeling like one happy clam.
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