Trip to the US: Alioto's Waterside Cafe, Fisherman's Wharf

Overall comment: I think the food isn't great...acceptable la, but for the price paid, I reckon you can get better seafood/crabs elsewhere.
Halal: No 'halal' certification, I think. It's pork-free.

We were told to try out the crabs at Fisherman's Wharf. It's probably not the best place to dine as food prices are definitely higher than the usual since it's a tourist area. But as the sun sets, the temperature dropped quite drastically from evening to night that I was FREEZING! I under-estimated the weather & temperature in San Francisco as I came from Palo Alto, where it was quite hot during the day time.

We took some tram/train to the Fisherman's Wharf as we couldn't walk any further from the Ferry Building. It was just TOO cold for someone who is dressed in t-shirt & shorts!

I couldn't really focus when I reached Fisherman's Wharf. All I wanted was to get into some warm, cozy, restaurant. I don't even wanna care if the food there is nice or not or if the price will be expensive!

Street stalls selling seafood!

Looks SO good & probably cheaper but I wanted to sit down in a warm, cozy restaurant SO badly...we were cold, hungry, & tired after walking for hours!

Finally....

We finally ended up at Alioto's. Only after eating there that we were told it's not the best place for crabs/seafood. Bah. At least it was warm & cozy...sigh. This place is actually one of the oldest fine dining restaurants in San Francisco. That explains the price...hmmm...

Open-concept kitchen

The menu

They have quite a variety of food, where prices start from USD5.50 for a cup of clam chowder. Quite expensive, eh?

Complimentary Sour Dough Bread

Their bread isn't as nice, somehow. It was slightly too sour for my liking & the crust was very chewy/"rubbery" & hard.

 The Half Dungeness Crab Set

Each set comes with either a cup of clam chowder or salad. The clam chowder was supposingly "home-made", but frankly speaking, we didn't really like it. It's like the canned Campbell soup with just less MSG. I guess it's too much of cream 'til it tasted kinda bland/flat. There were more potatoes than clams too. It felt like cream of potatoes with clams.

Wharf Style Half Dungeness Crab (USD19.95/set - market price for the day)

White wine, garlic, fresh tomatoes, green onions & butter

  This was the better option of the 2 styles that we ordered. It's sweeter, has a "fresher" taste & somehow less "crowded" with pungent herbs & spices. The crab was fresh but I guess this type of crab isn't as meaty as the mud crabs. Nothing WOW about this dish somehow. Having this made me miss the crabs I can have back in Malaysia! :P

Old Bay Seasoning Half Dungeness Crab (USD19.95/set - market price for the day)

Paprika, celery powder, cardamon, & black pepper

 This style wasn't too our liking as it was what we call as "zhok" in Cantonese, literally means "over-powered with spices". Paprika, cardamon & black peppers are all heavy spices & compared to the other style of cooking, this crab's soup/gravy was quite difficult to finish. We just ate the crabs & left the soup. If you prefer something more flavourful & "strong-taste", you may enjoy this one better.

Our dinner... 

The damage

Nope, not cheap at all. If we convert, it's like RM75.00/person for just half a crab + a small cup of clam chowder. I am very sure that with RM150.00, we can feed at least 4-5 persons a large plate of crabs + some other dishes too.

I don't think I will be back here if I ever get to go to San Francisco again. It's just for exposure sake & the experience. I will wait 'til I get back to Malaysia for crabs ;)

Alioto's Restaurant

#8 Fisherman’s Wharf at

the Foot of Taylor, facing

the San Francisco fishing

harbor

Tel: (+1) 415 673 0183

Email: Info@Aliotos.com

FB: Alioto's Restaurant

Ratings:

Presentation: * * *

Price: * *

Environment: * * *  1/2

Taste: * *

Service: * * * 1/2

Overall

Malaysia's better for crabs!