Wine Bar Crawl

With the abnormal hot weather in SF, we had to take advantage of enjoying a glass of wine outside. So with one goal in mind, we headed to up to Hyde St, in search of wine and a table in the shade. Our first stop was at 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar. This was slightly on the fancier side for our original intent but nonetheless, we took the last 2 top outside. I’ve been to 1550 Hyde before. It’s a great neighborhood restaurant. We ordered a bottle of Fritz Sauvignon Blanc and a little cheese platter with Toma cheese.

Eyeing the table kitty corner at Cafe Meuse, we hopped across the street for our next wine adventure. We enjoyed a couple bottles of wine including a delicious RRR Pinot Noir and a charcuterie platter. The meat platter had a good variety of salami, spicy salami, prosciutto, olives, and nuts. This is a cute little place for pre-dinner drinks or just a casual night out. I definitely want to come back to try out more of the food. Service was really friendly and attentive.

After a few bottles of wine and hardly any food, it was time to get some real substance. Sticking with the theme: outdoor and wine, we headed to the Marina to a restaurant I have always wanted to try – Bistro Aix. We started with the roasted baby beet salad with goat cheese, baby spinach and orange vinaigrette ($8.50) and the fried calamari with red curry aioli ($10). I love the beet salad and found myself wanting more. For entrees, we opted for something hearty and went with the grilled prime cedar sirloin with fries ($22). All the entrees were really reasonable with pastas and pizza around $12 and entrees $22. They also offer a 2 course prix fixe menu for $23, available Sunday-Thursday 6-8pm. The wine was the highlight of the meal. There was one and only Malbec on the menu and it was fantastic! Unfortunately, I don’t recall the winery but I’ll definitely search for it when I return.

Feeling a little tired and in food coma, we managed to make our way to Mamacita for some sangria. I’ve been to Mamacita before and I’d barely give it 1 cupcake. It’s more of a scene and the food is horrible. I do have to say my last visit involved some really weak sauce drinks. Given this time I didn’t have any food, I won’t critique on the food but the sangria was just OK.

1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar

(415) 775-1550