San Francisco: Sabella & La Torre's

After taking a self-guided tour around the base of Coit Tower (the elevator was closed...just our luck), we decided to make use of my Pier 39 parking coupon and get some calamari at the Fisherman's Wharf:

I was surprised by how busy it was on a Thursday:

But I guess half the fun is squeezing around people as you try to figure out which stall to eat from:



I usually go to either Sabella or Nick's Lighthouse, depending on who has the freshest batch of fried calamari, because they both include the tentacles (which I love). I always get my clam chowder bowls at Sabella though:

On this particular day, the calamari looked better at Sabella:

I always get the 2 item combo with fried shrimp and calamari:

The shrimp were fantastic as usual, but the calamari was disappointing. They were soft and not crunchy at all. There were also no tentacles! Ugh...the travesty. The serving size has also halved. They used to use two overlapping paper trays to fit all the food. Not anymore. My friend and my sister commented on how the calamari at Barcode (a pearl tea joint by my house) is far superior.

I always get my clam chowder bread bowls at Sabella because they give you the chunk of bread that they dig out to make the bowl:

Other places only give crackers. Boo. My favorite part is the sourdough bread. I let others drink the soup while I just dip:

This was the first time that we ever finished the entire bread bowl. Usually I get to half before I have to call it quits. But this time...this time my sister persevered. Woot woot!

Overall, I was disappointed by this Fisherman's Wharf run. I always talk about how great the calamari is there and it just didn't deliver this time. And also, the concrete stump we always sit on has been transformed into an advertisement pole! Sigh...I had so many good memories on that stump...

Sabella & La Torre's

2809 Taylor St

San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 673-2824

http://www.sabellalatorre.com/