THE RAGING SPORK

Cioppino is one of those city/region specific dishes, intricately tied into the history and culture of a city and its people. Just like Chicago’s deep-dish pizza, New England’s clam chowder, and Texas barbeque, cioppino is uniquely a San Franciscan dish. It’s origins come from the early 1900’s when Italian fishermen, working on the wharf, would ask their colleagues for scraps of fish and whatever else for a family stew to be shared among all. While doing so, they would shout, “Chip in!” which, laden with a heavy Italian accent, became “Chip-een-o!” Hence, cioppino, a hearty seafood stew with a myriad of crab, fish, herbs, and whatever else was lying around, was born. (No, I’m not some kind of food historian, this was taken from the site.) Moving to present day, Cioppino’s, located near Fisherman’s Wharf, continues serving up the same San Franciscan classic, along with various seafood inspired Italian-American staples.

The interior of Cioppino’s is surprisingly big, including a full bar with plasma TVs, and a seemingly out of place fountain-type ornament in the center. Painted murals depicting the Italian countryside adorn the walls. In other parts, the murals are actually painted to present a faux village, real life awning included. A little cheesy, but not overwhelmingly so. The sheer size of the dining area made for a slight cavernous effect, amplifying sound that carried throughout the place. It definitely gave the impression of a warm, but noisy, hustle and bustle dining spot, which can either be fun or annoying, depending on what mood you’re in.

I went with a dungeness crab meat pizza, followed by the namesake cioppino. Topped with 3 cheeses, artichoke, sun-dried tomato and crab meat, the pizza promised to be an inventive and interesting starter. Unfortunately, it was a pretty big let down. The crab meat was simply overpowered by the strong cheesiness of the pizza, so that when I bit into it…all that the crab meat brought to the table was not flavor, but texture. Like a cheese pizza with strings on top. And not even a fantastic cheese pizza at that. The cheese lacked any real punch, and just about the only thing I really tasted in the pizza was the occasional sun-dried tomato. There was no synergy, no symphony of tastes, just one taste blaring loudly and flatly. In retrospect, I feel like crab has a light flavor, easily overshadowed by stronger flavors, and therefore ought to be treated simply and delicately, especially if the crab isn’t the freshest. Overall, a sad disappointment.

On to the star, the famed cioppino. For such a simple dish, the presentation was a bit dramatic and fun. The crab legs and claw hanging off the side of the bowl was a nice touch, as was the conveniently included crab bib. I’m sometimes tempted to believe that if you throw almost anything into a pot and simmer the hell out of it for long enough, it will almost always taste amazing. Throw in fish, crab, mussels, clams, and squid…and how can you go wrong? The broth itself wasn’t a overpowering punch-you-in-the-face tomato fest like I had been expecting, and I was delighted to find that the herbs and flavors from the seafood had balanced it out well. The snapper had to be my favorite part of the stew, the milder tasting meat did a lot to round out the saltiness and acidity of the broth. Eating the dish is fun in it’s own right also. Dipping your spoon into the opaque broth, you’re never really sure what will come up. Sometimes a cut of fish, sometimes a clam…add in the hands-on (and labor intensive) crab cracking to get at that elusively precious crab meat, and you’ve got a dish that’s not just good…it’s interactive.

The crab itself wasn’t as fresh as I would’ve liked..a little dry and lacking in flavor. And the broth was balanced at first, but as you start hitting the bottom, the soup becomes overpowered by the taste of fennel. A tell-tale sign that they’re using powdered fennel, which sinks with time. Indeed, towards the bottom, the soup becomes almost too salty and too herby. Despite these setbacks, the dish was altogether hearty and delicious. And honestly, if you serve me enough seafood, I’m generally pretty happy. I left surprisingly full and mostly satisfied.

As it would seem, most Bay Area folk would tell you to avoid eating at Fisherman’s Wharf. The place is usually chock full of tourists at all times, whom, to the modern day business owner, are readily separated from their money by cheap souvenirs and overpriced food. Cioppino’s, at a glance, is no different. Most of the food doesn’t seem entirely impressive, and I definitely feel the menu is overpriced. That said, the cioppino here is definitely worth a try, if not only to give it a shot and engage in city culture, but simply because it’s pretty good.

Cioppino’s
400 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 775-9311
Man, it’s good to be back in the bay.
Congrats to my boy Cates, hope the meal was up to snuff.