At 5 p.m. tonight Mayes Oyster house will open on Polk Street, bringing a 132-year-old restaurant back to life. The original Mayes lasted from 1867 to 2002, when it was transformed into an Ethiopian restaurant, then an Irish pub, then the short-lived Midpoint, before restaurant developer Erik Reese bought it and decided to revert back to a concept very close to the original. “It’s a fun, hip, sexy play on a San Francisco seafood house. It lends to some of the classics like Louie salads, seafood chowder, classic cocktails, and an incredible array of global seafood dishes,” Reese told Grub Street on the phone today.
The wine list, compiled by new Delfina Group wine director Samantha Brennan, ranges from Northern California to New Zealand to France and contains nothing more expensive than $60, Reese said. Meanwhile, the cocktail menu tends toward the traditional with Manhattans and lots of San Francisco-themed cocktails like the Polk Street Punch (Bacardi Limon, Cointreau, 7 Up, Cranberry Juice). Check out the menu, then stop by this evening to check it out for yourself. Happy hour goes from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with $1 oysters from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. 1860s period dress not required.
Mayes Oyster House, 1233 Polk St., nr. Fern St., San Francisco; 415-474-7674
