Hops & Hominy

The quirkily named Hops & Hominy is a recent attempt by three friends to bring a modern version of Southern cuisine to San Francisco.  Located in a small alley near Union Square this restaurant succeeds in putting together a killer combination of quirky cocktails, a beer list from American micro-breweries and finger-lickin’ Southern dishes.

Walls of exposed bricks, old-fashioned incandescent light-bulbs, hardwood floors, and table-tops made of reclaimed wood: they all give this restaurant a definite charm.  I sat at the bar watching the cooks busily put together oysters, fried chicken and cornbread for their waiting patrons.



I browsed their cocktail list and was delighted to see a Smoked Bacon Manhattan there.  Now this I had to try! Bourbon infused with bacon, bitters, and Vermouth, the drink was actually very good.



I sipped contentedly and dwelled over the name of this restaurant.  Hominy was easy, it is the ground corn from which grits are made - a Southern staple.  Hops I would associate with beer; it is actually a kind of flower that is used in beer production and adds the distinctive bitter taste to it.  However, since they have a little rabbit logo, I wondered if there was another association here.



The server brought out freshly baked corn bread in a small cast-iron skillet with amazingly soft honey butter that was delightful to taste.



I started with cornmeal encrusted Fried Oysters with a jalapeño garlic aioli.  Today was going to be fried everything, but then this was Southern food and I was willing to indulge.  The oysters tasted delicious and the dip had a real kick that was refreshing.



For my mains, I had ordered the Fried Chicken which was served with a biscuit, creamed collards and a pepper sauce.  The chicken was pretty good: not greasy at all and yet nice and crisp on the outside while juicy inside.



I ended with a Sweet Potato ice-cream which was a very interesting combination of texture and flavours.

Overall, Hops & Hominy is a good choice for drinks and dinner after an evening.  Great beers, cocktails and avant-garde Southern food.  They have tables indoors and a few outside too.  However, make a reservation since the place tends to fill up quite early in the evening.