Mid-Market’s Southern comfort
It’s always interesting to study the dynamics of why one restaurant fails and another succeeds in the same space. Many people say location is key, but other factors obviously play a more important role.
One of the most revealing case studies is the conversion of Cadence to Hazel.
Cadence opened in January 2016, hailed as one of the most anticipated openings of last year. Located in the MidMarket area, across the street from the Uber headquarters on Market Street, it was the vision of a group who had a proven track record with Maven in the Haight. They spent millions on the impressive interior that featured polished wood accents, comfortable banquettes, finished walls and carpeted floors. They also hired well-known chef Joey Elenterio, a former Chronicle Rising Star, who created a fixed price and a la carte menu that included a whole fish filleted table side, and a roulade of chicken with both cooked and raw shaved asparagus.
It closed after only six months — an epic fail.
Nine months later, the space became Hazel Southern Bar & Kitchen. Just about everything that defined Cadence’s modern interior was ripped out. The plastered support columns and the back wall were covered in brick veneer. Two billiard tables replaced the artistic wood slats that arched over upholstered booths, and 16 monitors were installed to broadcast sports.
Rather than stylized Northern California food and a fixed price menu, Hazel is now cooking up rib-sticking fare, including fried chicken, ribs and catfish.
On a recent Friday night the 96-seat place was filled with guys in billed caps, women in short dresses and gaggles of people who drank, talked, toasted, checked in on the outside world on their smart phones, and occasionally glanced up to watch the Giants. It’s the perfect place to observe San Francisco’s social multitasking.
Patrons at the pool tables were oblivious to what was on the screen as they racked the billiard balls. The tables loosely separate a more formal dining area from a lounge where patrons sprawl on the sling chairs, snacking on fried chicken and sweet potato waffles ($15) with bourbon maple syrup.
The bar area, where the action is particularly intense, offers more than 170 whiskey selections and a host of wellmade cocktails, mostly priced between $9 and $11. The bartenders know how to make classics such as Sazerac ($10) and Vieux Carre ($11), but they are also adept at others such as the Watermelon Smash ($9) with rye, lemon and mint.
The restaurant is an homage to owner Jamie Boatner’s mother; there’s a huge 72panel installation of photographs of Hazel in 1973, the year that Boatner was born. Many of the menu’s recipes are ones Hazel learned growing up in Shady Dale, Ga.
Chef Casey Hatwig, who worked at the Lark Creek Restaurant Group, also understands American comfort food. She knows how to craft an accessible menu, lightening up things a bit for the California palate. The prices are also significantly lower than they were at Cadence, where main courses were around $28. At Hazel, a half fried chicken, golden and juicy ($19; also available in a quarter, $15, and whole, $27), arrives in a cast iron skillet with slices of dill pickles.
Each of the four or five main courses comes with your choice of two sides, which include collard greens properly tender with puckery vinegar; thick and creamy mac and cheese; green beans with caramelized onions that on two occasions were more raw than cooked; buttermilk cornbread muffins; and cheddar poblano biscuits.
While Cadence’s concept seemed foggy, and it was never clear who was the target diner, at Hazel there’s no question that this is Southern food: a blackened catfish fillet ($18) presented on fried cabbage, or chunks of oxtail ($21) on a bed of dirty rice, thickly blanketed with gravy.
The slab of ribs ($18 for a half rack; $23 for whole) are the work of a rib master, caramelized and falling off the bone with a sweet-vinegary sauce. Once in a while you’ll get a blast of heat from the cayenne-infused spice rub. The ribs are first smoked for three hours and then slowly baked with the sauce, which also has a spicy kick. These are some of the best ribs I’ve eaten in the Bay Area.
Most appetizers are geared toward the drinking crowd. Tater-tot nachos ($11) is the type of dish you’d have after downing three beers and are looking forward to three more. They are a blurry mashup of potatoes, fried okra and pickled jalapeños doused in pimiento cheese sauce. Gator bites ($16), chunks of cornmeal-battered alligator, contribute the greasy component; they are served with a cocktail sauce and an excellent tartar sauce studded with dices of dill pickle.
In fact, just about everything at Hazel is fried. An example: the hush puppies ($9) with chipotle aioli. These go down well with a swig of the boozy, vanilla-spiced Old Fashioned cocktail ($10), which is served on a single ice cube.
Brussels sprouts ($7) are charred at the edges but still glistening in oil, and collard green dumplings ($9) are fried pastries filled with a mix of collard greens, ham and sour cream set on sweet peach chutney. They were hot, greasy, creamy and spicy — a satisfying accompaniment to one of the nine drafts such as the St. Archer white ale ($7). There are 10 bottles for all tastes, from Coors Light ($4) to Hitachino white ale ($10).
Of course, every San Francisco restaurant, even those that serve Southern specialties, must offer salads. Here you get three: kale Caesar ($9), which has so much iron flavor that you know it has to be good for you; a pleasant arugula with goat cheese, warm beets and raspberry vinaigrette; and a trio of cucumber, onion and tomato ($8) you’d find on many a Southern buffet. It would have been better if the sour cream dressing was less sweet.
For dessert, there’s a respectable banana pudding ($6) with chunks of vanilla wafers, and an excellent Key lime tart ($7) that admirably walks the sweet-tart line.
And not just the food hit the Southern mark. On my first two visits, the service aptly channeled Southern hospitality, and on the third the charm was on full display. What was missing were the service skills: All our dishes — hush puppies, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts and four pieces of chicken that were priced at $10 at happy hour (5-7 p.m. weekdays) — showed up at once. The only item that didn’t was the ribs. The servers also forgot to bring serving utensils and clean plates. When we got the bill, we were charged $12 instead of the advertised $10 for the chicken, though I didn’t realize the upcharge until I got home.
I won’t complain too much since it was still a good deal. At Hazel, we ate too much — portions are generous — had cocktails, boxed some chicken to take home and still spent less than $100. At Cadence my bill was $131 for two people without any alcohol.
Cadence, while splashy, had the charm of eating in an empty bowling alley. Now at Hazel, it feels like every lane is full. The theme may be Southern, but the restaurant feels exactly right for the area.