 Town Hall Restaurant Review: The happy hour revelers and business brokers filling this restaurant's spacious, glass-window-lined dining room do not come for a wild foray into the gastronomic unknown. Town Hall's food is familiar and satisfying, as inviting and classy as its atmosphere. The kitchen puts a premium on execution, rolling out California-style riffs on classics hailing from the American South. With cornbread, pork-accented seafood, okra and green tomatoes making appearances, the menu reads like an Interstate 10 blitz from the Golden State all the way to Florida. A few detours pop up along the way. Dishes name-drop St. Louis ribs, Texas-style barbecue sauce, Smithfield ham and Alabama catfish. Jalapeño bits stud the cornbread. Bacon-topped fried oysters couched in shells and slicked with spinach purée are striking, likewise a springy filet of halibut with amaranth, morels and peas. Desserts stand out, too, particularly warm beignets with espresso ice cream and chicory streusel --- a nod to New Orleans --- and a puckery, lovely rhubarb and strawberry tart with pink peppercorn shortbread and olive oil ice cream. Be sure to start things off with a cocktail --- perhaps the Sazerac, or a fizzy, acidic Dorothy Parker. Chef-owners Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal, along with business partner Doug Washington, also own the nearby restaurants Salt House and Anchor & Hope.
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Town Hall Restaurant is one of GAYOT's 2013
| Top 10 SF American Restaurants
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area.
