With Ebb and Flow, Vincent Schofield Wants to Revive the S.F. Seafood House

Vincent Schofield.

​Once the Wharf became a source for tourist tees and crab of sometimes dubious origin, San Francisco lost its seafood cred, but one chef in the landlocked Mission would like to change that. Former Boulevard cook Vincent Schofield is launching dinner service tomorrow on Guerrero at Ebb and Flow, site of Craig's Place, and with the same owners, who've made pretty much only minimal changes to the space.

"San Francisco is just such a great seafood town," Schofield says. "But when you think seafood, when you're a local, there's only a handful of places you can go." The Mission, he reasoned, wasn't the site of any of them. So, fresh from a seven-month gig in the salmon-y heart of coastal Washington, Schofield is trying to stage a revival. "We want to do the rebirth of the classic San Francisco seafood house," Schofield says. He'll be sourcing from wholesalers, for sure, but the chef ― who grew up in Pacifica, and has spent time lately going down to the boats in Half Moon Bay ― also plans to buy direct from fishermen when possible. Smelt. Dungeness. Monterey spot prawns. Albacore.

Nothing on Ebb and Flow's dinner menu tops $21, cost of the bone-in rib eye. The casual farm- (or, well, sea- ) to-table concept includes arguably local beer and wine, and no seafood that swam in waters outside the range between Baja and Alaska.

Opening tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.:
Ebb and Flow 598 Guerrero (at 18th St.), 355-9191 (no Web site); lunch starts Thurs., March 11