Hog & Rocks a lively ham and oyster bar

In today's environment, where new restaurants seem to explode on the scene as fast as movie popcorn, owners need to distinguish themselves from the competition. So when Scott Youkilis wanted to come up with a concept that would complement his established restaurant, Maverick, he created Hog & Rocks, which he calls "San Francisco's first ham and oyster bar."

Of course, the hog part has been trendy for the past couple of years, with charcuterie now seeming to grace more menus than pizza. However, Youkilis has paired pork with a raw-bar staple.

"Rocks" is a double entendre. The word refers to oysters but could also mean the ice in cocktails, as in "on the rocks." It's another element that gives this concept distinction.

The difference between a bar and restaurant continues to blur, but Youkilis' tightly focused concept celebrates classic cocktails such as a signature Manhattan ($9) with Old Forester, sweet vermouth and bitters; a whiskey sour ($8) that uses the same bourbon mixed with lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white; and a classic salty dog ($7/$30 pitcher) with Rain organic vodka, grapefruit juice and a salt-crusted rim.

On most nights, Youkilis features eight kinds of bivalves, such as the briny Conway Cup ($3.25) from Prince Edward Island; the sweet, vegetive Effingham Inlet ($2.50) from Vancouver, and the meaty and mild Phantom Creek ($2) from New Brunswick. Each is served with a sauce, but all you really need is a squeeze of lemon.

Curious diners can also stage their own ham tasting with an assortment of the five offerings ($11 each or $18 for three). There's the salty, firm Father's Country Ham from Kentucky served with a scattering of figs, watercress and walnuts; the Recia Speck from Italy, which is cold-smoked over beechwood chips and topped with a drizzle of saba, olive oil and Mahon Reserva cheese; and the G&W; Hammery from Tennessee, which is aged 12 months and served with roasted apples and purslane.

The rest of the offerings are eclectic and are listed on both a printed menu and as blackboard specials, such as popcorn with lime and chile ($2) and crispy nachos with rich, saucy pork and chiles ($7).

While the emphasis is on bar food - a very good fish and chips using ling cod and Kennebec potatoes ($13); a pub-inspired fish pie ($13) with smoked steelhead trout and pureed potatoes; and fat, salty bratwurst ($10) with beer-braised cabbage, whole-grain mustard and cranberry compote - there's also a nod to California lightness.

Wide range of salads

The menu features a bevy of salads, including Caesar ($9) and an excellent pairing of beets ($11) with Belgian endive, creamy Valdeon blue cheese and hazelnuts.

Several salads incorporate meat, such as my favorite, with tissue-thin slices of beef tongue ($11) capping a leafy pile of spinach, crispy onions and a tangy mustard vinaigrette.

Other choices include arugula, pistachio and golden raisins washed in a lemon dressing draped with duck prosciutto ($12); and a chopped salad ($13) blending endive, radicchio, beans, sweet and spicy Peppadew peppers, julienned salami and other cured meats and provolone. All these take bar food in a direction that would win the approval of government nutritionists because they include all major food groups in appropriate quantities.

I hadn't seen a patty melt ($11) on a menu in a long time, but Youkilis' version makes a case for its revival. The hot patty is glazed with a Frisco sauce with Dijon, aioli and ketchup, along with mushrooms, onions and Emmentaler cheese, served on rye bread, which adds a distinctive flavor. Another classic with a gentle twist: chicken wing confit ($10) served with hot sauce, carrots, celery and blue cheese.

I appreciated the addition of pickled jalapenos to the octopus ($12) roasted in a cast-iron skillet with smashed potatoes and a ham vinaigrette; the meaty sauce and the spike of heat from the chiles lift the dish.