Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In 1956, in addition to Blums four San Francisco locations (Polk St., Fairmont Hotel, Stonestown, and Union Square), there were stores in Carmel, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Westwood, and San Mateo and three more planned to open soon in Palo Alto, San Rafael, and San Jose. Here Are the Hottest New Restaurants in the East Bay, March 2023, These Are the Hottest New Restaurants in San Francisco, March 2023, 13 Gloriously Golden Doughnut Shops in San Francisco, The most colorful old-school dining establishments in San Francisco. But before crepes achieved popularity, they were almost unknown in the U.S. The operator of a booth selling crepes at Illinois county fairs reported that hardly anyone bought them and that some fairgoers referred to them as creeps or craps. Despite economic woes (recession and inflation), the energy crisis, urban decline, crime, and escalating restaurant prices, restaurant-going continued to rise. Blancos reputation was built upon his pre-fire restaurant, The Poodle Dog, which he re-established a short time after opening Blancos. She occasionally likes to find unique insider stories to write about the Bay Area. Atmosphere Taste of a decade: 1840s restaurants Eating Chinese Park and eat Thanksgiving quiz: dinner times four Dining sky-side Habenstein of Hartford Back of the house: writing this blog Image gallery: supper clubs Restaurant cups Truth in Menu Every luxury the markets afford See it, want it: window food displays Time to sell the doughnuts Who was the mystery diner? ), crepes soon became a favorite lunch, dinner, and late-night supper for college students, dating couples, shoppers, and anyone seeking something different. Along with crepes, menus typically included a few soups, most likely including French onion soup, a spinach-y salad, and perhaps a carafe of wine. Since 1998, this FiDi staple has been spinning roasted meats over open flames. Vintage Castagnola Fine Sea Food Restaurant Menu San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf. But good eats will remain. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to operate a high-living restaurant in the style Blancos was accustomed to. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. 1982 Having introduced nouvelle cuisine at Ma Maison in Los Angeles, Chef Wolfgang Puck presents "California cuisine" to patrons of his new chic-casual Sunset Strip restaurant, Spago. Ceilings on display The Automat goes country Maitre ds Added attractions: cocktail lounges Lunching at the drug store Lunch in a bus station, maybe Suffrage tea & lunch rooms Image gallery: have a seat! The same image was used on the cover of the restaurants menu at its final location, 241 Pine. Both were pioneers from a time when San Francisco was gaining footing as a great food town. You can also e-mail her at jmullins@sfchronicle.com. This old-school Italian, family-run mainstay started as a fish stand in 1925. When Coppa moved to Pine Street, a new row of cats appeared, but now marching in the opposite direction. But if you go to eat, Bauer was especially impressed with the sole during his visit a few years ago. Poodle Dog Restaurant, Flood Bldg., Emporium. Pie in the skies revolving restaurants Way out coffeehouses Taste of a decade: 1890s restaurants Sweet treats and teddy bears Its not all glamor, is it Mr. Krinkle? somehow Busy bees Eat and run, please! : 'Joes Special' (pictured) or 'Joe's Famous Hamburger Sandwich' with fries. You can read about several of the awards she earned in these roles on her LinkedIn page. Wop salad? Pictured: Pork Loin being grilled at Chez Panisse on Feb. 11, 2014. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. Every man I employed was a thief, he said, singling out his secretary, cashier, and cook. The first, Owl/Rexall Drugs, was followed by the California-based chain Uncle Johns Pancake House. Before 1960 even fewer restaurants served savory crepes, and those that did would also seem to have been expensive restaurants. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. And if you really want to pay a tribute to the establishments history, ordering a martini (or three) with your lunch. An alternative explanation is that Coppa asked the artists to draw on the walls and that he chose red as a good backdrop. A visitor to a National Restaurant Association convention that year reported that crepes were pass and restaurants were looking instead for new low-cost dishes using minimal amounts of meat or fish. Order up some petrale sole, chicken Jerusalem, or the Sam Spade special (chops, baked potato, sliced tomato) and soak it all in. Free shipping for many products! Despite the uneven contours of his career as a restaurateur, Winns Fountain Head has become a subject of interest, often mentioned positively in a number of books and articles that tell of San Franciscos early history. 16th Street at Church, 1973 Eric Fischer/Flickr In 1851 he opened his principal restaurant on Long Wharf, calling it Winns Fountain Head. Next he went to New York City where in 1843 and 1844 he manufactured and sold a cure-all product called Winns Irish Vegetable Relief Candy, good for weakness of the chest and lungs, liver complaint(s), asthmatic affection, impurities of the blood, dyspepsia and all bowel complaints.. With few buildings intact, its value rose and Coppas landlord raised the rent, leading Coppa to vacate and open another Black Cat on Pine Street in November. Others have been reincarnated with a nod to the future, but still hold on to a part of San Francisco's fascinating history. Maynard Dixon also contributed several new images. He died the next year, but his widow and three children took over the business and opened the restaurant at Fishermans Wharf stall 8 in 1938. In 1921 its manager was arrested for not keeping a register of transient guests at Blancos Annex, the hotel next door which the restaurant had constructed in 1908 and opened the next year. A few more San Francisco classics, still serving: The Old Clam House (1861); Sams Grill & Seafood Restaurant (1867); Fly Trap (1883); Schroeders (1893); Swan Oyster Depot (1906); Liguria Bakery (1911); Tosca Cafe (1919); Roosevelt Tamale Parlor (1919); Hang Ah Tea Room (1920); Aliotos (1925); Alfreds Steakhouse (1928); Tommasos Italian Restaurant (1935); Original Joes (1937); Reds Java House (1955); El Faro (1961). August 2016. Like so many of San Francisco's first restaurants, the original Fior d'Italia, opened in 1886, was destroyed twice by firein 1893 and following the earthquake of 1906. Privacy Policy. Between courses: mystery food Ode to franchises of yesteryear Chuck wagon-ing Taste of a decade: 1940s restaurants Just cause it looks bad doesnt mean its good The other Delmonicos Between courses: Beard at Lucky Pierres Basic fare: spaghetti Famous in its day: The Maramor Between courses: wheres my butter? You dont have to decide. 2. 14 Buzzy Coffee Cocktails Around San Francisco and the East Bay, A Guide to Election Day Freebies and Specials in the Bay Area. The 1970s San Francisco was beautiful, flamboyant, and alive. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1970s Castagnola Seafood Restaurant Menu Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco at the best online prices at eBay! Not only is Greens a California classic, it's a big and. Pictured: A view of Seal Rock from Sutro's at the Cliff House. A friend visiting San Francisco from Seattle recently had a request that initially sounded simple. It was common to see a naked hippy playing the guitar or a naked man and woman making love while bands played music. When a Magic Pan opened in Dallas North Park shopping center in 1974, it was called as delightful a restaurant as one is likely to find in Dallas., Among Magic Pan amenities (beyond moderate prices), reviewers were pleased by fresh flowers on each table, good service, delicious food, pleasant decor, and late hours. [below: student at the Magic Pan, Tulsa, 1979] But what one Arizona creperie owner called the highbrow taco did not appeal to everyone. The Bay Area native, a former Chronicle paperboy, has worked at The Chronicle since 2000. The grill opened in 1979 drawing inspiration from more established SF classics like Tadich. Reds Java House has a fascinating history, To please customers during prohibition, the Tosca owners brought in cappuccino machines to steam milk for what would become the bar's two famous drinks, the house cappuccino (simply hot chocolate and steamed milk with Brandy) and the White Nun (steamed milk, brandy and kahlua), a drink the late Carol Doda used to sip regularly during breaks between her gigs at the Condor Club, according to. These products developed out of his belief that postwar consumers were unwilling to pay for premium candy. We didn't include this one in this "classics" slideshow when we first ran it, but quite a few readers reminded us it's one that we couldn't omit. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Many of our other favorite eateries have been lumped into two other pillars -- the "new classics" and the "only in SF" eateries. It has had four owners, but current owner John Konstin and his family have been at the helm for 40 years. And one more high angle view of the Cliff House in 1980. Ernie's was a restaurant in San Francisco, California. Jessica is a member of the Gate's homepage team and has a nerdy obsession with poring over the site's real-time analytics. The restaurant originated as Cable Oyster Shop, but was burned in the fire after the 1906 earthquake. It had been partially modernized. The few women named are hard to identify since their last names do not appear, but Maisie was freelance writer Mary Edith Griswold and Isabell was allegedly a newspaper writer. Cecilia Chiang, 95, is a celebrated Chinese American. The menus got over 100 items, so savvy diners ask the white-jacketed waiters whats good tonight? to make sure they get the kitchens best and brightest. And in the late 1950s New Yorks Quo Vadis offered Crepes Quo Vadis, filled with curried seafood and glazed with a white sauce, as hors doeuvres. It seems that a new trendy restaurant pops up on almost a daily basis. With Simons death in 1915 and that of his son Jack in the 1930s, the business passed into the hands of Fred Levy who had married Simons daughter. Before long he was running the business solo and had added bakery goods and simple meals to his offerings. Other popular items include sand dabs and Michael Bauer is partial to the minute steak, the Hangtown Fry and crab and shrimp Louie. It is ironic that it made it through Prohibition yet failed just as alcohol was becoming legal once again in 1933. It. Some, including Michael Bauer, say its difficult for the food at the restaurant Sutros to match the view. He spent his final days in the Alms House on Blackwell Island where he was described as suffering from religious mania. It also came out that his father had been an alcoholic. We included tips on what to order as well as fun historical tidbits about many of the establishments, such as the one Janis Joplin lived near or the horrific fate of the original owner of John's Grill. Seattle artist Thom Ross has created a life-size replica of the 1902 photograph depicting Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. Vegetarianism goes back centuries, but it wasn't until the 1960s and 70s that vegetarian cuisine started to generate more public recognition. What are some of San Francisco's truly classic restaurants? You can also have food delivered for a flat $3 charge, no matter the order size. Click through this slideshow to find out. The chandeliers and some of the murals were restored, possibly during the late sixties when the building was occupied by the Charles Restaurant. In 1917 a plan to add two stories to the restaurant was abandoned, perhaps because of the looming nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol. Revolving restaurants II: the Merry-Go-Round Basic fare: shrimp We never close Tablecloths checkered past Famous in its day: Tip Top Inn Find of the day: J.B.G.s French restaurant Dont play with the candles Interview: whos cooking? The result of our research (which mostly involved polling our colleagues, looking at various SF restaurant rankings on the Internet and re-visiting Chronicle archives) is a series of stories breaking down the most "San Francisco" restaurants into three categories. According to the citys Commercial Advertiser in April, 1854, the Winn enterprises by then comprising the main Fountain Head restaurant and a more elegant Branch welcoming women with fancy desserts had attained the pinnacle of success. 1, which opened on Chestnut and Fillmore in 1939, as well as Marin Joes and Little Joes (some had a more direct affiliation than others). When she's not working, her favorite things to do are hike in Marin County and take dance classes, especially Samba, Afro-Brazilian and Salsa Rueda, throughout the Bay Area. The landmark vegetarian restaurant opened in 1979 as part of the SF Zen Center. Ham & eggs by any other name Good eaters: Josephine Hull Name trouble: Aunt Jemimas Reflections on a name: Plantation Dining on a roof Restaurant-ing on wheels Dinner to go Drive-up windows Dining during an epidemic: San Francisco Good eaters: bohemians Dining during an epidemic Fish on Fridays Image gallery: breaded things Lunching in a laboratory Women drinking in restaurants The puzzling St. Paul sandwich New Years Eve at the Latin Quarter Chinese for Christmas Turkeyburgers Themes: bordellos Finds of the day Early bird specials Franchising: Heap Big Beef Bostons automats Coffee and cake saloons Women chefs not wanted Entree from side dish to main dish Anatomy of a restaurateur: Woo Yee Sing Lobster stew at the White Rabbit Restaurants in the family: Doris Day Almost like flying Eye appeal Writing food memoirs Anatomy of a restaurateur: Ruby Foo Soul food restaurants Effects of war on restaurant-ing Behind the scenes at the Splendide Take your Valentine to dinner Lunching at the dime store Square meals Tea rooms for students Christmas dinner in the desert Green Book restaurants Dirty by design Clown themes Basic fare: meat & potatoes Dining with Chiang Yee in Boston Slumming Picturing restaurant food Find of the day: the Double R Coffee House Delicatessing at the Delirama Restaurant design and decoration Dining on a dime Anatomy of a restaurateur: George Rector Catering Dining in a garden Sawdust on the floor Learning to eat (in restaurants) Childrens menus Taste of a decade: the 1830s Check your hat How Americans learned to tip Image gallery: eating in a hat The up-and-down life of a restaurant owner Dressing the female server The Lunch Box, a memoir Crazy for crepes Famous in its day: The Pyramid Dining & wining on New Years Eve High-volume restaurants: Hilltop Steak House Famous in its day: the Public Natatorium Turkey on the menu Getting closer to your food Between courses: secret recipes Find of the day: Aladdin Studio Tiffin Room Americans in Paris: The Chinese Umbrella No smoking! Prime Rib. Collections; . Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. The second Cliff House survived the 1906 earthquake only to be swallowed in flames a year later. Required fields are marked *. The gold-lettered double doors swung back open in mid 2021 after two years of pandemic-era closures, meaning SF residents and tourists can once again belly up to the bar for a house cappuccino (no coffee involved) and a plate of pasta with a side of house made focaccia. Isnt it obvious? Tea at the Mary Louise Restaurant-ing as a civil right Once trendy: tomato juice cocktails Famous in its day: Thompsons Spa The browning of McDonalds Eating, dining, and snacking at the fair A Valentine with soul (food) Down and out in St. Louis Serving the poor For the record The ups and downs of Frank Flower Famous in its day, now infamous: Coon Chicken Inn Nothing but the best, 19th cen. Finde more about San Francisco In 1970S at thesalehunt.com The Chronicle's Michael Bauer said the best dishes include the bay shrimp Louie, the bay shrimp and avocado salad, Jack LaLannes Favorite Salad or the petrale sole. San Francisco is relatively new. . The New York Blums stayed in business only about six years, and two Oregon units opened in 1967 and 1968 fared even worse. Open since 1947, Tommys continues to be a destination for meaty meals like carved-to-order hot pastrami sandwiches, an impressive selection of imported beers, and a lively late-night dining scene. Today the building still stands and is in use as the Great American Music Hall. Sliced-to-order pastrami sandwiches and buffalo stew (pictured). We all remember when La Taquerias carnitas super burrito, dorado style, was named the best burrito in the country by FiveThirtyEight. No young-thing to the Mission burrito scene, La Taq has been run by Miguel Jara and his family since 1973. The city was heavily affected by drugs, prostitution and crime. At a time when America was seen as the world leader in modern ways of living including industrially efficient food production Europe was imagined as a romantically quaint Old World where traditional ways were preserved and many things were still handmade. Here the Cliff House is seen with an addition in 1880. Next, the couple moved to New York City where he deteriorated rapidly, living in destitution and displaying signs of paranoia that had been in evidence as far back as 1854 when he referred to his enemies in an advertisement for the Fountain Head. The fate of the restaurant is unknown but it did not achieve fame as he had done in San Francisco [1864 advertisement]. with 37 Locations from 1947-1995. I find this more convincing since Coppa himself was a painter. Yet, despite all, Blancos carried on and was recommended in San Francisco guide books of the 1920s. Zuni Cafe began in 1979 as a Southwestern-themed restaurant, but became a Cal-cuisine icon under the leadership of the late Judy Rodgers, who entered its kitchen in 1987. fisherman's wharf and restaurants / pier and fishing / fishermans wharf on august 20 . Picture Information. The term refers to an eating place that has table service for dessert orders only as well as for meals, and was likely used only in California. Restaurant-ing al fresco A chefs life: Charles Ranhfer The (partial) triumph of the doggie bag Early chains: John R. Thompson Anatomy of a restaurateur: Mary Alletta Crump Laddition: on discrimination Between courses: dining with reds Banqueting at $herrys* Who invented lobster Newberg? Borrowing money from a shipmate upon arrival, he began making candy and peddling it in the streets. By the 1920s, if not earlier, Blums was serving three meals a day in addition to selling their handmade confectionery. San Francisco's Newest Restaurant Openings, Now on Resy Rintaro Returns In All Its Glory After Devastating Flood Now on Resy: Snail Bar, Trick Dog, Izzy's, and More Local Favorites Chinatown USA Chinatown USA As Chinatowns have been devastated by the pandemic, it has become essential to share reminders of how much these places matter to all of us. 18 Essential Cocktail Bars in San Francisco. You are about to land at the right site. These are the San Francisco establishments long-known for their greasy fare or classic martinis. The Polk street store also had a confectaurant, as its combination soda fountain + candy counter + bakeshop + restaurant was known. Blums candy continued to be produced for years despite the brand being acquired by a Kansas City MO company in 1983. As Quaker opened Magic Pans, they invariably received a warm welcome in newspaper food pages. High on any list of San Francisco classics and SFs oldest restaurant, Tadich was founded in 1849. The 1970s San Francisco was beautiful, flamboyant, and alive. Its home to the Tommys margarita and the citys best tequila selection, but this Richmond District favorite also puts out solid Yucatecan fare. Magic Pans were closing all over, and by the time the 20-year old Magic Pan on Bostons Newbury Street folded in 1993, very few, if any, remained. Please enter a valid email and try again. 1970s, 1980s, Italian American Cafe, San Francisco Little Italy from the Kinolibrary Archive Film Collections. In 1972 he closed the Polk Street Blums, leading columnist Herb Caen to coin the term glum Blummer. In a few more years there would be no Blums left in San Francisco. The current owners, the Buich family, have been involved in the restaurant since 1912 and purchased the restaurant from owner John Tadich in 1928. Looking for san francisco in 1970s? $19.99 + $5.33 shipping. Ruth Thomas, co-author of Eating Around San Francisco (1937), reported that she was given a tour of the Music Box and saw Venetian glass chandeliers and life-sized plaster statues of women in a basement storeroom. With country French decor, servers in folk costumes, and names such as Old Brittany French Creperie and Maison des Crepes [pictured at top, Georgetown], diners were imaginatively transported to a delightfully foreign environment quite unlike the brand new shopping malls in which many creperies were located. Also, don't forget to check out the video showcasing San Francisco in the magical decade. When you think about San Francisco, you probably envision tech companies filled with optimistic 20-somethings and restaurants with fancy food. Life in the 19th century was chaotic and unpredictable in so many respects, but the weird and eventful life and restaurant career of the highly enterprising Mark Langdon Winn, with its succession of ups, downs, and strange twists, would stand out in any century. Famous in its day: Feras Why the parsley garnish? This North Beach establishment was recently reincarnated into a restaurant, earningpraise from the Chronicle's Michael Bauer. The super-dry gin martinis are legendary, and the rye Manhattan also garners praise. The 1970s in San Francisco were flamboyant, alive, full of color and passion, marked by dark periods and electric highs. Though mostly (and justly) known for its Irish coffees, the Buena Vista Cafe also has a decent breakfast and lunch offering, with views of the Bay. . Wed love to see a return of Fosters and Clintons Cafeteria as well. Your email address will not be published. This century-old Chinatown stalwart is one of the areas last remaining banquet halls, an enduring dinner option, event venue, and dim sum destination on Grant Avenue. A few years later they opened another Magic Pan in Ghirardelli Square and Laszlo patented a 10-pan crepe-maker capable of turning out 600 perfectly cooked crepes per hour [pictured here]. . The city was at the forefront of fashion, music, and the counterculture movement. In 1934 the contents of both the restaurant and hotel were sold off, including fine china, silver-plated cutlery, tapestry panels and hangings, 40 copper stock pots, French furniture, bronze statuary, and 140 Viennese arm chairs. Many in the old gang had moved to Carmel by the Sea and things were not the same. Cliff House (1863): Five days after the 1906 Earthquake, The Chronicle reported that San Francisco residents were shocked it didnt plunge into the ocean. A writer in the March 1854 issue of The Pioneer wondered Why there are not a dozen or two broken necks there daily.. Cliff House. But no burrito-maker has garnered more praise than La Taqueria, where they have a slight variation from traditional Mission style with the exclusion of rice. Josephs wife, Elizabeth, who had been the dining room manager and cashier, died in 1938. Toddle House Truckstops Champagne and roses Soup and spirits at the bar Back to nature: The Eutropheon The Swinger Early chains: Baltimore Dairy Lunch We burn steaks Girls night out 2013, a recap Holiday greetings from Vesuvio Caf The Shircliffe menu collection Books, etc., for restaurant history enthusiasts Roast beef frenzy B.McD. The Fountain Head was not fancy. This is a carousel. San Francisco's Levi's Strauss helped popularize high-waisted, flared jeans for women in the 1970s (this is a Levi's model in 1971), and after years of giving way to low-rise jeans, they're back . Michael . As far as his many business schemes went, he never stuck with any of them for long, restaurants included. The Fountain Head was open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight, with a menu that included a wide range of meats and vegetables, along with puddings bearing such homely names as Aunt Sallys and Cousin Janes. Soon the downward slide began. Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in North Berkeley more than 40 years ago, in August 1971. SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco - 12 Locations (1) Lombard & Steiner (2) Market & 10th St (3) Geary at 18th Ave (4) Ocean & Junipero Serra (5) 19th & Taraval (6) Powell & Geary Fior dItalia (1886): We found an advertisement for Fior dItalia in The Chronicle right beside one for Tadich Grill. To grow up in San Francisco in this prismatic era was. Legend has it that proprietor Giuseppe Joseph Coppa papered (or painted) his walls a hideous red that offended their esthetic sensibilities, impelling them to mask it with their humorous, nonsensical drawings.