The Hitching Post, Casmalia, California

Posted on February 24, 2012 by The Jab

The Hitching Post in Casmalia is the last stop on our tour of historic Santa Maria style barbecue restaurants. (I previously covered Jocko’s in Nipomo and the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe, which is due to move to a new location soon ). Around the turn of the century Casmalia was a thriving town of 1500 people, mostly ranchers and oil field workers and their families. The railroad ran through town to a terminal on the coast called Port Petrol, and the Casmalia Hotel was the center of town activity. In 1944, after the railroad line was closed, the owners of the hotel demolished the hotel rooms, and reopened the old Italian restaurant as a steakhouse called the Hitching Post. In 1952 the Ostini brothers, Frank and Victor, bought it and it’s still in the same family to this day.

The interior at the Hitching Post is nothing fancy. It’s basically a large room with some western art, artifacts, and old photos on the walls (there was a fire in 1988 so everything inside was redone not too long ago). But the thing that sets it apart from other barbecue joints in the Santa Maria area is its indoor oak pit under glass (fired with local red oak of course).

Dinners are pretty expensive at the Hitching Post but they do come with relish tray, shrimp cocktail or fruit cocktail, salad, potato or grilled vegetables, garlic bread, coffee or tea, and ice cream. I was surprised to find that pinquito beans and salsa are not served with the steaks, there was no tri tip on the menu, and the steaks were not covered with dry rub before cooking. So it seems that the Hitching Post is not exactly a Santa Maria style barbecue place in the strict sense, though they do cook the steaks over local oak. However, the Hitching Post opened before Jocko’s or the Far Western Tavern, so perhaps they have always been a classic steakhouse and have never changed their menu (instead of a place serving traditional Santa Maria style cookout meat on a skewer with the accompanying dishes). Who really cares anyway, because the steaks are good! My 22 oz. T-bone (aka porterhouse) was perfectly cooked and very tender and juicy. A great steak – a New York and filet steak in one – and worth it at $44 (with all the sides). They also offer local favorite top sirloin, as well as ribeye, New York and filet (in two or three sizes each). After two steaks in two days I ordered the grilled veggies as my side, but the restaurant claims the Los Angeles Times said their French fries are the best in Southern California, so you may want to get some with your steak.

There is another Hitching Post location in Buellton, which opened in 1986. Easier to get to from U.S. Highway 101 than the Casmalia location, but not as charming.

The Hitching Post
3325 Point Sal Rd Casmalia, CA 93429
(805) 937-6151
Open Mon-Sat 4:30pm-9:30pm; Sun 4pm-9pm

406 East Highway 246 Buellton, CA 93427
(805) 688-0676
Open daily 4pm-9:30pm; dinners served starting at 5pm daily

Romantic Restaurants

Posted on February 15, 2012 by The Jab

UPDATE: Fleur de Lys in San Francisco closed in 2014 after 44 years in business.

In honor of that uniquely American celebration of love, Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share a few of my favorite romantic restaurants. Starting with the most wonderfully over-the-top romantic steak house of all, the Gold Rush Steak House at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA. Many steakhouses go for the dark woods, mens’ club look, but this one is for couples! I believe it opened in 1967, but I have not confirmed that yet.

I snapped this photo of the Gold Rush Steak House on my first dinner there in 2000

In San Francisco my pick for the most romantic historic restaurant in town is Fleur de Lys, opened in the late 1950s, and purchased in 1970 by the maître d’hotel Maurice Rouas, who still runs it, with Alsatian chef Hubert Keller at the helm. It was remodeled over the years (and even closed for a while due to a fire in 2001), but now it is an elegant, plush room with a large chandelier and a gorgeous flower arrangement in its center. The food is primarily classic French, but with California touches like local, seasonal ingredients and healthier preparations. The service is impeccable. It is still one of the finest historic restaurants in a city of trendy restaurants that come and go, so it deserves a mention here on Le Continental, despite its contemporary decor. Here is a vintage postcard view of the interior.

On the east coast one restaurant stands out for me as a romantic destination: The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Mai Kai is easily my favorite restaurant in the entire country, because it is the only large Polynesian supper club left from a time when they existed all over the country, and because…well, it’s just fabulous beyond belief! I always have a hard time describing it to people who have not been because there is so much to see and I don’t want to ruin the surprise. So I will just recommend that you go as soon as you can, and the first time you visit, go with your spouse, lover, or partner for a romantic dinner show for two. It’s also fun with a group, like at the Hukilau festival that occurs there every year, but I think one’s first visit is best as a romantic night out for two. More on the wonderful Mai-Kai in a later post.

Romance should not only happen on Valentine’s Day. Visit these places anytime for a special date!

Gold Rush Steak House
100 Madonna Road San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
(805) 543-3000
Open 5pm – 10pm Mon–Sat; 4pm – 10pm Sun

Fleur de Lys
777 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-7779
Open Tue-Th 6pm-9:30pm; Fri 5:30pm-10pm; Sat 5pm-10pm; closed Sun-Mon

Mai-Kai
3599 North Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
(954) 563-3272
Open daily at 5pm

Postcard Panorama

Image

Driftwood Cafeteria – St. Petersburg, Florida, a photo by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick? on Flickr.

What happened to all the cafeterias? I used to eat at the Biscayne Miracle Mile Cafeteria in Coral Gables on every trip to Florida, but sadly it closed about five years ago. The only one I’m aware of in California is Clifton’s in Los Angeles, which is now closed for refurbishing. In the San Francisco Bay Area there are several old hofbraus, but no cafeterias left (that I know about).

Rigazzi’s, St. Louis, Missouri

Posted on February 11, 2012 by The Jab

St. Louis is a great city for old restaurants, as well as for architecture and public gardens. On “The Hill”, the popular name for the historic neighborhood originally settled by Italian immigrants, is Rigazzi’s, the oldest remaining Italian restaurant on The Hill, open since 1957. They have a huge menu of Italian and American food, but they are famous for their toasted ravioli and St. Louis style pizza.

toasted ravioli at Rigazzi’s

I loved the toasted ravioli, crispy deep-fried breaded ravioli, topped with parmesan cheese, and meat sauce to dip the ravioli in. I also loved the pizza, which is made in St. Louis with a unique smoky, sharp cheese called Provel, made from provolone, Swiss, and white cheddar, on a thin crust and cut into squarish pieces. The sauce is flavorful and the pizza is sprinkled with dry oregano, which, with the Provel cheese, gives it more flavor than most pizza in other parts of the country. Different, but excellent! Rigazzi’s is also known for its huge icy schooners (called the Frozen Fishbowl) for your beverage of choice. For me a crisp, cold St. Louis beer is a must.