Monthly Archives: August 2012

CLOSED – Caesar’s, San Francisco

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Last night I went with friends to a San Francisco Italian restaurant that has been open since 1956, but is sadly closing in about a week: Caesar’s. I’m posting this quick post as a suggestion to visit it while you can. It was packed last night (and noisy!) so make a reservation soon, and bring patience because it took a while to get our food and they were out of many items. Despite their business our waiter was efficient and helpful even while obviously rushed.

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Art nouveau bar. I wonder where it came from, or what bar was here before Caesar’s?

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The dining room has been remodeled recently but there are a few booths and the tables and chairs looked vintage.
I ordered the house specialty, Cannelloni Alla Romana.

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Cannelloni Alla Romana

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Crab Cioppino

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Petrale Dore

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Ravioli

It’s sad to see another San Francisco classic close its doors.

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Arrivederci, Caesar’s.

Caesar’s
2229 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94133
415-989-6000
Open Tue-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-9:30pm; Sat-Sun 1:30pm-9:30pm (through August 31st, 2012).

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Trader Vic’s, Atlanta, Georgia

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To continue on Le Continental’s 2005 road trip through Georgia, we come to Trader Vic’s at the Hilton in downtown Atlanta, There are only four Vic’s left in the U.S. since newer locations in Palo Alto and Chicago closed recently:
Emeryville, CA (opened in 1972 and my favorite, of course, because it’s the first one I went to and it’s near my home),
Los Angeles (a beautiful newer location which opened a couple of years ago),
Portland (a brand new location that I visited last May, that has some of the best decor of any recent Vic’s), and
Atlanta (which opened in 1976 and is the best of all the U.S. locations as far as the decor).

 

photo by stagednormalcy.com

photo by stagednormalcy.com

 

Trader Vic’s Atlanta, photo taken by The Jab in 2005

 

Like many other Trader Vic’s, the bar is fine, but to really experience it you must dine in the dining room. The decor here is classic Vic’s, with lots of Polynesian art and artifacts, tikis, and tons of bamboo and tapa cloth. Every inch is covered except for the large windows which look out on tropical gardens.

 

photo by stagednormalcy.com

photo by stagednormalcy.com

 

Order a Mai Tai or the Trader Vic’s Atlanta specialty drink, the Peachtree Punch, some Cosmo Tid Bits, and soak in the wonderful atmosphere. For an entrée I recommend something from the wood fired oven.

 

Mai Tai - photo by stagednormalcy.com

Mai Tai – photo by stagednormalcy.com

 

photo by stagednormalcy.com

photo by stagednormalcy.com

 

Trader Vic’s
Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland St NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 221-6339
Open Mon-Sat 5:30-10:30 (bar closes at midnight)

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The Colonnade Restaurant, Atlanta, Georgia

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In the fall of 2005 I took a road trip from Nashville to Chattanooga, and then through Georgia, spending time in Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, and Savannah, then seeing the great Okefenokee Swamp before continuing to Florida for the annual Hukilau tiki event. In this and the next couple of posts I will recap some of the restaurants and bars I visited on the trip.

Georgia has a lot of great home cookin’ “soul food” places, and Atlanta is no exception. My favorite during my visit was The Colonnade, which opened in 1927, then moved to its present location in 1962 and is still going strong. In the 80s they expanded (and it looks like they remodeled then), adding a full bar with fireplace.

The Colonnade Restaurant

The decor is nothing very special, but the food is. Everything is homemade, including the salad dressings, sauces, desserts, and their famous yeast rolls, the best dinner rolls you will ever eat! Seriously, they are so fluffy and flaky and they melt in your mouth.

Colonnade’s iceberg wedge salad with Thousand Island dressing, yeast rolls, and sweet tea

They are especially famous for their juicy fried chicken, so I ordered that of course. On the menu you have 32 different side dishes to choose from, including such classics as tomato aspic and Waldorf salad. I wish I was more hungry so I could have tried several of them, but I ended up with just one. A great choice though – sweet potato soufflé, which was recommended on Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood.com, and was creamy and delicious. The fried chicken was some of the best I ever had. Mmmmmmm!

Colonnade’s fried chicken and sweet potato soufflé

This place was very popular when I went, so you may have to wait. The service was friendly and efficient, like most places in the south that I visited.

The Colonnade
1879 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 874-5642
Open Mon-Thurs 5pm-9pm, Fri 5pm-10pm, Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 11:30am-9pm

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