Author Archives: The Jab

Romantic Restaurants

Posted on by

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

Related posts:

Offbeat L.A.: The Oldest Surviving Los Angeles Restaurants The Broadmoor Hotel’s restaurants, Colorado Springs, Colorado – REMODELED Imperial House, San Diego, California Original Joe’s Reopens in San Francisco

Postcard Panorama

Image

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).

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailPostcard Panorama Default ThumbnailPostcard Panorama Default ThumbnailPostcard Panorama Default ThumbnailPostcard Panorama

Rigazzi’s, St. Louis, Missouri

Posted on by

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.

Rigazzi’s pizza

Rigazzi’s
4945 Daggett Ave,  St Louis, MO 63110
(314) 772-4900
Open Mon-Th 8am-10:30pm; Fri-Sat 8am-12am, closed Sunday

Related posts:

Stroud's fried chicken, Kansas CityStroud’s, Kansas City, Missouri Barone’s Famous Italian Restaurant, Valley Glen, California Dan and Louis Oyster Bar, Portland, Oregon Original Joe’s, San Jose, California

Postcard Panorama

Posted on by

The Crown Room closed around 1999, but it is open on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, and Mother’s Day, and for private functions.

Yours truly The Jab at the Crown Room on their last night open to the public (around 1999)

Currently the only view restaurants with regular hours left in San Francisco are The Top Of The Mark atop the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel (designed by local art deco architect Timothy Pflueger in 1939), Harry Denton’s Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel (redecorated in 2011), and The View atop the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Related posts:

Trader Vic’s, Emeryville, California UPDATE – Big 4 in San Francisco reopened today! The Big 4, Huntington Hotel, San Francisco Default ThumbnailPostcard Panorama

Original Joe’s Reopens in San Francisco

Posted on by

It used to be my favorite restaurant in Northern California (which is why it’s featured on my blog’s header), before it closed due to a fire on October 12, 2007. Original Joe’s was one of the most well-preserved classic restaurants anywhere (though it opened in 1937 the decor was mostly mid-century). The food was good too, if you stuck with the meat choices like steaks and chops, the Joe’s Special or their signature hamburger sandwich (two menu items common to all the Joe’s restaurants in N. Cal.). And the veteran waiters (like Angelo, who retired in 2005) were as entertaining as watching the cooks from the exhibition kitchen counter seats.

A couple of years ago it wasn’t looking promising for Original Joe’s reopening, despite a grant in 2010 of $50,000 from the City of San Francisco for its reopening in the name of local history and neighborhood revitalization. You see, it was located in the Tenderloin neighborhood, a place of SRO hotels, the down-and-out, winos, and drug addicts.

Then in 2011 came the news that Original Joe’s would reopen, but in North Beach instead of in its original location. Surely a great business move for the family, who told the press they labored long and hard over the decision to stay put or move. But to me it didn’t look promising because I’ve seen too many classic joints remodeled beyond recognition or moved to a new space decorated in a retro style that never feels like the original. I felt betrayed and vowed never to eat in some “new” Original Joe’s. Well, I am eating my words on seeing the photos of the new place. Designer Anthony Fish reused the original bar stools, recreated the original booths and signature open kitchen counter seating, and brought over the mermaid wall decoration, bricks, and wood ceiling treatments that were in the original’s bar. Even the menu is a reproduction of a 1950s design, with vintage graphics and all of their classic dishes retained.

photo by Molly DeCoudreaux for EaterSF

Mayor Lee Rings In Original Joe’s Glorious Return Today – Eater Inside – Eater SF.

Original Joe’s
601 Union St., at Stockton, San Francisco. (415) 775-4877
Open Sun-Wed, 10:30am – 10pm; Thu-Sat, 10:30am – 11pm

Related posts:

San Francisco’s Historic Grills UPDATE – Big 4 in San Francisco reopened today! Original Joe’s, San Jose, California Original Joe’s, San Francisco, California