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).
Tag Archives: restaurant
Rigazzi’s, St. Louis, Missouri
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
Postcard Panorama
The Crown Room at the Fairmont Hotel – San Francisco, California, a photo by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick? on Flickr.
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.
Original Joe’s Reopens in San Francisco
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
Postcard Panorama
Canlis’ Charcoal Broiler Atop the Portland Hilton – Portland, Oregon, a photo by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick? on Flickr.
Canlis’ Charcoal Broiler – Portland, Oregon
Via Flickr:
Epicurean dining at one the world’s most beautiful restaurants and lounges…with a sweeping vie of the city from Oregon’s tallest building.
Canlis’…also in Seattle and Honolulu
This Portland location is closed, but the Seattle restaurant is still open! Although remodeled in 1984, 1996, and in 2005, it retains its large picture windows and rock walls. A beautiful and elegant restaurant with excellent food (by all reports – I have yet to dine there).
Canlis
2576 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109
206.283.3313
Open Mon-Fri 5:30-close, Saturdays 5:00-close, closed Sundays
Attire is dressy. Men should wear a suit or sport coat.
