Old School San Francisco Dining
 

Would like to find a restaurant that is kind of a San Francisco instituion. Something with some history, with that SF "feel", and has stayed around because it serves up very good food. I have been looking at the Tadich Grill, Sam's Grill and Scoma's. Any opinions or preferences of these three? Any other suggestions? We are staying at the Fisherman's Wharf area, are these pretty accessable with public transportation?

Look no further than the unmarked <b>Brazen Head Restaurant &amp; Public House</b> on Buchanan at Greenwich. It's very &quot;old school,&quot; and the food is great.

Wow, I haven't thought about the Brazen
Head in years. We were regulars there back in the 80s. My friends brother was a chef there and there were always fun bartenders and great food...Thanks for the memories!

Hi don, if you want an old time establishment I personally would go to Tadich Grill. Enjoy your time on SF.

And of course I meant in SF. Tadich Grill is at 240 California St. You can take the F Line streetcar that runs between between Fisherman's Wharf and down the Embarcadero and up Market St., etc. Get off at California and Tadich Grill is just a couple of blocks up California.

HI..
Tadich Grill is a must along with my favorite, Lefty O'Doul's..Great food &amp; Bar and its great to see all the ballplayers come in after a game and the piano bar is lovely.
Talk about old school with the St. Francis across the street..
Years ago we used to go to North Beach to a great Italian Resaurant called Adolph's..I don't think it is still there.
Love Trader Vic's too.

Hi Tahiti, Lefty O'Douls is still there on Geary, just a few door down from Powell St. but you will not see any baseball players coming in anymore.

And Trader Vic's is long gone..the old SF institution you are thinking of in Cosmo Alley. That has been taken over by Le Colonial a French/Vietnamese style restaurant.

There is a new Trader Vic's that opened up some time ago ago on Golden Gate Ave (cross street Van Ness). It is located in what was the Star's restaurant.

Nothing remains the same does it.

Brazen Head is not easy transport from where you'll be staying. Tadich is but is not not open on Sunday - not sure of Saturday. Go in and wait for a counter seat to open unless you want to reserve a tableor booth.

Hi LoveItaly..
Where does the time go?
Adolph's is now Le Colonial?
Wow..
Thanks for the memories.. and I am still young!
Long Live Lefty's!!

Dear don,
Unfortunately, IMO, the places I think of as &quot;old school&quot; serve less than stellar food. Tadich and Sam's are all right as long as you stick to grilled seafood - forget salad or anything green.

Old-School Italian to me means the Gold Mirror way out on Taraval and 18th (18th AVENUE, not 18th St.)

Of the steak houses, I think Harris' is always dependable - I even did the unthinkable and ordered salmon there one night, and it came perfectly done, with the usual good side dishes.

You'll probably get a suggestion or two for Swans' Oyster Depot. I don't eat there any more .... there are just better places to get raw seafood. The atmosphere at Swans', however, could not get any more &quot;old S.F.&quot;

Hi Tahiti, no where Trader Vic's was (Cosmo Place) is now a retaurant named LeColonial.

I agree, time does flit by so fast!
And btw, do you remember the lobby of the St. Francis Hotel and the Compass Rose Lounge. Well you would not recognize either area now..better come back to SF and see all the changes (and not necessarily for the best IMO).

But Trader Vic's is still around, right?

How about the venerable--by now--Hayes Street Grill, over by the Opera House? It has wonderful fish.

The Garden Court restaurant in the Palace Hotel would certainly be old San Francisco as well, as would quite a few places in Chinatown--the Hang Ah tea room, for example, and the Far East Cafe.

The &quot;origianl&quot; Trader Vics (1937) was a bar in Oakland called Hinky Dinks at one time.
It moved to the Emeryville Marina and it remains the &quot;flagship&quot; Trader Vics'
among the worldwide chain.

LoveItaly, I too mourn the Compass Rose-what a divine bar !
R5

Razzle, you think they opened the Stinking Rose instead? :)

Ha, Faina
:)
No comparison 'tween the two !
I don't even know how the Stinking Rose stays open !?!
R5

Sure it must be opened, the stink should go out, what d'ya think :-p

Hi Razzle, even though the Emeryville Trader Vic's is the flagship I sure miss the SF one in Cosmo Place. Did you know that Queen Elizabeth asked to eat there when her ship came here (visit to Pres. Reagan at his ranch which was a nightmare due to winter storms). Anyway the story went that she was taken to the SF Trader Vic's and was almost in tears as rather than being taken to the bar or the restaurant area she and her &quot;people&quot; were put in a bland conferance room, white unadored walls, no Trader Vic decorations etc. So it doesn't always pay to be the Queen obviously.

Yes dear one, I soooo miss the Compass Rose at the St. Francis. Mina's leaves me cold. And Faina, the Stinking Rose..well it stinks, LOL.

Oh, LoveItaly, that is a great story !
Mr R5's sis and BIL took us to Emeryville
to celebrate everything for years-I never dined at the one on Cosmo Place.

Would the Carnelian Room qualify as &quot;old school&quot;?

I do love the Brazen Head and Liverpools Lil's as well.
R5

I highly recommend Tadich Grill. The food and service are great.

I liked Lefty O'Douls. Keep in mind, it's a casual/ hof brau type place. good hot comfort food. :-)
Also, I would consider House of Prime Rib on Van Ness old school, although I haven't been there for 15 yrs. I do like Scoma's for old school sea food.

Try Maye's Original Oyster House...was my grandparents' favorite restaurant and when we get back there with our grown children we love to go there. Plan on &quot;Dining&quot; because they are not into turning over tables but rather serve you one course at a time. Each course is well timed. Old time SF at it's best!

I thought Mae's closed several years ago?

Re: Mayes on Polk Street.

Mayes is no more.

The location has been taken over by a place called the Holy Grail. It's an Irish restaurant - no laughing please, it's very good. Had lunch there over the New Year's weekend. The smoked trout and &quot;boxty&quot; (potato pancake) was divine. They concentrate a great deal on fresh local shellfish. Wine list was very decent too. The Holy Grail theme is carried out with stained glass windows depicting Arthurian tales. I believe the old Mayes sign might still be up in the front.

When I was a kid, we used to stay at the Jack Tar Hotel on Van Ness. My sister and I were fascinated with Tommy's Joint across the street with the buffalo head over the door. Our parents wouldn't go there because &quot;too many hippies hang out there&quot;.

Is Tommy's still there???

Thanks,

MY

Washington Sq Bar and Grill. Short walk up Columbus from Fish Wharf.
Great rib eye and good wine list.
Excellent piano player at night.

SF's finest bartender, Mike McCourt, of <i>thee</i> McCourt family, still pounds the boards during the day.

dovima,
We a hit O'Reilly's HG about a week or so after it opened and had a GREAT meal there.
Can't wait to go back.

Hi Kal, where O'Reilly's is use to be for decades the old Italian restaurant the 622 Green St. Restaurant. It was sort of our home away from home. The grandson and son of the owners of the 622 restaurant is now the owner of Saltato's in downtown Vacaville. His name is Robert Cicornio. It is a small world.

How could I have forgotten Tommy's Joynt? It's where my husband and I had our first date!!!

How about the Gold Spike in North Beach? This seemed like a neighborhood type Italian place with some character.

L'Italy,
<i>&quot;PROGRAMS....PROGRAMS...can't tell yer SF O'Reilly's w/o a PROGRAM&quot;</i>.
;)
As Dovi sez, this O'Reilly's is The Holy Grail and is the old Mayes Oyster House on Polk...a nice stumble down Polk from Shanghai Kelly's towards the Civic Ctr.

The O'Reilly's on Green serves a mean Irish Coffee that rivals Beuna Vista...but no view unless you think watching the Green St Morutary Marching Band a &quot;view&quot;. =-O

Old school SF right down the street from the Green St O'Reilly's location in No Beach is Capp's.

Michelle Y,
What a hoot! I used to beg my parents to take me to Tommy's so I could eat buffalo stew - but no go. The hotel from your childhood memories is the Cathedral Hill Hotel now, but to the die-hard San Franciscan, it will ALWAYS be the Jack Tar (along with Army Street and Candlestick Park).

Dear Dovima:

Is Tommy's still in operation? I'll have to make my husband take me there. My whinning goes alot further with him - lol!!!

I LOVED the Jack Tar. In fact, when were stayed one summer, someone had rammed into one of the exterior walls. I still have the little blue mosaic from that wall.

What happened to Army Street and where was it. Fill me in on the story.

Thanks!!

MichelleY

P.S. We also used to go to the Ice Follies at Winterland!! Little did I know that 10 years later I would be at Winterland seeing my first Doobie Bothers concert and smoking my first doobie!!

MY

My vote goes to Sam's. No view, and maybe the salads are lacking, but for old-time SF atmosphere, can't get any better. Try one of the curtained booths and either the petrale sole or sand dabs.....heaven on a plate! (and the waiters have real attitude, altho they now include some females! -- yeah!)

Dear Michelle Y,
Your adolescence bears some resemblance to mine!
FYI, Army Street was officially changed to Cesar Chavez Boulevard some years ago. A worthy namesake and the change had its supporters, but like I said, it will always be Army Street in the mental and emotional maps of many long-time SF'ers.

Tommy's Joynt fans:

Yes, it's still there!

Everyone knows where Army, Silver or Paul St exits will take you, yah?

I bet you guys partied with Mrs Kal and didn't even know it.

Me? I stayed home and lead a pretty sheltered life in my early years.

Hey Kal, you don't like the Green St. Mortuary? How come? The funeral band is fabulous!! Capps, oh yes, old time SF.

And the Jack Tarr, how the real oldtimers hated it (like my greataunts etc.)...but I sure had lots of fun cocktail parties there. In fact I remember one time...oh never mind...not appropriate to post here :S-

Dear LoveItaly:

You are dating yourself. Cocktail parties at the Jack Tar??? My sister and I were drinking Shirley Temples!!!!


MY