As we settle in this evening awaiting the fistula procedure early tomorrow morning, we savored a delicious meal at the infamous Tadich Grill, the oldest restaurant in California.
San Franciscans enjoy eating out. Some say that it is a heritage from the gold seekers who journeyed to California without their families, became accustomed to the good and exotic cookery of the restaurants of San Francisco, and were never again completely satisfied to eat at home.’’ That’s not a quote from one of today’s trendy food magazines. It’s from an article by Salvatore P. Lucia in Atlantic Monthly in 1950.
Lucia goes on to write about the hot restaurants of the time that have since closed — Rijstaffel, the Papagayo Room in the Fairmont Hotel, and Amelio’s. But he also mentions a San Francisco classic that’s still open, Tadich Grill, which he describes as being a place “for the more sophisticated fancier of fish dishes.’‘
Tadich Grill isn’t just the oldest restaurant in San Francisco; it’s one of the oldest businesses in California.
In 1849, when California wasn’t even part of the Union, the restaurant began its life as The New World Coffee Stand on the edge of what’s now Commercial Street. It moved several times in the early days until it found a more permanent home — from 1912 to 1967 — at 545 Clay St. It moved to its current address on California Street when Wells Fargo took over the space on Clay.
The “new’’ location looks much like the Clay Street restaurant, according to Bob Buich, one of the owners, who says the restaurant was basically disassembled and recreated in the new space.
Lots of dark wood, including the long bar and lunch counter, highlight the decor and give the space an old-fashioned, clubby feel. Booths are created by wooden panels for more private dining away from the din of the restaurant. White-clothed tables line the walls and Deco-style light fixtures add a warm glow. The open kitchen, so popular at restaurants now, was also recreated from the Clay Street restaurant.
Tadich Grill — one of the most written-about restaurants in San Francisco history — held a special place in the heart of the late Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, too. He wrote of eating the famed Hangtown Fry — scrambled eggs, bacon and oysters — on a cold March day in 1982 and feeling as though time stood still at Tadich Grill. He was right.
Robin Davis is a Chronicle staff critic. Her Dining Out columns can also be read on The Gate at www.sfgate.com.
Even as she anxiously anticipates the procedure tomorrow morning, Irene is still smiling ….
Caminando con Fé
Dave
