Tadich Grill – History on the Half Shell

It was Friday night in San Francisco.  After five glorious days of food and wine excess in the Napa Valley, it was time to clean up our act.  My companion, John, was in the mood for something simple, like a good piece of fish.  He had Tadich Grill in mind.

I was happy with his plan because it was a deep, dark professional secret that I had never been.  It’s something I wouldn’t normally admit, except under torture.  Tadich Grill isn't just the oldest restaurant in San Francisco; it's the oldest in California dating from 1849 when California wasn’t even part of the Union.  The Tadich Grill is to San Francisco and seafood as Peter Luger’s is to steak and Brooklyn.  It’s a national treasure.  Earlier in my career while I should have been eating cioppino at Tadich Grill, I was chasing ethereal dishes made by chefs with one name whose restaurants lasted about as long as a Christmas ham.  I had missed a key ingredient in my culinary education. On this night, I was hoping for redemption.

The front door to Tadich Grill opens onto a world where time seems to stand still.  Except for the presence of compact computer stations where waiters enter orders, it could be 1930 or 1950 or 2011.  The dark wood and polished brass accents give the space an old world, clubby feel. The bar and dining counter run the length of the restaurant with brass coat hooks along the wall, brass purse hooks (my favorite amenity) under the counter and stools for seating. White- clothed tables line the walls and handsome booths created by wooden panels are available for more private dining away from the din and chaos of the dining hall. Art deco light pendants add charm and a warm glow and the open kitchen, so popular in today’s restaurants, is a Tadich tradition.

Tadich Grill takes no reservations so we figured our chances of getting a table or booth on a Friday night were slim. We didn’t care and we were prepared to wait. When it comes to choosing restaurants, tables or selecting menu items, John and I are usually in harmony. Like the “Vulcan mind meld” on Star Trek or a silent dog whistle, we often communicate wordlessly when it comes to food.  At the front of the line when a prized table is offered, we look at each other.  “We’ll take the counter,” John said.  We were looking for adventure, too.

The system for dining at the counter is straightforward.  There are some 30 seats at the counter and you stand behind the diners, in hover mode, until space opens up. We didn’t hover for long and quickly discovered that just as we suspected, the counter is “the thing”, the heart and soul of the operation, and pure theatre. We were riveted by the drama taking place in front of us where white jacketed waiters dispensed crisp linen napkins, beverages, sour dough bread, bowls of lemon and menu advice.  Like dancers on a stage they exhibited a certain grace, economy of motion and constant movement as they worked their stations, a small kingdom of no more than 8-10 feet.  No motion was wasted and hands were always moving, refilling water glasses or water pitchers, wiping the counter while answering questions about the menu, wiping the drinking glasses artfully and efficiently arranged at the wait stations, and shining the flatware.  The only time a waiter left his station was to walk briskly to the open kitchen to retrieve an order.  Even Tadich’s most popular desserts, rice pudding, on the menu for over 100 years, and bread pudding, are kept in warming trays at the counter so they can be served with few motions and in only a matter of seconds.  After all, there are people hovering in the background for the next available seat.

And the food?  It’s fresh, straightforward and simply prepared using the very best ingredients. Pan-fried Sand Dabs, Rainbow Trout, Halibut Florentine, Seafood a la Monza, Clam Chowder and the best Cioppino in San Francisco as many locals are quick to tell you.  After watching a parade of plates go by, we opted for the Filet of Sole all’Agro and the Petrale Sole with a Bay Shrimp Cocktail for starters.  And of course, the rice pudding.

It was meal to remember and a night to remember -- much more entertaining than going to dinner and a show on Friday night.  Dining at the counter at Tadich Grill ….dinner IS the show. Don’t miss it!

Tadich Grill

240 California Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

(415) 391-1849

Hours: Sun Closed; Mon-Fri 11am–9:30pm; Sat 11:30am–9:30pm