FoodNet

Bohemian San Francisco

1914

Page 51

Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Fine striped bass from the ocean, or black bass from the fresh water takes high place in preference. Then there is sole, both in the fillet and Rex, as prepared at Jule's under the Monadnock building. Tom cod, rock cod, fresh mackerel and fresh cod, white bait and boned smelt all are excellent fish, but were we to attempt to tell of all the fish to be found here we would have to reproduce a piscatorial directory. There are two good methods of acquiring knowledge of the fish of San Francisco. Go to the wharves and see them come and and go to the wholesale markets down in Clay street, below Montgomery. You will then begin to realize that we certainly do have a variety of good fish. Now for a little Bohemianism of a different sort: Recently there came to San Francisco, with his wtfe, an 9/f SAN FRANCISCO actor whose name used to be almost a household word among theater- goers, and when we say "the villain still pursued her," all you oldtimers will know whom we mean. When he was vviii^uE here in the years long gone by it was FISH his custom to go to the old California ABOUND market, select what he desired to eat, then take it to the restaurant and have it cooked, and the old atmosphere came back to him on his recent ar- rival and he revived the old custom. "Meet us at the California market," was the tele- phone message that came to us, and we were there, for we knew that something good was in store for us. First we went through the market from end to end and all the side aisles, "spying out the land." It is not possible to enumerate what we saw. If you want to know go there and see for yourselves. Having seen we were told to go and select what we wished to have for our dinner, and then the selection began and there was a feast of buying fish, meats, vegetables and delicacies of all sorts, even to French pastry. Our purchases were ordered sent to the restaurant in the corner of the market where the chef had already been duly "seen," and then came each particular idea as to how the food was to be cooked. We had sand- dabs munier, Chateaubriand with mushrooms, Italian squash, fried in oil with a flavor of garlic, French pastry, and coffee, together with some good California Tipo Chianti, all flavored with such a stream of reminiscence that we forgot that such things as clocks existed. It was the first time our theatrical friends had tasted sand-dabs, for this fish has come to San Francisco mar- kets only in recent years, and they declared that it was the "only" fish fit to be eaten. It is possible that they were prejudiced by the sentiment of the surroundings and consequently not exactly in position to be good judges. 95 BOHEMIAN All Italian restaurants serve fish well. At the New Buon Gusto you will find a most excellent cippino with polenti, and if you have not experi- WHERE enced this we advise you to try it as FISH soon as possible. At the Gianduja you