Three Guys who are Grills

Also a vintage menu from a very old restaurant. LA Chinatown. And a new way to deal with waste.

Jan 20, 2023

I’m in California, eating extremely well, and thinking of my early days here.

I lived in the Bay Area from 1973 to 1984, and at the time I was struck by how loyal San Francisco was to its old restaurants. Whereas the citizens of many cities are constantly attracted to the new, San Franciscans revere their old favorites. When I reviewed these three restaurants in 1981 they were already ancient but I’m happy to say that two of them are still with us. As for the third, reading this review of Jack’s, I can only say “good riddance!”

Speaking of that… I don’t think I ever wrote a review this nasty when I was at the LA Times or the NY Times: those reviews just carried too much weight. Looking back, one of the great joys of working at New West Magazine was that the newly-minted publication didn’t have much clout. I never worried that I would get someone fired or close the restaurant.

As for the other old timers in the article… John’s Grill has been open since 1908 and sails on, pretty much unchanged. Sam’s opened in 1867, making it the fifth-oldest restaurant in the United States. The late MFK Fisher was taken there as a child and later recalled it like this: “We learned about rex sole—obviously named, in some way, for our father, Rex Kennedy– and about sand dabs. Father said the latter was the most delicate fish in the world, especially as served at Sam’s.”

But for my money the place to go is Tadich, the oldest continually-run restaurant in California and the third-oldest in the country. The menu below is from 1981 - and although today’s prices are considerably different, the dishes are pretty much the same.

Went to the Pearl River Deli in Chinatown the other day for lunch, where I found this framed drawing by Stacy Michelson hanging over my head. It gave me a warm feeling, like I was dining with my old friend.

I know Jonathan would have loved this classic version of beef and mushroom chow fun. I know too that he would have been as sad as I was to see that the only place in Chinatown doing a brisk business was Howlin’ Rays. If we don’t support Chinatowns across America, they’ll fade away. And that would be an enormous loss for all of us. The Lunar New Year starts on Sunday: go celebrate!

This just crossed my desk, and although I haven’t tried it yet, Mill is such an interesting concept I wanted to pass it on and see what. you think. Is this a good way for urban people to deal with food waste?

Here, apparently, is how it’s going to work:

Sign up: Head to mill.com to reserve your Mill Membership, which includes your kitchen bin.
Activate your membership: Plug in the bin, download the Mill app, and connect your bin to Wi-Fi.
Food in: Put your kitchen scraps in the bin and they turn into Food Grounds overnight. No more icky food smells in your kitchen or your trash. You can add uneaten food anytime.
Nutrients saved: The bin shrinks and de-stinks your kitchen scraps into Food Grounds, which are nutrient-rich, dry, and can be stored in the bin until it’s full.
Send it: When your bin is full, empty your Food Grounds into the prepaid box and schedule a pick up in the Mill app. The U.S. Postal Service will bring your Food Grounds back to us.
Still food: We’re working through the necessary scientific and regulatory processes to turn your Food Grounds into a safe and nutritious chicken feed ingredient. It’s different from composting and keeps food as food.
Make an impact: Track the positive impact you’re having, including the amount of food you’ve diverted from landfill and more. We estimate that Mill members can avoid about a half-ton of greenhouse gas emissions per household per year. This estimate includes the manufacturing of the bin, energy usage, and the transportation of Food Grounds back to us. To learn more, go to mill.com/impact.