The restaurant world is a fickle one, subject to the whims ofdiners, the restlessness of ambitious chefs and a little thing calledlocation, location, location. For this Spring Travel Issue of theMagazine, I set out to look at three classic American restaurants inthree popular dining destinations: Gene and Georgetti in Chicago, theTadich Grill in San Francisco and the 21 Club in New York. Whataccounts for their long lives? Collectively, the trio share about 300years of success with their straightforward menus, sense of communityand uncommon passion. And even after all these years, the food atthese landmarks tastes pretty good, too.
A MEAL AT CHICAGO'S Gene and Georgetti (500 N. Franklin St.; 312-527-3718) reminds me that not all steakhouses are created equal. Itsrecipe for success starts with smart shopping: The beef comes fromcornfed cattle in Iowa and Nebraska, and it's all prime grade. Onceat the restaurant, in the Windy City's River North district, the meatis aged for almost a month and then butchered by hand. 'Hardly anyonedoes that anymore,' boasts owner Tony Durpetti. Probably even fewercompetitors cook the same way. Durpetti buys gas broilers that reach850 degrees but are modified by the restaurant to fire up to 1,400degrees. The intense heat melts fat and gives the sirloins, filetsmignons and bone-in rib-eye steaks a distinctive char and crust.
Launched by Gene Michelotti and Alfredo 'Georgetti' Federighi in1941, the plain-looking restaurant, glammed up with a wall ofcelebrity mug shots, does more than meat. The Italian-American menuruns to pasta, seafood and chicken Vesuvio, but, says Durpetti, 'ifyou want something that's not on the menu, we'll make it for you.' Anomelet for dinner, maybe? No problem.
That brand of hospitality makes for lots of regulars, some of whomhave been coming here for a very long time. One decades-long habitue,now a Florida resident, routinely reserves tables 11 and 12 near themahogany bar for the days he visits Chicago. And that bar hosts thesame dozen or so guys every lunch. The counter-mates even have anickname: the Mahogany Club. While the 'old regulars' congregate inthe front barroom, Durpetti says 'the new regulars' prefer the rearand upstairs dining areas, both renovated in 1997. At least onewaiter has been hoisting plates here for 38 years, and it's notuncommon for a server to take an order for a whole group withoutjotting down a word.
Legend has it that the building that became Gene and Georgetti wasbuilt with scraps from wood salvaged from the Chicago Fire of 1871.Durpetti can't verify that, but he will confirm that he's the son-in-law of Gene, and that he just wanted to help out his mother-in-lawwhen her husband fell sick back in 1989. Watching over the place 'wassupposed to be temporary,' he says. Thank goodness it wasn't.
Entrees $17.50 to $69.75.
A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND before you sample the Tadich Grill inSan Francisco (240 California St.; 415-391-1849): The time to go islunch, the food to order is fish, and don't bother calling ahead fora seat. In its long history, 'the Tadich,' as regulars refer to theSan Francisco treat, has never taken reservations. Patrons simplyshow up and wait to be called to a table in a long dining room thatsports art deco chandeliers and semiprivate booths. The policy meansa sea of suits and lots of clamor at high noon.
History buffs will appreciate the story behind the restaurant,which began life as a coffee tent opened by a trio of Croatianimmigrants in 1849 (think Gold Rush) and whose location has changedover the decades but has never veered far from its current spot inthe city's financial district. At the Tadich, things are either slowto change or they never change. Until 1990, the restaurant refused totake credit cards; even now, ownership remains Croatian. The loyaltyof some customers is such that they merit a food key of their own onthe restaurant's computer.
Meanwhile, the cooking reflects what's local and good rather thanthe ego of a chef. Thus there are delicate sand dabs and rex sole,simply broiled over mesquite or pan-fried to a handsome shade ofgold, and served on thick white plates inscribed with 'The OriginalCold Day Restaurant' on their rim. Crab cakes are shaped from localDungeness crab, and oysters find their way into the kitchen's popularHangtown Fry, a strapping frittata made crisp with bacon and creamywith oysters. Few omelets can compete with this appealing marriage ofsurf and turf.
If there is one dish you shouldn't miss, however, it would be thecioppino, the recipe for which was developed by San Francisco's earlyItalian American fishermen and which is almost as iconic as theGolden Gate Bridge. Some call it a seafood stew, but that'sincorrect. The clams, mussels, scallops and crab that go into thebowl are sauteed to order, then draped with an herby sauce of choppedcooked tomatoes. The steaming collection is flanked with rafts ofgarlic toast for sopping up the heady juices. Bliss!
Culinary trends have no place at Tadich Grill. The dessert listfeatures rice pudding, vanilla-scented and comforting. As special asit is on a 'cold day,' I'm happy to eat it anytime.
Entrees $15.50 to $25.75.
FOR MUCH OF ITS LONG RUN, the best dish at the 21 Club in New York(21 W. 52nd St.; 800-721-CLUB) involved faces rather than food. FrankSinatra claimed his own table there. Richard Nixon laid down wine in21's 20,000-bottle cellar. Writers Claire Boothe Luce and DorothyParker famously exchanged insults at the door. ('Age before beauty'Luce announced. 'Pearls before swine,' Parker shot back.) Scenes from'All About Eve' and 'Wall Street' were filmed in the legendary diningroom, which is distinguished by a ceiling of suspended toys andsports memorabilia, and by its illicit past as a speakeasy. It shouldcome as no surprise to learn that this party of a restaurant, whichstretches across three townhouses, opened on New Year's Eve, as 1929gave way to 1930.
In the old days here, patrons supped on chicken hash and steaktartare, dishes that live on as part of the menu's 21 Classics.Though a series of high-profile chefs has helped update the offeringsin recent decades, my inclination is to stay in the past when Iorder. The time-tested, lime-brightened crab salad features jumbolump crab, and Dover sole is impeccable, deftly grilled and treatedto wild rice and a seasonal vegetable.
Insiders know to request the off-the-menu hunter's salad ofchopped vegetables rather than the more traditional Caesar -- whichis 'What TV Guide is to literature,' my droll waiter volunteered. Thesecret to a memorable burger? The kitchen shapes its patties usingtop round and bits of dry-aged sirloin; seasons them with Dijonmustard, minced onion, duck fat and fresh herbs; and serves theburgers on sourdough rolls with a choice of potatoes. A favorite ofDonald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, the 21 Burger last cost $21 in1987; these days, the signature goes for $27 at lunch and $30 fordinner.
The rules at this country club in the city have relaxed over theyears. Taking photographs is no longer forbidden, and ties are nolonger required at lunch. They are at dinner, though, which is whatGeorge Clooney discovered when he showed up wearing a sweater lastfall -- a fashion lapse quickly corrected by longtime greeterShaker Naini (start date September 21, 1976), who proffered the actora tie from 21's collection of 20 or so designer labels.
Entrees $30 to $46.
Denise Aitchison and her husband were recent diners at Belga Cafe(514 Eighth St. SE; 202-544-0100), where they shared an appetizer,ordered two entrees and split a dessert that their server hadrecommended as 'perfect for sharing,' the Washington reader wrote inan e-mail. The couple were subsequently surprised to see a $3splitting charge on their bill for the jointly eaten first and finalcourses. 'I understand why a restaurant might feel it necessary tocharge an extra fee for sharing an entree, but an appetizer?'Aitchison asked in an e-mail. She says she has never been billed forsharing food in a restaurant before, 'and I don't recall anything onthe menu about the extra charges.' The restaurant's manager, GaliaKaplan, confirmed the $1.50 fee, which does not appear on the menu,but said the charge is 'seldom used,' and then mostly for splitentrees and with large groups. The server erred, Kaplan said, addingthat she hoped the couple would contact her so she 'could make themhappy.'
Got a dining question? Send your thoughts, wishes and, yes, evengripes to asktom@washpost.com or to Ask Tom, The Washington PostMagazine, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Please includedaytime telephone number.
To chat with Tom Sietsema online, click on Live Online atwww.washingtonpost.com, Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
