New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-02-03
A CITY OF RESTAURANTS.
BOHEMIAN LIFE In SAN FRANCISCO.

HOW WELL ONE MAYDiNE FOR Fifty CENIs-CoN-
PARSONS WITH NEw-YoRK EATING-HoUsES-A
CITY WHERE TO GO HUNGRY ONE MUST DE
POOR INDEED
(FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE lhiDoNI
Sax Francisco. Jan. 19-The San Francisco man
is as fond Of Boosting of his city as 'lcior "
of celebrating Paris. One boast he certainly cat
make good that San Francisco furnishes cheaper
food than any large place this country, ana tha'
IL rivals London or the Continent in inexpensive
living. Take half-dozen American cities winch
most nearly resemble it in size or activity ana
what a wide difference Is seen IN tno
number and variety of the eating places
ST. Louis. Cincinnati Baltimore, Albany-aI Inese
cities have a few fine restaurants where the way
faring man. by squanderiDg from ~ 10 CIV may
get good dinner. But in none OF them WIZ 10
found eatIng-houses scattered throughout the ci"'
and graded TO suit the tastes and purses OF large
number of hungry people. Even III New oiN,
where the cuisine of every Natlon-save perhaps tn'
of the South Sea Islandersis represented one "
find the variety and cheapness when are INC wv"
main characteristics Of San Francisco restaurantS'
Local eating houses recognize wide range III the
means aud tastes of customers. lhere ID u" "a
row and arbitrary division into high and low tne
very dear and the very cheap The different grades
melt into one another almost imperceptlbly. linus
the San Francisco speculator may begin his season
on the Stock Exchange with So dinner, ana, grau-
ualIy running down the scale of adversely, may
check off each decline in luck by reduction oi
half dollar until at last he reaches the point wh~o
he must retrench by the single " Bit" linen he may
enter upon an extensive voyage OF discovery, winch
will only end at the dives" that furnish
n roll and coffee or n bowl of soup and roll 1or
cents II would be difficult to perform in New-lork
similar feat There after getting down to the reGu-
lation French italian dinner for 81 one most laAe
long leap before reaching the so cent places. Ine
latter are usually unwholesome cellars the ioou
not ~ n ouality to be recommended, and the ser
vice is not calculated to improve the appetite vi
the large number of little restaurants IN TINS
citv which serve n French dinner OF five or six
courses. with native wine, for % cents. know oil
not n single example in New-York. Indeed, the
obeopest table d'h6te French dinner a New-fork
Bohemian can get will cost 40 cents and this VIII
not be enlivened by the acid rim ord'ndtre. Inc
privilege of setting ones teeth edge with TINS de-
lectable drink is valued at quarter Of dollar
THE POPULARITY OF RESTAURANTS.
Here. everything 10 different; chcapness Is the
rule, not the exception. Tue stranger IN TINS CITY
cannot fail to notice the popularity OF restaurants
While hotel dnng-rooms may be comparatively
deserted the restaurants which serve regular
dinner COR fixed price are always crowded
Climate and the tempe. ament OF the people
induce this preference for life in public. Entire
families live at restaurants. apparently without
suspiclon that they miss any domestic enioymenis.
OF the large number Of men occupying hired lodg-
ines ght out Of ten follow this nomadc style OF he
Even the boarding-houses are compelled to take in
the WAYS of hotels. The majority are huge estab-
ushments. setting large tables and giving ample
latitude in time for meals The term private
boarding house has almost lost its meaning and
siqniicauce Even with these attractions the
boarding-houses, rs well as the hotels. are barely
able TO maintain their ground against the
restaurants. The extensive foreign element,
largely French and Italian, has had no
small influence in making tins one of the most cos
mopolitan of cities. The keen winds and dust OF
Summer forbid the Open-a cafes of Paris or Vienna
but instead the fronts of the restaurants are pro-
tected by huge glass windows, which i1ve equal
publicity 10 all transactions within With the res
taurants which may be found almost on every
block are closely allied the beer saloons and con-
cert gardens which cater to all tastes and make no
distinction between Sunday and secular days IN the
character OF their entertainment. IL would
shock a person Of Puritan prejudices TO see
concert halls, beer gardens. theatres and
variety entertainments all open on Sunday
evening 1t recalls to a foreigner catholic
Pans which toleTates all moral and immoral eccen-
tricIties A French woman summed up the foreign
appreciation Of San Francisco when she said to me
in her pathetic patOis: " was desoated In your
Bostong; / wearied myself to the death III New
York where the streets on Sunday were Ike the
tomb and the theatres were all Jerm<s but when l
reach San Francisco, all, 1t was heaven 1t was a
leetlc Paris"
TIRE RESORTS or DIFFERENT CLASSES.
Among a people with tastes like these restaurants
g.. IN, no LET a
few typical ones with representative New-York
eating-houses In the first place, may cast out
the high-priced restaurants where dinner Ia carte
will cost from SO 10 $40. These places, un-
hanpily. have few points Of difference. whether
Fast or West They still MAINTAIN the old war
prices, and the smiling gareon VIII charge you
Ok cents for n small dish OF peas, or half-dollar
for n lettuce salad. in midsummer. with the non
chalance that became him SO well IN the Hush
times lust after the war. when money lined every
nocxet and the tramp was not. These swell"
places abound In San FTancsco, but they are gwen
over mainly to these classes the Bonanza capt.
talists. who have reduced the leyylng Of assess
mepts TO an exact science their counsel, whose big
fees are paid by the horde OF poor, drudpng
DIMES who hold few shares of Comstocks: the
railroad men. who have been able TO cul-
dvate tho tastes Of bOnnes rirdnts on the sure
returns of an immense monopoly. and the horny
handed workingmen, who have captured the fat
municipal Offices with nothing to take the edge
from their appetes except the ghost of the salary
pledge. But these places cannot be called popular
The Californian is too shrewd to waste much coin
ON external appearance. So the real commands
NAV be found the many little r6tisseTies just be-
low MontgOmery-st., from Sacramento 10 Jackson
SITS. The quarter not fashionable and what Is
more II isn't clean The restaurants as dirty
the streets. Most of them are low-browed shops
with the kitchen at the right or left Of the en-
trance. They occupy old buildings and the sunlight