The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-19
DINNERS IN FRISCO.
CURIOUS COSMOPOLITAN RESTAu-
RANTS ON THE COAST.

ent Country Every Night In the Week.
A Dirty italian Restaurant ON the Water
Front That Is Very Popular.
One of the features of cosmopolitan
San Francisco is its restaurants. Every
foreign colony boasts of a place where
its native cooking can be had, and ad'
venturous San Franeiscans who care to
look these places up a dine in the
of a different country every
night in the week. If an elaborate Chi
nese dinner, with its numberless impos.
sible courses, each accompanied by
sweetmeats, proves unattractive, a Ha-
waiian dinner, with poi and sailed fish,
can be had by walking a few blocks
For those who like highly spiced din
ners there are the Italian and Spanish
restaurants to choose from, and for those
with small appetites, who look for nov-
city in service, there are the Turkish
restaurants, with their unpronounceable
dishes and delicious coffee.
The most popular Of the foreign res
kAAA II nAo SAC AAG AhO& II SO
eral of these scattered about the Latin
quarter, which are much frequented by
San FranCiscans OF account of the excel
lence of the cooking. Most of them are
dirty, very dirty, as to floors and walls,
and the Italians are not oversqueamish
regarding the table linen. When a party
of Americans enter. however, there is a
roSAanol chy-fao = %hn xr.ostowu &EN CO
cure the service of the table and the
prospective tip. The question of prece-
dence being settled, the wine stained
tablecloth is whisked off and replaced by
one not always newly Numbered or else
suspiciously damp,
These restaurants are rarely OH the
main streets and have to be approached
through dark alleys. One situated be-
hind the county Jail occupies the back
room of a small Italian grocery store.
In going there one is reminded Of dark
deeds and sharp stilettos, but the din
ner is worth the journey. The chef Of
this place is famous for cooking Italia
rini, a paste made by himself and cut
in strips and cooked with O sauoe made,
Of tomatoes, spices and mushrooms
It is extremely rich and very peppery.
but all Italian dishes are strongly dashed
with chill peppers
The dinner is attended with great
ceremony. A bottle of their sour claret
is served with each dinner. Every Ital-
ian drinks about two quarts of it with
his dinner, SO the bottle supply some
times runs short. In this event the
waiter goes to the bar, fills an empty
bottle from a demijohn, drives in a cork,
and then carries the bottle to the table
where it is needed, sometimes four feet
from the bar, and impressively produc-
ing his corkscrew draws the cork as
carefully as though he were handling the
finest burgundy. His demeanor is so Sc
rious throughout the performance that
one dare not look amused.
A very popular restaurant is Bag
zuro's, which is situated near the water
front. This is greatly ~patronized by the
Italian fishermen, who file in after their
days work. still wearing their gum
boots and smelling strongly of their
craft 1t is also freqhented by the Ital-
ian vegetable gardeners. who drive in
from the outskirts Of town, and after dis
posing of their stock stop to dine. When
the place is reasonably we'll filled, there
is a babel of voices. They are all talk,
ing at once, and out Of the confusion
the word ''scudi" is distinguished above
all others.
This means money, which the pro,
prietor says, with a shrug, they talk
about all the time, all the time" The
fishermen bring the best Of their day
catch here, and the gardeners offer their
choicest vegetables. The chef, whose
kitchen is back of the dining tables and
in full view of the room, is a merry fel.
low, and-between his Juggling feats, toss.
ing his pan into the air to turn the cook.
ing fish or meat exchanges gossip and
jests with the diners. This place is
kept comparatively clean. The floor is
covered with sawdust and the ceiling
f~estooned with gaudy colored paper Gu,
in fanc:ful designs. Two parrots add to
the general din, and all sorts and con
ditions of cats prowl around the floor.
The restaurant is conducted by two
brothers. II Of whom waits on table,
while the other attends bar and looks
after the cash receipts. Every Italian
after dining stops at the bar for a chat
and a drink. Instead of a liquor, the
host pours generous glasses Of claret for
himself and his guests, and these are
speedily tossed off. A casual visitor, aft.
or witnessing this ceremony about %
times in quick succession, is apt t grow
nervous about the health of the host,
but he appears one the worse for his
o~onviviality at the end of the evening.
The younger brother sometimes relieves
his brother at the bar. He is quite as
hospitable, and his invariable drink be.
ing absinthe and settler his case seems
even more alarming.
This restaurant, at 7:3O in the v
ing, when dinner is in full swing, pre-,
SCENTS an odd sight, the Italians sitting
around the tables, most~of them with
their hats on, ~gesticulating and talking
excitedly across the room, while they
roll the spaghetti round their forks and
dexterously transfer it in yard lengths