OK, make a suggestion!

San Mateo Suggestions
 

1. The Fish Market as previously mentioned

2. The Van's (http://www.thevansrestaurant.com/) If we go here I'll buy a beer to the first person to tell me why the Van's is somewhat more historic than the management realizes (Hint: there is a subtle mistake on the their website).

3. For a cheap hole in the wall, but very yummy choice: Sinbad's Market on 4th Ave. in San Mateo. Squeakr can confirm it has some of the best Middle Eastern food in the Bay Area (although the schwarma is a bit dry). Downside is that they close at 9pm and don't serve alcohol.

4. Izzy's Steaks and Chops right next to the runway at SQL.

5. Kabul - Afghani in San Carlos.

Their home page says, "A tradition on the San Francisco Peninsula since 1947."

But, their history page says the place was built in 1915, originally as part of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in the Marina district of SF. (The building was purchased and moved to Belmont after the close of the exposition.)

So, were you referring to the seeming inconsistency between the 1947 date and the info detailed on their history page? From my reading of it, it seems that its pre-1947 history as a saloon, speakeasy, and possible gambling den and brothel may give rise to a certain reluctance to proclaim it a "tradition since 1915." :D

We stopped using Kabul to cater our company lunches (they used to have a second restaurant in Sunnyvale) when one of our staff members encountered a bloody band-aid baked into the bread and the management didn't think it was a big deal! With the exception of that "minor" problem, which was a long time ago, it's fairly good.

I guess SQL is an airport, is it that little airport where the "Air Museum: An Educational Institution" is located? If that's the place, Izzy's would be pretty easy to find, so it sounds OK to me. Also Van's, although I am not sure where it is. I would like to try someplace I haven't been to.

Fish Market is also fine, but we have one in Palo Alto so it's not too unusual for me. And we would need a group large enough that they would take a booking (hopefully without a deposit), the wait can be long otherwise.

Seems like a FT DO at a place not serving alcohol would be unprecedented, however.

So if we are looking at alternates, I vote for Van's or Izzy's.

Richard: I really wish you hadn't told me that. Scratch off another lunch favorite for me.

Also in the interest of keeping a lower price restaurant in the discussion, there is also Saigon City on 3rd Avenue in San Mateo (and they do serve beer).

Kathy: Good observation, but we are looking for a reason that the place is *more* historic, not less.

Huh???

Not sure I understand. The place IS more historic than the home page quote "A tradition on the San Francisco Peninsula since 1947" would lead you to believe.

:confused:

Oh I see what you are saying. I had misunderstood before. It is still not quite what I am looking for. Bear in mind, that I am looking for something that the folks that wrote the history were not aware of. While they do claim to be a tradition since only '47 they are certainly aware of the pre '47 history.

If no one else gets the correct answer, and we do go to the Van's I'll buy you a beer (or hand you a UA drink coupon) as first runner up. :)

http://www.remnantsofadream.com/pages/remnants5.html

Is this it?

i am in San Jose this week and next and would be interested in dinner one night.

I have updated at the top for the 11th. Lets go to Vans it sounds much better than the Marriott.

Princess, I would love to get together with you next week!!!! Let me know what day...

No. It doesn't really make the place more historic. . . But it is a tidbit that I did not know, that I find interesting, so I will buy you a beer as well as Kathy assuming we do not have a grand prize winner.

Perhaps I should just bring a warm six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to the do. :)

I'll give some hints:

1) It requires knowledge not on the web page.
2) It does not require extensive digging into the history of the building.
3) The incorrect statement would appear to be correct unless you know some trivia. I would not have known it was incorrect had I not seen a particular film clip on TV, and I was reasonably familier with the subject involved.

Curiouser and curiouser....

I don't like beer and I have a plethora of UA drink coupons (both onboard and RCC), so.... can I claim a glass of wine if I'm still in the running by then?

;)

Does the history go back PRIOR to 1915? Was there some other structure on the spot that was then replaced by the Japanese administration building from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo?

Tell you what, I'll bring you a bottle of fine Hyatt diamond amenity wine.
:)

Typical FTer! ;)

And, it takes one to know one!!! At a pre-dinner get-together at Ozfest this year, my BYO contribution was.... the bottle of "apology" wine the hotel had given me for not upgrading me to a suite. But, being among FTers, I freely admitted that's what it was. ;)

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