Julia and Stan, Peggy and Mike and Debbie and I went to the North Beach Restaurant on the last night of our Menlo Park/San Francisco visit. (Dinner was followed by attending a performance of Beach Blanket Babylon – more about that at the end. The theater is a short walk from the restaurant.)
My notes about who ate what are a bit fuzzy, so I am simply listing items that one or another of our party ordered. A number of us ordered the same thing: Famous Home-cured Prosciutto and Melon, Calamari Vinaigrette, Spinach Salad, Spaghetti all’ Amatriciana – Con Pancetta, Oso Bucco, Spaghetti Carbonara, Spaghettini Lorenzo (has no cholesterol, 247 calories as tested by UC Berkeley).
The restaurant served biscotti with coffees.
One thing that I don’t recall seeing in any other restaurant is that the cloth napkins had a buttonhole in one corner.
Our server was Daniel and he was as good at it gets.
The restaurant seats 300 people with slightly more than half that number on the main floor and the balance downstairs.
The restroom is very bright and well lit. There is a wall-hanging urinal close to a floor standing commode. Across the room is a square wall-hanging wash basin with a wall-hanging mirror above it. There is the option of drying one’s hands either in a wall-hanging device in which you insert your hands where they are air dried or by using paper towels; or both if you choose. There is an appropriate container into which the towels can be discarded.
There is a counter with a flower in a vase. The floor is covered with mid-size tan tiles, the walls with larger white tiles. There is a multi-colored, six-inch-wide strip around the entire room about 2 feet off the ground. There are appropriately located metal bars making the restroom completely handicapped accessible.
Following dinner, we all went to see Beach Blanket Babylon. It is the world’s longest running musical revue and one of the most popular San Francisco attractions; it is a high energy pop culture satire. The New York Times says Beach Blanket Babylon is “updated more often than your smartphone!” The show has been running for 45 years, with nearly 17,000 performances, and has been seen by 6.5 million people. It is currently be performed at Club Fugazi in the North Beach district.
For reasons that are not important here, the show will close forever with its final two performances on New Year’s Eve of this year. If you have not seen it and are going to be anywhere near San Francisco, I suggest you put it on your calendar. Except for occasional performances, all attendees must be 21 years of age or older.
The show’s website gives you all the information that you need.
North Beach Restaurant
1512 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-392-1700/1-800 860-0013
Northbeachrestaurant@yahoo.com