Tags
"A Sad Apology", "Home Is Only Two Blocks Away", "Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong", Edsel Ford Fung, Sam Wo's Chinese Restaurant, Thomas Wolfe, Thommie Award, World's Rudest Waiter, You Can't Go Home Again
Careful readers of MillersTime.net, assuming there are one or two, may remember three earlier posts (Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong, Home Is Only Two Blocks Away, and A Sad Apology) about our long time favorite Chinese ‘dive’ (Sam Wo’s) in San Francisco, it’s closing, and the hope that it would reopen or would resurrect itself in some way.
Also, one or two of you might remember that MillersTime ‘won’ the ‘prestigious’ Thommie Award for “outstanding literary work” on my blog” with articles on the topic of whether one could in fact go home again.
Well, I’m delighted to tell you that you can go home again (tho it might be a few blocks away from your previous home). Sam Wo’s has reopened in San Francisco under the same Ho family ownership and chef. Alas, its “world’s rudest waiter” (Edsel Ford Fung) has long since passed away, tho they are still looking for some night time help…
It’s new address is 713 Clay Street (a three minute walk or a 52 second drive from the former location at 813 Washington St.).
While it’s actually been open since Oct. 2 for a preview and a ‘soft’ opening, it had a formal, ribbon cutting re-opening Wednesday, Oct. 21. For all the details about its opening, its new location, its hours, and other such details, see this article:
Sam Wo Restaurant Reopens Among Throngs Of Well-Wishers, Dignitaries
There is also a second article you might want to see if you want more details about the new/old Sam Wo’s:
13 Things to Know About the New Sam Wo
Since I unfortunately do not have any immediate plans to be in SF (tho I would consider a quick round trip flight there if the price was right), I would appreciate any on the spot reports from those of you who are lucky/smart enough to be in the neighborhood or close enough to check it out, (Hint: Sal, G., Tom P., Leslie K., Lance B., Land/Ping W., Larry M., Robin R., etc.)
PS – Maybe there’s hope. When I just told Ellen about this post, she said, “It’s time to go back to San Francisco.”
Now that’s the right attitude for a spouse to have.
Anyone want to join us at the new/old Sam Wo’s?
Land Wayland said:
There are several Sam Wo restaurants in the Los Angeles area, one (in Chinatown) complete with an amazingly rude waiter but, unlike many years ago when it was a genuine “go to” place, it is now just one of many, many (perhaps 150) Chinese restaurants in this area and it does not hold up well against the competition. It is truly OK but not “I have to have my weekly fix” great. HOWEVER having said that, I have never been to the Sam Wo’s in ‘Frisco (they hate it when they are called that) and their Chinatown remains the largest on the West Coast so they have lots of cooking talent available and I hope the owners hire a #1 chef, buy top ingredients, and carry on a great tradition. If you are willing to make a trip to the Sunset Coast, we would be most willing to accompany you to the best we know about, including an excellent dim sum restaurant with 60+ items and tableside cart delivery, a very good noodle joint with 2 foot noodles, a typical Hong Kong cafe with 326 items on its menu, and/or a sea food place that really knows how to prepare lobster (oops, you probably don’t want to see another lobster for at least 7 years).
Land Wayland said:
P.S If you insist on doing the SF thing, let us know and we might be able to go into the frigid north country.