Yes. You Can Go Home Again.

25 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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

SamWo2

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.).

SamWo5 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?

Home Is Only Two Blocks Away

01 Friday May 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Almost, Anna Bakery, Chinatown, Chinese Food, Millerstime, Sam Wo, Sam Wo Bakery & Restaurant, San Francisco, Thommie Award. Thomas Wolfe, You Can Go Home Again, You Can't Go Home Again

Thomas Wolfe, it turns out, is not entirely correct.

Though, in this case,”Home” has moved two blocks (three minutes walking or 52 seconds by car).

Pix by Anita Rechler

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Sam Wo’s is coming back.

Maybe as soon as this summer.

MillersTime Wins an Award

25 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

"A Sad Apology", "Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong", "You Can Go Home Again...Almost", Millerstime, Sam Wo's Chinese Restaurant, Thommie Award, You Can't Go Home Again

For real.

tumblr_nlkvzzzcwz1sgzxuko1_1280

Normally I wouldn’t brag, but my wife Ellen insists I post the following:

While looking at my email in the middle of the night recently (I know, bad form), I saw this: Congrats! You’ve won a Thommie Award for outstanding work on your blog “MillersTime”. I thought it was spam and almost deleted it.

But I took a chance and opened the email. Don’t we all like winning awards?

I saw that a group named Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong was looking for writers who have commented on whether or not you can go home again (the adage taken from Wolfe’s 1940 novel You Can’t Go Home Again).

In choosing MillersTime as “our first recipient of the prestigious Thommie Award” — for excellence in literary interpretation — they cited me for “rescinding (my) initial comment regarding Thomas Wolfe’s faultiness.” They cited my post A Sad Apology and quoted from what I had written:

In October of last year, I wrote, “Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again – almost.”… . Sam Wo’s is closing. You can read about the details as written in the SF Chronicle, but basically, the place is so far from being acceptable to the Health Department, that it would take a mammoth rebuilding to keep it open… … And so my apologies to the also deceased Thomas Wolfe. After going ‘home’ to Sam Wo’s for the last 50 years, that is now no longer possible.

Basically, after returning to my favorite San Francisco Chinese Restaurant, Sam Wo’s, I wrote a review (You Can Go Home Again…Almost), saying it was still a good restaurant, and, therefore, Thomas Wolfe was wrong in his famous adage.

Not long after that post, I was ‘forced’ to write another one acknowledging the closing of Sam Wo’s. I think it was that post (A Sad Apology) that accounted for my winning of the Thommie Award.

I sincerely want to thank the Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong folks for this ‘prestigious’ Thommie Award.

A Sad Apology

21 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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Tags

Sam Wo's, SF Chinatown, Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again

One Last Time

In October of last year, I wrote, “Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again – almost.”

The topic was an old favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Sam Wo’s. After being away a few years, I found myself one noon in SF with some free time, and so hastened to Washington St. to see if it was still there. You can read for yourself how delighted I was with what I found.

Now, thanks (?) to my good niece Leslie, comes word that after 100 years, Sam Wo’s is closing. You can read about the details as written in the SF Chronicle, but basically, the place is so far from being acceptable to the Health Department, that it would take a mammoth rebuilding to keep it open.

Alas, the present owner has chosen, probably understandably, not to do so. It will close Friday nite/Saturday morn, April 20/21.

And so my apologies to the also deceased Thomas Wolfe. After going ‘home’ to Sam Wo’s for the last 50 years, that is now no longer possible.

So sad.

Never again.

So sad.

Update: Sat., Apr. 21, 4 PM: Now comes word that there may be hope. According to this article, the owner’s daughter wants to keep Sam Wo’s open and will appear before the Health Board on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Update, Wed., Apr. 25: The health dept hearing’s over, and all agree that Sam Wo’s can reopen if they correct the code violations. Owner appears to want to do so. No reopening date set. See SF Chronicle latest story.