The Fabulous Fior

Foreword by John Lescroart:

I've been writing crime novels set in San Francisco now for the better part of two decades, and in that time many of the bar/restaurant venues in the City have nearly taken on the roles of living characters. John's Grill on Ellis, The Little Shamrock at 9^th and Lincoln, and my own fictional Lou the Greek's on the very real Bryant Street all seek to capture some elements of the City's personality and spirit, and hopefully help to infuse the books with a sensibility that is unique to San Francisco. But when I sat down to write Guilt, I felt that I needed to set my opening scene at a restaurant that all by itself encapsulated not just a few elements, but so much of the City's essence that its mention alone would conjure up for my readers an immediate identification with San Francisco. There was no question that only one restaurant in this town of great restaurants could fit this bill -- the Fior d'Italia.

Let's start with the location. Or location, location, location as the real estate folks would have it. Could there be a more felicitous spot in the City for a great restaurant? You're in North Beach, after all, and the smell of roasting coffee beans infuses the air. Washington Square, with its tai chi classes and frisbee games, is just across the street, beneath the twin towers and Ss. Peter & Paul Church. You're sitting at the bar of the Fior d'Italia, maybe sipping a negroni, an early afternoon martini, or a perfect espresso. Outside there's a light breeze and the sun is shining and in five minutes you'll be ordering veal or calamari from a waiter who's been here forever and knows exactly what he's doing. When the food arrives, you may be surprised at how beautifully it's prepared, how flawlessly it's served, how delicious it tastes. After all, the Fior has been here for over a century; it's the oldest Italian restaurant in the country. It's a tourist place, right?

Well, yes and no. Tourists come here, to be sure, and who can blame them? But it wouldn't be a destination for long if it didn't deliver the goods, the goods in this case being authentic, carefully-prepared, fantastic tasting Italian food. A restaurant can boast of all the tradition in the world, but in the Mecca of haute cuisine that is San Francisco today, if the kitchen doesn't hold up its end of the quality spectrum, nobody's going to go there to eat. But look around you. The Fior d'Italia is packed today. It's packed every day. Why? Because it's a great place with terrific food. That's what it's always been, and what it remains today.

I've been eating regularly at the Fior since my very first trip to San Francisco. It's where my dad took me for the first dinner I ever ate out in the City. Back in the late 60s, when I was a student at USF and later at UC Berkeley, for me it became the ultimate place for a super-fancy dinner date. Although the waiters were never anything but perfectly professional, I remember as a college student being a little terrified by the gentlemen in tuxedoes, the Italian language all over the menu, the simple sophistication of the adult dining experience. I didn't suspect back then that one day the formal, traditional, somewhat intimidating Fior d'Italia of my youth would become a comfort spot for me and my friends, that thiry-five years or so after my first dining experience here, I would reserve the Tony Bennett room for my fiftieth birthday party.

The restaurant didn't change. I did. But through all the ages of my life, the Fior d'Italia has retained its ambience, its glamour, and its magic. That's why I feel so privileged to be a small part of The Fabulous Fior - 100 Years In An Italian Kitchen. This is a wonderful book with a great story to tell. Sit down with it and enjoy a well-told tale of one of the City's true treasures. Then sit back, order another glass of Pinot Grigio, and raise a glass to the next hundred years of San Francisco's premier Italian restaurant, the Fior d'Italia.

John Lescroart

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Fior d'Italia