Post #26871 by thejab on Sun, Mar 16, 2003 11:50 AM

After last week's good experience at the Tonga Room on the Crawl, we returned again last night after attending the Vintage Fashion Expo just up the street. We arrived at 5 when they opened after paying a quick visit to the amazing Cirque bar down the hall in the Fairmount. The Cirque bar is filled with murals of circus scenes that were painted in the 1930s. Not much has changed in the bar since the 30s except that I believe it's only used for private functions (they were getting it ready for such a function last night).

We had our choice of tables in the lounge with no hassle because we arrived right when they opened. I had a Tonga Mai Tai (too much pineapple juice) and a Bora Bora Horror that was served in a tiki mug. I swore off Zombies for a while after the Crawl! The service was friendly and they didn't bother us at all while we wandered throughout the restaurant to check out the decor. The music was mostly good hawaiian music played at low volume as the band doesn't start until 8.

I have still not eaten there because of complaints of bad food at high prices. So I never really got to look at the decor in the restaurant part. There are some massive tikis in the back and many illuminated glass floats that are hidden in the little thatched roof structures on the right side or in outrigger canoes suspened from the ceiling on the left side. Since dinner doesn't start until 6 from 5-6 one can wander around without bothering dining patrons. I decided I want to return for dinner sometime right at 6 and sit on the right side next to the "lagoon" at one of the tables with the thatched roofs. The first rainstorm starts at 6 and there were plenty of empty tables. I always paid previous visits either for happy hour on weekdays or later at night and it was always pretty crowded.

After stopping to see the Eichler developments on Cleary Court in San Francisco we got hungry. I had not been to Scoma's in years so I suggested we go there. It's in the Fisherman's Wharf area but it is not one of those tourist-trap restaurants. Scoma's is still one of the best seafood places in the city. The decor is 1950s dark woods and slightly nautical with plenty of celebrity photos on the walls. Al Scoma was friends with many of the great Italian entertainers, from Louis Prima to Al Martino. The dining room we sat in was original 50s except for the newer lamps supended from the ceiling. The windows all overlook the harbor area. We had Tomales Bay oysters, Dungeness crab cocktail, and the fresh catch of the day - Alaskan Halibut. It was super fresh and cooked to perfection and you get a very large portion. The service is outstanding. If you like dining in the old style try Scoma's some time.

Afterwards we went over to Fisherman's Grotto No. 9, also at Fisherman's Wharf. This place is incredibly preserved! The first floor has a tiny bar and the Venetian Room with striped poles like the gondolas in Venice, red vinyl booths, and backlit etched glass fish murals. Upstairs is one of the best looking bars in the bay area. Intact 1940s-era wood with wavy edges, scalloped edges, and diamond shapes, a built in fish tank, a fireplace, and blue naugahyde seats that are probably the newest things in there (c. 1960s). Unfortunately, there is a large screen TV at one end of the room but we just turned the sound off on it while nobody was looking and faced the other way. I had a scotch and marveled at how perfectly intact the bar and restaurant is. There are 2 dining rooms upstairs, one is next to the bar and has beautiful 1940s wood treatments on the ceiling with recessed lighting that shows off the details and large plate glass windows overlooking the harbor. There is another dining room in back that we didn't look at. I have not tried the food yet.

I didn't have a camera with me so I didn't get any pictures but I can scan some pictures from the souvenier booklet that I picked up there.