Original Joe's

144 Taylor Street (at Turk, just of Market)

Tel: 415-775-4877

One of my most favorite restaurants in this city is Original Joe's in the Tenderloin. It's been around since the mid 30's, that's a long damn time, whew, and it just stays the same, which is friggin' great. They must offer the biggest burger in the world.

No valet service here on Taylor Street

I like to sit at the counter and watch as the ethnic Godzilla grabs a huge hunk of raw ground beef and furiously starts forming it into a huge, thick rectangle of animal flesh. He throws it on the butcher block, molds it with his beefy hands, slices a half loaf of fresh french bread, throws the meat on the grill or charcoal, and lets it cook for what seems like purgatory to the Ray Kroc's of the burger world. He cooks it to your specs, he'll even cover it in fresh chopped onions if you want, warms the half loaf of french bread on the grill with a little olive oil or butter, throws a kilimanjaro of thumb-thick fries alongside this meal for a family of four that somehow only you will try and devour. I have yet to finish the entire burger but it's great the next day, and they know a lot of their customers eat with that intention of getting two meals for the price of one.

Flame broiled right in front of you

Everything about Joe's is substantial, traditional, cool and welcoming to people who don't make most opening nights on the celebrity chef circuit. The customers are beefy and happy, morose and pallid, tweaking, celebrating, just into their appreciation of great food in a great atmosphere.

One time not too long ago, I was in a dimly lit booth by the bar, and I'll be damned if Mel Gibson, Sean Penn and a couple of molls didn't sit down next to our group. No one noticed, no one who noticed would have noticed. It's just not that kind of place. It's the kind of place that is frontier like, everyone is respected equally, the cops are smiling, the politicians aren't pressing palms and the such like. People are there to eat well, have a good time, and live their life, not someone else's. There's no valet out front to show everyone else what you're driving and arriving in. You almost have to step over zonked junkies, pimps, their prey, wino's and a sea of panhandlers, but it's real, and it feels good.

Other than the burgers, Joe's celebrates food with great pasta's, meats, fish, sandwiches, piles of genuine fresh cooked food in a part of town that scares most people away. If you're up for a great Sunday outing, hit Glide just up the block for a spiritual awakening, and have a meal like your Grandfather said he had when he was a kid. The portions are huge, the food is good, the service is friendly and professional by movie extra's in polytuxes, the prices are a bargain, and the experience is truly essential San Francisco.

Stu Smith

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