San Francisco has long been a hotbed of culinary innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. But the latest trend to hit the foodie scene isn’t new at all — it’s old. Some of the city’s newest establishments are paying homage to the city’s great and long history as a dining and drinking destination.

Fittingly showhorned into the historic but newly revamped Mint Plaza, Thermidor takes its inspiration from the classic Continental menus of the mid-20th century. Eames-inspired bucket chairs and striated wood paneling lend a cool air of retro-modernism to the otherwise innately industrial space; one almost expects to see James Bond sipping his trademark Vesper at a neighboring table. The menu might send you back to special-occasion dinners with your grandparents, with classic chestnuts sporting proper-nouned dishes like chicken Kiev, scallops Newburg, celery Victor (a San Francisco original!) and, of course, lobster Thermidor. But these classics are brought into the 21st century, infused with fresh, local ingredients and reinvented approaches. The celery Victor, for example, is battered and fried, as opposed to its classic limply poached presentation. Even the cocktail menu puts a twist on the classics, with left-of-center drinks such as the Warsaw Mule (like its Moscow cousin but with buffalo grass vodka and apple juice) and a Harvey Wallbanger variation given a lift with sparkling wine.

Stepping back a little further in time, Comstock Saloon catapults you back to the lofty and lascivious days of the Barbary Coast in the Gay Nineties — that’s the 1890s, kids. A gorgeously restored carved-wood bar looms in the middle of the flatiron space, with a curious tiled trough at the front. (Fun fact: Saloons used to be for men only, so tipsy tipplers would simply relieve themselves right at the bar. We recommend you use the restroom.) Barkeeps with waxed mustaches and vests cheerily and expertly mix up cocktails of yesteryear: Sazerac, Pisco Punch (another San Francisco original), Manhattan and more. But be sure to check out head bartender Jonny Raglin’s unnamed cocktail, a nouveau sazerac of sorts, using a heretofore obscure bitters called Gran Classico. The drink is balanced and complex, and comes with a flash of drama as the bartender flames the orange peel garnish before serving.

But if you want to go really retro, go to the place that never went away in the first place. Deep in the heart of the Financial District, the Tadich Grill is not just the oldest restaurant in the city, but in the entire state of California. Whether you just sidle up to the bar for a shiveringly cold martini, or settle in for a meal of true San Francisco classics — crab Louie and oysters Rockefeller star, as well as their famous fried sand dabs — you’ll get a taste of San Francisco as it was, is and shall forever be.

[image © Liza Gershman 2010]

Tags: barbary coast, cocktails, comstock saloon, Food, retro, saloon, san francisco, tadich grill, thermidor