One of our favorite side dishes with a good meal? A little history. That’s why it’s worth visiting some of the oldest restaurants in the United States, or learning where some of the most iconic stars of the past preferred to dine — from America’s founding fathers to Old Hollywood starlets, there’s so much to explore in some of the tastiest spots.
If you’re a fan of all things Old West, you’ll want to put a certain destination on your dining bucket list. It’s believed the infamous outlaw Black Bart may have dined at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco (per True West Magazine). And The Palace’s dining room is still operating — it may not technically be one of the best restaurants in San Francisco today, but it’s absolutely a spot you shouldn’t miss.
Black Bart, born Charles Elias Boles, was considered a “gentleman bandit.” Some say he was born in England and immigrated to New York with his family – while others believe he was born in New York itself. Either way, he headed to California for the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. After some more moving around, fighting for the Union in the Civil War, and getting married and fathering four children, he left it all behind to return to the West and rob stagecoaches. Naming himself after a dime-novel character at the time, Black Bart was active in the 1870s and 1880s, and became known for a few things: He left poems at some of his robberies, he was always polite and purportedly never fired his gun, and he was impeccably dressed. That’s because the outlaw spent the money he stole on the finer things, from clothing to stays and meals at establishments like The Palace.
The Menu at the Palace, Then and Now
Black Bart committed about 28 robberies before he was caught, tried, and jailed. He only served a little over four years before he was released, at which point he returned to San Francisco and eventually disappeared. During his time in The City, he was spotted at the elegant Palace Hotel on New Montgomery Street, and it’s thought he stayed and ate there. The Palace’s restaurant served up arguably fancier fare than the meals you’d find on the menu at Old West saloons at the time. The outlaw would have enjoyed plenty of different seafood options, beef tenderloin, squab (aka young pigeon), consommé soup, and pies, as well as a breakfast selection of egg dishes and breads…