Poodle Dog Restaurants Explained

Poodle Dog Restaurants
Established:	circa.
Closed:	circa. mid–'s
Other-Locations:	San Francisco, California, United States

The Poodle Dog Restaurants were a series of French Restaurants in San Francisco, California, spanning from at least 1849 to the mid-1960s. The successive restaurants were mostly unrelated, but each built on the former's success and reputation.^{[1] [2]} During its heyday, the Poodle Dog was the epitome of wealth and opulence in San Francisco, catering to important statesmen, financial leaders, and business tycoons.^{[3] [4]} It also developed a racy reputation for catering to those men's need for a discreet place to meet with their mistresses and ladies of the night.^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]} More than anything, it was well known for having impressive foods, being labeled as "the best French restaurant in the city," if not the "best dollar dinner on Earth".^[12]

History

Prospectors and early San Francisco

The Poodle Dog Restaurants trace their origin to San Francisco's earliest days as a city. The first iteration of the Poodle Dog appears to have been a California Gold Rush era restaurant that provided inexpensive french cuisine to those seeking their fortune.^{[13] [14]} Historians do not agree on the origin story of the Poodle Dog's name. Indeed, it has been suggested that the name came from the first proprietor's family dog,^{[15] [16] [17]} or that it was named "Poulet D'Or or Poule D'Or which was unpronounceable to the average American",^{[18] [19]} or that a stray poodle known for begging there became the unofficial mascot and the proprietors "named the restaurant after it for good luck".^[20] In any event, historians do agree that there was a Poodle Dog restaurant from San Francisco's earliest days.^[21]

The Poodle Dog quickly became a popular restaurant beloved by San Franciscans. By 1868, it had transitioned away from simple French cooking to fine dining with more extravagant food.^[22] The clientele shifted accordingly: "Instead of the raw miner, its patron was the stiff collared banker, the frock-coated judge, the spade-beard lawyer - the Argonaut with a little more culture and greyer hair".^[23] The Poodle Dog maintained this level of sophisticated diner until its closing, some 100 years later.

Gilded Age: 1890s through prohibition

The Poodle Dog shifted again from mere fine dining to all-out opulence and luxury by the 1890s. Some say this era saw its "greatest popularity as a rendezvous and a restaurant".^[24] Diners could expect 23 courses and an even larger wine selection by the end of the century.^[25] The menu reflected this: it had swelled to 17 pages.^[26] As for the cooking facilities, the Poodle Dog boasted a "vast wine cellar and vegetable rooms, bottling rooms . . . refrigerators . . . a laundry".^[27] Cooks there also enjoyed one of a kind dishwashers and stoves, making it notable not to diners but to chefs as well.^[28]

During this era, the Poodle Dog earned its reputation as a "five-storied dome of pleasure".^[29] During the lunch hour, it was a "who's who" of famous and powerful businessmen, such as "poets, journalists, physicians, politicians, and luminaries of law".^[30] It is said that "the destinies of many important business undertakings was settled at these noon dinners."^[31]

The Poodle Dog also had a decidedly more racy reputation in the evenings. It was well known for "its private upstairs dining chambers and love nooks [lending] a sort of Parisian air to the city's nightlife".^[32] This reputation was well-documented, and came with an expected level of scandal involving the city's elite, including the mayor of San Francisco.^[33]

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake "put an unhappy end" to the gilded days of the Poodle Dog.^{[34] [35]} The restaurant maintained its reputation - both in the dining room and upstairs - during this era, but it was never the same as the gilded era. Finally, Prohibition dealt it the "finishing blow," and the PD closed its doors on April 15, 1922.^{[36] [37]} The proprietors felt that a French restaurant without wine was not worth keeping open.

Later days

The Poodle Dog remained closed until 1933, when Calixte LaLanne, a former proprietor, reopened it. This iteration was called the "Ritz French Restaurant," until his son changed it back to Poodle Dog after Calixte's death in 1943.^[38] The restaurant remained open, although not in the same splendor, until it closed for good in the mid-1960s.

Notable restaurateurs

• François Péguillan (also known as Eugene Péguillan, or Francois Peguilhan),^{[39] [40] [41]} from New Orleans, Louisiana^{[42] [43]}
• Langsman
• Jacob Joseph Stork (1815–1883), from Baden, Germany
• Nicholas F. Richit (?–1862)
• Augustus Esnault
• Jean "John" Bergez (1854–1917), an "epicure and sportsman," originally from Cette-Eygun, France.^{[44] [45] [46]} Known as one of San Francisco's most famous restaurateurs of the era.^[47]
• Jean Baptiste Pon (1858–1933)^[48]
• Louis Coutard (1864–1908)^[49]
• Camille Mailhebuau (1867–1924)^{[50] [51] [52]}
• Calixte "Cal" LaLanne (1873–1943)^[53]
  • Louis Jacques Lalanne (1898–1968), Cal's son
  • Louis Calixte Lalanne (1927–2018),^[54] Cal's grandson

Known locations

• 1849: Washington Street & Grant Avenue (then DuPont), although also claimed to be near Clay and Grant (then DuPont).^[55] Other historians believe the first Poodle Dog did not open until 1858, and that its first proprietor was Nicholas Richit.
• 1868: Bush Street & Grant Avenue.,^[56] although some say this location did not open until 1873.
• 1898: 151 Mason Street at Eddy Street, although some say this move did not happen til 1895. Location is now Parc 55 San Francisco.
• 1906: 824 Eddy Street.
• 1908: Bergez–Frank's Old Poodle Dog Restaurant, 415 Bush Street.^{[57] [58]}
• 1920: New Montgomery and Stevenson Street.
• 1942: Ritz French Restaurant, 65 Post Street,^[59] later "Ritz Poodle Dog"

Legacy

Crab Louie

Many restaurants, past and present, claim to have invented Crab Louis.^[60] Historians agree that Bergez-Frank's Old Poodle Dog has one of the strongest of those claims.^[61] Bergez-Frank's originally had a special menu item titled "Crab Leg a la Louis," named for famed restaurateur and co-owner of the Poodle Dog after his death in 1908.^[62]

California State Library Foundation Bulletin

The Poodle Dog was recognized with a cover story in the California State Library Foundation's Bulletin in 2006.^[63]

Notes and References

1. Book: Throop Purdy, Helen . San Francisco: As It Was, As It Is, and How To See It . 1912 . 146 .
2. Book: Irwin, Will . The City That Was: A Requiem of Old San Francisco . 1908 . 32 .
3. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
4. Book: Irwin, Will . The City That Was: A Requiem of Old San Francisco . 1908 . 33 .
5. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
6. Book: Irwin, Will . The City That Was: A Requiem of Old San Francisco . 1908 . 32 .
7. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 99, 108 .
8. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . Rowman & Littlefield . 115 . Google Books.
9. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 116 .
10. Book: Woon, Basil . San Francisco and The Golden Empire . 1935 . 96 .
11. News: Guerrero . Susana . 2021 . One of San Francisco's Most Famous French Restaurants Ran a Brothel For the City's Elite . SF Gate . January 10, 2022 .
12. Book: Irwin, Will . The City That Was: A Requiem of Old San Francisco . 1908 . 33 .
13. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
14. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 107 .
15. Book: Throop Purdy, Helen . San Francisco: As It Was, As It Is, and How To See It . 1912 . 146 .
16. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 107 .
17. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . Rowman & Littlefield . Lanham, Maryland . 114 . Google Books.
18. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
19. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 107 .
20. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 107 .
21. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 61 .
22. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
23. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 108 .
24. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 108 .
25. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 63 .
26. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 116 .
27. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 116 .
28. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 116 .
29. Book: Muscatine, Doris . A Cook's Tour of San Francisco: The Best Restaurants and Their Recipes . 1963 . 62 .
30. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
31. Book: Millard, Bailey . A History of The San Francisco Bay Region: History and Biography, Volume 2 . 1924 .
32. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 99, 107–109 .
33. News: Guerrero . Susana . 2021 . One of San Francisco's Most Famous French Restaurants Ran a Brothel For the City's Elite . SF Gate . January 10, 2022 .
34. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
35. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 118 .
36. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
37. Book: Woon, Basil . San Francisco and The Golden Empire . 1935 . 96 .
38. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 118 .
39. Book: Smith, James R. . San Francisco's Lost Landmarks . 2005 . Quill Driver Books . 978-1-884995-44-6 . 176–177 . en.
40. News: 1879-10-15 . Buys out both Partners . 2024-09-23 . . 1 . Newspapers.com.
41. Book: Smith, James R. . San Francisco's Lost Landmarks . 2005 . Quill Driver Books . 978-1-884995-44-6 . 181 . en . Google Books.
42. Book: Chalmers, Claudine . French San Francisco . 2007 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-0-7385-5584-3 . 19 . en.
43. Book: Brigouleix, Bernard . Ces Français qui ont fait l'Amérique . Gayral . Michèle . 2008 . Rocher . 978-2-268-06591-5 . 320 . fr . Google Books.
44. Book: O'Connell, Daniel . The Inner Man: Good Things to Eat and Where to Get Them . 1891 . 25 .
45. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
46. Book: Men of the Pacific Coast: Containing Portraits and Biographies of the Professional, Financial and Business Men of California, Oregon and Washington. 1902–1903 . 1903 . Pacific Art Company . 280 . en . Google Books.
47. Book: Millard, Bailey . A History of The San Francisco Bay Region: History and Biography, Volume 2 . 1924 .
48. Book: Shields, David S. . The Culinarians: Lives and Careers from the First Age of American Fine Dining . 2017-10-26 . University of Chicago Press . 978-0-226-40692-3 . 120, 530–531 . en . Google Books.
49. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109.
50. Book: Thompson . Ruth . Eating Around San Francisco . Hanges . Louis . 1937 . 45.
51. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109.
52. Book: Woon, Basil . San Francisco and The Golden Empire . 1935 . 97.
53. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
54. Web site: September 2018 . Obituary information for Louis Calixte Lalanne . 2024-09-23 . Daniels Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home and Crematory . en-US.
55. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 107 .
56. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 108 .
57. Book: O'Brien, Robert . This Is San Francisco . 1948 . 109 .
58. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 116 .
59. Book: Peters, Erica J. . San Francisco: A Food Biography . 2013 . 118 .
60. Book: Borrman, Laura Smith . Iconic San Francisco: Dishes, Drinks, and Desserts . 2018 . 111 .
61. Book: Borrman, Laura Smith . Iconic San Francisco: Dishes, Drinks, and Desserts . 2018 . 111 .
62. Book: Borrman, Laura Smith . Iconic San Francisco: Dishes, Drinks, and Desserts . 2018 . 111 .
63. Book: Morris, M. Patricia . The Old Poodle Dog: State Library Acquires a Manuscript Collection for Famed San Francisco Restaurant, California State Library Foundation Bulletin . 2006 . 9–11 .