E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES THIS ELITE FILLMORE JOINT IS NO GAMBLE By Chris Barnett December 18, 2008 -- San Francisco's Fillmore District is known far and wide as the launching pad for the bands that put psychedelic music into orbit in the 1960s. Back in the 1930s, however, Fillmore Street was lined with jazz clubs. Now they are coming back as part of a neighborhood renaissance. The Elite Café at 2049 Fillmore transcends the trends and generations of the boulevard and it is now a favored hangout for locals, business travelers and vacationers. It has history, a friendly bar, New Orleans cuisine and a relaxing personality. And it's definitely worth a 10-minute taxi ride west from downtown. Born in 1928 during Prohibition as the Lincoln Grill, it became a chop suey house four years later called the Asia Café. Reliable sources say it was a front for a bookie joint in the basement. As the story goes, the phone company couldn't understand why there were 50 trunk lines into a café that didn't even do takeout. One story even claims that the Asia Café ran a full gambling operation in the cellar. The joint was renamed The Elite Café in 1981 by flamboyant restaurateur Sam DuVall, who now owns Izzy's in San Francisco's Marina District and Larkspur, California. It was DuVall who created the Elite's Cajun theme. The food is a little more authentic these days under current owner Paul Snyderman, but little else has been touched in the intervening years. The wooden booths, tables and chairs and the white linen tablecloths and napkins are still there. The polished mahogany has a few scars, but is otherwise the same. The high ceilings with wooden fans attached to sculpted deco lights looks very much like The Big Easy. In a relatively recent facelift, owner Snyderman had the good sense to use restraint. The oyster bar and sofa are gone, replaced by tall bar tables and chairs for more seating. And there is outside seating on Fillmore Street with towering electric heaters for warmth. The bar now opens at 4 p.m., but there are no two-for-one "happy hours," which would only bring the tattooed twentysomethings looking to get polluted on the cheap. The Elite is more upmarket. From 4 to 6 p.m., six oysters on the half shell and a flute of Veuve Clicquot Champagne are available as a package deal for $24. To build up its first hour of business, the Elite offers three of prep cook Dona Luisa's stuffed devil eggs and fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits as gratis appetizers. After five, however, they go on your tab. I like the upholstered bar chairs at the east end of the L-shaped bar and the circa-1920 swivel chairs and lamps at the west end. The decibel level can drive you daft, but the atmosphere is cheery. The magnet for many of the Elite's customers are the bartenders. They're mostly in their 20s and 30s, but they are also professional mixologists with cocktail and conversational savvy. And they are all are exceptionally personable and welcoming. No arrogance or attitude. Like most friendly saloons with food, the Elite lets you eat at the bar. Linen is unfurled, the French bread is pretty good and there's a good choice of dishes on the menu. Some are on the pricey side, but Snyderman and his staff don't skimp on the portions, so you get value for your money. At least 20 wines are served by the glass, which makes the Elite a standout saloon. A good wine at a lower price is the Italian Mezzacorona Chardonnay for $6.50. A glass of pedigree ZD Chardonnay from the Napa Valley is $13. There's a Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc for $12, a Russian River Ridge Zinfandel at $14 and a North Coast Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon for $7.50. Want some bubbles? Choose from a Domaine Carneros Brut (made in Napa by the champagne house Tattinger) for $10.50 or the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut--sans the oysters--for $17.50. The Elite has a list of 10 specialty cocktails, some classic and some house-created originals. If you're a swashbuckler, try the Bananas Foster, a mixture of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, banana liqueur, Godiva white liqueur and a splash of cream. The Sazerac, said to be America's first cocktail and born in New Orleans, combines Russell's Rye and both Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters. It's laced with Herbsaint (an anise-flavored liquor) and garnished with a twist of orange peel. Elite makes a margarita that's well worth the $11 price tag: a merger of Herradura Silver and Patron Citronge tequila, fresh lime juice and house-made sweet and sour. Sudslovers are not shortchanged at the Elite, either. Eight taps stand at attention behind the bar. Try Abida, a New Orleans amber ale. The Elite is possibly the only San Francisco bar with the New Orleans brew on draught. Another big plus for the Elite is the bouillabaisse of people who come in to elbow bend and unwind. On two barstools next to me are Tony and Annie Lovell, out celebrating her birthday. Says Tony, an Australian: "I remember when this was the Asia Café." I ask the obvious question: Was there a bookie operation or a gambling den downstairs in those days? "You're kidding," he says. "If there was, I never saw it."

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Creators Syndicate. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.