- Original Joe's
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Original Joe's is the name of a well known pair of restaurants in Downtown San Jose, California and the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California. They serve a wide variety of foods, themed more toward Italian food, however other more mainstream American favorites like cheeseburgers are available. Their "signature" is a very large portion of whatever the customer orders. They also feature an extensive wine selection.
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Original Joe's San Francisco
The very first Original Joe's was established in San Francisco by Louis Rocca and Tony "Ante" Rodin in 1937. As of 2007, it is owned and managed by Rodin's grandchildren.[1] The restaurant initially consisted of two counters and a row of booths, with 14 seats and a sawdust floor. As business grew, Louis and Tony leased a vacant space next to them that allowed the addition of a full dining room.[1] Later, further space became available next to the dining room enabling the addition of a full bar, thus completing Original Joe's in San Francisco.
The restaurant, located in the Tenderloin neighborhood, is noted for serving large portions of comfort food and for serving people from all walks of life "from the head politician to the head prostitute."[1] Original Joe's was featured in the 2007 film Zodiac as a restaurant patronized by Jake Gyllenhaal's character. In October 2007, the restaurant closed due to a fire.[1] In December 2008, reports said that the restaurant might open in new location by the end of 2009 but that did not occur. In February of 2010, the City of San Francisco, as part of a project to revitalize the Tenderloin, awarded the owners of the restaurant a grant in the amount of $50,000 to expedite the reopening of Original Joe's in its original location at 144 Taylor Street. Reports were the owners had hoped to reopen the restaurant in the fall of 2010 but that did not occur. [2]
In April of 2011, the owners reported that the restaurant will reopen in October, 2011 in the North Beach neighborhood. The location was previously occupied by Joe DiMaggio's, and Fior d'Italia previous to that.[3] The original Tenderloin location is slated to be marked by one of nine commemorative plates throughout the neighborhood recognizing locations of historical significance.[4]
Original Joe's San Jose
Lou Rocca decided to open another Original Joe’s restaurant for his son and his family in the Bay Area and chose San Jose as the location. San Jose was at the time a growing city that presented a prime location for a new business. A space became available in San Jose’s downtown where a clothing store had just failed. Original Joe's San Jose opened in May 1956 at its current location on the corner of First and San Carlos Streets. The first owners of the San Jose Original Joe's were Lou Sr. and his son Lou Rocca Jr. along with partners Otto Tortore, and Nino Caramagno and as the years passed, ownership passed to Matt and Brad Rocca.
Original Joe's has been a staple of the downtown area of San Jose for over 50 years. It is the only restaurant in the downtown area of San Jose open after midnight and as such has been a center of nightlife activity in the city since its inception. The restaurant is a favorite of the San José Police Department due to the hours and the good relations with the owners and staff. The restaurant also engenders many "regulars" who continue to patronize the establishment for reasons ranging from the food, the wines, or the atmosphere.
During the "Speed City" era, when nearby San Jose State College was a track and field powerhouse team, with many black athletes segregated and struggling to make ends meet, track coach Bud Winter arranged with Original Joe's to feed the athletes after practice.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Kevin Fagan and Stacy Finz (October 13, 2007). "Fire forces S.F.'s Original Joe's to close". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/13/BA7NSP4LG.DTL. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ Original Joe’s Eyeing New Home for 2009--San Francisco Chronicle December 3, 2008:
- ^ Paolo Lucchesi (April 7, 2011). "Original Joe's will reopen in North Beach". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/06/DDUH1IQF2T.DTL. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ^ Joshua Sabatini (September 17, 2011). "Marking the Tenderloin’s historical side". San Francisco Examiner. http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/09/marking-tenderloin-s-historical-side. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ^ http://8floz.net/speedcity/2009/10/the-trailblazers/
External links
- Original Joe's San Jose
- Review of Original Joe's San Jose in Metroactive
Categories:- Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Culture of San Jose, California
- Buildings and structures in San Francisco, California
- Restaurants in San Francisco, California
- Buildings and structures in San Jose, California
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