The Hotel Mac welcomes old and new customers
for its 100th anniversary.
The bar lunch at the Hotel Mac, 50
Washington Avenue, in Point Richmond, is as good as it was 30 years
ago, just a little larger. Ten big ones will buy you a generous
plate of chicken Saltimbucca over fresh mashed potatoes with roasted
zucchini, which you can eat at the bar or at one of the little
nearby tables. Proclaiming a variety of choices, the special $10
express lunch is served Monday through Friday to celebrate the Hotel
Mac's 100th anniversary. Thirty years ago they were
serving a memorable spaghetti al dente, with a fresh tomato sauce and
tiny pieces of beef.
They make the best chicken in town, no matter
how its cooked. This happens to be
chicken Saltimbucca.
No you don't have to sit at a little
table all by your lonely self. You can talk to the bartender or one
of the regulars while you eat lunch, unless the bartender is way at
the other end of the bar helping the local bank manager. It's still
a place for bankers to take a long lunch break or politicians to have
informal discussions with clients. Just don't ask anyone for a loan
while you are drinking. Don't go into a bar with no money in your
pocket and order a round for the house. And you will still need some
for a tip. You might need to study the history of Point Richmond or learn the names of the current singing groups to have something to talk to them about.
Ian said they did not need permission from anyone
to hang up this red, white and blue bunting.
They did it because of the anniversary.
Beautiful red, white and blue bunting
is hung from the second floor dining room which overlooks the long
elegant full service bar. Its shiny brass counter top is polished
every night with Brasso. This is where former Assemblyman John
Knox turned to a local journalist hovering nearby, and said he was
drinking a drink called a depth charge. The ingredients remain top
secret.
Ian says he wears a long apron because
he puts salt and sugar in many of
his drinks. This interview was completely
unexpected and unrehearsed. Nice of
them to let this journalist do it, don't you
think so? Nice to find someone who is
friendly to the press.
Ian the bartender says a full service
bar means you can get just about anything you want here, in the way
of liquors and mixed drinks, while some other bars are limited to
beer and wine.
“A full service bar has a full range
of liquor for making drinks,” he said. He makes special drinks
when they are not busy. However, sometimes if he is asked for a
drink that takes a long time to make, he just says no.
“The latest thing is a 'pousse cafe'.
It's nine different layers of liquors, a layered drink. It takes 20
minutes to make. We can make just about anything you want. Some we
have to look up in the book. If it is too busy, I just say no.”
Irish coffee is a serious temptation,
that you will be able to stay awake
to enjoy.
The chicken Saltimbucca was a plate of
tender sauteed chicken breasts with a layer of prosciutto, over
creamy fresh mashed potatoes and fresh roasted slices of zucchini.
It was difficult to guess the very tasty seasoning, but there was
just a hint of salt and pepper, a clue of parlsey, and the ambiance
of a wine sauce, but which wine was impossible to guess.
Jerry Cerkanowitz, besides being a history
maven, is a connoisseur of good food and drink
in the local restaurants.
Point Richmond History Association past
President Jerry Cerkanowitz also dropped in for a plate of sand dabs.
Jerry says he likes to dine at the Hotel Mac “because it is
comfortable here.” Ian the bartender helped him to cut his
hospital bracelet off his wrist. Jerry had a cat scan earlier in the
day.
Anna-Lisa Smoker is from Berkeley, where
she occasionally sings at the Freight and Salvage
coffee house. She just happened to be in the
Hotel Mac for lunch.
Singer-songwriter Anna-Lisa Smoker
seized the opportunity to talk to the press. She is “a patron, an
appreciator of the fine architecture, fine food, and fine service.
100 years is 100 good reasons why people should wine and dine at this
historical landmark,” she said. Anna Lisa performs at Freight and
Salvage in Berkeley and is always happy to get a singing job.
The shell or setting sun design on the sign is a very old
Chinese pattern, a tribute to the original
settlers in this area, who built the railroad.
The three story red brick building was
renovated after burning out in the late 1960s. A decade or so later,
the architectural firm of Interactive Resources (led at that time by
Thomas K. Butt) reinforced the brick building with large steel
girders, thus earthquake proofing it. It is on the national register
of historic places and has always been a place for captains of
industry to enjoy lunch or dinner and a glass of wine, though they no
longer allow cigar smoking on the premises.
You never know who you are going to
enjoy making the new acquaintance of, or renewing an old one, over a
bar lunch at the Hotel Mac. The Mac has a web site www.hotelmac.net
for more information. Telephone 510-235-0010. It's open weekdays
from 11:39 am until 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 5 pm until 9:30 p.m. Longtime Point residents Barbara Armstrong and Jim Caroompas will be singing here together
later this month, for which reservations are encouraged.#
