The Fior d'Italia Restaurant in San Francisco, which has a plausible claim to be the oldest Italian restaurant in America, suffered a serious fire last night, which will leave it closed for at least three months. Principal owner Bob Larive is well—known among conservatives in the Bay Area as a fellow traveler and gracious host, and has advertised the restaurant in the pages of the National Review for many years. If there is a conservative hangout in SF, Fior is it.

I wish Bob and the NBR a speedy reconstruction, and am thankful that the major mural which dominates the bar area appears to have survived the fire undamaged. To borrow a line from The Godfather, The NBR had "the best veal in the city." I look forward to dining there when it reopens. In the meantime, The Tadich Grill, which is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco, known for the quality of its seafood, and the North Beach Restaurant, another fine Italian restaurant, are recommended to visitors for their dining pleasure at roughly the same price point.

Thomas Lifson  2 16 05