One year after the big quake in 1906 and 11 years before the Curse of the Bambino was bestowed upon Red Sox fans, a small bar and boarding house opened in the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco. Today it is an outpost for long suffering New England (and local) sports fans to enjoy a cold bee-ah and a bowl of chowdah.
The Connecticut Yankee is located on the corner of 17th and Connecticut in a flat part of Portero Hill. Long known as a tough part of town bordering on the shipyards and the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood, Portero Hill has gone through quite a transformation. In the 1960’s, the area’s most famous resident was Orenthal James Simpson. Today, it is home to the hip and the yuppie that have found places to live with great views of the city and the bay and an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and music venues.
The streets of San Francisco’s Portero Hill are for the most part numbered or named after states. Texas, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Indiana to name a few. Thus being on the corner of 17th and Connecticut, the state has been part of the bar’s name during the different ownerships changes. Yet it wasn’t until April Fools Day, 1989 that the bar was named the Connecticut Yankee and transformed into a shrine for New England sports although located a mere 3,125 miles from Fenway Park.
While a great place to watch sports and sample an ample selection of draught and bottled beers, the food is surprisingly good and made with great care. The menu is a riot, and a tribute to both Boston and local sports personalities. Brunch entrees include the Bruce Hurst (Eggs Benedict) and the Dennis Boyd (Eggs Florentine) as a tribute to the “Oil Can.” The Joe’s Special is called the Joe Montana and the Denver Omelet is of course named after Stanford and Bronco great John Elway.
Wade Boggs, Bill Russell, and Rico Petrocelli have sandwiches or entrees named after them. One can feast on the Larry Bird-ger, or gnaw on the multi-decked sandwich called the Bill Buckner Fan Club. And in honor of the famous area native and slashing running back, O.J.’s Buffalo Wings are available with “part of the proceeds going to help O.J. find the real killer.”
A board of daily food specials – always worthy of consideration – is posted in the front room. Lunch and dinner is served daily. When the weather is nice, a small back patio is a great place to eat and hang out. Eating at the bar is fine, and there are times when seats either at a table or at the bar are a premium. But just inside the door are plenty of different newspapers to read to pass the time away.
As one would expect from the area, music is an important part of the place. Edgy, alternative bands play late on many nights.
Pac Bell, er, SBC, er, “who knows what” Park and Candlestick, er, Monster, er, “I give up” Park are both in close proximity, as is the Anchor Steam Brewery and a mix of residential and industrial/dot.com buildings. The 280 Freeway makes the Yankee easily accessible in a city that is transportationally challenged. Sometimes, one can even find a decent parking space.
It is both funny and ironic to find a Boston bar deep into a cultural centrifuge that is San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. And now that the Red Sox and Patriots have found their fortune and the Curse of the Bambino is now over, fans can enjoy the place without any curses or despair. Unless, of course, you root for the 49ers. – D.M.