When Steamer’s Grillhouse announced it was going to close on Christmas Eve, there were more questions than answers. We soon learned, from one of the owners, that an arduous negotiation over the lease had ultimately not borne fruit. The lauded seafood restaurant made the difficult decision to close its doors after 45 years.
“I really wanted to stay open until the end of the month,” Paul Matulich told us. “The holidays are the best and the busiest time of year for restaurants.” He asked the landlord if he could stay open through Dec 31, and then vacate the property. “They said ‘No’ to that. So, we have to be out before the end of December.”
Meanwhile, the former Gap and Gap Baby storefronts have been sitting empty for months. Those cute cat photos on the papered-over windows are beginning to look a bit wistful. They may have to stay that way for a while.
Rumor has it that the location will become the site of a rooftop restaurant, perhaps like the one just opened at Stanford Mall.
Next door to Steamer’s is Blue Bottle Coffee, where spray painted markings on the sidewalk are not for hopscotch. Something is definitely up. Their hours have been spotty for a few weeks now, and the sign on the door says they are closed for maintenance. Matulich told me that he heard that during the last remodel, a contractor connected up the sewer line to the storm drain.
“All that has been flowing to the Bay,” he said, as he confirmed with a contractor on site that an improper connection had been made with the lines, causing the shutdown. Blue Bottle Coffee has a phone number with a recorded message that directs you to contact their support system via email.
Losing Steamer’s is a big blow to the diners of this town who’ve made it a key aspect of their lives for four-and-a-half decades. After all, this is a town that loves its restaurants and embraces the personalities who make them special. You simply can’t replace a Manresa, a Nick’s or a California Café.
The chefs are critical to the overall recipe of what makes a place resonate. Angelo Heropoulos (Hero Ranch Kitchen and Flowers in Los Gatos) tried to turn the vessel that held Williams-Sonoma into the first rooftop restaurant in town. But we all know what happens to pioneers: they get stabbed in the back and get a mountain named after them later on. Now, it looks like this upstairs-outdoor concept might actually come to fruition. We can only hope.
When some friends of mine and I bid a fond adieu to Steamer’s on Sunday, the place was packed, with a line out the door before they even opened. I spied Champagne flutes on every table, and many people were drinking Veuve Clicquot, making the occasion special. One last cup of clam chowder for me, a prawn BLT on that fabulous green onion slab, and two orders of the famous linguine with prawns and crab for my friends. They savored every bite.
Matulich told me that some diners love the place so much they are actually taking mementos, including artwork, off the walls. That’s like taking a stone out of the Trevi fountain. I still have a matchbook from Steamer’s that urges you not to smoke in several different languages. It also reminds you to strike on the other side.
What’s next after December 24? Matulich says he doesn’t know yet. Would he open a restaurant in Cabo, as he once told me he wanted to do in retirement? No, he says. Definitely not. What about another location in Los Gatos? He wouldn’t say yes, or no. “Life has a strange way of opening new doors,” he offered. “You just never know.”
Once a chef, always a chef. Some are irreplaceable.
