This lovely menu cover was for Lou’s Fish Grotto on Old Fishermen’s Wharf in Monterey, California.
The waves in Monterey Bay are choppy, there are seagulls overhead and fishermen in their boats are catching fish and other seafood to be served in the restaurant. You can practically smell the sea thanks to the artist Virginia Blair.
We know that Lou’s Fish Grotto opened in 1946, specializing in Devil Crab and Abalone dinners, and that it had beautiful views of the Bay, with its playful seal lions and many fishing and pleasure boats.
The restaurant also had a cocktail lounge with sparkling views of the marina.
We believe this menu is from the late 1940s since there is an attached note inside saying ‘In compliance with the President’s order, rolls and butter will be served only upon request.’
This would have been President Roosevelt who created the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in 1941. Americans had ration books by 1942 and learned to live with meager supplies of items such as butter, sugar, milk and gasoline to help the war effort.
We don’t know Lou’s surname yet, but we do know his family was in the fishing business long before he opened a restaurant. His family also opened an Italian restaurant called Lou’s Casa Camela in Carmel Valley Village.