This Mission District Restaurant Remains Wonderful After Nearly 25 Years

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY ANDY SAMWICK

I lived out near the Outer Mission for over half my life, and I’ve been at the same address since 1998. In 1999, one of Mission’s neighborhood restaurants, Blue Plate, opened its doors. And with all the booms and busts over the last 25 years, this place is still happily surviving and thriving in my neighborhood. I recently spent an evening visiting owner Cory Obenour and his crew. Obenour, who originally started it with a college buddy, now lives full time in Sacramento. He says he happily does this commute four or five days a week because of how meaningful it still is to him and this community. Blue Plate’s backyard may be one of the leading romantic date spaces in the greater Bay Area, maybe even the entire West Coast. I should ask him how many proposals and nuptials have been performed in the restaurant over the years the next time I dine.

At some point, even though farm-to-table was a common term to describe Northern California cuisine, Blue Plate seemed to be pushing forth a more mindful and innovative approach. The menu was then fairly priced each evening of service. The noise around cost structures of menus was minimal in those days but, still, everyone was a critic then, too. 

These days, sticking to the same comfort and freshness, Blue Plate holds its pioneer status proudly. Next year, it turns officially 25 years old, but Blue Plate is that ripe age in a ripe time where folks who do decide to go out for a casual time, impress a date, or host group celebrations can always count on impressing their company with the restaurant’s hospitality, both warm and effortless.

I stumbled on an old menu from around 2000 that shows wines by the glass starting at $5.50 and grilled pork chop for $17 which nowadays seems like ancient pricing. What I notice in comparison to today’s menu is the similarities in design. Each menu features seasonal fruit and vegetable options in the starters, and it’s no coincidence that what was grilled Monterey squid is now charred octopus and still seems to be dressed with the same precision. 

And back then, Obenour offered a tatsoi cabbage with Frog Hollow Farm peaches, St Agur blue cheese and hazelnuts. Today the restaurant serves an arugula and pluot dish with blue cheese —this time from Point Reyes — basil vinaigrette, fennel, bee pollen, and guess what: hazelnuts! As I mentioned, the pork chop still has a coveted placement on the current menu along with signature Blue Plate meatloaf with mashed potatoes and blue lake green beans, which is how it was originally presented in 1999.

Although almost a quarter of a century has passed and we have inflated to price points that are upwards of 150 percent what they were in ‘99, the same quality, the same ethos, and the same love is still affordable by today’s standards. I can’t wait to celebrate with Obenour and his team over the next year as we get to that anniversary. Oh the memories that have been made, and continue to get made, each night at the Blue Plate located on Mission Street in the heart of the Mission.

Andy Samwick is a bon vivant who brings decades of food and beverage insight to the table.