Tony Bennett's San Francisco
Check out the crooner's favorite spots
With his arms wide open — and that radiant smile — Tony Bennett welcomes you to San Francisco.
The larger-than-life statue of the late, legendary crooner — microphone in hand, smile as warm as California sunshine — basks outside the posh Fairmont hotel, on a block named Tony Bennett Way.
Bennett famously left his heart in San Francisco — and left his mark on the Fairmont. In the lobby, a large heart sculpture by Bennett beckons, finished with his painted expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the hotel's Heritage Hall, there's the unofficial Tony Bennett Corner, featuring old photos, a huge plaque for the million-selling “Duets II” and signed sheet music for “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
This display is around the corner from the ornate Venetian Room, where Bennett first performed his signature song in 1961.
The Fairmont and Bennett are inextricably linked, from a photo portrait of the singer made up of hundreds of tiny album covers to the Tony Bennett Suite, all 1,125 square feet on the 22nd floor. Rates start at $3,000 per night.
Since the proud native New
Yorker is so closely identified with San Francisco, we wanted to know his favorite places there. His widow, Susan Benedetto, sent us a list.
Restaurants
Benedetto would always call ahead to make sure Sotto Mare, an Italian seafood bistro in the North Beach neighborhood, was featuring her husband's favorite dish, crab diavolo.
It's a long, narrow trattoria with a 20-seat counter and a handful of tables inside and outside. The cluttered decor is nautical, with giant mounted fish, antique angler gear and pictures of previous diners smothering the walls. Tony Bennett merits three photos, including one with the restaurant's owners.
The crooner had his favorite table, a four-top near the front. He didn't have to get on
a waiting list, owner Rich Azzolino told me. C'mon, he's Tony Bennett! People recognized him, always dapper in a suit or sports jacket, but Azzolino wouldn't let people bother him.
Also on Bennett's list is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco, the 175-year-old Tadich Grill. It's an old-school steak and seafood joint with whitejacket waitstaff. The Tadich