12 eateries we said goodbye to in 2017

Bay Area diners had to say farewell to lots of beloved restaurants in 2017. The ones we pay tribute to here were no flash-in-the-pan operations — many had been favorites for generations. Some chefs and owners decided to retire; some decided to capitalize on skyrocketing land values; some couldn’t reach lease agreements with landlords; and some fell victim to competition or changing consumer tastes.

Here, in order of longevity, were some favorites that shut their doors.

A.G. Ferrari, 98 years

It’s tough to lose another venerable Italian delicatessen. This past spring brought the demise of the A.G. Ferrari company, which once owned as many as 13 deli/import shops in the Bay Area. The company was founded in 1919 in San Jose as Ferrari Foods by immigrant Annibale Giovanni Ferrari, who closed that store in 1921 and opened a new one in Berkeley. A shop remained in that city’s Elmwood neighborhood until this year.

San Jose Tofu, 71 years

There’s an art to making tofu by hand, and three generations of the Nozaki family have become masters at it. Since just after World War II, generations of loyal customers have made their way to the family’s historic Japantown shop at 175 Jackson St. to purchase the silky soybean blocks. But tofu-making is grueling work, and the third generation — Chester Nozaki and his wife, Amy — decided to retire Dec. 30, rest and travel, our Julia Prodis Sulek reported.

Time Deli, 67 years

This iconic restaurant in San Jose’s Burbank neighborhood opened in 1950 as a market by Sam Carlino Sr. and his brothers, the business most recently was owned and run by Donald Bergh. Customers who lined up for the deli’s last days will be happy to hear there’s good news: Bergh now sells the tri-tip and salad from a food truck; he does catering too. And you can get founder Sam Carlino’s barbecue farther south on Bascom Avenue, at Sam’s Bar-B-Que.

By th’ Bucket, 58 years

Over nearly six decades, the Bucket served thousands and thousands of buckets of steamed clams bordelaise, catfish and cioppino. Sure, you can find catfish and cioppino at other restaurants, but clams bordelaise? At the original joint you ordered at a counter; in later years there was a more sophisticated operation on Stevens Creek Boulevard with table service and the best collection of 49ers memorabilia outside of Levi’s Stadium.

Treviño’s, 44 years

The Juan Treviño family started serving up platters of Mexican food in a haciendastyle setting on El Cerrito’s San Pablo Avenue back in 1973, after operating a restaurant in Berkeley for many years. The owner’s retirement prompted this year’s closing.

Chantilly, 43 years

This French-Continental restaurant served steaks and veal in rich sauces, seared sea scallops, baked Alaska and dessert souffles first in Palo Alto and then in Redwood City. Female patrons were handed a longstemmed rose upon departure by longtime owner Gus Talasaz or his son, Ali. That’s an Old World touch we won’t see again.

De La Cruz Deli, 43 years

Back in 1974, industrial parks were popping up in North San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas and Sunnyvale, but employees had few nearby options for lunch. Brothers Glenn and Randy Nelson changed that with their chain of eight delis. The concept was simple: Get high-tech and other office workers in and out in an hour. That meant ordering hot corned beef or roast beef sandwiches in this line, cold sandwiches in that line, grill orders in another. For decades, it also meant lines of customers reaching to the door and beyond.

C.B. Hannegan’s, 37 years

Turns out last St. Patrick’s Day was the last such celebration at this Los Gatos restaurant with the historic bar that billed itself as a “friendly Irish pub.” Owners Chris Benson and Johnny Hannegan had feared their time was running short. Besides Irish specialties, Hannegan’s was known for its barbecue, and Benson may keep that going as a catering business. A farewell bash was held Dec. 28.

Lion & Compass, 35 years

This was Santa Clara County’s most unusual restaurant, one that operated only during the business week — Monday through Friday — and served a Silicon Valley clientele of movers and shakers. As former owner Nolan Bushnell of Atari fame quipped recently, “We should have given away the food for free and gotten a percentage of the deals that were closed there.” The Lion & Compass was famous from Wall Street to Europe and Asia, but some Sunnyvale neighbors never knew it was there. The tech world and non-tech fans gave the L&C its final send-off Dec. 22.

Pacific Coast Brewing Co., 29 years

Back before there were microbreweries in every Bay Area city, there was Pacific Coast. The entrepreneurs behind the venture — Steve Wolff, Don Gortemiller and Barry Lazarus — weren’t just brewing pioneers; they were also among the trailblazers who rejuvenated Old Oakland, a historic but long-ignored neighborhood. The PCB was known for its whale and oceanic series of beers (Gray Whale, Blue Whale, Leviathan) and pub grub dishes (shepherd’s pie, sausage plates, “chips and fish.”) And because this closure was related to a lease issue, a PCB encore is always possible; we’ll keep you posted.

Gold Coast, 25 years

Greek natives Christos Marras and Stelios Tsagris met many years ago when both were working as waiters. They decided they’d like to run their own establishment, so they operated La Grenouille in Oakland for eight years — then, missing the customers, got back into the business, our Peter Hegarty reports. Their Gold Coast Bistro and Bar, named after the Victorian-filled Alameda neighborhood of the same name, served lamb shank, moussaka and other Mediterranean specialties. Daughter Marika Tsagris ran the business until the October closing date. A final note — “Kalinychta!” or “good night” — thanks customers on the website.

Lark Creek Walnut Creek, 22 years

In Walnut Creek’s everevolving downtown, the Lark Creek originally opened by noted comfort-food chef Bradley Ogden was a dependable goto for many East Bay diners. Updated riffs on pot roast, meat loaf, fried chicken, fresh fish and seasonal specialties topped the menu. And then there was Ogden’s famous butterscotch pudding. The remaining Lark Creek properties are now in the hands of the Moana Restaurant Group; they include Yankee Pier in Lafayette. And yes, we checked: The butterscotch pudding is on the menu there.