Eat at Joe's

The other morning, after visiting the Tenderloin National Forest, I couldn't resist ordering the “Joe's special” at my neighborhood breakfast joint.

This dish, which can be found on many a breakfast menu across the country, was a favorite served up at the Original Joe’s, which was closed after a fire in 2007.  The restaurant is one of nine "lost landmarks" of the Tenderloin, now marked by historical plaques installed in 2011 by the Department of Public Works.

The San Francisco Fire department responses to what appeared to be an attic fire at Original Joe's, a San Francisco landmark restaurant, on Taylor street in San Francisco on Friday. Mike Kepka / The Chronicle Photo taken on 10/12/07, in san francisco, CA, USA Photo: Mike Kepka

When asked about the origins of “Joe’s Special” – ground chuck, onions, eggs and spinach – family spokesman John Duggan, now serving customers at the restaurant's new location at North Beach said, “Well, my grandfather, a Croatian from what was then Yugoslavia, was in the merchant marines, and he learned how to cook aboard ship. Later he cooked on land on the Istrian peninsula of Croatia. He went back to sea, and in 1932 he jumped ship in San Francisco. Then in 1934, he worked at New Joe’s here in North Beach. That’s where he got the concept for Original Joe’s and that’s where he learned to prepare Joe’s Special.”

While you're cooking up breakfast, enjoy a little taste of the Tenderloin with Shannon Day.

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Try cooking “Joe's Special” with this recipe from SF Gate’s “Eat at Joe's / In San Francisco, all roads lead to this Tenderloin original”

JOE'S SPECIAL

This dish is on menus across the country, but the original recipe was made popular at Original Joe's in the Tenderloin. It's nice to chop or grind your own chuck, which is what the cooks do at the restaurant, but purchased ground chuck may be used. Make sure to buy a grind with about 15 percent fat. Also, the amount of spinach may be reduced to 1/2 cup if desired.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 pound freshly ground chuck

3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano + 1/8 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 eggs

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring from time to time, until it just starts to brown. Add the meat and saute, stirring, until it just loses its pink color.

Add the spinach to the pan and stir it in. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork to blend. Add to the center of the skillet and scramble with the beef mixture.

Serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Serves 2

PER SERVING: 545 calories, 33 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 42 g fat (14 g saturated), 396 mg cholesterol, 206 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.