The Trident Restaurant

Welcome to the Trident!

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:33:37 GMT

Welcome to the "original" Trident Restaurant's web log! This site would like your help collecting photos, stories, and memories, from employees, patrons, and anyone that frequented this unique establishment/ experience from 1966 to 1976.

The Kingston Trio's Trident, at 558 Bridgeway in Sausalito, uniquely reflected what was going on in the late 60's and through the mid 70's in the Bay Area. Janis Joplin had her own table when she came in. In 1972 and 1975, after their concerts, the Rolling Stones held private parties thrown by Bill Graham. The night the Trident closed in 1976, most of the employees had taken some sort of mind altering substance ,and the "kind" was freely indulged in throughout the evening ... without any incidents or trouble from the Sausalito Police who were in attendence.
What a trip!

Have the times changed? Your thoughts, stories, photos, and memories are welcomed!

Email photos, stories, or videos to : Endorfunns@aol.com or post your comments on the site, and enjoy the conversation.

Happy New Year!

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:33:14 GMT

Trident Re-Opening in 2012?

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:11:41 GMT

For decades now, Sausalito's Horizons has been a place for tourists to sit on a sun-filled, Bay-bordering patio, while paying a premium for average renditions of shrimp Louis and friends. Now owners Ron Davis and Bob Freeman, who also own Wharf fixture Buena Vista Cafe, have a plan to switch things up. Since the America's Cup will be bringing big crowds to the area next year, it's a perfect opportunity to revamp and bring back some of the luster of years past. Freeman has hired former Michael Mina sous chef James Montejanoto help. (Yes, that's the same chef who just turned down the Lot 7 gig.) Next year, they'll shut down Horizons and reopen as Trident—a restaurant last seen at this address during the drug- and music-loving counterculture heyday of the 60s and 70s, when Janis Joplin had a regular table inside.

The move resembles Moonraker's recent revival in Pacifica, and the history of Trident is certainly a fun one. Led Zepplin, Santana and Vince Guaraldimade regular appearances, and Bill Graham would hold regular private parties, many of them with the Rolling Stones. You can read a lot more about the good old days right here.

When Trident reopens next year, Janice Joplin obviously won't be there, but ahuge new upper level deck will host prime seats for watching the America's Cup, and the existing decor downstairs will have enjoyed a much-needed refresh. Montejano has already spruced up the menu, fixing classics like cioppino and Nicoise salad with an eye towards sustainability and local sourcing. He'll continue doing this in the new year, bringing in local oysters,Brandt beef, Mary's air-chilled chickens, and more. There's a Humphry Sloclombe Irish coffee ice cream in the works, and there may even be a totally separate menu upstairs. "Tourists are a given here with the views and everything," says Montejano. "But we also want to cater to locals and the industry."

After meetings with the Sausalito City Council in mid-January, the powers that be will know a lot more about what exactly can be done to the decor, and how quickly. Horizons will stay open as is through the new year, until the exact plan is nailed down. Expect an update on all this early next year.

The Jiro Collection

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:34:06 GMT

Special thanks to Jiro Yoneshige aka "Melvin" and the many photo contibutions he's made here. Kadi Kiss featured waitress alumni here.
Like the sign says, "Do Your Brain A Favor, Let It Rest Each Day."

The Tequila Whisperer and The Barfly

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:07:55 GMT

Special thanks to the Tequila Whisperer aka Michael Lipman "Lippy" and Jeff Burkhart aka the Barfly! Might need to turn the volume up here a little. This first appeared "live streaming" on Thursday August 11, 2011 on www.TequilaWhisperer.com which broadcasts "live online" every Thursday night at 7pm. This video is 15 minutes long. Excerpted from the 112 minute show. Go to the Tequila Whisperer web site and click on "Archives" for the whole show.

Rodger, Lisa, and Michael

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 17:54:38 GMT

Photos provided by Ruggero Milano (back in the day Rodger) the owner of Milano ristorante at 1 Blackfield Drive in Tiburon, California (415) 388-9100 www.milanotiburon.com
Rodger, Michael, and Lisa. And, Rodger and Bobby!

Tales From The Trident

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:13:47 GMT

MIGHT NEED TO TURN THE VOLUME UP, LOT OF BACKGROUND NOISE, BUT A GREAT STORY NONETHELESS!

Not Just Another Tequila Sunrise

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:11:08 GMT

This article appeared in the Marin Independent Journal on June 19,2011. The author is Jeff Burkhart. Two of Jeff's websites are: The Barfly Online Real Life Adventures in Bartending and Jeff Burkhart

ABOUT A YEAR AGO Mark Lomas, a former bartender who runs the Trident Restaurant website, and I had lunch. We sat in the main dining room of Horizons in Sausalito — the former Trident — and swapped bar stories. I had once worked at the briefly reopened Ondine, which was above the original Trident.

Owned by the Kingston Trio, the Trident was way ahead of its time. From 1966 to the mid- 1970s it was the place to be in the Bay Area. Famed for its beautiful waitresses and musical pedigree, it also featured such innovations as sashimi, a fresh juice bar and an espresso bar.

After numerous stories about rock 'n' rollers, waitresses, Robin Williams (once a busboy at the Trident), Lomas mentioned that the tequila sunrise had been invented there.

Now, I was reasonably sure that the tequila sunrise had been invented long before that, but I tucked away that information along with the phone number of the bartender who supposedly did that inventing.

From my research, I learned that:

• The Arizona Biltmore hotel claims that bartender Gene Sulit invented the tequila sunrise there in the late 1930s, consisting of tequila, lime juice, soda and crème de cassis.

• The recipe most people are familiar with; tequila orange juice and grenadine appeared for the very first time in the 1974 version of Mr. Boston's Bartender's Guide.

Hmmm.

Drink origins are always a little murky. Take the martini, for instance. The town of Martinez claims that it was invented there in 1874. In fact it put up a historical landmark to "certify" the event. It doesn't seem to matter that the drink invented there was called the Martinez Special, or that it included bitters, as well as a different kind of gin and a totally different kind of vermouth. There it sits, certified in stone: "Birthplace of the Martini."

Eventually I called the so-called inventor of the tequila sunrise. Bobby Lazoff, 63, splits his time between computer IT work and teaching tutorials while living in Hawaii. But back in 1969 he was a fresh-faced 20-year-old looking for work in Sausalito.

"I did about two or three days as a dishwasher," he said. "Then I was a busboy and when I got old enough I became a bartender."

He claimed to have taken the bartending very seriously.

"The Trident was a rock 'n' roll haven and tequila was the 'in' drink," he said. So he and another bartender, Billy Rice, started experimenting. "Anything made with gin or vodka we started making with tequila," he said. "A couple of them didn't turn out too well."

One drink that did turn out well was a resurrected tequila sunrise.

"We built it in a chimney glass; a shot of tequila with one hand, a shot of sweet and sour with the other hand, the soda gun, then orange juice, float crème de cassis on top, grenadine if you wanted, and that was it, the tequila sunrise."

Eventually, the bartenders simplified the recipe to just tequila, orange juice and grenadine.

"We had a Rolling Stones party (the kickoff of the media frenzy that was their 1972 tour) one Monday night when we were usually closed," Lazoff said. "The owner called me in and put me behind the bar. We had a select menu, a couple of the prettier waitresses and that was the party. Bill Graham brought in about 35 people, and you know the place holds several hundred. Mick came up to the bar and asked for a margarita, I asked him if he had ever tried a tequila sunrise, he said no, I built him one and they started sucking them up. After that they took them all across the country."

OK, I thought, all I had to do was get the Rolling Stones to verify that and we could reasonably assume that Lazoff might be indeed be responsible for the most recognizable incarnation of the tequila sunrise.

Rather unlikely. As a result, the story sat until I picked up Keith Richards' book "Life," published this past October. Chapter nine, sentence No. 1: "The '72 tour was known by other names — the cocaine and tequila sunrise tour ... " I could not believe my eyes.

I realized that I should probably be a little more trusting, and that Horizons might want to look into historical markers.

Hells Angels vs. San Francisco 49ers

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:16:06 GMT

John Stewart

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:48:00 GMT

John Stewart who passed away three years ago, was recently honored posthumously as a member of the Kingston Trio. He replaced Dave Guard in the legendary group in 1961. His wife, Buffy Ford Stewart, acceptted the lifetime achievement Grammy for John for his work with the Kingston Trio. Paul Liberatore wrote a beautiful remembrance in today's Marin Independent Journal.
For the whole article click on the link here:
Paul Liberatore's John Stewart Marin Independent Journal article They Do Remember Him

Bill Cosby

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:22:00 GMT

On February 10, 2011 Paul Liberatore reported in the Marin Independent Journal newspaper that:

In 1965, just before he was cast in "I Spy," becoming the first African-American to co-star in a dramatic television series, Bill Cosby lived on a houseboat in Sausalito with his young bride, Camille, while he worked at San Francisco's hungry i.

The 73-year-old entertainment industry icon, educator and activist returns to Marin on Feb. 12 for two shows at Marin Center in San Rafael.

During a recent telephone interview, Cosby, the winner of nine Grammys, six Emmys and two Golden Globe awards, reminisced about his idyllic time in Marin.

During the day, he'd often hang out at the Trident, a legendary fern bar and restaurant on the Sausalito waterfront.

"I remember afternoons at the Trident, enjoying the jazz performers," he recalled, mentioning "the little Italian fellow with the 'Peanuts' thing," referring to Marin pianist Vince Guaraldi.

The '60s were the nascent days of the counterculture, when educated young people were dropping out, going back to the land, experimenting with alternative lifestyles.

For the whole article click here:
Bill Cosby Remembers the Trident and Marin County in the Mid Sixties

Bill Cosby will be performing at the Marin Center for 2 shows February 12, 2011

Happy New Year!

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Happy New Year! Make it a Great Year! 2011, finally!

Ed "Eduardo" Gutekunst

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:58:00 GMT

Etchings created "back in the day" by Trident Alumni Ed "Eduardo" Gutekunst
Ed can be reached at: egutekunst@fhallen.com

Thanks for the Memories

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:46:00 GMT

I was a former “patron” if that is the correct description for some one who had just turned 18 and was in the company of my older brother Seth. I have some fond memories of the Trident and a lot of blurry images in my brain from nights of over indulgence.

At the time, (1971)my brother and I were sharing a house in Sausalito and he was running the Magnolia Cinema in Larkspur with two partners Barry Bedrick and Charlie Kessler. Seth had been involved with Janis Joplin and we often were hanging out with former members of the Holding Company, the Cockettes and various other nefarious and colorful characters from the Bay area. There were often impromptu gatherings at our house with various substances being laid out on the coffee table and then a trip to the Trident for late night drinks. At my age, I variously fell in love with every single waitress who worked there, none of whom seemed to find the attentions of an eighteen year old particularly enchanting.

There were several hilarious incidents which took place, one of which sticks in my memory. The Trident used to have sliding glass doors which opened onto the outside deck. They were always kept spotlessly clean so it was difficult to tell they were even there. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a carved wooden son on each of the doors which should have served to warn you that you needed to slide the door open before proceeding to the deck area, but newcomers often walked smack into them to the combined merriment of the patrons.

One afternoon, just such an event occurred and Seth was laughing his head off at the misfortune of some poor tourista, the only funnier thing in the world being when he performed exactly the same stunt about an hour and several drinks later.

Some memories are not as nice....

Being in the back of a borrowed Volkswagon Beetle on the way back from the Trident where Seth had picked up a hooker and they both had done some drugs. He kept trying to put the moves on her as the bug sped along the twisting hillside roads around the town, swerving at the last minute to avoid collisions and cliff edges. Requests that he pay attention to his driving were ignored or answered with snarls and eventually the inevitable happened and he side swiped a parked vehicle and then fled the scene.

It was a foreshadowing of his death in 1990 when he crashed his Harley on a New Orleans bridge killing both himself and his passenger. He left behind a novel based on his prison experiences in the late 1970’s which was critically acclaimed.

But he loved the Trident and so did I!.

The link here is to a photo I took of Seth at the Trident in the summer of 1971. He is on the right and the gentleman on the left was a fellow named Tim who ran the Boogie Bakery in Larkspur which was next door to the Magnolia cinema.

Vince Guaraldi

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:02:00 GMT

Vince   Dean Reilly, Eddie Duran

          John Beck wrote in the Marin Independent Journal's Here Magazine recently that, "Vince Guaraldi became an institution at Clubs like the Hungry i in San Francisco, and the Trident in Sausalito."

        At this year's Sausalito Film Festival director Andrew Thomas and producer Toby Gleason premiered their new film The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi. Guaraldi saw himself as a boogie-woogie player, and didn't want to write hits, he wanted to write standards. Vince Guaraldi passed away at the age of 47. In this film, putting his life into perspective are such luminaries as George Winston, Dave Brubeck, Dick Gregory, Malcolm boyd, and David Benoit.

          Curiously, the one time Mill Valley resident may be best remembered for scoring more than a dozen songs for the "Peanuts" TV Specials and pulling off the ultimate slight of hand where he made parents and children bob their heads and tap their toes without even knowing they were listening to Jazz.

For the entire John Beck article click on: Vince Guaraldi The Most Unknown Jazz Musician

Click here for Paul Libertore's Vince Guaraldi article: George Winston Pays Tribute to Marin Jazz Pianist Vince Guaraldi

Steve Elvin's Ceiling Mural 1969

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:41:00 GMT

Turn Up Your Speakers

Marin Magazine July 2010

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:29:00 GMT

Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:37:00 GMT

This post first appeared on: Jason Lewis Interview with Sam Andrew on Marin Nostalgia

Sam Andrew is a musician, playwright, and painter from west Marin and knew the Trident (Horizons today) well. He was Janis Joplin's guitar player in Big Brother and the Holding Company and her Full Tilt Boogie Band. The Trident was one of their favorite hangouts.

Notes by Sam Andrew about the Trident restaurant when writing a play about the "Counter Culture" movement:

" A guy came into the Trident with a roll of Necco Wafers. You remember the candy? And, each wafer had a drop of Blue Acid on it. He went around the Trident one morning giving one to each person, waitresses, busboys, the manager, who was then Skip Cutty, and all the kitchen staff. The place was dosed big time and as the lunch hour peaked so did the staff! One waitress was pouring coffee until the customer started shouting at her as the coffee was overflowing from the cup to the saucer and on to the table as the waitress stared at the wonder of it all!
Also at the Trident, "windowpane" was being passed around the kitchen. The two cold side cooks, the guys that made the salad and sandwiches as opposed to the guys on the hot side that made steaks and hot dishes, decided to share a hit. So they put it on the cutting board in front of the refrigerated containers that held ample portions of ambrosia, green and mixed salads, to cut it in half. As the chef's knife cut through the gelatin of window pane the two halves popped out of sight. They froze looking at each other for a second and then started laughing. Later that afternoon, a woman customer was so enthusiastic about the deliciousness of her salad that the maitre d' thought maybe she was a bit tipsy."

More Remembrances of the Trident by Sam Andrew 2010

Brad Flash Flaharty

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:48:00 GMT

Image provided by Brad "Flash" FlahARTy
Check out Brad's Blog: Bradisms on the right hand column "Love Links" under Brad Flash Flaharty

Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company the Video

Endorfunns@aol.com (Mark Lomas) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:14:00 GMT