There’s a reason the fried chicken is the best seller at the Casa Orinda – well, there’s actually more than one reason. You can start with the chicken itself, juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, but who can resist mashed potatoes covered with gravy and a biscuit fresh out of the oven? And fear not: The fried chicken will be on the menu when you go, as general manager Claudia Tata told us – the next menu change will be “never.”
“You don’t change anything,” says Claudia Tata, the general manager of the Casa Orinda.
The menu? “Never,” she said – but why mess with a formula that’s worked since 1932?
Most Orindans have found their way to the Casa O a time or two, as it’s known far and wide, and have learned there’s a reason the fried chicken is the most popular item on the menu.
“It’s our number one seller,” said Tata, and the crisped-up skin is a perfect complement to the juicy meat on the inside. Couple that with some classic mashed potatoes, and it’s time travel to simpler days.
“People have been coming here for generations,” added Tata. (My family first visited in the 1950s – and the veal piccata I liked then is still available, with the same piquant sauce and rice on the side.)
But of course there’s plenty of red meat.
The prime rib is another favorite (until it runs out), and there are plenty of steak options to choose from.
All of which makes sense, as before the Caldecott Tunnel opened in 1937, Contra Costa County was cowboy country, a place where wealthy San Franciscans built vacation houses on the slopes of Mt. Diablo.
And “cowboy country” meant more than the farms and ranches that have long since been replaced by suburban homes and upscale shopping centers. The county wasn’t quite as strict, shall we say, about enforcing gambling laws, or Prohibition, and it was well known that a good time wasn’t hard to find at the other end of Fish Ranch Road.
That was the setting when the Casa Orinda opened in 1932, at an intersection of two country roads that now house a BART station and a massive freeway interchange.
Jack and Tommy Snow were the original owners, and they relied on local ranchers and farmers to chow down on huge portions of that still-popular fried chicken and steak, and drink at the long wooden bar. And maybe there was a poker game in a back room, or some bootleg liquor for sale in the kitchen.
Not surprisingly, Casa O became a community gathering place, filled with local farmers and ranchers. Diners today, for example, will notice cattle brands on the tables, and not only did those come from long-gone local ranches, they also came with an origin story.
“So the local ranchers were invited in,” said Tata, “and they brought their branding irons – and branded every table.”
Even after the tunnel opened, Orinda retained a bit of its outlaw spirit – which is rather hard to imagine today. Slowly houses replaced ranches, but there were still wild times to be had, and rumor has it, they finally caught up with Tommy Snow in 1965.
He was found murdered in his car, a murder that has never been solved.
Was the Mafia – a presence in the county up until the 1980s – involved? Business rivals? No one knows, but the impact on Jack Snow caused him to sell the restaurant to the Goyak family, which owns it to this day.
But the change in ownership didn’t mean a change in menu or décor, and in the 59 years since, not much else has changed either.
The long bar remains, along with the massive fireplace in the old-fashioned main dining room, and lining the walls are cowboy paintings, paintings that have hung in the same spots for generations. And no, you won’t find a kale-infused Moscow Mule at the bar.
“We’ve tried a cocktail list,” said Tata, “but it never really flies. We’re a Manhattan and martini house – we’re old school.”
And that old school mentality has bred a devoted clientele that keeps coming back, year after year, decade after decade.
“The locals are extremely supportive,” said Tata. “It’s the consistency and ambiance, the comfort and the familiarity.”
And after nearly 80 years in business, it’s pretty clear that familiarity, in this case, breeds content.
The iconic fireplace and old-school Western paintings give the Casa Orinda a historic feel – and why not? The Casa O opened in 1932, before the digging of the Caldecott Tunnel, and its cowboy roots run deep.
