Fog City Diner from “So I Married an Axe Murderer”

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (9 of 14)

I abhor change, as longtime readers of this site well know.  So I was devastated to learn that Fog City Diner, the landmark eatery in my hometown of San Francisco, had undergone a major revamp and reopened as the simpler, sleeker and far more modern “Fog City.”  The shiny chrome train-like structure situated on Battery Street at The Embarcadero had been a staple of the city’s skyline for decades and a harkening back to my childhood every time I passed by.  I was informed of the unseemly renovation while visiting my friend Nat, who lives in the area, in February 2015.  Despite my sadness over the matter, since the restaurant’s former iteration made an appearance in the the 1993 comedy So I Married an Axe Murderer, we decided to head over there for some brunch/stalking my last day in town.

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Fog City Diner was originally established in June 1985 by restaurateurs Bill Higgins, Bill Upson and Cindy Pawlcyn, of Napa’s Mustards Grill fame.  Designed by Pat Kuleto, the unique space bore the look and feel of a streamlined 1930s diner, but a very high class one, with the reimagined comfort food offerings to match.  Just steps from the waterfront, the site where the eye-catching eatery was erected was originally home to a train engine repair facility.  It became a coffee shop named Harbor Cafeteria, which catered to soldiers and sailors, in 1958.  After going through several different restaurant incarnations, including Mildred Pierce and Battery Point, in the years that followed, it was eventually transformed into the gleaming chrome fixture that instantly became a San Francisco icon.  You can check out some images of what it looked like here and here.

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (1 of 14)

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (10 of 14)

Sadly, in 2013 Higgins and Upson (Pawlcyn had long since dropped out) decided to give the restaurant a complete overhaul.  It shuttered in March of that year and then re-opened six months later as Fog City.  During the renovation, the historic and well-loved site was taken down to its studs and then rebuilt by architect Michael Guthrie.  The new design, which sort of retains its diner shape, boasts a large central bar, seating for 160 patrons, an exhibition kitchen with a wood-fired oven and seven-foot grill, and views of the San Francisco Bay.  Though pretty, all of the elements that made the place so unique have disappeared.  Gone are the dark leather train-car-like booths, checkered tilework, handsome wood detailing, and fabulous chrome siding.

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (3 of 14)

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (4 of 14)

The revamped site looks like a normal, everyday restaurant, both inside and out.

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Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (11 of 14)

When I visited Fog City for the first time as a kid, I remember being absolutely mesmerized.  I truly felt as if I had entered an antique train car and was dining atop the rails.  It was a magical experience – one that did not wane, even as I continued to frequent the eatery as a teen and adult.  Sadly, the redesign just does not compare to the Fog City of old.  You can check out what the interior formerly looked like here and here.

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (7 of 14)

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (8 of 14)

Thankfully, I can at least report that the food is still as good as ever.

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (6 of 14)

In So I Married an Axe Murderer, Charlie Mackenzie (Mike Myers) takes Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis) on a rather awkward double date with his friends Tony Giardino (Anthony LaPaglia) and Susan (Debi Mazar) at Fog City Diner.

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The film gives audiences a fabulous glimpse of what the exterior . . .

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. . . and interior of the restaurant looked like pre-remodel.

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As you can see in the screen capture as compared to the photograph below, though the footprint of the structure remains the same, its aesthetic is a far cry from what it used to be.

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Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (1 of 1)

Fog City Diner was the also site of a famous Visa commercial from 1990 (well, it was at least famous to us San Franciscans), which you can watch here.

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And it was satirized as the Fog City Dumpster, a restaurant run by a group of bears, in Farley, the popular San Francisco Chronicle comic strip that ran from 1975 to 2007.

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Fog City Diner was supposedly featured in an episode of Nash Bridges, as well, but I am unsure of which episode.  If anyone happens to know, please fill me in!

Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer (14 of 14)

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Fog City, aka the former Fog City Diner from So I Married an Axe Murderer, is located at 1300 Battery Street in San Francisco.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

The “Last Man Standing” House

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The Grim Cheaper and I watch a lot of TV.  Like a lot.  So I am always surprised when I receive an email from a reader asking about a location from a show I am not familiar with.  Such was the case in January, when fellow stalker Marjorie reached out to ask for my assistance in tracking down the house where the Baxter family lives on Last Man Standing.  Though I had never seen even one episode of the CBS series, I am always up for a good hunt, so I asked Marjorie to send me some screen captures of the residence.  When she did, I was shocked to see that it was a virtual carbon copy of a home that has been featured on The Goldbergs numerous times – one that I will be blogging about soon.  I had tracked down that pad – it’s at 2822 Forrester Drive in Cheviot Hills – just a few weeks prior and, due to the similarities, figured the Last Man Standing dwelling had to be located nearby.  So I began poking around the area.  After a few hours of futile searching, I decided to set my sights on Hancock Park and its environs instead, and hit pay dirt rather quickly.

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Said to be located at 9504 Dublin Street in downtown Denver on the series, the Baxter family home can actually be found at 611 Lorraine Boulevard in Windsor Square.

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In real life, the 1923 Tudor boasts 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, 4,680 square feet, a library, several fireplaces, a butler’s pantry, a formal dining room, a breakfast room, a detached garage, a covered patio, maid’s quarters, and a 0.33-acre lot.

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Per real estate website Zillow, the two-story residence, which was designed by architect Preston Wright, last sold in October 2013 for $2.7 million.

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As you can see, the property looks much the same in person as it does on Last Man Standing.

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At some point, a flagpole with a brick base was added to the home’s front yard on the show.

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The flagpole is not there in real life, though, and I am guessing it is not a set piece, but something that is superimposed digitally into each image of the house featured on the series.

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The handsome brick pad appears regularly each week in establishing shots on Last Man Standing, though no actual filming takes place there.

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The series is instead lensed on a set constructed on Stage 9 at CBS Studio Center in Studio City.

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The set of the Baxter family’s home does not resemble the interior of the actual residence, which is much larger and much more grand.  You can check out what the real inside of the property looks like here.

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During my search for the Last Man Standing house, I came across a 2011 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin article that mentioned the series’ regular use of the Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga.  I was thrilled upon learning the news being that the massive sporting goods emporium is one of my dad’s favorite places in the entire world.  I’m not kidding – when we lived in Pasadena and friends would visit from out of town, he would invariably drive them the 35 miles to Rancho Cucamonga to see Bass Pro.  Not that I blame him.  The 180,000-square-foot site, which boasts waterfalls, an 8,000-gallon fish tank, a shooting gallery, a 2-story lobby with a fireplace and a 60-foot clerestory, murals, museum-like dioramas, and a restaurant (yes, a restaurant!), is not your average sporting goods store.  It’s pretty darn unique.  You can check out some photos of it here.  On Last Man Standing, Bass Pro, which is located at 7777 Victoria Gardens Lane, masks as Outdoor Man, where Baxter patriarch Mike (Tim Allen) works as a marketing director.  Only the exterior of the shop is utilized on the series.  The inside of Outdoor Man is a set that exists at CBS Studio Center and, unlike the Baxter house, it was closely modeled after Bass Pro’s real life interior.  In an interesting twist, as the Daily Bulletin points out, a green truck is visible parked outside of the store in the establishing shots featured on the show.  That truck is an actual décor fixture of Bass Pro.  Producers must have liked the look of it because it somehow made its way on to Last Man Standing as Mike’s car.  If you scroll up, you can see an identical green pick-up parked in the driveway in several establishing shots of the Baxter home.

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For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Marjorie for asking me to find this location!  Smile

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The Baxter residence from Last Man Standing is located at 611 Lorraine Boulevard in Windsor Square.  Bass Pro Shops, aka Outdoor Man from the series, is located at 7777 Victoria Gardens Lane in Rancho Cucamonga.