Point Richmond has a distinctive, quiet small town feel to it. From the historic buildings to the friendly faces of the people walking down the street, the city has a certain lost-in-time atmosphere.
The wine cellar at Hotel Mac doubles as a private dining room.
Published: May, 2007
If you want to get away from the rat race, this is a nice place to start. Hotel Mac and Su Zhou are two examples of the restaurants that really make this quaint, little town so special.
Hotel Mac historic hotel paired with fine dining
Hotel Mac, located just south of I-580 on the corner of Washington St. and Cottage Ave. in the heart of historic Point Richmond, is a known landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The building has a rich history, including being referred to as one of the exceptional dining establishments in the country by legendary restaurant and hotel reviewer, Duncan Hines.
Hotel Mac was built in 1911 and originally named the Colonial Hotel. The name was changed when the former manager of the Claremont Hotel, M.V. McAfee, purchased it in the 1930’s. During World War II, the popular hotel lost most of its character due to lack of upkeep. For decades it sat neglected and was forced to close after a fire ravished the building in 1971.
In the late 1970’s a group headed by Jim Byers, Bill Burnett, and Grif Brazil completely restored and renovated the hotel to its original state, including the reproduction of the trademark stained glass windows and wine cellar. Almost 30 years later, the hotel is popular once again and still run by Burnett and Brazil.
Burnett sees Hotel Mac as, both, a local favorite and a visitor’s destination location. He likes to provide his clientele with a variety of events that encourage them make the trip to see them. We’ve been doing winemaker dinners before they were popular, he says. Hotel Mac actually offers a full calendar of pairing and tasting events, which includes Bourbon, Tequila, and Rum dinners, in addition to monthly wine and spirit tastings.
Wine Tasting Tuesdays, a Hotel Mac event that features different varietals each month, costs only five dollars to attend; and, all of the proceeds are donated to the Richmond Police Activities League. The hotel doesn’t make any money on these wine tastings, but it gets people in the door. Anywhere from 25 to 35 different wines are available and it often attracts over 100 people. Not only can patrons taste the wines, bottles of the featured wines are also available for purchase at discounted prices. Yes, the event is very popular and once there, many people stay for dinner and to socialize.
The American Continental cuisine at Hotel Mac offers top notch prime rib and fresh seafood featured daily. The Executive Chef, Clint Cook, a graduate of the Culinary Academy, recently moved back to the Bay Area from Texas where he learned the art of cooking traditional Tex-Mex cuisine. Since his arrival, a few new items that have a bit of that southwestern flair have appeared on the menu, but the traditional dishes that Hotel Mac is known for, like their pork chops or Chicken Cabernet and Cordon Bleu, remain favorites.
The restaurant and bar at Hotel Mac take up most of the first two floors. On the third floor are several unique rooms with each decorated differently, and some have fireplaces. The hotel is usually full and most guests are business people that do business in Richmond and choose to stay at Hotel Mac whenever they are in town.
Hotel Mac also boasts a below-ground, all-brick wine cellar where they keep an extensive wine selection at a constant temperature. All of the wines are tasted and chosen by the staff. Considering the amount of wine tastings that Hotel Mac hosts, a wine has to be pretty impressive to make the cut. Something to note: there is a single table that seats eight that is located in the wine cellar. It can be reserved for a unique and more private dining experience.
Su Zhou
Chinese restaurant and town sushi bar
Another fine dining establishment in Point Richmond, Su Zhou (pronounced Sue-Joe) is located just about a block away from the Hotel Mac. It is named after the owners, Lucy and Murray Shen’s home town in southeastern China; however Su Zhou offers Chinese and Japanese cuisine.
Lucy says she chose Point Richmond as a business location because of the small town feel, It’s hard to find a place like this town where everybody knows each other. It’s like a family. She adds, Richmond is also growing, so that’s why I decided to make the investment here.
The Shens live in Richmond, and for 10 years, they owned a very small Chinese restaurant right across the street from where Su Zhou sits today. In 2001, they purchased the building for the new restaurant because of its central location (corner of Richmond Ave. and Park Place), and its size — the building has a banquet facility downstairs, allowing them to host private parties or meetings of up to 120 people.
The building, once housed a Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant, but the Shens changed everything from the menu to the decorations. The combination Chinese/Japanese theme was decided upon because there used to be no place to get sushi in Point Richmond. In 2002, they opened as Su Zhou. They are still the only sushi bar in town.
Su Zhou features two separate menus — one Japanese and one Chinese. The Japanese menu has a full complement of sushi and sashimi items along with tempura, teriyaki and Udon noodle soups, and there are several daily special sushi rolls available. The Chinese menu offers many traditional items as well as numerous house specialties such as General Su Chicken and Hawaii Style Fried Rice, which is made with fresh pineapple, avocado, chicken, prawns and BBQ pork. The Su Zhou house prawns, prepared with garlic, ginger and Chinese wine and special spices, are a local favorite. Lucy says, Once a customer tries it, they will like it. It’s the best!
Hotel Mac’s lounge offers a casual spot for relaxing and socializing.
