User:Cullen328/sandbox/Frank Fat's

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/11/travel/journeys-36-hours-sacramento.html?searchResultPosition=1

When Frank Fat died, U. S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "There was a grace and dignity and decency in the man that I sensed even as a child . . . There was stability, too, coming from the confidence and humanity he used to bridge time and generations and to arch two civilizations."

California Fair Political Practices Commission

Taishanese people

Kuomintang

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

A member of China's Taishanese ethnic group, he arrived at the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay.

Initially, he worked at an uncle's Sacramento restaurant, and also worked in laundries and orchards in the Midwest. In 1924, he returned to China where he married Yee Lai-Ching (Mary Fat) and had a child in 1926. In those years, he spent time with a wealthy cousin, active in the Kuomintang political party, who taught him about the influence of money in politics. Frank Fat returned to the United States without his wife and child, and ten years passed before he was able to bring his family to California. He and his wife then had five more children.

Another popular dish for decades has been Peking duck. Eater in San Francisco wrote, "the original Fat’s is one of the few places around you can find deep-fried Peking duck, with crispy golden-brown skin giving way to juicy, richly-fatted meat underneath. The duck comes fully deboned and served on a platter alongside shredded scallions, house-made hoisin sauce, and freshly steamed buns that allow you to form your own bao at the table."

Banana cream pie has been on the menu since the 1940s and is " arguably Sacramento's most famous dessert."

The Michelin Guide says, "Celebrated as the 'third house' because of its popularity among politicians making deals in the back booths, this venerable Chinese-American jewel has been family-owned since 1939. Step inside and you'll be transported into another era by way of a retro bar serving up happy-hour martinis and an elegant dining room attended to by tie-wearing servers and festooned with valuable relics. The menu is as much of a throwback as the décor, with yu kwok (crispy beef, pork and water chestnut dumplings) sharing equal billing with their not-so-Chinese items, including banana cream pie."

Dong Sai-Fat was born near Canton in 1904 and used falsified documents to come to San Francisco in 1919, evading the Chinese Exclusion Act. After 20 years of labor in California, he was working at another Chinese restaurant in Sacramento, when a state official won $900 playing keno but left before collecting his peize. Fat protected the winning ticket for weeks until the man returned and received his money. In appreciation, the man agreed to help Fat finance a restaurant, which opened in 1939.

Because of the restaurant's location so close to the capitol, and its growing reputation for good food, excellent service and privacy, Frank Fat's soon became popular with state legislators and lobbyists. Every California governor has been a customer since the restaurant opened. Earl Warren, later Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was a regular customer for many years, and had a personal friendship with Fat. Jerry Brown has also been a customer for over 40 years, and attended the restaurant's 80th birthday party.

In 1987, legislative leaders Willie Brown and Bill Lockyer negotiated a five year compromise deal on tort reform at Frank Fat's, with representatives of a wide variety of interest groups. All the stakeholders signed off on one of the restaurant's linen napkins.

The restaurant also won a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2019.

Cuisine
An early photo of Frank Fat in front of his restaurant shows that his signs promoted Chop suey most prominently, but also advertised American food and cocktails, and private booths. A New York strip steak has been on the menu since the early years. Honey Walnut Prawns is another long-standing dish. Banana cream pie, not a Chinese dish, has been on the Frank Fat's menu for decades.