A Meal with a Place in History

     Placerville, CA is the county seat of El Dorado County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.  But back in the Gold Rush days it had a more ominous moniker.  The confluence of gambling and gold mining brought a cacophony of sinister elements into the town and the local constabulary was unable to maintain law and order.  So the residents resorted to vigilante justice.  And by taking matters into their own hands it didn't take long for alleged  perpetrators to find themselves on the short end of a rope.  Hence the name "Hangtown" was given to the community.  The hanging tree, a large oak, was located in Elstner's  Hay Yard at the edge of town.

     Although the name of the town was subsequently changed, Hangtown still lives on in the name of a famous dish created there back in 1849.  It seems that a gold prospector finally struck it rich.  And after eating canned beans for months while he chipped away at his claim, he came into town to the Cary House Hotel and demanded the most expensive meal that the kitchen could provide.  So the cook combined the following:

     Eggs-because they were delicate and took great care to transport.
     Bacon-that had to be shipped from the East Coast.
     Oysters-delivered on ice from the San Francisco bay.

These three ingredients were fried up together to make an omelette that became known as the Hangtown Fry.  Today a modified version of this meal is served at the Tadish Grill in San Francisco.  It has also been named the official dish of Placerville.