[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SARDINE FACTORY COCKTAIL LOUNGE AND RESTAURANT CELEBRATES ITS 30TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

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                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 1998

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Sardine Factory Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant on its 30th anniversary. 
The Sardine Factory is a local landmark, rising above Cannery Row. The 
founding owners, Ted J. Balestreri and Bert P. Cutino, have created a 
venue that is as trendy as it is historic.
  The old oak bar in the Sardine Factory is reputed to have sailed to 
the West Coast around Cape Horn in southern Chile in 1919. In the 
Captain's Room, elegant antiques evoke the opulence of an Old World 
drawing room, with a risque touch of the Barbary coast. Historic 
photographs and oil portraits of sea captains line the walls, 
overseeing diners enjoying a fireside dinner. The glass dome of the 
Conservatory reflects the sparkling cut-glass of a spectacular 
chandelier, which hangs over a marble fountain amidst the verdure of a 
garden setting.
  Ted Balestreri moved to the Monterey Peninsula with his family as a 
teenager and worked as a busboy to pay for his education. Ted, 
recognizing the possibilities of the hospitality industry, set out to 
Lewis Hotel Management School in Washington, D.C. to learn more. When 
Ted and Bert established the Sardine Factory, Ted took charge of the 
marketing and management, making sure the guests were warmly welcomed 
by personally greeting arrivals at the door.
  Bert Cutino grew up near Cannery Row in a fishing family. After his 
start as a dishwasher at age 13, Bert's innate ability in the culinary 
field took him to the position of manager of a full scale restaurant by 
the age of nineteen. Bert became the culinary heart of the Sardine 
Factory whose creations continue to receive national recognition.
  The Sardine Factory is widely known for its impeccably prepared fresh 
seafood, accompanied by superb wines, and exemplary service. Over these 
30 years, celebrities, visitors and long-time residents and their 
guests, have sought out the Sardine Factory, to create new traditions 
in a setting evocative of long-ago times.
  The Sardine Factory has grown in success and stature over its first 
thirty years. May it continue to achieve similar achievements long into 
the future.

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