The Legend of a Restaurant called, “Sizzler”

My cousins took a trip to a far off land called “California” in the 1980s. It was a place I only glimpsed in TV and movies. When they returned they regaled me with tales of this magical land. They talked of their trips to Disneyland, of trying surfing, the crooked and steep hills of Old San Francisco town and many other things.

They all sounded amazing, as did their new favorite restaurant. It was a steak and seafood place called, “Sizzler”.

I had been to “The Ground Round” and “Beefsteak Charlies” a dozen times at that point in my life, so I thought I knew ALL the restaurants. So the fact that a place as wondrous as “Sizzler” existed on the far off coast just made California seem more mysterious.

They described the food and decor lovingly, and it sounded like an affordable kingly banquet of beef and seafood. Oh, and the desserts! They spoke of a dessert buffet with infinite sweet treats available for the taking.

They even sang an unfamiliar jingle that they picked up while watching TV out there. It was sung to the music of “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon, which was used in the James Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me.”

When the first Sizzler opened in our area in the 1990s, I was there on opening day. I enjoyed my meal, but I have to say, I think I might have been a little oversold by my cousins.

Years later, I would get to hear and see the commercial they sang the summer after their west coast adventure. Whenever I hear it, I feel like hopping in the car and heading off to a “Sizzler” in some faraway west coast beach town.