Iron Gate stands the test of time: Belmont restaurant carries the torch for table service and continental cuisine

“The good experience [diners] get, that’s what brings business back and new business,” said Papas.

Having worked as a bus person, waiter and captain at several French and Italian continental restaurants before becoming the owner of the Iron Gate in 1989, Papas knows what goes into providing diners with a seamless dining experience. To be a waiter at the Iron Gate, taking orders and bringing dishes out to diners are just the first few skills to master. Because Iron Gate’s flambe dishes, such as steak Diane, which is prepared with a ground mustard cream sauce, or spinach salad with bacon, are included in many orders, waiters must carefully assess the timing of the dishes they are to light up in flame to make sure they come out with the other dishes ordered at the table.

“You learn dishes, you learn the preparation and you learn your timing. And timing is everything,” said Papas, of the training waiters receive at his restaurant.

Dressed in fitted formal jackets, Papas’ staff of 30 may be reminiscent of the attire he wore as a waiter and captain at Italian and French restaurants years ago. Papas worked at white tablecloth restaurants in Oakland and San Francisco as well as Woodside’s Bella Vista restaurant when he said more restaurants offered the table service and flambe dishes characteristic of continental cuisine. It was through these experiences that Papas developed a sense for attentive service and unrushed dining experience that he said can’t be found at many Peninsula restaurants today.

San Mateo resident Rich Newman said he has been coming to Iron Gate for more years than he can remember because the wait staff and ownership values the kind of service that is lost on many.

“It’s quiet,” he said. “It’s not deliberately noisy like a lot of places these days.”

Creating a unique experience for his customers is what drives Papas, 69, to continue offering table service when other restaurants have opted for more of an in-and-out experience. Though he may not have been aware his business would carry the torch for continental cuisine, another term to describe menu items from across the European continent, when he started, Papas has had his eye on owning his own restaurant for a while. Born and raised in Greece, he moved to Montreal, Canada, in 1964, and worked as an assembler for the Northern Electric Company.

After eight years in electronics, Papas decided to give up everything to move to the Bay Area and try his hand at restaurants. He said he didn’t see a future for him at a big company, but working at restaurants appealed to him as an endless learning experience.

“It was something I can handle, I can learn, and I can own it later on,” he said.

After close to 30 years of bringing an older world experience to his customers, Papas said his favorite part is talking to customers about how much they enjoyed their time at his restaurant.

“Because when you leave with a good taste in your mouth, good and service and attention … thanks to everybody, we’re still here 28 years later.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102