Tag Archives: restaurant

Delta King

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deltaking

The Delta King is a hotel converted from an old river boat. Located on the Sacramento River in Old Town, the hotel includes a restaurant, the Pilothouse, and banquet, conference, and meeting rooms.

Ghost Stories

The main ghost said to haunt the Delta King is that of a little girl. She appears to be about 9 to 10 years old with dirty blonde hair who wears a full length dress. We were told by several crew members that she is only seen by men. She mostly manifests as giggling heard in the hallways or as footprints in the morning dew on the deck of the boat. One waiter on the boat saw the little girl by the dry storage room that was once the boiler/engine room. He saw her bouncing a ball, but when he looked back she was gone. The explanation for her death and haunting given to us by the employees was that she was raped and murdered by a crew-member.  The staff that we talked to mentioned that the girl has a name, but she could not remember it.

Another spirit that still lingers aboard the Delta King is that of a man. He appears wearing a light shirt, dark pants, and some sort of hat. He has been seen walking along the lobby wall like he is going to the office door, but he doesn’t go through; he turns and walks away.

Other manifestations that have not been attributed to a specific spirit include the random breaking of unattended glasses in the lounge. A staff member we interviewed told us about a time when she found a chair in the elevator that belonged in the theater which was locked at the time.

Some strange occurrences happened in our stay. While we were talking to staff members in the lounge a glass cracked in the hands of one of them when she put ice in it. The glass was not warm when she did this.

While we were having breakfast in the Pilothouse Restaurant a menu tilted, fell over, and knocked into a glass which broke. The wait staff came over to clean and reset the table and the same menu tipped again, and broke yet another glass.

A menu tilted & fell, knocking over a glass which broke. The staff cleaned it up, reset the table. The same menu fell, knocked over the new glass and it broke too.

Our full camera battery also drained over the course of one night.

Our Review

The rooms are small, but comfortable. The restaurant was very good, and the location amidst old town and near the train museum is convenient. The parking situation was not the greatest, however. There was supposed to be a valet, but both when we arrived and left there was no one there. Cars are squeezed together in a very small area. Luckily enough we were not packed in too tightly when it was time for us to leave..

Our Delta King Photos

Official Website of the Delta King

Biba Restaurant

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About Biba Restaurant

Known as the Old Tavern Building, the structure that now houses Biba was once used as a tavern (hence the name) and a bordello, (don’t all old buildings seem to have at one time been brothels?) Another trait this building shares with other old building we have visited is that what is now the first floor was once the second floor.

Biba itself is an upscale Italian restaurant.

Ghost Stories

The stories surrounding the haunting of this building are inconsistent due to the confusion about what floor of the building the restaurant is on. According to what I have read the current ground floor of the building was at one time the second floor. Some reports imply that the restaurant is on the current second floor (which it is not). Most accounts seem to suggest that the haunting is on the current second floor (which is occupied by offices) and includes phenomena such as the sounds of a party occurring when no one is there, phones and other electrical equipment not working. There was one report of a ghost appearing in a large mirror that once hung behind the bar, but this source also spoke as if the restaurant was on the current second floor.

Our Visit: The food is classy Italian style and had about another 30 min until opening. We sat at the bar waiting with our drinks and spoke to the bartender. He never had seen the ghost. The 3rd floor (now 2nd) is now offices.

After a great dinner, I asked the waiter for tales, but he only said that weird things happen upstairs and that he doesn’t go up there.

When asked for details about the place, he just told us to read the newspaper clipping on the wall near the restrooms.

Not seeing any sort of public stairway, we left the restaurant and took some outside pictures. It turned out that the offices were accessible through an unlocked door to the left side of the building. The door seemed like it was open to the public, and it took us upstairs to the various office suites. There were lots of doors, but nothing much too see except one interesting painted section of wall.

We took the elevator back down and went to the basement/first floor. You could see the original bricks and arches where windows & doors would have been.

On the way back to the car. We passed the dirt lot to the right of the building. Walking around the back, there was a great view of the underground tunnels due to the construction revealing the open space.

Our Review

Very good Italian food, not just your average spaghetti and meatballs kind of place. Our food was excellent and came out at just the right time.

The waiters were very attentive, and the atmosphere was upscale. This would make a nice place to bring a date or celebrate an event.

Official Website for Biba

Carluccio’s Tivoli Garden

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About Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens

Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens is an Italian restaurant in Las Vegas Nevada. The restaurant was designed by non-other than Liberace who owned the restaurant as Liberace’s Tivoli Gardens. It is located adjacent to the Liberace museum that he opened in 1979, just 8 years before his death due to complications related to AIDS. The current restaurant maintains the decor designed by Liberace, and although Liberace was found of cooking and even wrote his own cookbooks, the menu is not filled with Liberace creations. We stopped by the parking lot to the restaurant during the Haunted Vegas Tour we took.

Ghost Stories

The Ghost of who else but Liberace is said to haunt the Tivoli Gardens. His image can sometimes be seen peaking into the banquet room in the back of the restaurant from outside through the windows. There is a story thata one night all of the power in the restaurant suddenly turned off, but the power in the businesses nearby were still working. When one of the waitresses remembered that it was Liberace’s birthday and the employees sang happy birthday to him, the power was restored. The owners had an electrician come in the next day to check out the building, and he found nothing wrong with the electircal system. One night someone said something offensive to Liberace and a large tree in a planet near the bar fell over. It took five men to get the tree righted. (there were no trees in planters near the bar when we visited for dinner)

Our Review

He Says:

The food was decent, but nothing spectacular. The decor was of course gaudy and dated, but one would expect that from a restaurant designed by a very flambouyant entertainer who has been dead for more than two decades. I wouldn’t want them to change it. While Vegas my seem to pride itself on constantly changing and updating, it is nice to see a few remnants of the older days that does not seem to be in any hurry to change.

She Says:

The food was good and the room we ate in looked like almost any other italian restaurant. It seemed too normal for what I expected from a place Liberace would have helped design. However, after dinner, I explored and found that the Piano Lounge was really the place to see. With dangling lights and sparkles all over and a piano shaped bar (complete with the raised piano lid!) I particularly liked the stained glass window.

Moss Beach Distillery

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About Moss Beach Distillery

Originally established as a speakeasy during prohibition, The Moss Beach Distillery is a restaurant in Moss Beach, California overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant offers exquisite views of the Pacific Ocean and high quality food. The restaurant has a very tongue in cheek way of celebrating its resident ghost (see Our Review at the bottom of the page for more information). The ceiling art of a bull and bullfighter in the bar is original from the buildings days as a speakeasy.

Ghost Stories

The “Blue Lady” is the most famous guest of the Moss Beach Distillery. She is called the Blue Lady in reference to the blue dresses she is often seen wearing. Her haunting has been featured on several television shows including Unsolved Mysteries. Her identity is a mystery as is her cause of death, but there are a few theories. Loyd Aurebach, a prominent parapyschologist, has investigated the hauntings at the Distillery many times with different psychics and come up with several names. Some have picked up on the name Elizabeth, while others Cayte. There is also a story of a Mary Ellen who was in love with a piano player who worked there. She was already married and had a child while she was having her affair. She died tragically in an automobile accident. Another story connected to the piano player involves a woman who threw herself off the cliffs near the Distillery when she discovered that the piano player had other lovers.

In our interviews with the staff we were told that none of them knew of anyone who had seen her apparition in recent years, although they mentioned several unusual occurrences involving strange sounds and bottles behind the bar moving from one place to another when no one was looking. Doors have also spontaneously locked themselves.

Matt, our waiter, mentioned that a bartender’s sister went downstairs only to come back up into the main part of the building to see a mist shape in the bar room.

The bartender told us that when he was new and still just a busboy that he folded up all of the patio blankets and arranged the benches as he was supposed to do. When he came back inside the manager told him to go fold the patio blankets. When he went back outside one set of the chairs had moved against the shed and all the blankets were unfolded. He locked them in the shed.

The Manager reported that he was cleaning up behind the bar moving bottles around, he went downstairs to the storage room only to return and find all the bottles moved back to their original positions.

Our Review

He Says:

The food was excellent, with prices ranging from $30.00 to $60.00 for most dishes. The decor is nice, and the view is excellent. The bar is set up with numerous simulated paranormal activities in a kind of tongue in cheek way. If you take a seat at the bar, do not be surprised if your stool suddenly seems to be shrinking, or if the lights above the bar begin to sway. These are all mechanical effects not the supernatural. In the woman’s bathroom the image of a blue woman will appear in the mirror as well. They used to have a video loop that appeared to be old black and white film footage that would interrupt the television, but guests started to complain when this would happen in the middle of sporting events so that effect was removed. They also used to have tables that would vibrate, but things would fall off of the tables so they go rid of that trick. I did find it odd that a restaurant with such a high class menu and a rich paranormal history would have such a tongue in cheek way of celebrating it. I guess it is almost a Chuck E. Cheese’s and a 4 star restaurant rolled into one.

She Says:

AWESOME SCALLOPS!!! It is odd the way that the food is First Class, but the fx are played up about their ghost… The Bathroom mirror is just cheesy. The lamps and stools are kind of neat though!

Oh, if only this place were closer to home!!!

Stokes Adobe Restaurant and Bar

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About Stokes Restaurant and Bar

Originaly built as a single room adobe in 1833 by Benjamin Day, the adobe was purchased in 1837 by James Stokes, a druggist, doctor, and former sailor. He marries Josefa Soto de Cano, a widow with four children, in 1840. They soon have two children of their own, and need for more room. James expands the adobe into a seven room two story house with a wing for the kitchen and storage rooms. A wall and several shacks surround the building. One of these shacks held the printing press for California’s first newspaper. Stokes serves for a time as mayor of Monterey.

The property is sold in 1856 to Honore Escolle. Escolle installs a large oven used for his bakery business and uses it as a kiln. He uses it to bake bread and make pottery. The property goes through several owners until Mortimer Gragg purchases the home in 1890. He lives in the home with his wife Harriet, who is known as Hattie. The property has a bustling social scene until Hattie’s death in 1948.

In 1950 it is converted into the Gallatin Restaurant by Mr. and Mrs. Gallatin Powers. It closes in 1980. Through the mid 80s to the mid nineties several restaurants occupy the space until 1996 when it is opened as Stokes Adobe Restaurant by Kirk and Dorothy Probasco with Brandon Miller as the restaurants chef. After an extensive remodeling, the restaurant is renamed Stokes Restaurant and Bar.

Ghost Stories:

The history of ghostly encounters goes back to the building’s time as Gallatin’s Restaurant when the first reports of the figure of a man in 1800s style clothing and an apparition of a beautiful woman are seen by the employees. It is believed they are the ghosts of James Stokes and his wife Josefa. It is also believed that the ghost of Hattie Gragg also haunts the building.

According to the employees we talked to there are several manifestations on the property. In the main room if you stand in front of what used to be the front door to the building, you will sometimes get tapped on the shoulder. People sitting in chairs on the left side of the main room will sometimes complain that someone keeps moving their chairs. In the booth to the right cold spots can be felt sometimes. On the staircase to the upstairs parts of the building a ghost in period costume can be seen. The mirrors in the upstairs room that used to be the main bedroom are original and sometimes get nudged to the side. People will also experience a disembodied female voice that will call you name when no one else it around.

Our waiter reported a few personal experiences that he has had on the property. He has been tapped on the shoulder, and heard his name. One night, after closing, he heard a woman’s voice say “Excuse me, cna you help me?” He went to the front of the restaurant, but there was no one there. He and a female coworker heard the voice a seocnd time, this time she went, but also did not see anyone. The heard the voice a third time and they both went to check it out, and again there was no one there.

Our Review:

He Says:

The food was decent, and the waiter was excellent. We did not have a lot of time to explore the building as we were late for the Halloween Party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it was a nice restaurant that I would definitely go to again if I was in the Monterey area. Especially because I would like more of a chance to look around.

She Says:

The food was fine but our Waiter was Great! I, for a change, agree with my husband completely!

Bella Saratoga

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About Bella Saratoga

Bella Saratoga is a restaurant in Saratoga California. Converted from a private residence long before its current incarnation. It was the former site of the restaurant Bella Mia (which is now located in downtown San Jose), and before that it was the location of the Saratoga News. There were reports of ghostly activity in the building as far back as its use a news office.

Ghost Stories

The ghost of a woman is said to haunt Bella Saratoga. Most of the supernatural activity happens on the second floor. The woman’s bathroom and second floor office in particular are sites of activity. Doors open and close on their own and an eerie or uneasy presence has been felt.

Our Review

We have been to Bella Saratoga three times in the past year. The morning after the evening of our first visit on Friday the 13th of January, I came down with a case of Transient Global Amnesia. As a result, my recollection of the experience is a cloudy. Luckily I was there with two other people. Our meals have always been very good here, and the service has been excellent. It is not the fanciest or most prestigious restaurant in the area (Saratoga’s little restaurant row), but it is a good meal and on most days you can walk in without needing a reservation.

Queen Mary Hotel

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About the Queen Mary

The keel was laid for the RMS Queen Mary in 1930 at Clyde, Scotland, but was not completed until 1936. She made her maiden voyage on May 27 of that same year. She served three years as a passenger liner carrying passengers across the Atlantic until war broke out in 1939.

When the United States entered the war, she was converted to a troop ship. Painted grey to make her more difficult to detect, she was known as the “Grey Ghost.” She ferried troops from the U.S. to England in preparation for D-Day. During this time she set the record for the most people on an ocean voyage at one time with 16,683 people.

After the war she continued to serve the military by transporting war brides and the children from Europe to the United States. She made 13 voyages in this capacity before she was refurbished and returned to passenger liner service.

By the 1960s ocean liners were falling out of fashion with the rise of air traffic between the continents. She made occasional luxury cruises before being sold to the city of Long Beach in 1967. She made her final transatlantic crossing she was permanently docked. Her boilers were removed and she was rendered unable to move under her own power. She was converted into a hotel and museum.

Ghost Stories

There are numerous ghosts and hauntings reported on the Queen Mary.

Stateroom B340 is no longer rented out because the the volume of paranormal activity. Some people claim that it is haunted by the ghost of a murdered purser, but we found that information on other ghost websites and not on any of the tours conducted by the Queen Mary. The faucets are supposed to turn on by themselves, and sheets from the bed are said to have flown across the room. The room is now stark white with very little furniture in it.

One of the most famous ghosts of the Queen Mary is believed to be that of John Pedder, a fireman in the engine room who was crushed by the infamous “Door 13” in the part of the ship known as “Shaft Alley.” Apparently during emergencies, the watertight doors would be closed to seal off sections of the ship to avoid sinking. The legend goes that crew members would hop back and forth through the doorways as many times as they could before the door would close. John Pedder apparently tried one too many times and was crushed by the closing door.

A man seen wearing blue overalls sometimes described as having a beard has been seen walking down shaft alley and disappearing at Door 13. On the Ghost and Legends tour they refer to this man as “Half Hatch Harry,” but that was not the real name. John Pedder is listed on the sign in the infirmary of crew members that died.

The First Class Swimming Pool is another famous haunted location on the Queen Mary. Some reports claim that it is haunted by the ghost of people who drowned in the pool, but the Queen Mary’s own sign detailing the causes of death for passengers on the liner does not list a single death due to drowning. The ghosts seen in the first class swimming pool seem to be exclusively female. There are reports of at least one adult woman and a little girl that haunt this location. The little girl is said to have drowned in the second class swimming pool (which has since been removed). Her name is reported to be “Jackie,” and she is seen in many places across the ship.

The changing rooms at the back of the swimming pool are said to hold a vortex of negative energy, or perhaps a gateway between dimensions. One story suggests that this is due to a woman having been raped in the changing rooms at one point. There is a live ghost webcam that continuously films the swimming pool. The pool is also part of the special effects tour Ghosts and Legends of the Queen Mary which includes smoke and light effects.

While all of the boilers have been removed from the ship when it was docked at Long Beach, the massive rooms that once housed them remain. The forward boiler rooms are now used as part of the Ghost and Legends special effects show, the massive middle boiler rooms have been converted into conference space, and the aft boiler rooms are included on the regular tour and the late night paranormal tours. The boiler rooms were dangerous places, and it is not surprising that these locations may have there own ghost stories. Jackie is sometimes seen in the boiler rooms, as well as a male ghost that is thought to have been a crew member that worked on the boilers. The rooms are very massive and have a creepy feeling to them.

During World War II when the Queen Mary was known as the Grey Ghost, she accidentally rammed one of her escort ships causing it to sink. At the point on the bow of the Queen Mary where she collided with the escort screams can sometimes be heard. The public is normally only allowed to visit this part of the ship on the Ghosts and Legends tour.

There are many other parts of the Queen Mary that are said to be haunted. It seems the whole ship is a beacon for paranormal activity. The infirmary and the Lounge are other parts of the ship with their own tales of ghosts. In our interviews with various members of the crew, we got reports of strange feelings fairly often. The only crew-member who reported seeing a possible apparition related this story to us.

One waitress at the Chelsea restaurant states that she had been
working the host podium and saw three guests walk towards her through the long hallway that leads from the deck to the restaurant. She looked down at the reservation book for a party of three, but when she looked back up there were only there people. She asked the guests whether or not they prefer to wait for their third member before being seated, but they said that there were only two of them. She also reported that the faucets in the nearby woman’s bathroom go on and off by themselves.

Our Review

He Says:

The Queen Mary was an excellent place to visit for a few days, if not a bit overpriced. When we were there there was not a lot to do after dark, but taking a romantic walk on the decks while viewing Long Beach across the harbor is nice and romantic (and a little chilly). I would have preferred more to do that did not involve a tour. While it is a vast ship with a lot to do, it can easily be done in a single day with good planning. We spent three nights at the QM, but we spent one of our days visiting Disneyland, and part of another day driving around downtown Long Beach. There are also limited choices for breakfast, as there is only one restaurant that serves it and it did not have the greatest hours. Our accommodations were fair, but we did not spend a lot of time in our room.

She Says:

There were several tours available for the daylight hours. We bought the Haunted Encounters Passport. The Ghosts and Legends tour was all flash, but no substance. Much like your average Haunted House complete with spooky lighting, sound, and fog machines.

The Haunted Encounters tour was very informational and took you thru more rooms inside the ship. As you go through the ship, you also find small plaques that list ghost sightings. These are part of the self-guided scavenger hunt. The Paranormal Ship Walk, with psychic Erika Frost, was not included in the passport. Being the only evening tour we took, more lights were dimmed down, adding to the ambiance. This is the only tour that gave us access to the front of the ship, the brig, the pool dressing rooms and some other roped off areas. We did pass on the Paranormal Investigations tour and the Burlesque show. We ran out of time and money.

The dinners were quite tasty, the rooms were cozy, but most of all I loved the atmosphere. It was just very welcoming in general.

You do NOT need reservations to dine in the three restaurants or tour the many attractions. If the hotel room prices are out of your range (as they are a bit pricey.)

I strongly recommend at least making a day trip out of the Queen Mary!

Landmark No. 78

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About Landmark No. 78

The building that now houses the restaurant Landmark No. 78 was built between 1912 and 1914 by Carlo Hahn on land given to him by his brother-in-law, Giovanni Ferro. Ferro lived next door in the Schiappapietra Mansion. The Hahn house was built to compliment the mansion, and was therefore built in the same architectural style as its more impressive neighbor despite that style, Italianate, being 30 years out of date. The Schiappapietra Mansion was demolished in the 1950s, but the Hahn house remained in use as a private residence until 1971 when it was sold and converted into a restaurant. It was during its conversion that the front porch was enclosed and the addition on the eastern side of the building was constructed. The building is named after the landmark number assigned to it by the city of Ventura.

Ghost Stories

Landmark No. 78 is said to be haunted by the ghost of Rosa, the ghost of an Italian who immigrated to Ventura in the late 1800s with her family. It is said that she was forced into marriage by her father to a man whom she did not love nor loved her. In an attempt to find some happiness in her life, she had an affair. When she became pregnant as a result of this affair, she hanged herself in desperation. It is unclear where she was hanged, but it could not have been in the Carlo Hahn house as it was not yet built. People claim to have seen her staring longingly out of the round window on the second floor, walking down the staircase in a long elegant dress, in the banquet room, and the woman’s restroom.

Our Review

El Fandango Restaurant

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About El Fandango Restaurant

Although the building that houses the El Fandango Restaurant was only recently constructed, the land on which it sits has a rich history. Part of Old Town, it is the oldest settled area in San Diego. The restaurant was built on the sight the Machado family mansion which burned to the ground in 1858. The extensive story of the Machado family can be found on the San Diego Historical Society website. Other various buildings and establishments occupied the sight in the years between the mansion’s collapse and restaurant’s establishment.

Ghost Stories

The ghost of El Fandango is said to manifest as a woman dressed in white Victorian era clothing.

The haunting has been documented in a local newspaper article that is displayed in the restaurant. According the article, Marcos Mouet arrived around 4 in the morning to prepare for the restaurant’s opening a few hours later. He saw a woman dressed in white sitting at a table in the dining room. She appeared to be hazy and cloud-like. A photo of the article displayed in the restaurant is available on our photographs page.

Our Review

We have been the this restaurant a two times on our frequent trips to San Diego, and while we have never seen a ghost, we have had a pleasant dining experience. It is good Mexican food at a reasonable price. We have never sat in the dining room, both times we have eaten at El Fandango we were sat on the patio.

Columbo’s Restaurant

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An Italian/American restaurant located in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles. Frequently has live jazz playing in the evening.

Ghost Stories

Someone we knew worked here and had felt people touching her in the walk in refrigerator and other places in the building. There is a mirror near the bathrooms that a ghost has sometimes appeared in. The oddest thing is the apparent image of Jesus that appeared in the light up menu behind the bar. It is fairly difficult to see in the photographs, but very obvious in person.