HANGTOWN FRY

Supposedly named for the summary justice meted out in Placerville, known as Hangtown in California’s wild-west days, and first served to a miner who hit paydirt and demanded a meal composed of the most expensive items in the house, hangtown fry is a mix of fried oysters and scrambled eggs and, frequently, bacon. The oysters may be breaded or not, chopped or whole. The Platonic version is served at San Francisco’s Tadich Grill, where it is made with six fried oysters and smoked bacon in a creamy egg frittata. Hangtown fry remains mostly a specialty of the Northwest coast, named the Official Dish of Placerville by local lawmakers.