There is plenty of Gay Nineties atmosphere, with two dapper piano players on dual pianos entertaining the appreciative crowd with contemporary and old-fashioned favorites. Bob Baker has been delighting Old San Francisco audiences for more than 30 years with his vaudevillian skills. A man of many hats, Baker doffs his red felt fedora for a backwoodsman's cap for his spirited rendition of "The Battle of New Orleans" and appropriately dons a sombrero for "Cielito Lindo."

But the main attraction here is the restaurant's featured "Girl on the Red Velvet Swing," who delights the crowd as she soars over the bar and stage. Dressed in red satin with feather boa trim and the prerequisite garter, she swings higher and higher on her red-fringed swing to skillfully tap cowbells affixed to the ceiling with her dainty feet. She, like the waitstaff, are costumed in Gay Nineties attire and the affable "saloon girls" and waiters in vests will be happy to break into song for your birthday or other special occasion. Children in the audience get the opportunity to do some gentle swinging in the red velvet seat and are then presented a certificate proclaiming, "I was a swinger at the Old San Francisco Steak House."

The legendary story of the real "Girl on the Red Velvet Swing," Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, is told in old photos and clippings near the dining-room entrance. Evelyn, a beautiful actress and Gibson Girl, was said to have swung on such a swing inside the home of former lover and famous New York architect, Stanford White, designer of Madison Square Garden. White was later killed at the Garden by Evelyn's jealous husband, Harry Kendall Thaw, a Pittsburgh millionaire, leading to what became "The Trial of the Century," with the lovely Evelyn branded "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing."

The Old San Francisco Steak House is as famous for its food as it is for its "swinging." Your dining experience begins with the signature giant block of Swiss cheese and hot, freshly baked loaves of true San Francisco sourdough bread, served on tables with old-fashioned, candle-lit oil lamps. The award-winning cuisine includes the finest aged Certified Angus Beef^TM steaks and prime rib, tender chicken, succulent lamb and gourmet seafood, including fresh fish flown in daily. For an unusual and tasty appetizer, try the Sweet Potato Chips with Fresh Bleu Cheese. A few of the "to die for" desserts include the San Francisco Cheesecake Package, Red Velvet Swing Cake and Barbary Coast Brownies.

While there, stroll down the mirrored hallway for a glimpse of the elegant Crystal Room, a glass-enclosed private banquet room that shimmers in white and glass accoutrements and is engulfed in tropical gardens with waterfalls. It, like the Barbary Coast dining room, is straight out of another time -- but one you can step back into each time you dine here. You, too, could wind up leaving your heart at the Old San Francisco Steak House.

For reservations, call (210) 342-2321.