Cry Foul!

John's Grill, downtown in San Francisco, is a landmark. Good steaks and chops, old-fashioned, slightly funky space (it feels like Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley would have stopped by for a six-martini lunch), and, of course, Sam Spade (and Dashiell Hammett) used to eat there. Spade liked the chops with sliced tomato and a cup of coffee. Among the other lures the place offers is the Maltese Falcon. No, really: upstairs, on the way to the restrooms, you pass an old wooden cabinet, inside of which is one of the copies of the Black Bird made for promotional purposes. It was given to the restaurant's owner by Elisha Cook, Jr., (Wilmer in the movie). This one is apparently made of plaster, not lead.

The Maltese Falcon has been stolen by person or persons unknown. That's really low. A reward has been offered for its return, so if you have it, bring it back to John's, will you?