The other day an overly excited guest turns to me and says, “Sheesh, how long has this place been open anyway? This restaurant is an institution!”

An institution? My little Café 222? I really dislike the concept as it implies old age. Since hitting the wrong side of 40, I’ve become very sensitive to all things age-related. Still, it brought on a wave of nostalgia for a time when wearing little more than a waffle on my head was the best way to attract customers.

Can’t believe it was over 15 years ago when I entered the urban food game, opening at a time when my part of the 92101 ZIP code consisted primarily of flophouses, hostels, discount hotels and a few decent bars a few blocks away in the Gaslamp. Sure, Horton Plaza was open, but it was way on the other side of Market Street, which at the time was harder for customers to cross than the River Jorden. Dining options Downtown were a fraction of today’s. Yet then, as now, you could always find good eats.

One of my neighbors was New Orleans’ native Bud Deslatte’s Bayou Bar and Grill. To this day, Deslatte’s red beans and rice often come up in conversation because no one — I mean no one — comes close to his preparation. He sold to employees in 1995 and moved to Portland to open two more restaurants. The peripatetic chef returned in 2004 and recently reinvented himself in Tierrasanta with Bud’s Louisana Café (budscafe.com).

Foodie friends (the 50-somethings) of mine still reminisce about 515 Fifth, aptly named to match its address. Laurie Woodside, the proprietress, along with chef Gunther Emathinger, were ahead of their time in doing contemporary California cuisine. Today Woodside is teaching hospitality at UCSD and Emathinger is the corporate chef at the Karl Strauss Breweries empire. Their old haunt now houses La Bocca and its contemporary Italian menu.

On the strength of their owners’ personalities, not to mention fine fare, two landmark restaurants I admired then — Dobson’s and Croce’s — are still going strong. You can still regularly find Paul Dobson and Ingrid Croce holding court, which I suspect might be the secret to their longevity.

As to the newbies now infusing the diversity and vitality that make 92101 a dining scene, let me start by declaring I like the little guy. I’m happy that a majority of the urban eateries popping up this past decade are either little food shops like the darling Heavenly Cupcake (518 Sixth Ave.) and Bread on Market (730 Market St.) or restaurants like the locally owned Tijuana-style taco shop and bar, La Puerta (560 Fifth Ave.) and the charming Café Chloe at Ninth Avenue and G Street.

The Neighborhood at Eighth Avenue and G Street has become a place where local 20-somethings hang for upscale burgers, handcrafted beers and a friendly game of Texas Hold ’em. (The stakes are house-made potato chips.)

The changes in the Downtown dining scene since I ventured out to open a waffle shop at 222 Island Ave. can still take my breath away. Who knew? A Downtown branch of The Mission opened a few years back deep in East Village, serving up a good breakfast and lunch. Even I have a direct competitor close. Who would have thought Downtown could support both a pancake house and a waffle shop? It is a breakfast throw-down every Sunday. Luckily this time we aren’t holding our breath for customers to cross Market. They just stroll out the doors of their condos or apartments and get in line.

— Terryl Gavre