In 1959, Bozo the Clown premiered on television, Charles de Gaulle became president of France, Buddy Holly and Billie Holiday left us too soon, Ford stopped production on the Edsel none too soon, and in the fall of that relatively slow news year, the Buggy Whip opened for business in Sacramento.

Owned by Aaron Lesieur, the newest restaurant in town featured a straight-down-the-middle menu of steak, prime rib, baked potatoes and clam chowder. A steak sandwich cost $1.35, and no one ever walked away feeling shortchanged.

In its early years, the most electric thing about the place was the cringe-inducing black and red decorating scheme. It was, as the founder's son told me over the phone last week, gaudy enough to inspire thoughts of a brothel.

The Buggy Whip opened with little fanfare. Only over time did it make news, as people began to take stock of all the restaurants that had come and gone, and which ones, like the Broiler and the Firehouse, just kept going and going.

And you know what? The Buggy Whip, it seemed, was one of those places that had found a formula and made it work.

These days, the American palate is more sophisticated and eclectic than at any time in the nation's history, and yet little has changed at the now-venerable and, yes, defiantly dull Buggy Whip.

Creativity? Innovation? Flair? Not here. Don't need them.

The place keeps rolling along, with nary an update to the menu or the décor. Sure, with a fresh coat of paint here and there, huge mirrors everywhere, oak accents and an onslaught of vinyl upholstery, the restaurant's appearance has improved with time.

It no longer looks like a brothel – it looks like the setting for an episode of "The Twilight Zone," which also premiered in '59. Narcissism your thing? You've never seen so many mirrors.

But the place still works. The seats are filled. The orders keep flying out of the kitchen. Folks keep devouring thick cuts of juicy beef, knocking back stiff drinks and walking away happy campers.

Where else can you get dinner for two – steak, chicken or fish – soup and salad included, for $31.99? Where else, when you walk in the door, do they remember your name and your favorite place to sit?

I visited the Buggy Whip in recent weeks not so much for inspiration as for education. In an industry where 25 percent of restaurants fail in their first year, how does the Buggy Whip stay alive?

My findings: Keep it simple. Use good product. Make people feel they are getting a good deal. Smile. Repeat.

There's nothing trendy or flashy about the Whip, and that might explain why it attracts an older clientele.

"They grew up with us, and older people like this kind of food," said Larry Lesieur, whose father opened the place 51 years ago.

Lesieur, who started working at the restaurant when he was 12, has been running the place for 30 years. These days, he says, the children of the original customers are in their 50s and 60s. He estimates the average customer's age is 60-plus.

"For me, this was my father's restaurant. I just kind of kept it alive," Lesieur said. "I think of putting new things on the menu, but people order the same old thing."

If the Whip's core clientele is older folks, many of them are still vibrant and, by all appearances, still in love. The favorite tables are the ones where the man and woman sit side by side along the mirrored walls and look out toward the dining room.

Now, romance isn't for everyone. One day when we stopped in to take advantage of the early bird special, a solo diner arrived armed with his No. 2 pencil and crossword puzzle book.

I'm not about to tell these longtime customers they're wrong for embracing this place. But despite its reputation for quality cooking, the Buggy Whip has clearly lost a step or two in recent years. The service can be hit-and-miss. The food, even at its best, can be ordinary, and the preparations are inconsistent.

The menu seems to have been designed by someone who sees khakis as a wild clothing choice: steak, prime rib, steak and prawns, ground steak, soup, salad. First-time customers might find there isn't enough to inspire a return visit.

On the bright side, the prime rib ($24.99) is one of the signature dishes, and it doesn't disappoint – even better when they slash the price to $14.99 on Thursday and Sunday. Ours was perfectly prepared and juicy, so large there was barely room for a scoop of white rice.

The steak and prawns ($24.99) didn't quite do it, though it was quite tasty. Nothing in the menu description prepared us for prawns coated in a basic, semisweet batter and deep-fried as if it were 1974 all over again. The accompanying thick steak was undercooked, even allowing for a liberal interpretation of medium-rare.

The menu refers to the salmon as "fresh" and "artfully seasoned." But the color and flavor suggested the salmon was nothing exceptional. As for artful, perhaps a sous chef stood on a ladder and flung the salt and pepper at the fish à la Jackson Pollock. The dish was passable but hardly suitable for framing.

The rib-eye, noted on the menu as a chef's choice, was noteworthy for being a wrong choice – tough and laden with gristle.

Unlike some of those tony, big-bill steakhouses, the Buggy Whip includes soup and salad with the price of the meal. Great idea, but the salad is barely worth eating, featuring iceberg lettuce with dressing ladled over the top, and the greens are not tossed. The soup was fine – hearty and thick – but we agreed it shouldn't come with an extra charge.

Lately, there has been another generational shift at the Buggy Whip, as Larry Lesieur is turning the reins over to his stepson, Kyle Greunke, apparently because this young man has a longing for 60-hour weeks.

This may be the perfect time for the Buggy Whip to retool. I didn't say revamp. But there were enough quirks and cracks to suggest honing the concept and smoothing some rough edges, beginning with the service.

On our first visit, when we asked about ordering a bottle of wine, our personable server let it slip that she knew nothing about wine. That's quite a confession. What is she going to say next, when we ask about the different cuts of steak? That's right: She doesn't eat meat.

Still, her friendly demeanor almost made us forgive the clumsiness of the restaurant's wine service, which included cheap, clunky glasses and, after a fumbled pouring of a pretty fair Sonoma Coast pinot noir from Marc Murra, the alarming decision to slam the cork back in the bottle, apparently so the wine wouldn't spoil while we were eating.

After 51 years, the Buggy Whip still has a certain charm. Its core concept doesn't have to change, but the restaurant could use a serious update, with adjustments in its sourcing of ingredients, approach to cooking and, yes, a décor so outmoded that it seems practically tongue in cheek.

There are so many more restaurants these days than in the Sacramento of 1959. And with the economy in a prolonged stall, pricing is more competitive than ever. That means discerning diners seeking good food may very well bypass the predictable fare at the Buggy Whip, even if the quality can be quite high.

The service must also improve so the gap between the least experienced staffers and the beloved old-time employees is not so glaring.

For now – if you're in the neighborhood and want to turn back the hands of time, sure, give the Buggy Whip a try. And if you're a longtime regular, you won't get an argument out of me.

But if you're looking for a dining experience beyond the food – if you're going to hire a baby sitter, get dressed up and hit the town – then the Buggy Whip is no longer on the list of places that define the vibrant and eclectic restaurant scene of today's Sacramento.

BUGGY WHIP

2737 Fulton Ave., Suite 208, Sacramento

(916) 486-1416

http://buggyw.com

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Full bar? Yes

Takeout? Yes

Vegetarian-friendly? No

Overall: 2 stars (fair)

This restaurant is a part of Sacramento's history, but its timelessness is a strength and a weakness. Quality food and straightforward, reliable cooking have a lasting appeal. But with a menu devoid of anything new or edgy, it can make for a dated dining experience for those with more adventurous tastes.

Food: 2 stars (fair)

Dinner for two is still a big draw. The steaks are good, and the prime rib is always a crowd-pleaser. But the side dishes are ordinary, and the options are limited. If you're looking for vegetables, you're out of luck.

Ambience: 1 1/2 stars (dated)

The word "makeover" comes to mind. Too many mirrors, the finishing touches are too chintzy, and the carpet is tired. Still, its stubborn grip on 1974 has a charm all its own.

Service: 2 stars (mixed)

Some of the servers are practically legends while others need to attend a weekend boot camp. Still, there are plenty of smiles and enough charm and hustle to compensate for the missteps.

Value: 2 1/2 stars (pretty good)

You're going to get a decent deal for a steakhouse, even if our $25 rib eye helped us rediscover the wonders of gristle. Sirloin for two is $31.99, and the coveted chateaubriand for two is $56.99. The saving grace is you don't get beat up with a la carte add-ons.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.

• Read more articles by Blair Anthony Robertson