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Restaurants you miss?

As the chaining of America continues a lot of interesting restaurants get lost in the mix.

This article got me thinking (yes it's Huffpo, sorry those bitter betty's who disdain it).

It is about restaurants past, including one in NY that I know was incredibly popular. Right now name one GREAT place that is reasonable in theatre district?

Exactly you have to go to 9th at the very least. Restaurant Row sucks, but there used to be a lot of good eateries in that ares.

What gone restaurants do you miss?

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by Anonymousreply 341April 9, 2021 11:43 PM

"Right now name one GREAT place that is reasonable in theatre district?"

Joe Allen

by Anonymousreply 1September 12, 2014 1:18 PM

Andrews in Dallas

by Anonymousreply 2September 12, 2014 1:18 PM

R1 Joe Allen has a menu all over the map from wings to burgers to faux Cajun.

Nothing great about it...it's like an upscale Chili's. At best it is acceptable though the atmosphere and service are nice.

by Anonymousreply 3September 12, 2014 1:24 PM

Joe Allen is a fun place to go after seeing a show. I miss Ted Hook's Backstage, Barrymore's and Ma Bell's ( now Junior's) which were after theater haunts. And I miss the cheddar cheese crocks and crackers at Sardi's upstairs bar. I miss the horseshoe shaped bar at the long gone Hotel Piccadilly. That bar can be seen in the first few minutes of the film DEATH TRAP.

by Anonymousreply 4September 12, 2014 2:39 PM

I always liked Ollie's. Rude help but the food was good

by Anonymousreply 5September 12, 2014 2:40 PM

Sodini's

by Anonymousreply 6September 12, 2014 2:43 PM

Becco

by Anonymousreply 7September 12, 2014 2:44 PM

New York: Schrafft's

San Francisco: Vanessi's, Blum's, The Hippo

Los Angeles: The Hollywood Brown Derby, Hamburger Hamlet

by Anonymousreply 8September 12, 2014 2:46 PM

R8 Another vote for Schrafft's. My mom and I would have lunch there before seeing a matinee. I remember one time in particular when we had lunch and then saw CACTUS FLOWER with Lauren Bacall at the Royale. Schrafft's had great ice cream sundaes which appealed to me, a young kid.

Here at home I miss Morton's, Annie's Sante Fe and Wolfermann's.

by Anonymousreply 9September 12, 2014 2:57 PM

I like Joe Allen's and Orso.

by Anonymousreply 10September 12, 2014 3:06 PM

The Old Beatrice Inn in the West Village (Manhattan). It really was a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. There was a separate room for the regulars. It was a very odd collection of people. On any given night it could include Cousin Brucie, a couple that were former corrections officers, a card carrying communist, Charles Kuralt (and his mistress), Ralph Lauren's brother (and his mistress), Richard Chandler (writer of the infamous Broadway flop The Freaking out of Stephanie Blake), etc.

by Anonymousreply 11September 12, 2014 3:08 PM

R9 In case you're curious, there is an interesting book called "When Everybody Ate At Schrafft's".

On my first trip to NY, in 1980, I ate at Schrafft's on Fifth Avenue, somewhere between Lord & Taylor and B. Altman, IIRC. I was staying at the Y, so that was quite a splurge, but well worth it.

Speaking of which, I also miss the Soup Bar on the 10th Floor of Lord & Taylor, and The Charleston Garden at Altman's.

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by Anonymousreply 12September 12, 2014 3:10 PM

Bonanza. We always took my dad there for Father's Day and he LOVED it.

Steak & Ale - prom dinner central.

by Anonymousreply 13September 12, 2014 3:19 PM

We get it, OP, you live in NYC.

by Anonymousreply 14September 12, 2014 3:27 PM

Friar's Inn and Copperfield's at the Riverside Mall in Utica, NY.

by Anonymousreply 15September 12, 2014 3:33 PM

R12 Yes, the Soup Bar at Lord and Taylor's. I had lunch there one year on Christmas Eve.

Not a restaurant but I miss Mayflower Donuts in NYC. Now THAT really dates me!!

by Anonymousreply 16September 12, 2014 3:36 PM

The old Aureole. The new place is nothing like it's predecessor.

by Anonymousreply 17September 12, 2014 4:32 PM

Lums!

Hot dogs soaked in beer!

by Anonymousreply 18September 12, 2014 4:43 PM

Mary Elizabeth in the Thirties and all of the other little old lady restaurants in Manhattan. Also Charleston Gardens in Altmans.

by Anonymousreply 19September 12, 2014 5:06 PM

Zum Zum, Chock Full O' Nuts, The Automat, The Garden Cafeteria on E. B'way. I also miss Tad's Steak House (the real ones, not the one's around using that name. Real pizza, no specific place. Back in the day when it was 15 cents a slice you could get the best pizza almost anywhere but my favorite was a place on the corner of Ave. B somewhere close to 14th St. Ratner's, all the wonderful Jewish and German bakeries that were around, especially the Lower East Side. Add in the Good Humor truck, the ones they pushed by hand, when they sold really ice cream, not plastic on a stick. I especially loved the 5 cent Whammy bars and splitting a double 10 cent popsicle with a friend.

Specific bakeries, Chushman's (best lemon meringue pie), Town Rose (best cookies), both on 14th St. between Ave. B & A and this little German bakery on 10th St. and Ave. B that had the best raisin bread ever.

Great appetizing stores on Ave C, puts Zabar's and the rest of their outrageously expensive counterparts to shame. These little joints on Ave C had the best smoked salmon at 50 cents a pound, not 40 dollars.

NYC also abounded with real Kosher Deli's, not the crappy so called Deli's around today. Katz for all it's fame is not a real kosher deli, in fact it's not even kosher and never has been.

Oh I could go on but I'm getting nauseous thinking of the crappy lunch I'm going to have compared to the wonderful NYC food of my youth.

by Anonymousreply 20September 12, 2014 5:18 PM

Is there still a real deli with cheap smoked fish?

by Anonymousreply 21September 12, 2014 5:36 PM

Scoma's in San Francisco. This restaurant always had the best seafood in the Bay Area. There's still a place with the Scoma name, but it's run by the surviving family of Mr. Scoma. The food has become limited in range and the prices have gone from very expensive to ridiculous for for the lukewarm tasteless food you get. The menu is now extremely limited compared to the real Scoma's.

by Anonymousreply 22September 12, 2014 5:39 PM

Ahh yes, Chock Full O' Nuts and the Automat! I miss the Nathan's that was right in the middle of Times Square, the one that was two levels

by Anonymousreply 23September 12, 2014 5:43 PM

I miss Sambos.

by Anonymousreply 24September 12, 2014 6:12 PM

I'm embarrassed by this, but I loved Kenny Rogers Roasters back in the 90's when I was in Central Illinois. The food was delicious & the place was ALWAYS packed everytime I went. Excellent chicken & sides.

by Anonymousreply 25September 12, 2014 6:22 PM

I liked Boston Chicken when it first came out, too, R25. Don't apologize.

Then it got bought by some corporation that destroyed its food.

by Anonymousreply 26September 12, 2014 6:29 PM

Former New Yorker missing these, some excellent food, some fun neighborhood meeting places (OOB):

Violeta's (best Margaritas anywhere - jet fuel)

Gallery 93

EAT

Sol's Place (Dandy Sue)

Zemi's

L'Belle Vie

Sette

by Anonymousreply 27September 12, 2014 7:24 PM

I hated it when my favorite, Windows on the World, became Windows Under the World.

by Anonymousreply 28September 12, 2014 7:24 PM

Wyatt's

Luby's

Furr's Cafeteria

Sir "Coin"'s

by Anonymousreply 29September 12, 2014 7:30 PM

My favorite is Virgil's on W 44th between 6th & 7th. The hottest new restaurant is the North River Lobster Company. It's on a boat at 41st & 12th. Great lobster rolls and it goes on a cruise about every 90 minutes. I also like Joe Allen and I miss Barrymore's.

by Anonymousreply 30September 12, 2014 7:58 PM

[quote] My favorite is Virgil's on W 44th between 6th & 7th. The hottest new restaurant is the North River Lobster Company.

You seem to have missed that the thread is about "Restaurants You Miss."

by Anonymousreply 31September 12, 2014 8:03 PM

Scoma has to have a limited menu now. Seafood costs a fortune and you can't have too many varieties in stock to spoil, the shelf life is so short. Most seafood places are close to bankruptcy.

by Anonymousreply 32September 12, 2014 8:38 PM

Great site for all the old time Angelenos out there

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by Anonymousreply 33September 12, 2014 8:49 PM

Sung Chu Mei on Hudson Street in the West Village is gone thanks to a greedy landlord. Seven years later the space hasn't been rented.

by Anonymousreply 34September 12, 2014 8:51 PM

My two Denny's, one north and one south. The neighborhoods got too bad and dangerous. I guess that should tell me something about living here.

Hey, I've always liked Denny's and disliked Jack Nicholson.

by Anonymousreply 35September 12, 2014 8:55 PM

Micks is Atlanta - loved their Heath Bar pie.

by Anonymousreply 36September 12, 2014 8:59 PM

Pope's Cafeterias in St. Louis. Good, solid comfort food, reasonably priced.

Pope's also operated Seven Kitchens at South County Center. It was a forerunner of today's food court. There were seven different stations and each one featured a different cuisine, all facing a centralized dining area.

by Anonymousreply 37September 12, 2014 9:03 PM

r32, the Nathan's you miss, was Toffinetti's on the SE corner of 43rd and Broadway, which this Elder misses.

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by Anonymousreply 38September 12, 2014 9:13 PM

Prexy's "The Hamburger With the College Education." Photos of college campuses on the walls.

by Anonymousreply 39September 12, 2014 9:51 PM

R37 I remember Pope's! It was across the street from Mayfair Hotel where my family always stayed. Another one from my childhood -- Miss Hullings!

by Anonymousreply 40September 12, 2014 9:57 PM

Not the best hamburger in the world, but would do in a pinch... Brewburger in Times Square.

by Anonymousreply 41September 12, 2014 9:59 PM

Anybody in Atlanta remember the Auburn Avenue Rib Shack? Best BBQ ever

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by Anonymousreply 42September 12, 2014 10:09 PM

Duh...I just realized the author of this article is the food stamp chef.

I guess the poor matter less than old restaurants. That said Restaurant Charlotte should re-open. Prime real estate sitting empty every night. It is very sad.

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by Anonymousreply 43September 12, 2014 10:28 PM

The Lizard and Snake, Chapel Hill NC.

Best northern-California style burritos on the east coast. dat salsa fresca, doe!

by Anonymousreply 44September 12, 2014 10:41 PM

R31: [quote] You seem to have missed that the thread is about "Restaurants You Miss."

You have reading comprehension issues. The OP said

[quote]Right now name one GREAT place that is reasonable in theatre district?

Thus I mentioned Virgil's and North River Lobster Company.

To answer the thread title's question I mentioned that I miss Barrymore's.

by Anonymousreply 45September 12, 2014 10:43 PM

Another restaurant I miss is Madeleine Bistro in Tarzana. Vegan restaurant. Best food ever. And I'm not Vegan.

by Anonymousreply 46September 12, 2014 10:47 PM

R45 GREAT, Virgil's tacky fake BBQ is not great by any but Olive Garden standards.

by Anonymousreply 47September 12, 2014 10:49 PM

R21, the best I've found these days is the wild smoked salmon at Costco, about 16 bucks a pound. It's not as good as the "Lox" from the old days and it's not hand sliced, a lost art, but it's good and believe it or not 16 dollars a pound is at least half the price of what you can get most anywhere else.

by Anonymousreply 48September 12, 2014 10:55 PM

I don't eat the BBQ at Virgil's. I like the Savannah Salad (not on menu, ask for it) and the Chicken Fried Steak. But most of all, I like the environment. Very cozy. Nice music. Nice waitstaff and bar staff. Thick washcloths instead of a napkin. Hot towels afterwards. I love Virgil's.

by Anonymousreply 49September 12, 2014 10:56 PM

If you won't eat the BBQ at a BBQ restaurant you cannot call it great.

by Anonymousreply 50September 12, 2014 10:59 PM

I can eat whatever I want at Virgil's. I love the food I eat there and it's my favorite most comfortable restaurant in the city. Deal with it.

by Anonymousreply 51September 12, 2014 11:18 PM

MacKinnon's, Northville, Michigan

Viva Voce Cafe, Montclair, Oakland, California

by Anonymousreply 52September 12, 2014 11:39 PM

In times Square, I miss WEINERWALD!

The best fried chicken I have ever eaten.

Also in NYC, the incredible time capsule of the 1980s, ERNIE'S!

I don't care if you didn't think it was perfect, but EVERYBODY ate at ERNIE'S at some point, or even frequently back then. Remember that Angel Hair with Lobster and Asparagus dish? The majority of the whole block front on Broadway between 75th and 76th was razed.

by Anonymousreply 53September 13, 2014 1:54 AM

Never heard of Ernie's sorry...

by Anonymousreply 54September 13, 2014 3:12 AM

"bitter betty's"

Oh, dear.

by Anonymousreply 55September 13, 2014 3:16 AM

R28, other than the view, what was special about Windows on the World? You're not first I've heard say that. Many seem to have especially fobs memories of that place.

by Anonymousreply 56September 13, 2014 3:20 AM

The Eager House

Marconi's

Haussner's

by Anonymousreply 57September 13, 2014 4:24 AM

I loved Haussner's on Eastern in Baltimore. Even their over steamed vegetables. Truly a memory. My boyfriend Scott and I ate there several times during my 12 years in Baltimore.

by Anonymousreply 58September 13, 2014 5:44 AM

Jimmy's Beverly Hills

by Anonymousreply 59September 13, 2014 5:48 AM

Wendys is still around but the superbar is gone

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by Anonymousreply 60September 13, 2014 6:22 AM

They revived Chock Full O' Nuts.

BUT...oh, dear it seems to have shut down already and anyway people were saying it wasn't very good. Must be why it closed down so quickly.

Surely there are lots of great NEW places in NYC. We've been through such a foodie era.

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by Anonymousreply 61September 13, 2014 7:50 AM

Mel's Drive In (Mission near Geneva)

Magnolia Thunderpussy (Haight Street)

Another vote for: The Hippo (Van Ness Avenue)

Woolworth's (Powell and Market)

by Anonymousreply 62September 13, 2014 8:11 AM

I'm getting mixed messages about Chock Full on 23rd St.

YELP says it closed, but others say it's still there.

by Anonymousreply 63September 13, 2014 8:23 AM

In the 1980's, in Atlanta at Little Five Points, was Marcelinna's Italian. A small restaurant about the size of living room. Marcelinna knew all her customers by name, and took checks.Her Chicken Marsalla (cooked fresh, on the bone, simmered all day) has never been equalled anywhere. I would eat there at least once a week,and she treated everyone like family. This is the restaurant I miss most in the world. On my 28th birthday I was going through a bit of a rough time emoitionally, so I took a book and went down to Marcellina's. She took one look at me, told me to sit at the table for four in the front, and said "You know you are the only person I would sit by themseleve's at tabe for four on a Friday night". I have never forgotten that moment.

by Anonymousreply 64September 13, 2014 8:31 AM

New York City’s Universal Grill – THE GAYEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD!

by Anonymousreply 65September 13, 2014 10:41 AM

"The Source" on Sunset in West Hollywood.

There's a funny scene there in "Annie Hall" I used to see a lot of famous faces there. One unusual sight was seeing Mohammed Ali and Roddy McDowall dining together.

Also, "Butterfields" on Sunset in Weho. It was closed when The House of Blues ruined that part of the neighborhood. It was a small house just below Sunset that was said to have once belonged to John Barrymore.

And.. also on Sunset in WeHo, Ben Franks. It was 'just' a coffee shop but a good one.

by Anonymousreply 66September 13, 2014 10:57 AM

Burger Chef

by Anonymousreply 67September 13, 2014 11:00 AM

Very 70s, very straight, but I like the Victoria Station at Universal City. Prime Rib and the first salad bar I'd ever seen. Also, the big atrium bar to get wasted on pre-meal Bloody Marys.

Near Downtown LA there was a Lawry's Mexican Garden type place -- I never ate there, but enjoyed their bar snacks and pitchers of sangria by the fountain.

by Anonymousreply 68September 13, 2014 11:16 AM

I miss the Hamburger Choo Choo. I went back when I was a kid. They'd set your burger on a flatbed and send it around a track that stopped at your table.

The mob burned it down.

by Anonymousreply 69September 13, 2014 11:28 AM

Guggy's

by Anonymousreply 70September 13, 2014 11:31 AM

dojos on st marks chez Brigitte greenwich ave florent in meatpacking Lox around the clock near limelight Patria

el teddys kieve

by Anonymousreply 71September 13, 2014 11:32 AM

Quilted Giraffe

Chez Michallet

Chanterelle

All but one of the Bistros da Cote have closed. Each was different and wonderful

Montevideo (the one in Paris)

The Automat (any)

by Anonymousreply 72September 13, 2014 11:42 AM

Ooh, the Acute Cafe. One could always count on weight loss, because of the food poisoning.

Amsterdam's, not for the same reason. Cheap and reliable. Similarly, Caramba.

Once Upon a Stove

Sign of the Dove (not for the food)

The OLD Brasserie

by Anonymousreply 73September 13, 2014 11:46 AM

Did we have Automats in Los Angeles?

by Anonymousreply 74September 13, 2014 11:53 AM

sign of the dove was gorgeous.

by Anonymousreply 75September 13, 2014 11:55 AM

R12 Thanks for the tip about the Schrafft's book. I'll look for it. I second the comments about their terrific sundaes.

Their place on Boylston St in Boston was quite elegant in the evening, outfitted with linens and such. There was a band of tuxedo clad musicians setting the mood for your dining pleasure. My brother and I got a big kick out of that. There was a popular, corny song back then which had my name in it. My brother would always request it - making sure to point out to the waiter that my name was the same as the name in the refrain. The band would play it every time he asked, much to my embarrassment; I imagined the band members were thinking that I had a dumb name to have a song written about it. It was a sort of civilized, acting grown up way for my brother to good naturedly get me. Good times.

by Anonymousreply 76September 13, 2014 12:23 PM

I miss department store restaurants.

Outside of New York, Neiman-Marcus may be the only stores left with a proper dining room. (Is the Walnut Room still in the old Marshall Field?)

Stores used to have real dining rooms, with tablecloths and waiters. And bars! They would have informal modeling during lunchtime. People dressed nicely, men in suits, ladies in hats and gloves, and took time for a proper meal.

All the big stores had them

by Anonymousreply 77September 13, 2014 12:35 PM

Oops, my signature should've been 'Does anyone still wear a hat'

by Anonymousreply 78September 13, 2014 12:37 PM

So many...

Flamingo East

El Teddy's

Stingy Lulu's

Trixie's

Avenue A Sushi

Florent

Acme

Time Cafe

Miracle Bar

Vong

Mi Cocina

Jerry's 103/Circa

Leshko's

Markt

Bendix

Bright Food Shop

Viceroy

by Anonymousreply 79September 13, 2014 12:40 PM

Mel's Diner

by Anonymousreply 80September 13, 2014 12:46 PM

Definitely miss that old Howard Johnson's in Times Square. They should have left it alone.

by Anonymousreply 81September 13, 2014 12:59 PM

McDonald's. The restaurants with that name now don't taste the same. The fries used to be cooked in less healthy but delicious beef tallow, and somehow the burgers tasted better.

by Anonymousreply 82September 13, 2014 1:09 PM

The last store dining room I enjoyed was Jenner's in Edinburgh back in 1983. I am not sure if Harrod's still has one.

by Anonymousreply 83September 13, 2014 1:27 PM

R78, you ARE typing without your glasses. The signature that you were correcting was on R77, not R57.

by Anonymousreply 84September 13, 2014 1:44 PM

r63, Chock Full on 23rd is gone. Nedick's was revived a few years ago and also failed. So much for nostalgia.

by Anonymousreply 85September 13, 2014 2:11 PM

Anyone remember name of the place in Manhattan where your meal arrived on a Lionel train at your counter seat?

by Anonymousreply 86September 13, 2014 2:12 PM

Pearl on Pearl. I loved that little place, French cuisine, affordable, friendly. It turned into a hamburger joint, yuck.

by Anonymousreply 87September 13, 2014 2:22 PM

R86, it was The Hamburger Train, demolished to make way for the NY Hilton. And the flavor of the lollipop stuck through your burger was determined by how well done you had ordered it.

by Anonymousreply 88September 13, 2014 3:51 PM

Anybody remember the Gallus in Midtown Atlanta? Upscale gay restaurant in an old funeral home, with a sleazy hustler bar in the basement. Someone else here once remarked that you could have a nice dinner [italic]and[/italic] get your dick sucked without leaving the premises.

by Anonymousreply 89September 13, 2014 4:06 PM

Thanks r79, I remember every one of those joints.

I loved Florent, and spent way too much of my youth eating there in the middle of the night or early a.m. So many of my friends and memories are tied up into that place.

by Anonymousreply 90September 13, 2014 4:28 PM

This is a NYC thread

by Anonymousreply 91September 13, 2014 4:43 PM

Thanks for ignoring the many non-NYC comments in your attempt to smear everything as "NYC-only", r91.

What perverse satisfaction does this sort of thing bring you?

by Anonymousreply 92September 13, 2014 4:48 PM

The Magic Pan in Akron. They were a chain, but the crepes were wonderful.

by Anonymousreply 93September 13, 2014 5:01 PM

They only brought back the name Chock Full O' Nuts, they never brought back the food or the service. That is why they failed.

Actually it's impossible to bring back any actual recipe of day's gone by because the food isn't available anymore. Other than perhaps from small organic farms there is no way to get the ingredients food used to be made with. The grains, the meat, poultry and fish, the produce the dairy has all been destroyed. The soil food is grown in and food the animals are fed has all been destroyed.

That being said the store they called Chock Full O' Nuts didn't even try to bring back what the original served. Who would feel nostalgic over just a name.

by Anonymousreply 94September 13, 2014 5:13 PM

La Fondue.

by Anonymousreply 95September 13, 2014 5:14 PM

R91 once spoke French to the counterman at Schraft's! Imagine! Speaking French to the counterman! AT SCHRAFT'S!

by Anonymousreply 96September 13, 2014 5:19 PM

La Fonda del Sol, in the Time/Life building.

Forum of the 12 Caesars, where, for the opening of Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, they brought two love lions, to whom, presumably, to feed the goyim.

Quo Vadis, for its Last Year at Marienbad feel. The waiters discreetly held spoons under the noses of patrons, to see if they were breathing. Well, they SHOULD have.

by Anonymousreply 97September 13, 2014 5:45 PM

R68 Ah, Lawry's California Center. That was a great place. We always took out-of-towners there-- it was a real southern California experience. Beautiful grounds. Food was OK, too, but it was more for the atmosphere.

by Anonymousreply 98September 13, 2014 5:49 PM

Charlie Trotter's

by Anonymousreply 99September 13, 2014 5:55 PM

Lawry's California Center

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by Anonymousreply 100September 13, 2014 6:07 PM

R100, that looks like a place you go to buy plants, not a restaurant.

by Anonymousreply 101September 13, 2014 6:29 PM

I miss cherries royale at The Magic Pan.

by Anonymousreply 102September 13, 2014 6:32 PM

It was actually a large center with multiple restaurants, a test kitchen (for Lawry's products), factory, demonstration areas, gardens, shops, etc.

It's actually still there, but it's now the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, and they rent it out for weddings and other events.

by Anonymousreply 103September 13, 2014 6:32 PM

The Walnut Room is still at Marshall Field's. Overpriced and the service sucks, but I think it always did. And the food is good.

by Anonymousreply 104September 13, 2014 6:50 PM

Except of course that it is Macy's, not Marshall Field's.

by Anonymousreply 105September 13, 2014 6:51 PM

Macy's isn't even Macy's anymore. It's Macy's.

by Anonymousreply 106September 13, 2014 6:56 PM

Hamburger Junction in Baltimore. Loved it as a kid, you sat at a counter and a toy train would deliver your meal.

by Anonymousreply 107September 13, 2014 6:56 PM

R106, is that an existentialist joke?

by Anonymousreply 108September 13, 2014 6:57 PM

Have you been to Macy's lately, R108? If you have, you know the answer.

by Anonymousreply 109September 13, 2014 6:58 PM

Kelt R57, and of course Martick's.

by Anonymousreply 110September 13, 2014 7:10 PM

Abraham and Straus in downtown Brooklyn had The Garden Restaurant on the fourth floor.

by Anonymousreply 111September 13, 2014 9:37 PM

Does La Fabula (known as La Fagula) in LA still exist. Had fun times there years ago.

Also Chinois in LA.

When I was a kid in NYC, my Dad took me several times to a German place called Zum Zum. They had only a few locations in Manhattan, but the food was very authentic & the clientele was mostly German tourists & business ppl. The one we went to was very near Grand Central Station.

by Anonymousreply 112September 13, 2014 10:52 PM

How about Jahns Ice Cream Parlors?

Also served burgers & sandwiches. Really fun place, esp if you were a kid.

Wolfies Deli in Miami Beach.

The Ground Round chain of burger places in NY

by Anonymousreply 113September 13, 2014 10:54 PM

R111, I spent many a wonderful lunch hour with my mom at the A&S garden tea room. It was wonderful and while dignified not at all snooty the way some tea rooms were in those days. Remember back then A&S also had a great book department. My mom would sometimes leave me there while she shopped. In those days a kid was safe.

Do you remember too that for a very inexpensive and quick bite A&S also had a counter in the basement that sold the most delicious hot dogs (25 cents) and ice cream in a parfait glass with either hot fudge or strawberry topping (50 cents) and some kind of beverage, I think grape or orange drink.

Of course there was also a Chock Full o Nuts down the street if we were in the mood for one of the best hot dogs (15 cents) ever in NYC or a tuna salad sandwich (20 cents) or their famous cream cheese and walnuts on raisin bread (15 cents) and their melt in your mouth donuts(10 cents). To this day I don't know how they made those whole wheat donuts covered in powdered sugar that actually melted in the mouth like cotton candy. CFoN was known for their fabulous orange drink (15 cents) and coffee (10 cents)too.

One odd thing about CfoN is that they only hired black people (mostly women) behind the counter and preparing the food. They all wore hairnets, starched uniforms and gloves on their hands. CFoN had a motto that no human hands ever touch the food. Quite odd now but in those days it was a selling point. Everyone knew CFoN was the cleanest place a person could eat. They also used on plates, real or paper. Everything other than beverages was served on some kind of wax paper. There were no knives or forks just spoons for the coffee. Also odd but true, the man who started and owed the CFoN chain was named Mr. Black. He was a white guy, but like I said, only hired black people to work at his restaurant. In those days it was one of the few places uneducated black people could get a decent job.

Two blocks from A&S was an Automat that was heaven for great food too.

If we made the voyage of going to Macy's 34th St. they had a restaurant, stools and counter only, no tables, on the 8th floor. I remember the best French onion soup I've ever had to this day. It was a meal in itself as they must have put at least 1/3 pound of gruyere cheese in every crock. They also had the most wonderful huge cheese burgers on freshly baked brioche type buns with an onion relish on the side that to this day I can't forget or find anything like it. They had many other things like over stuffed deli sandwiches but mostly I remember the onion soup and burgers.

I think a couple of blocks from that Macy's B. Altman's also had a tea room but not as good as the one in A&S.

At that time the 34th St. Macy's also had a gourmet shop on the other side of the 8th floor and on Saturday's free samples of such great foods while at the toy department the magician was there performing magic tricks, some of which were for sale. If you bought them and brought him the receipt he would take you aside and show you how they were done. On the main floor of that Macy's, on the 8th Ave. side was a full service gourmet butcher shop with meat so good it cannot be found anywhere today and they also had all kinds of salads like crab and lobster, speaking of which I believe they also had a full seafood department that shared space with the butcher shop.

There was also a CFoN right down the block from Macy's if a person desired and a Tad's Steak House right across the street. Imagine a full size, tender steak, baked potato with real butter, a salad with homemade dressing and chick peas, a huge piece of garlic bread and a lemonade for 99 cents, for an additional 25 cents you could have a piece of the best Boston Cream Pie or several other dessert choices.

My family was working class and we could easily afford all I've mentioned above. Can you imagine a working class family being able to afford any of the things I mentioned today, except maybe for the hot dog.

Ahh, memories...

by Anonymousreply 114September 14, 2014 12:56 AM

The Harmonia Gardens

by Anonymousreply 115September 14, 2014 1:10 AM

B. Altman's had Charleston Gardens. I loved it there, and it's also on the list of those I miss.

by Anonymousreply 116September 14, 2014 2:24 AM

R114, thank you for a beautiful post. Would love to hear more memories. Sounds like you lived in NYC at a perfect time.

by Anonymousreply 117September 14, 2014 2:34 AM

I did R117. I'm 61. Those days will never come back again. We still played stick ball in the gutters as there were not that many cars even in the late 50s early 60s. We played points with a 5 cent pink "Spaldeen" ball. More organized play, like soft and baseball was done in Tompkins Square Park for me and parks all over the city for other kids.

We just went to the park, no parents, no "play dates", none of that yuppie garbage. You'd leave your building and there would always be other kids out there to play with. The kids from the reformed Hebrew school were playing with the kids from the Catholic school across the street and we all played with the kids from the public school on the next block. No one thought anything of it.

Back then when some special movie was playing a kid's parent's might take him or her to a theater on Time's Square. Yes it was full of NY's low life but it was interesting and safe enough for a kid to be there during the day. It wasn't all Disney and white bread like it is today.

But of course my fondest memories are of the food. Everything was real. For a dollar you could get what today is called a foot long hero filled with imported polish ham, imported Swiss, lettuce, real tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes and as much condiments (mayo, mustard, oil, vinegar, etc.) as you want, for 1 dollar. It was enough for a 3 people to share.

Back then different blocks had different ethnic foods. You just knew where to go for the best, Jewish, German, Polish, Hungarian, Irish and even Nordic food. Except for CFoN, Nedick's and the Automat there really were no chain restaurants. Even though these had real food, not a chemical mixture posing as food like McDonalds and other fast food and even chain restaurants like Red Lobster and Olive Garden.

Ahh, pizza. In those days you knew at least 3 blocks away if you were coming to a pizza parlor as we called them. For 15 or 20 cents you had the most delicious large slice with perfect crust.

I didn't say much about the Automat. It was not only a delicious but such a fun place for a kid. You put your money in the slot (5 - 50 cents depending on what you wanted) and you got to watch the thing spin and the door opened and out came your food. If you were lucky enough to go up to the little food cubicles when more items were being put out you got to see this mystery hand placing the food in the little cubicles. You could never see more than a hand. It was like "Thing" on the Adam's Family.

The food itself was so good. They had a tomato mack and cheese that everyone loved. My own favorite, mashed potatoes with mashed turnips, various sandwiches, and luscious, luscious desserts. They had these little chocolate spice cupcakes that came out two to a plate. OMG! Hot cocoa was 5 cents and poured from a lion's mouth, as did coffee and hot water for tea. In the back they had hot cafeteria food, all kinds of meat, potatoes, vegetables and such, all homemade and real.

I was born in 1952. There were still milkmen and seltzer guys delivering and a man with a horse drawn wagon selling produce.

Along Orchard St. there were blocks and blocks of people selling their products from pushcarts and on a Sunday the crowds were huge. It was where you went to get a good bargain.

Uptown was also divided into ethnic neighborhoods only with more expensive restaurants but around 10th Ave. in the 50s great bargain French restaurants could be found.

You could get the best seats at a B'way show for 5 dollars and stop for a wonderful meal and pink peppermint ice cream at Howard Johnson afterward or if was something very special a fancy place, still affordable for working class people.

A great department store too was S. Kline's on Union Square. They had a toy department that let kids play there all day and lower priced but not lower quality clothes. For a nice meal near there was Joe's Italian Kitchen. Best cutlets and spaghetti you can't imagine, great pizza too.

Rents, btw, under a 100 dollars for a two bedroom in an elevator building, under 80 for walk ups.

by Anonymousreply 118September 14, 2014 3:50 AM

R114 / R118 Those are great recollections!

I too remember the Automat and that counter-only restaurant with the great burgers in Macy's. I think it was called The Patio. In fact, I remember when Macy's was actually a fairly pleasant place to shop, not the tourist mob scene it's now become (and yes, as one final insult, there is now a McDonald's right inside Macy's.)

I grew up in San Francisco. We too were middle-class. And once I moved out on my own, in the 70s, fancy lunches were out. So Woolworth's luncheonette became a regular place for me.

The first time I went to Chock Full O' Nuts was in the late 70s, after a Broadway show. IIRC, it was on Broadway and 51st. I was very surprised when they closed at midnight. According to the line in BELLS ARE RINGING, 'It never shuts. Like Chock full o' Nuts', so I just assumed they were open all night.

by Anonymousreply 119September 14, 2014 12:04 PM

I went to Zum Zum in the Empire State Building every morning when I worked at B. Altman. r112's location was near Grand Central TERMINAL.

by Anonymousreply 120September 14, 2014 12:14 PM

Burger Chef

by Anonymousreply 121September 14, 2014 1:11 PM

Steak and Ale. It was so much fun.

by Anonymousreply 122September 14, 2014 1:50 PM

R114 I think your mom and my mom must have been related LOL. Trips to St. Louis, New York and here in Kansas City were filled with lunches ( chicken pot pies or albacore tuna salad sandwiches) in various department store tea rooms followed by trips to the book and record depts. while my mom and sister shopped for clothes. You were right, a different time and kids were safe wandering around dept. stores on their own.

by Anonymousreply 123September 14, 2014 2:12 PM

On my first trip to NYC, I thought the Automat was the most amazing place.

by Anonymousreply 124September 14, 2014 2:15 PM

In the 80s a friend called 411 and asked for The Automat on Third Avenue, the operator said "Fotomat?"

by Anonymousreply 125September 14, 2014 2:22 PM

R118 I think our tickets for FUNNY GIRL at the Winter Garden and HELLO, DOLLY! cost around $7.00 for front mezzanine seats. When I was in college, I would often do standing room for sold out shows. $5.00 and you didn't have to that lottery thing. you just walked up to the box office the morning of the performance and got your ticket. I miss that Howard Johnson's too. Do you remember that there was a second HoJo's across Broadway? The Taft Hotel had a nice coffee shop. So much of New York I miss including the movie palaces ((Rivoli, Criterion, Loewe's State) , Mayflower Donut Shop, Nathan's and when I was old enough to drink, the bar at the Piccadilly Hotel. I enjoy hearing your memories. We are both in the same age bracket

by Anonymousreply 126September 14, 2014 2:26 PM

In Jersey City by Journal Square . . .

The Canton Tea Garden

It was a real throwback to the Chinese restaurants you rarely see around anymore.

Trivia: The restaurant was where early scenes of the movie [italic]To Wong Foo[/italic] were filmed.

by Anonymousreply 127September 14, 2014 2:27 PM

[quote] Near Downtown LA there was a Lawry's Mexican Garden type place -- I never ate there, but enjoyed their bar snacks and pitchers of sangria by the fountain.

It's still there, but now it's the LA River Center and Gardens and is only used for special events. It was Lawry's California Center back in the day. They still have their PRIME RIB restaurant on La Cienega, and the Tam O'Shanter in Atwater Village.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 128September 14, 2014 2:37 PM

Sodini's

by Anonymousreply 129September 14, 2014 2:52 PM

The Cub Room

by Anonymousreply 130September 14, 2014 9:35 PM

Nickodell

Don the Beachcomber

The Tick Tock

by Anonymousreply 131September 14, 2014 9:38 PM

[quote]In those days a kid was safe.

They're still pretty safe. But, everyone is way too paranoid for a kid to be left alone. And, the parents would probably be brought up on neglect charges.

by Anonymousreply 132September 14, 2014 9:45 PM

r127, the former Chinese restaurant on the second floor is now a gym and fitness center.

by Anonymousreply 133September 14, 2014 11:33 PM

The Seafood Shanty chain of restaurants around Philly - One Nibble and You're Hooked

and

Chesapeake Bay Seafood House chain in the DC/Baltimore area. Get all the seafood you can eat!

by Anonymousreply 134September 15, 2014 12:29 AM

there's still a Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, CA.

by Anonymousreply 135September 15, 2014 1:09 AM

Hey r118, when do you think it was that people stopped going down to Orchard Street for bedding and sheets? I recall going to a big store (Cohen's?) after buying a small item from another place down the street, and the salesman at Cohen's took it out of my bag, looked at the receipt, and told me if I returned it, he would give me a better price on the same item. So I did! It was a place I returned to for years, always as if I was quite important!

It felt so small town!

by Anonymousreply 136September 15, 2014 2:26 AM

In LA, it is hard to find American Chinese restaurants now -- especially in the San Gabriel Valley. All those eateries now play to Beijing tourists.

I like sweet and sour pork, and Beef with Broccoli, and Kung Pao Chicken...

by Anonymousreply 137September 15, 2014 3:50 AM

[quote]All those eateries now play to Beijing tourists.

Seriously? You don't think they "play to" the millions of Asian immigrants who LIVE THERE?

by Anonymousreply 138September 15, 2014 4:19 AM

Maxwell's Plum on 64th and 1st. Same owners as Tavern on the Green but the food much better (at least until its last few years). When it first opened, it was one of the few NY restaurants to get four stars from Craig Claiborne. Our family went there all the time.

I also miss Swensen's - an ah-mazing ice cream/dessert restaurant on 65th and 2nd. We always used to go there after the movies.

I also miss UNO when it was good - like 25years ago. I think at some point in the 90s the company must have been bought out and then the quality went way down,

by Anonymousreply 139September 15, 2014 5:16 AM

Mama Buddha on Hudson. Its passing coincided with the decline of book and music stores, the increased mallification of Bleecker, and more general homogenizing of the city, and I often think it all went downhill after Msma Buddha closed.

In Boston, Bailey's for a BLT and a sundae.

by Anonymousreply 140September 15, 2014 5:33 AM

No r138 -- there was an article in the LA Times about how So Cal hospitality -- especially in the San Gabriel Valley -- is focused on tourist dollars now.

The immigrants are like the rest of us: no longer able to eat out as much as before.

by Anonymousreply 141September 15, 2014 5:41 AM

[quote] there's still a Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, CA.

It has the same name and some of the drinks, but it's not one of the original restaurants, nor does it serve the original menu.

by Anonymousreply 142September 15, 2014 11:58 AM

What tourists go to the San Gabriel Valley for a vacation?

by Anonymousreply 143September 15, 2014 12:02 PM

Great posts, R114-118. Very interesting!

by Anonymousreply 144September 15, 2014 12:07 PM

Here's a great site with recipes of favorite dishes from restaurants of yore

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 145September 15, 2014 12:19 PM

Several of these have been mentioned:

Chock full o'Nuts

Schraft's

Sign of the Dove

Tavern on the Green for the decor

Florent's

Empire Diner

Automat

Luchow's

One Potato

Chelsea Gallery

by Anonymousreply 146September 15, 2014 12:25 PM

I don't miss the old Fedora. Most of my friends loved it but I had the two worst tasting meals of my life there and the service was rude. Most people I knew didn't believe my stories but no one could drag me back for a third visit.

by Anonymousreply 147September 15, 2014 12:29 PM

Luchow's, R146? Is it possible to miss Luchow's? Do you remember Seymour Britchky on the subject?

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 148September 15, 2014 12:33 PM

I forgot David's Pot Belly on Christopher

by Anonymousreply 149September 15, 2014 12:36 PM

Teacher's on the UWS.

by Anonymousreply 150September 15, 2014 12:48 PM

Do Sandolino's and Elephant & Castle still exist in the Village?

by Anonymousreply 151September 15, 2014 1:08 PM

davids pot belly - aww memories - I lived right down the block in the early 90s.

by Anonymousreply 152September 15, 2014 1:29 PM

Do swensons still exist. I know they are an ice cream food chain. But I haven't seen any in years. There use to be onE in Greensboro and Wilmington NC.I remember the train on the ceiling that went around the room, tears*. Memories

by Anonymousreply 153September 15, 2014 1:37 PM

[quote]What tourists go to the San Gabriel Valley for a vacation?

Chinese tourists. There are entire companies set up to ferry them from the Newport Fashion Island and other upscale malls, to restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley.

There are also hotels there, where pregnant chinese women can live so their kids will be born American.

by Anonymousreply 154September 15, 2014 1:42 PM

In Boston: Kon Tiki Ports in the Sheraton. It was kitchy Polynesian decor, but had fun drinks and food.

Turner Fisheries in the Weston had a great happy hour in the 80s.

In Provincetown: Fat Jack's

by Anonymousreply 155September 15, 2014 2:01 PM

I miss Sambos, where they'd have all the white waiters in black face and get down on one knee and sing "Mamie"

by Anonymousreply 156September 15, 2014 2:25 PM

[quote] Do swensons still exist

The original Swensen's (Russian Hill, San Francisco) still exists, and franchises are scattered around the country, and the world.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 157September 15, 2014 2:34 PM

Maryland Fried Chicken

by Anonymousreply 158September 15, 2014 2:38 PM

Arthur Treacher's Original Fish and AIDS.

by Anonymousreply 159September 15, 2014 2:41 PM

[quote]I miss Sambos, where they'd have all the white waiters in black face and get down on one knee and sing "Mamie"

Leaving grammatical issues aside, did you perhaps mean "Mammy"?

by Anonymousreply 160September 15, 2014 3:32 PM

Windows on the World; El Sombrero, Ghiradelli Square; Carriage Trade, Beverly Boulevard; (Still remember weekend brunches/holidays, & Luis, the tall gorgeous waiter with vascular forearms/hands, beautiful bronze/brown skin, & eyes that absolutely captured me; Nachos, London.

by Anonymousreply 161September 15, 2014 4:55 PM

[quote]I miss Sambos, where they'd have all the white waiters in black face and get down on one knee and sing "Mamie"

And in the early years, Mrs. Eisenhower would swing by when she wasn't busy and refill your soda!

by Anonymousreply 162September 15, 2014 5:18 PM

E&C yes, don't know about Sandolino

by Anonymousreply 163September 15, 2014 5:54 PM

Jeez, r100, a scene from, "Cinema Verite" was filmed there. They are still beautiful grounds.

I'll add La Luna on Larchmont (CA). They got pushed out in favor of the brand stores.

by Anonymousreply 164September 15, 2014 6:24 PM

I miss the diners at Kresge and the white and colored sections.

by Anonymousreply 165September 15, 2014 6:35 PM

Ah, the good old days, R165. But for those hideous social changes, there might still be lunch counters at Woolworth's.

by Anonymousreply 166September 15, 2014 6:37 PM

r149, one of the co-owners of David's Pot Belly was John James of "Dynasty." His father was New York radio's "Morning Mayor" Herb Oscar Anderson on WABC.

by Anonymousreply 167September 15, 2014 7:59 PM

r151 Sandolino's on Barrow is gone. Elephant and Castle on Greenwich Avenue still has the same too-close tables.

by Anonymousreply 168September 15, 2014 8:04 PM

r140, was Mama Buddha at Hudson and 11th where the HSBC bank is now?

by Anonymousreply 169September 15, 2014 8:06 PM

Thanks, R163, R168.

by Anonymousreply 170September 15, 2014 8:14 PM

Luchow's.

by Anonymousreply 171September 15, 2014 8:32 PM

R166 How could there "still" be lunch counters at Woolworth's when there are no Woolworth's?

by Anonymousreply 172September 15, 2014 8:40 PM

The Colony

by Anonymousreply 173September 15, 2014 8:51 PM

Pancake house.

by Anonymousreply 174September 15, 2014 8:54 PM

I'm definitely going to miss Hamersley's Bistro in Boston when it closes next month. It was my absolute favorite special occasion restaurant. Right in the heart of the South End. Never disappointed.

by Anonymousreply 175September 15, 2014 8:59 PM

I miss what I consider to have been the gayest restaurant ever: The Landmark in Provincetown. The waiter would introduce himself by tapping his wand on the table, saying "Now that I have your attention, might I tell you of tonight's specials?" Also, the menu specifically mentioned that children were not allowed in the restaurant. Ever since the owners retired to move down to FL permanently, there have been quite a few other restaurants in the same location, but none has endured. The Landmark was truly from another era. I adored it.

by Anonymousreply 176September 15, 2014 9:07 PM

R172..because R166 is typing from 1962

by Anonymousreply 177September 15, 2014 9:07 PM

I also miss Magic Pans - I was born just at the tail end of Gen X so I remember them from when I was verrrry young. Fondue! Crepes! I love how in the 70s people thought that was so exotic and cool.

There used to be one on 57th street - and in practically every mall.

Also Legal Seafood before it became a mass chain was sooo good. It's still pretty good, but it used to be so much better.

by Anonymousreply 178September 15, 2014 9:28 PM

The NYC gay restaurant, Company, was pretty good, back in the day.

by Anonymousreply 179September 15, 2014 9:31 PM

I would love to open a restaurant just so I could print on the menu, "Please DO NOT bring your lousy kids here! We don't want to cater to them, or have them spoil an evening out for ADULTS!"

by Anonymousreply 180September 15, 2014 9:49 PM

Another vote for Bonanza. I loved to visit their salad bar.

by Anonymousreply 181September 15, 2014 9:52 PM

I think I liked that, too, R179. Was it on the east side of 3rd Ave in the 20s, maybe on the second floor?

by Anonymousreply 182September 15, 2014 10:57 PM

I think a handful of Bonanzas are actually still open.

by Anonymousreply 183September 15, 2014 11:04 PM

R172, you twit, but for the same social changes, there would still be Woolworth's.

by Anonymousreply 184September 16, 2014 12:26 AM

Is Luther's BBQ still around?

by Anonymousreply 185September 16, 2014 12:46 AM

Horn & Hardat's

by Anonymousreply 186September 16, 2014 1:01 AM

[quote] Is Luther's BBQ still around?

Nope. They sold to Pappas back in 2006

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 187September 16, 2014 1:29 AM

In NYC:

La Fondu: Crazy old faux Swiss fondu place in the theatre district. Loved it.

Un Deux Trois Cafe -- probably was tacky but the only French restaurant I ever went to in NYC.

Mama Leone's! No one talk of Mama L's and that truly SADDENS me.

by Anonymousreply 188September 16, 2014 1:29 AM

[quote] Un Deux Trois Cafe -- probably was tacky but the only French restaurant I ever went to in NYC.

pardon, Monsieur. We are still open.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 189September 16, 2014 1:40 AM

Thanks, R189. I thought 1-2-3 was still ouvert.

by Anonymousreply 190September 16, 2014 1:43 AM

But they don't serve Jell-O 1-2-3.

by Anonymousreply 191September 16, 2014 2:06 AM

[quote]But they don't serve Jell-O 1-2-3

Then they might as well be closed.

by Anonymousreply 192September 16, 2014 4:30 PM

I loved Jell-O 1-2-3

It was my favorite thing my negro cook used to make. Man could she sing. If she only didn't steal everything in site. Oh well, even if she stole, "ol' miss stump arms" could sing.

by Anonymousreply 193September 16, 2014 4:51 PM

R188 Mama Leones was the olive garden before the olive garden existed, Crap overcooked food was what they were famous for.

by Anonymousreply 194September 17, 2014 12:33 PM

Sally's Stage

by Anonymousreply 195September 17, 2014 4:57 PM

R193 I'm surprised she didn't make Whip'n'Chill.

by Anonymousreply 196September 17, 2014 5:07 PM

Whip'n'Chill was itself the product of a simpler age. Although it was based on cyclamates (those were so delicious), it could have been reformulated, except that a large segment couldn't walk down a grocery aisle past a product called "whip and chill" without snickering.

by Anonymousreply 197September 18, 2014 2:45 PM

Do they still make Dream Whip?

by Anonymousreply 198September 18, 2014 3:13 PM

R198, they still SELL Dream Whip. It is entirely possible that there are vast reserves of the stuff, all concocted in the 1960's.

by Anonymousreply 199September 18, 2014 3:27 PM

New Asia in San Gabriel Valley

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 200September 18, 2014 8:50 PM

The article is about the CITY of San Gabriel, not the San Gabriel Valley.

by Anonymousreply 201September 18, 2014 8:54 PM

La Crepe, several in Manhattan. Waitresses (they weren't "servers" then) were in costumes of provincial France.

by Anonymousreply 202September 18, 2014 8:58 PM

La Crepe? Seriously? If you pronounce that using a snippy Hercule Poirot accent, you can guarantee yourself a table near the restrooms.

by Anonymousreply 203September 18, 2014 9:07 PM

I miss Hamburger Hamlet when it was actually a nice restaurant for a family evening out.

by Anonymousreply 204September 18, 2014 9:09 PM

Arthur Treacher. So good.

by Anonymousreply 205September 18, 2014 9:10 PM

Le crepe actually had very good food.

Does anyone remember the Ginger Man across the street from Lincoln Center. So gay and some of the best French food in the city.

by Anonymousreply 206September 18, 2014 9:22 PM

[quote] I miss Hamburger Hamlet when it was actually a nice restaurant for a family evening out.

They had a little blue-and-white Hamburger Hamlet on the top floor of Bonwit Teller in Beverly Hills, which was only one of 2 Hamlets that served steak tartare (the other being the one on Sunset). Steak tartare and lobster bisque made for a perfect lunch while shopping along Wilshire.

They also had a Brunch Burger, which had a fried egg on top. Made for a great hangover cure.

Weren't they one of the first places to hire African-Americans for front-of-the-house positions?

by Anonymousreply 207September 18, 2014 11:02 PM

Sounds great!

by Anonymousreply 208September 18, 2014 11:06 PM

Les Pyrenees in the theater district was good and not expensive

by Anonymousreply 209September 18, 2014 11:08 PM

[quote] I miss Hamburger Hamlet when it was actually a nice restaurant for a family evening out.

According to la.eater.com, the Sherman Oaks Hamburger Hamlet reopened last weekend! Anybody out there in the Valley want to give us a report?

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 210September 18, 2014 11:21 PM

Yes, r206 - it was in Madonna's CPW building.

Went there a couple times with my parents - but they preferred Des Artistes.

by Anonymousreply 211September 18, 2014 11:39 PM

The one in Pasadena held on until last year, when it miraculously turned into a DuPar's overnight. (Still looks like HH inside, though.)

by Anonymousreply 212September 18, 2014 11:43 PM

Bruno's Pen and Pencil

by Anonymousreply 213September 18, 2014 11:52 PM

tennessee had a chain called backyard burgers for awhile. it was really good. the hot dogs were really fresh and had a great girlled bite to them. the chain didnt seem to make it though.

by Anonymousreply 214September 19, 2014 12:06 AM

correction. i just looked it up and there are a ton of backyard burgers around the country now. weird. they just kind of disappeared around where i was in tennessee.

by Anonymousreply 215September 19, 2014 12:07 AM

I grew up in Manhattan on the UES and we used to go to a restaurant called CAMELOT, at around 73rd and Third. It was an English medieval-themed restaurant that served Yorkshire pudding and roast beef, and of course other dishes, but I remember those. I'm sure that I would find the decor of large gothic chandeliers, red carpet and faux medieval accents tacky and quaint today, but as a kid, I was fascinated by it. There was always a wait for a table.

I used to go to a seafood restaurant called One Fish Two Fish on Madison Avenue above 96th, where you could eat a good fish dinner with veggies and a baked potato cheaply.

Rumpelmayr's on Central Park South, for hot chocolate and dessert after ice skating, and checking out the stuffed animals.

My Dad favored a large restaurant called The Puffing Billy on Madison and 86th that had of all things, train decor. I remember it as dark with deep red upholstery, and we went out to meals a lot there. They had the usual regulars at the breakfast counter every morning.

I used to go to Veselka and the Kiev when I was at college in the East Village. The food was cheap and filling, and the soups were excellent. The Kiev had Polish cooks, and the apple pancakes were my favorite meal. They served thick buttered slices of challah with their wonderful soup.

I also went to Dojo on St. Mark's like another poster upthread.

The Soup Burg had great burgers. There may still be one of those holes-in-the-wall open somewhere.

I used to go to Schrafft's and Horn & Hardart with my mother, as well as CFoN for those cream cheese and walnut bread sandwiches. When we went shopping for school clothes, we sometimes ate lunch at a department store like Bloomingdales or Lord and Taylor. Wasn't the cafe at L & T called The Birdcage?

I remember Swensen's for ice cream, and The Agora on Third Ave above 86th, that had beautiful turn of the century decor like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, and a boutique with beautiful clothes.

by Anonymousreply 216September 19, 2014 12:22 AM

R216 73rd and 3rd is RIGHT near where I grew up. When did this Camelot place exist?

Did you ever go to Fu's on Second btw 72nd and 73rd? West side of the street. Really good Chinese food and I don't love Chinese food. Very 80s vibe. Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft used to go there all the time (they incidentally also used to live in the same building - the Park Regis - as a cousin of ours.)

by Anonymousreply 217September 19, 2014 1:14 AM

R217, I don't know when it closed, but here's the listing, plus more restaurants to weep over.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 218September 19, 2014 1:23 AM

R218 ahhhh thanks so much for that I love you! That's funny because whenever I need to jog my memory I go online to the cue section of NYMag also. But Oct 1973 - I was born March '76, so that place may well have been before my time. Plus I fucking hate prime rib, so even if it had been around, I would have avoided it like the plague. Although it sounds like a place my late father would have liked.

I know that area super well, so I wonder hats in its place? BBQ maybe?

The Coach House - Ahhhh memories! Loved that place! The chocolate velvet cake oh my! When my mom was pregnant my dad used to bring home a whole pie for her - no she didn't eat it all in one night!

And Sign of the Dove it used to be right near another favorite Maxwell's Plum that I mentioned earlier.

Did you ever go to The Lion's Rock? That was on the UES very popular in the 80s I think it opened in the mid-70s. They had the most amazing pecan chicken and a fireplace. Chuck Scarborough used to go there a lot with his wife who was a Ford. Anne Ford, maybe?

Also another thing confirmed by that magazine...NY restaurants (ESP on the UES) used to be open a lot later.

by Anonymousreply 219September 19, 2014 2:02 AM

R217 Oh and Gage and Tollner too. Those were our family trips to Bklyn. Great crab cakes and pecan pie.

We were often the only white ppl there. Not that it matters.

by Anonymousreply 220September 19, 2014 2:40 AM

R220, the only people of color I ever saw there were the waiters. And that DID matter. I stopped going.

Used to like Sweets on Fulton Street, not for the fish but for the Nesselrode Pie. I was about eight, so I forgive myself.

I miss Vasata, on Second Avenue, along with a slew of Hungarian restaurants that disappeared.

I miss Charlie Trotter's, in Chicago, and I miss Charlie Trotter. (Not "Miss Charlie Trotter.")

by Anonymousreply 221September 19, 2014 2:37 PM

r218's link

1973 NYC. The last NYC before it fell way down, and climbed way up often in odd and disappointing ways.

Cafe Argenteuil or Per Se?

You didn't have to get on the phone two months in advance and beg for a table at Cafe Argenteuil.

by Anonymousreply 222September 19, 2014 2:56 PM

Cafe Argenteuil was part of a whole row of four or five almost indistinguishable bistros. La Toque Blanche was another of them. All of them were pleasant, accommodating, and didn't break the bank. Excuse me, banque.

by Anonymousreply 223September 19, 2014 5:23 PM

I wonder if anyone else will remember this one: Tab Tos on 5th Street in the East Village. I used to go there from roughly 2002 - 2008 (maybe?), when it changed owners and then eventually closed. It was a tiny hole in the wall, 5 small tables tops, crammed into a space the size of a takeout coffee counter. Delish fresh sushi, some with real crabmeat, Japanese noodle soup bowls, octopus and spicy tuna salads. Dirt cheap for the location and quality. BYOB. Run by a Japanese couple: they guy (who was the chef) was rumored to have learned sushi at Nobu. The woman was gruff, rule-addicted, never smiled, and ran the place with an iron fist. When you paid the bill you always got a little surprise sweet, some unidentified Japanese fruit or candy.

It was the kind of place I love. I'm not a foodie and other than very occasionally for a special day (bday or anniversary) I don't really enjoy big meals at fancy culinary temples. But I love to discover hidden and reasonably priced gems, clearly run out of someone's obsession and love of what they do and make.

by Anonymousreply 224September 19, 2014 8:05 PM

R211, I don't know that Chinese place you mentioned earlier, and yes, Dallas BarBBQ is where the Camelot was. I was passing by today and saw that JG Melon is still there a few blocks up, though I can't remember ever going there myself.

I didn't go to the Lion's Rock, either, sorry, but I am also about 20 years older than you, FWIW. I grew up walking by the old German restaurants and bars on East 86th like Barney Google's, Kleine Konditorei, and stores like Elk Candy, Bremen House. It was pretty lively back then.

We didn't have the money to dine at fine restaurants growing up, and I certainly didn't as a young adult and frankly, still don't, unless it's a special occasion. I dated a foodie for a while and did get to eat at places I would never have known about much less visited, which was fun, but I wasn't as into it as he was.

by Anonymousreply 225September 20, 2014 2:58 AM

Places that don't give me food poisoning.

by Anonymousreply 226September 21, 2014 6:41 AM

BENNAGINS miss it so so much

btw if everyone is so anti corporate in America, how come all my god damn independent restaurants are closing, while fucking chipotle and chick fila and panda express garbage is growing!!!

by Anonymousreply 227September 21, 2014 7:18 AM

[quote] I miss Hamburger Hamlet when it was actually a nice restaurant for a family evening out.

Someone just took over and re-opened the Hamburger Hamlet in Sherman Oaks, keeping the favorite menu items.

by Anonymousreply 228September 22, 2014 11:38 AM

r182, Company was on Columbus around 79th. At the same time a restaurant on "Guiding Light" used the same name. Musta been an inside joke.

by Anonymousreply 229September 22, 2014 11:59 AM

Anyone remember the original CITRUS on Melrose? At the time it was super pretentious, LA style all white modern exterior, glass walled kitchen, cool stylish patio and celebes every night, not to mention a very famous chef Michel Richard.

by Anonymousreply 230September 22, 2014 12:13 PM

ERNIE'S in San Francisco.

by Anonymousreply 231September 24, 2014 11:23 PM

[quote] ERNIE'S in San Francisco.

@Kelt, don't get me started about San Francisco. I ate at Ernie's only once (far too expensive for regular visits), but I miss so many old San Francisco restaurants, high and low:

The Hippo Vanessi's (on Broadway, not the one on Nob Hill) Blum's Alta Plaza The Patio Cafe Fanny's The Doggie Diner

by Anonymousreply 232September 25, 2014 1:43 PM

Speaking of San Francisco, I used to love Le Domino (can't remember the address).

by Anonymousreply 233September 25, 2014 2:05 PM

I loved Luchows, Once upon a Stove, La Buena Mesa. La Buena Mesa had a umpteen course dinner with much wine. I remember taking my girl friends there and getting very drunk.

by Anonymousreply 234January 17, 2015 8:46 PM

The Maisonette Cincinnati

by Anonymousreply 235January 17, 2015 10:47 PM

Rax! Do they still have those anywhere?

by Anonymousreply 236January 17, 2015 11:14 PM

Lutece

by Anonymousreply 237January 19, 2015 2:19 PM

R229, the restaurant named Company that I'm thinking of was located on 3rd Avenue in the mid-1970s. Company Restaurant in Springfield didn't exist until the '90s IIRC. I didn't know of one on the UWS.

by Anonymousreply 238January 19, 2015 2:33 PM

Bishop's Restaurant, Lawrence, Mass.

Scholl's Cafeteria, Washington, DC

Herb's on P Street, Washington, DC

Avignon Freres, Washington, DC

Tip for Tops'n, Provincetown, Mass.

by Anonymousreply 239January 19, 2015 2:37 PM

Have you seen this book, R239?

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by Anonymousreply 240January 19, 2015 2:42 PM

Phipps Fountain and Tea Room, New York

by Anonymousreply 241January 19, 2015 2:44 PM

Did anyone vote for Sambo's?

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by Anonymousreply 242January 19, 2015 2:50 PM

Sandolino's

by Anonymousreply 243January 19, 2015 2:51 PM

Back in 1977, there was this lovely little sandwich shop on 77th and First called Subway. It was one-of-a-kind, something that hadn't been done before.

It closed in 1980. I missed it.

by Anonymousreply 244January 19, 2015 2:52 PM

For fast food: Roy Rogers

by Anonymousreply 245January 19, 2015 2:53 PM

R242,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nm-VKy4HUs

by Anonymousreply 246January 19, 2015 2:54 PM

The Spartan Coffee Shop. Great hole-in-the-wall on 77th and Second.

by Anonymousreply 247January 19, 2015 2:57 PM

Joe Jr's on 6th Ave

Maxwell's Plum

Top of the Sixes!

by Anonymousreply 248January 19, 2015 2:58 PM

All of the First Woks.

by Anonymousreply 249January 19, 2015 2:59 PM

Okay, R246!

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by Anonymousreply 250January 19, 2015 2:59 PM

Dojo's

Under the Clock

by Anonymousreply 251January 19, 2015 2:59 PM

Claire - the first gay restaurant in Chelsea

18th and 8th

The Automat

by Anonymousreply 252January 19, 2015 3:00 PM

New York in the 70's: Oscar's Salt of the Sea on Third Avenue. They used to have a waitress there who looked like a Norell model. Streisand and Elliot Gould lived upstairs in the early 60s. Zum-Zum, the chain Mandarin East on Second Ave. at 57th Street The Mayfair - wall-to-wall gays and Ethel Merman Les Tournebroches in the Citicorp Building

Boston in the 80's: Bnu in the theatre district Romagnoli's Table in Faneuil Hall Joyce Chen's

Philadelphia: Susanna Foo's on Walnut Street

by Anonymousreply 253January 19, 2015 3:35 PM

Little Bit Of Cuba and Big Hunk O' America

by Anonymousreply 254April 6, 2017 3:00 PM

Chi-Chi's. Fuck you high brow cunts.

by Anonymousreply 255April 6, 2017 3:03 PM

OP: Ugh. Another NYC idiot who is attempting to convince himself and everyone else it is the place to be.

No, it really isnt. You pay far too much to live in a consumerist, trashy shit hole. Seriously- stop trying to convince yourself and everyone else how great it is. Those times are gone, and most other states (Oregon, California, Washington, Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, Minn...........to name a few) have totally surpassed that rathole. Get over it! You pay too much to live there and deep down you hate it. And, yes....I grew up there and left ten years ago.

by Anonymousreply 256April 6, 2017 3:11 PM

The Black Eyed Pea.

Yeah, and I just happen to be black too. Whatev. Their food was absolutely delicious. Omg..

by Anonymousreply 257April 6, 2017 3:32 PM

The Crystal Tea Room at the old John Wanamakers in Philadelphia.

by Anonymousreply 258April 6, 2017 3:44 PM

A chain (not sure how big) in the 1960s and '70s: Kings Food Host. Kind of like a diner/pancake house place. Lots of booths. And phones (!) at each booth to "call in" your order! I thought we were super-elegant to be "dining" there. Loved their "Texas toast." The logo was a giant crown (pictured at link).

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by Anonymousreply 259April 6, 2017 3:46 PM

For most of my teen years and a few of my preteen I lived across the street from a Mom and Pop drive in restaurant. Well it was actually more of a Pop drive in restaurant because an old man was the only one I ever remember running the place. He gave me free root beer a few times and he made the best food. He had a hamburger called "The Whopper", not sure if he ripped off the name from Burger King or not.

It had three buns, a special sauce similar to the Big Mac, the top half was a cheeseburger with lettuce, sauce and tomato, the bottom half was thinly sliced grilled ham. Best sandwich I have ever had.

by Anonymousreply 260April 6, 2017 3:57 PM

[quote] The Black Eyed Pea.

There are still a few around. The last one I went to was in Humble, TX, when I got stranded overnight at Intercontinental Airport. Chicken fried steak, fried corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and peach cobbler for dessert. And people wonder why Americans are so fat.

To be honest, it wasn't as good as it was in the '80s, but then, neither am I.

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by Anonymousreply 261April 6, 2017 4:17 PM

Shopsin's.

I was going to say Cosmic Diner, but I googled and apparently some version of it is still open.

by Anonymousreply 262April 6, 2017 4:41 PM

sounds like a bunch of slop

by Anonymousreply 263April 6, 2017 4:46 PM

Also, the Southern Kitchen in Charleston, WV.

by Anonymousreply 264April 6, 2017 4:47 PM

Wow R261, certainly nice to know. I thought that The Black Eyed Pea went completely out of business and not just here in the KC metro area. I ate there at least 3 times a week back in the early 90's. And had to lose an extra 70 lbs. in the mid 90's. T.B.E.P. destroyed my waistline and wardrobe. (social/dating life too)

The pork chops, fried catfish, batter dipped chicken tender strips were absolutely to die for. Sometimes I couldn't make up my mind. I'd ALWAYS order the tender, juicy pork chops.. and either the catfish or chicken strips along with it.

P.S. - I haven't eaten pork since 1999 -- or any non-kosher seafood. Probably helps me keep the pounds off 20 years later.

by Anonymousreply 265April 6, 2017 4:54 PM

I probably posted this when the thread appeared all those years ago, but I really miss Victoria Station. My favorite was the one in Universal City

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by Anonymousreply 266April 6, 2017 5:26 PM

Back in the 60's there was a little place on oakwood and maple. Great little place.

by Anonymousreply 267April 6, 2017 5:28 PM

San Francisco - great diner on Castro, had the best French fries. Can't recall the name, something like the Back Yard, maybe the Patio

Boston - Elsie's hamburger place, off Harvard Square, Brigham's - mostly ice cream, but I loved their raspberry lime rickeys

Waikiki - King's Coffee Shop had the best French toast, made from King's Hawaiian bread

New York -

Schraft's had the best wintergreen mint patties, dark chocolate over pink mint filling

Roast Beef 'N Brew/ Steak 'N Brew - had all-you-can-drink beer/wine/sangria

Tad's Steakhouse- 1.99 steak dinner outlets in Times Square; best baked potatoes I've ever had

Howard Johnson's - best package brownies I've ever had

Horn & Hardhart Automat - sticky buns were great!

Luchow's - had these huge glasses of beer with some kind of raspberry sauce in it

Wong Kee - very affordable Chinese on Hester St. near Canal

Hong Fat - favorite Chinatown Chinese place for a lot of people, excellent sweet & sour sauce

Brooklyn Heights:

Cadman Plaza Coffee Shop on Montague St. near the Promenade

Capulet's on Montague St. - great burgers

Chuan Yuan - for years my favorite Chinese place

Su Su's Yum Yum - good Szechuan place, great string beans!

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn:

Lundy's seafood restaurant- best lobster bisque ever

by Anonymousreply 268April 6, 2017 7:00 PM

I still cry for Elsie's and the sandwich makers whose hands were a blur of speed.

by Anonymousreply 269April 6, 2017 7:02 PM

Elsie's had the best double burger, called the Elsie Burger. I was back in Boston after 30 years, and it was gone. It's now some cell phone place. Yikes!

by Anonymousreply 270April 6, 2017 7:16 PM

Elsie's closed in 1995 -- the wonderful guy who owned it got tired and old, and deserved a good rest, but we still miss him and his sandwiches very much.

by Anonymousreply 271April 6, 2017 7:20 PM

The Blue Fox and Neon Chicken in San Francisco. Yes, I'm old as dirt.

by Anonymousreply 272April 6, 2017 7:21 PM

In the Village (NYC): The Waverly Inn, before its became a celebrity joint, Bayamo, a fun place after shopping downtown and The Cactus Cafe, across the street from Tower Records on 4th Street, amazing Mexican fare at a moderate price and the staff was wonderful.

There was a great brunch place in the East Village, forgot the name, near Loves Saves the Day. Think LSTD is gone too!

Is Lucky Strike in Soho still around? That was another fun place to people watch. I used to see Bebe Neuwirth there.

by Anonymousreply 273April 6, 2017 7:29 PM

R272, I knew a man who either owned the Neon Chicken or was a chef there. His name was Howard.

by Anonymousreply 274April 6, 2017 7:57 PM

In the '70s, there was a restaurant someone used to take me to in Chelsea, either on 7th or 8th Avenue. They had either a glass ceiling or a retracting roof in the rear dining room, and IIRC, the front was an antique store. Does anyone know where I'm talking about? (There was always so much drama with this friend, it was often hard to pay attention to our physical surroundings.)

by Anonymousreply 275April 6, 2017 8:00 PM

Was there a Victoria Station in Ocean Park?

by Anonymousreply 276April 6, 2017 8:01 PM

Lox Around the Clock was fun, think it was in Chelsea. Oddly enough, the restaurant had a beach theme!

by Anonymousreply 277April 6, 2017 8:04 PM

La Fabula in West Hollywood. Fantastic chips and salsa and cheap pitchers of Margaritas on Sunday afternoons.

by Anonymousreply 278April 6, 2017 8:09 PM

There was a Mexican place on La Cienega near Elektra-Asylum records where I had gazpacho for the first time. I used to drive in from Santa Monica just for the gazpacho (and the dick I'd find around the corner) .

by Anonymousreply 279April 6, 2017 8:14 PM

The Red Barn, and their fabulous fried chicken.

by Anonymousreply 280April 6, 2017 8:32 PM

York Steak House.

Elby's Big Boy

by Anonymousreply 281April 6, 2017 8:34 PM

In Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill), there was once a terrific restaurant called Sodini's. I would order the Crab Devonshire.

by Anonymousreply 282April 6, 2017 8:40 PM

The Cookery, at University and 8th, had phenomenal jazz and blues brunches.

by Anonymousreply 283April 6, 2017 8:42 PM

VIP's

There used to be a string of them along Interstate 5 in the 1970s.

Also, I know the restaurant name is unpopular, but dammit, Sambo's had good pancakes! There's one restaurant left in Santa Barbara.

by Anonymousreply 284April 6, 2017 8:47 PM

Yes, I remember The Cookery!

Is 1/5th still open, think it was on University? A friend rented it out for a party, that was eons ago.

by Anonymousreply 285April 6, 2017 8:49 PM

It's been overtaken by Mario Batali, R285. Called Otto.

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by Anonymousreply 286April 6, 2017 8:52 PM

I liked itchy's.

by Anonymousreply 287April 6, 2017 8:53 PM

Rosoff's New York and Boston.

by Anonymousreply 288April 6, 2017 8:53 PM

La Normandie in downtown Cincinnati

And another vote for the original Arthur Treacher's

by Anonymousreply 289April 6, 2017 8:54 PM

So many memories here! in no special order... Luchow's with the family Mamma Leone's Company for Sunday brunch at 4:00... Sign of the Dove (still the most beautiful place I have ever eaten) Windows on the World Uncle Charley's on 3rd La Chaumiere (so romantic!) Trilogy Top of the Six's Hawaii Kai (awful food, but fun) One Potato The Leopard Vong Sumptuary Ma Bell's Match Arthur's (Weehawken)

by Anonymousreply 290April 6, 2017 9:09 PM

Arthur Treachers

Zuider ZEE

Molly Murphys

Grandys

by Anonymousreply 291April 6, 2017 9:09 PM

[quote]Luchow's with the family Mamma Leone's Company for Sunday brunch at 4:00

What in God's name was the family Mama Leone's Company?

by Anonymousreply 292April 6, 2017 9:12 PM

[quote]Sumptuary

Loved Sumptuary in the 1970s.

by Anonymousreply 293April 6, 2017 9:14 PM

When Chelsea was the Gayborhood there was a restaurant named 18th& 8th it was on the corner of 18th St and 8th ave. The food was good, the atmosphere was wonderful especially at breakfast or brunch.

by Anonymousreply 294April 6, 2017 9:15 PM

[quote]When Chelsea was the Gayborhood

Did people actually refer to it as "the gayborhood"?

by Anonymousreply 295April 6, 2017 9:18 PM

I really miss Thumper's in Seattle. They had a basic menu that was pretty good, but they live piano which I loved...it was a great place to go if you were over the bar scene, but wanted to feel a sense of community. It was the type of place where you would see older couples in their 70's along with young couples on dates, it was nice.

by Anonymousreply 296April 6, 2017 9:25 PM

Before it was 1/5th, it was Patricia Murphy's, genteel place catering to ladies of a certain age.

Or, to put it another way, the Ladies Who Lunch.

In the movie SUMMER WISHES WINTER DREAMS, as I recall, a scene between Joanne Woodward and Sylvia Sidney, playing her mother, was filmed there. I remember walking by and seeing all the cables and lights inside.

I lived in that building for 3 years, when it was an NYU dorm.

by Anonymousreply 297April 6, 2017 10:07 PM

Mario Batali, the pink porker, has taken over NYC. I cannot stand his smugness. He's revolting. He literally looks like a pig! Did Gwennie have an affair with him? They deserve each other. ugh

by Anonymousreply 298April 6, 2017 10:10 PM

Sadly, I suppose we have to add the Four Seasons to this list now.

Whatever happens in its new incarnation(s), it will never been the same.

For one evening, you could pretend you were in the 1%.

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by Anonymousreply 299April 7, 2017 12:34 AM

Macin ,Ga Len Bergs, The Green Jacket

Atlanta The Bar on Peachtree, some old Troll always bought my lunch, as a young gayling, now Im an old troll.Any Peasant restaurant.The Silver Grill and Peggy. What happened to her? The gay bar restaurant next to burkharts.

St.Augustine Santa Maria Seafood. Feeding crackers to the fish as a kid.

New Orleans, Ruby Reds

NYC, Tavern on the Green, for the atmosphere.

by Anonymousreply 300April 7, 2017 1:27 AM

Macon, Ga for above

by Anonymousreply 301April 7, 2017 1:32 AM

The courtyard at Jacques in Chicago

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by Anonymousreply 302April 7, 2017 1:44 AM

Wow, Someone remembers Prexy's! How about its successor that delivered the burgers on a model train? Patricia Murphy's served popovers that to me were so exotic. The Bagel on W 4th St that always had a great mix of customers. And the greatest tragedy of the all, Sutter's ( and, yes, it served good in the cafe so it qualifies as a restaurant).

by Anonymousreply 303April 7, 2017 1:49 AM

In New York? Il Menestrello.

by Anonymousreply 304April 7, 2017 1:50 AM

MacKinnon's, Northville, Mich.

by Anonymousreply 305April 7, 2017 1:52 AM

Fournou's Ovens, San Francisco

by Anonymousreply 306April 7, 2017 1:58 AM

I grew up around 14th street in the 70s and in my childlike view nothing was more elegant and wonderful than when my mother would take me to Luchow's and a Shirley Temple would be placed in front of me mysteriously shortly after being seated. I do not even remember the food. Although I vaguely remember German Pancakes. There are so many people that remember the places that I miss on this thread. It is really kind wonderful but also makes me sad.

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by Anonymousreply 307April 7, 2017 2:02 AM

Chowhaus, Montclair Village, Oakland

by Anonymousreply 308April 7, 2017 2:04 AM

Mack's Rib Shack, on the corner of Avalon Bl and Imperial Hwy, best damn food anywhere in Los Angeles. I think they closed in the early 90's.

by Anonymousreply 309April 7, 2017 2:16 AM

Home Sweet Home - old haunted mansion built in 1929 converted into a restaurant in Novi, Michigan

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by Anonymousreply 310April 7, 2017 2:28 AM

In NY, Sign of the Dove. Chock Full O Nuts, Schrafts, The Times Square Nathens that was so seedy in the 80s and I loved. There were these two burger places one was called Bun n Burger the other was called Hamburger Heaven. There was a place my mother used to take me to in the 70s that no one remembers but me I believe it might have been in the fashion district. It was very waspy and genteel. When you walked in they had a cashier where you paid and next to the cashier shelves of stuffed animals of all things. it had seating in the back but the long counter was the real star. They had a menu of all these kind of olden type drinks such as Lime Rickeys. They served this lemonade with cut up fruit strawberries and served in tall glasses with long spoons and these striped straws. I always got the BlL on white toast with mayo. It was heaven. I am pretty sure it was called Pecks I believe, and I have searched but never found any mention of it. I also remember there was for a short time somewhere in the 30s in the Rug district a conveyer belt Sushi place that my mother used to take me too. That was great fun and they charge you by the plate size and color when you got your check.

by Anonymousreply 311April 7, 2017 2:33 AM

Butterfields, sigh, thanks to who mentioned it above. My boss took me there for lunch many a time and it was perfect. I think you can see it immortalized in many an L.A. set movie from the '80s like "The Big Picture" and "L.A. Story." Was always so packed, I can't believe anyone let it go away.

by Anonymousreply 312April 7, 2017 3:03 AM

Funny how even native New Yorkers thought Luchow's was a Chinese restaurant!

by Anonymousreply 313April 7, 2017 4:16 AM

Florent in NYC. Miss the place, but glad it did not live to see what happened to the neighborhood The Stables in Houston (Westheimer), honest drinks, regular River Oaks clientele, & Maggie

by Anonymousreply 314April 7, 2017 4:46 AM

R313, wasn't Luchow's a German or maybe Hungarian restaurant on the upper East Side? If I'm not mistaken, I think I paid $25 for a really good dinner there in 1980, when $25 was a lot of money for me.

by Anonymousreply 315April 7, 2017 5:09 AM

Perinos. It was my place.

by Anonymousreply 316April 7, 2017 5:23 AM

I just looked up Luchow's. I got it wrong.

by Anonymousreply 317April 7, 2017 5:25 AM

Jan's on Beverly Blvd. in LA.

Best coffee. Waitresses straight out of Central Casting.

Big portions; okay prices.

by Anonymousreply 318April 7, 2017 5:37 AM

In Boston, I miss the Oak Bar at the Copley Plaza which has been remodeled into a generic farm to table restaurant, all the opulence removed. We'd go at Christmas, as young adults, with my parents, who used to go there when they were young. After college I spent a couple of years running around to clubs like Zanzibar and The Links Club, often having brunch at St. Botoph in the South End. All those places are long gone now.

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by Anonymousreply 319April 7, 2017 5:55 AM

[quote]St. Botoph

Don't forget the "L."

by Anonymousreply 320April 7, 2017 6:17 AM

Luchow's and The Palladium concert hall were knocked down to create more NYU dorms!

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by Anonymousreply 321April 7, 2017 10:52 AM

[quote] Fournou's Ovens, San Francisco

Yes! I lived on Nob Hill and it was a wonderful restaurant for special events, or just a romantic dinner. They've replaced it with some generic-appeal-to-the-Millennials place called Aurea Café.

They were famous for their dinners, but they also had wonderful breakfasts.

After I moved away, I'd still come to SF on business regularly and I'd always stay at the Stanford Court, primarily so I could have their sourdough French toast or lemon souffle pancakes.

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by Anonymousreply 322April 7, 2017 7:57 PM

The Hearth 'n Kettle in Orleans on Cape Cod. They still have one in Hyannis and one in Yarmouth but that's too far to go for what it is (like a 4 star Denny's). The Orleans restaurant was huge. They are turning it into yet another damned CVS.

by Anonymousreply 323April 7, 2017 8:21 PM

In NYC Zum Zum German fast food I loved their mixed grill with German potato salad.

by Anonymousreply 324April 8, 2017 11:52 AM

Oh, speaking of Cape Cod, r323, I miss Rags and Roses—used to be in Orleans. Famous for their anadama bread.

by Anonymousreply 325April 11, 2017 6:25 PM

Is Hamburger Hamlet back from the dead?

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by Anonymousreply 326April 11, 2017 6:49 PM

I used to go to the Hamburger Hamlet in Chevy Chase, DC. I always ordered lobster bisque. Does anyone remember other HH restaurants in DC?

by Anonymousreply 327April 11, 2017 6:52 PM

La Maisonette, Cincinnati

by Anonymousreply 328April 11, 2017 6:56 PM

When I heard that Jesse's El Conquistador in Silverlake had closed, a little part of my soul died. The place was a crazy, beautiful explosion of Mexican tile, bright colors, live plants, gorgeous fresh flowers and oddball art. Their food was excellent, but even better was their staff, a big happy family of gay & straight co-workers that made every guest feel like part of the family, too. Some of the waiters wore spectacular matador outfits, and they looked magnificent.

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by Anonymousreply 329April 11, 2017 7:44 PM

There was an Italian eatery on Theatre Row. With a lovely back terrace. A bit of a luxury restaurant. Haven't lived in NY in 20 years. What was the name of it. It was always a pleasure.

by Anonymousreply 330April 11, 2017 7:46 PM

Orsini’s ?

by Anonymousreply 331April 11, 2017 7:49 PM

R300, Peggy died seven years ago. Wonderful lady with a big heart.

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by Anonymousreply 332April 11, 2017 7:51 PM

Orso?

by Anonymousreply 333April 11, 2017 7:57 PM

The Old Spinning Wheel, Hinsdale, IL

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by Anonymousreply 334April 11, 2017 8:39 PM

Great story I wouldn't have known about. Thanks, R332.

by Anonymousreply 335April 11, 2017 8:53 PM

Can anyone tell me about Mamma Leone’s and The Little Hippodrome? I found some vintage matches from these places.

by Anonymousreply 336April 9, 2021 1:35 AM

Trader Vics.

by Anonymousreply 337April 9, 2021 2:01 AM

Too many to count( I’m from NYC) The Brasserie , Chock Full O’Nuts, Luchows, Bun and Burger. Schrafts., Windows on The World. The Eclair on 72nd street had the best breakfast that was my childhood that place. All the Greek diners . Tazita de Oro on the UWS . Carnegie Deli . 2nd Avenue Deli . I used to love going to Joe Allen’s after the theater with my mother as a kid, she would let me order Whisky Sours underage . I could go on all day.

by Anonymousreply 338April 9, 2021 2:08 AM

The Velvet Turtle and the original Marie Callendar's: never got my dream of high school formal dinner at the first, but the latter franchise just on the outskirts of Los Angeles served everything from corned beef dinners to Osso Buco perfectly in beautiful oak, brass, and real stained glass surroundings--including a comedy club (until a dreadful Millenium merger).

by Anonymousreply 339April 9, 2021 3:03 AM

Bump

by Anonymousreply 340April 9, 2021 10:06 PM

Can anyone tell me about Mamma Leone’s and The Little Hippodrome? I found some vintage matches from these places.

by Anonymousreply 341April 9, 2021 11:43 PM
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