Santa Fe Station in Long Beach California.
It featured the cuisine of New Mexico. Had fresh tortillas flown in from Santa Fe all the time. Great Mexican breakfast dishes. Wonderful coffee. Potatoes were actually cooked correctly. I still miss it.
The theme was that of a Train Station. Had a little toy choo choo that ran along a track in the rafters. Problem may have been that it looked too much like a train station on the outside and not enough like a restaurant.
Hunh. Well, I don’t rightly know. The one I went to was in Midtown, on Peachtree just south of 10th. Wonder if they moved?
I miss Chi Chi’s. Steak El Paso was da bomb.
I think Hu Hot is still in business but the only one around here closed years ago, that was a huge shame, so much better than BD’s. Place was always packed, so I don’t see why they closed. Maybe an employee was embezzling or something.
Long John’s in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, the 1980s. Mid-week, they had an all-you-can-eat dinner for less than $20.00 per person–steamer clams (and the clam-ish, buttery liquid they steamed in, if you so desired it, via samovar-like appliances with faucets), Alps of chilled peel your own shrimp, heavenly tender popovers, chocolate mousse …
Ben’s of Montreal. Although I personally prefer Montreal’s Schwartz’s over Ben’s, I still mourn the loss, for if it weren’t for Ben’s and the Habs, I would not exist.
My parents would eat Ben’s smoked meat sandwiches while watching the Rocket and the Pocket practicing in the Forum. I was born nine months to the day from when they won the Cup.
Evansville Indiana. I grew up going to a local bar called Ol’ Sweig’s, in the family room of course. They had the best fried chicken I have ever eaten. They’ve been closed for probably 25 years and I can still remember the taste… even how it smelled. God what I would give for some of it now.
They are still around in Chicago.
I was recently surprised to learn that they are all still family owned! No franchises - every single White Castle is still owned by the same family business. And they are still awesome.
If you aren’t lucky enough to live near one, check your frozen food section at the grocery store. The frozen burgers aren’t as good as hot from the grill, but they’re not bad.
There was a family restaurant in Manitou Springs, Colorado, called the Dutch Kitchen that had the most homey atmosphere, friendly service and great food. The menu was very simple – mostly sandwiches with high-quality meats like corned beef and other components, and just potato chips and a pickle on the side. Very, very tasty and comforting, enjoyed in 50-year-old booths and knotty pine on the walls.
But the pie. Oh, my – they usually had at least a dozen different pie varieties, all made right there, every day. The specialty was buttermilk pie, which was incredible.
It closed several years ago after one of the owners (and piemaker) passed away unexpectedly. Man, I miss that place every time we drive through or past Manitou.
Detroit area. I vaguely remember Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips being pretty good. They’ve been gone from the area for years. They had a distinctive-looking sign post at most of their locations.
I’ll vote for Chi-Chi’s too.
When I was a kid, my father took me to the Star Bar-B-Q in Roanoke Va every Sunday for lunch. Somebody was always calling for “Al,” a person we never saw, and the jukebox had “Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer”.
After lunch, Dad would take me to shoot basketball.
I miss that time and place.
Ditto on nightshadea’s* Pioneer Chicken. I was probably twenty years old before I even tasted KFC and I thought it was so inferior I could understand why it was so popular. I think someone mentioned Farrells ice cream parlor. Along with that I’ll mention Shakey’s Pizza. These are all places I remember from SoCal. The only one I can think of in my current location is a place called** Shoney’s** that had a kick ass breakfast buffet.
Jasmine in Encino, California.
Billed as ‘Manhattan Style Chinese Food’. It was situated next to a Comedy Club on Ventura Blvd. It was wonderful. The best General Tso’s Chicken I ever had. Never tasted a bad dish. As a garnish, the sculpted flowers out of jicama and other veggies. And you got candied walnuts as a desert, whether you ordered them or not.
They were always busy. Had a big dining room, always pretty full. Plus take-out.
They sold out to a typical, dime-a-dozen Chinese outfit. Nothing special. It has changed hands several times since then.
While I know these aren’t all totally gone, I spent a great deal of time in the late 70’s through the 1980’s eating at the Ponderosa Steak Houses. Sure, the steaks weren’t the type you’d get at a Ruth’s Chris or at a Sullivans, but for those with not a lot of money to spend you could get a great deal for a dinner and could spend hours at their salad/food bars.
About two years ago I found one in southwestern. PA. It was okay, but just not the same as it was in their heyday.
The Automat on 42nd Street was the first place I ate by myself. I was quite fond of the mac and cheese.
My other choice is Pewter Pot, a muffin house in the Boston area. Best muffins ever, and great place to take a date after a movie or something.
When I was I grad school we used to go to a restaurant in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh called Gullifty’s. Food was fine but you went for the desserts. Huge glass case with homemade desserts. So good… I haven’t been back since I finished school, but I heard they closed a few years back. Sad.
I try to avoid the frozen White Castle burgers. As you say, they aren’t as good. But, if you can find a 7-Eleven that sells packaged, UNFROZEN ones like they do near me, those are very very close to being as good as the ones hot from the grill. They come in two-packs in the sandwich section for around two bucks.
Farrell’s ice cream parlor. There are a few left, but nowhere near me. How I would love to have taken my daughter - it was simply awesome as a kid!
Indy man here. I had a birthday party at Farrell’s in the 70s. It was a great ice cream place. Where was it located, and was there more than one? (I was a little kid, so I never thought about geography.)
We just lost Sichuan up in Carmel a few months ago, probably the Indy area’s most authentic Chinese restaurant. Just gone… and it had a massive lunch crowd every day for the buffet, plus a big Chinese crowd for the authentic buffet on the weekend. No idea why it went under.
Casa Mauleón, in Pamplona, was a family favorite. The whole family.
It’s my baseline for “restaurant with a friendly atmosphere and a wide selection of dishes rooted in local tradition”.
