# What restaurants do you miss that are gone.



## LadyCook61 (Sep 26, 2008)

I miss Mama Leone's in NY, out of  business.


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## jabbur (Sep 26, 2008)

The Fisherman's Wharf here in Hampton VA.  They had a great seafood buffet and wonderful waterside location.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 26, 2008)

No doubt, Hofbrauhus Highlands, NJ.  THE Best German restaurant ever.  Would kill for their meatball appy.


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## smoke king (Sep 26, 2008)

Well here I go again, demonstrating my sophisticated palette-I miss Shakeys Pizza!

Oh, and I wouldn't mind a waffle house closer than 100 miles from Omaha either!!


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## B'sgirl (Sep 26, 2008)

Gandalfos. I know they still exist, but not in my city and it makes me so sad! There are like 6 Subways within 15 minutes--don't ask me how that happened because Gandolfos is far superior IMO.


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## sattie (Sep 26, 2008)

Tippin's - man their pies were off the hook!!!!!  
Bahama Breeze - I really thought this place was doing well... then POOF!  It's gone!

Those are about the only two I can think of at the moment.  Maybe later today when the fog clears in my head... I will have thought of more!


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## sattie (Sep 26, 2008)

OHHHHH.. I thought of one more!  Italian Garden... they had those little garlic bread slices, oh my I could eat my weight of those things!!!


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## GB (Sep 26, 2008)

Arther Treachers (sp?). When I was growing up in NJ I recall going there and loving it. I have not seen one since I was about 4. I do not know if they still exist or if they were even any good, but I have fond memories of going there.


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## pdswife (Sep 26, 2008)

I know there are still A & w'S around but they don't make the baby burgers any
more and I really miss those.


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## GrillingFool (Sep 26, 2008)

Yup Shakey's Pizza.

And Pedro's Mexican Food in Fayetteville NC


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## roadfix (Sep 26, 2008)

_HOSAKA_ in west LA.  All you can eat sushi for 1 hour for $22.  They changed hands over 10 years ago and don't offer AYCE any more.  Nothing came close in price, quality, and quantity.


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## deelady (Sep 26, 2008)

Fudruckers....they took it out of my city RIGHT when I moved here!!


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## larry_stewart (Sep 26, 2008)

The first thing that came to my mind when i read the title of the thread was " Mama Leone's " , and sure enough, thats what i saw when I opened the thread.  I remember as a child, we went to the city to see the tree, a museum, and always ended up at Mama Leone's. I remember around Thanksgiving time, there was always a barrel of candied corn as u waited to be seated, and the bowl of celery, carrots and olives, along with a huge chunk of Mozzarella cheese waiting for u at the table when yu were seated.  I also remember me and my brother fighting for all the black olives, making my sister cry, because she didnt get any.  So the waitress brought a huge bowl of black olives just for her.  Oh yeah, I also remember a woman strolling around singing from table to table accompanied by a guy playing either a violin or mandolin ( its been a good 30 years so my memory isnt great), and we told them it was my fathers birthday, and they came and sung a song just for him ( he hates beingthe center of attention, so it was real funny ( for us anyway!!)).  I think the restaurant changed locations for awhile, just wasnt the same then eventually went belly up..


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## babetoo (Sep 26, 2008)

red lobster closed in my town. they are still at the beach i think, but not easy to make a trip there. really miss it.

babe


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## Barbara L (Sep 26, 2008)

Aunt Emma's Pancake House, in San Diego.  My uncle was the manager and I have the best memories of that restaurant.  My uncle treated my sister and me to dinner there on a couple of our birthdays--without our parents.  We felt so grown up!  They had wonderful pancakes and waffles, as well as great dinners.  They also had the best cheesecake, but I do have the recipe for that, as my uncle gave it to my mom. 

Barbara


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## getoutamykitchen (Sep 26, 2008)

Jeekinz said:


> No doubt, Hofbrauhus Highlands, NJ. THE Best German restaurant ever. Would kill for their meatball appy.


 
I went to a german restaurant in Fort Worth, TX by the same name. Believe it or not I had an out of this world Country Fried Steak and oh let's not forget the fried dill pickles. I wonder if it's the same.


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## getoutamykitchen (Sep 26, 2008)

This restaurant isn't closed, but there over an hour away sinced I moved back out to the country to care for my mother. It's called Carmaletta's. Their chicken enchilada's are to die for and the best salsa I've ever had. About twice a year I have to make the drive to get my enchilada fix.


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## mickey_72 (Sep 26, 2008)

Chi-Chi's - It was a sad day in my family when we pulled up to find it deserted.  

Zantigo's for my wife. She always talkes about how good it was.  I think there are a few around still but no where near us.
According to my wife it was far superior to Taco Bell.  She always talkes about how good it was.  I think there are a few around still but no where near us.

Dumplin's, it was a mom & pop buffet.  It was cheap and had the best food.  They closed under mysterious conditions then re-opened about 6 months later but it was never the same.  I think everyone I worked with went there.  It's now a funeral home.  Fitting in a way.

deelady I looked on Yahoo yellow pages and they still have a Fudrucker's listed.  We haven't been to that one in years might be worth calling.  (Oops looks like it's gone too.  I just tried to call) 

Arther Treachers was everwhere when I was a kid then they disappeared until about 10 years or so ago.  There is at least one in the midwest.  I didn't remember much about it but I had to stop in.  It was OK.

Sister's Chicken & Biscuits, far superior in every way to KFC.  They tried to cut costs at the sake of quality and taste then went under.  Their spicey chicken was the bomb.  R.I.P.


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## Dave Hutchins (Sep 27, 2008)

Back in the thirties and forties their was a restaurant that my mother was the head cook and my dad would take me up to pick up my mom, and all of the waitress's would make a fuss over me and later my date and I would go for a nice dinner. Now it is gone and a hot sheet motel stands there.  A great loss for the community


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## Russellkhan (Sep 27, 2008)

Bel Canto in Lexington MA (and Cambridge, though I never went to that location). Also Flint's Barbecue here in Oakland, CA. Flint's technically still exists, but the quality is far below what they once served.


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## Claire (Sep 27, 2008)

This is a line that is near and dear to my heart.  I miss those old places (you have to understand that Ive lived a lot of places) where you could find a booth in the back and have a steak.  My Mom calls them "Hernando's Hide-Aways"  Is there a song about that?  I love all food, but a place where "everyone knows my name, and they're always glad I came" and a little personal booth where I can talk to my friends with the illusion of privacy, is really, really nice.


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## JoeV (Sep 27, 2008)

Chi-Chi's. The kids really enjoyed going there, especially on their birthday when the wait staff would put a sombrero on them, sing a birthday wish to them and take their picture. Very family friendly place to eat.


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## justplainbill (Sep 27, 2008)

Fusco's Broad Street Manhattan
Sweet's downtown Manhattan
White's downtown Manhattan
Volk's downtown Manhattan
Sakelle downtown Manhattan
Joe's Broadway Chinatown downtown Manhattan
North Star Pub Fulton St. Manhattan
Market Bar & Restaurant World Trade Center Manhattan
Barclay Inn downtown Manhattan
Luchows 14th Street Manhattan
Maneros Greenwich Village
Drum & Connells 14th Street Manhattan
Otto's Seabreeze, Freeport NY
McClusky's Steak House, Bellmore NY
Mitchells Greenport NY
Osborne Inn Riverhead NY
ZUM ZUM
WienerWald
Furama Ave U Brooklyn
Cookies Ave M Brooklyn
Lundy's Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn
Brennan & Carr Ave U Brooklyn
Trade Inn 30 Church St. Manhattan


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## quicksilver (Sep 27, 2008)

Yup. I miss Mama Leone's, Arthur Treacher's fish & chips too.
And Stewarts and Zabar's(sp?) down by Atlantic City, NJ.


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## kadesma (Sep 27, 2008)

pdswife said:


> I know there are still A & w'S around but they don't make the baby burgers any
> more and I really miss those.


I miss those too..Let's start a campaign to bring um back.
kades


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## Elf (Sep 27, 2008)

Fudruckers is still going strong in the Annapolis MD area, I heard that Arthur Treacher's is still around on the eastern shore of MD and DE.  I miss Gino's and the original Roy Rodgers, not those imitators on the Jersey turnpike.


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## LEFSElover (Sep 27, 2008)

_The original Bob's Big Boy_
_"""""""""""" Chasens_
_"""""""""""" Loves_
_oh most of all period and only one that really mattered....in Inglewood California, _
_Andy's_

_for deelady_
_for babetoo_


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## homecook (Sep 27, 2008)

Mountain Jack's and Boar's Head. They were great steak and seafood places here. They also had the BEST bloody marys!

Barb


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## pdswife (Sep 27, 2008)

Oh and Sambo's!  It was a pancake place in Oregon.   Yummy!
and Waddles... in Oregon too..


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## Barbara L (Sep 27, 2008)

LEFSElover said:


> _The original Bob's Big Boy__..._


I loved Bob's Big Boy!  Years ago I learned that throughout the country there are Big Boy restaurants, but they are called something else.  On our recent vacation we came across a Frisch's Big Boy (same Big Boy "statue" in front).  I hadn't eaten at a Big Boy restaurant in years, and James never had, so I told him we had to go there.  It was awful.  I guess the burgers were okay (they were edible anyway), but they were not the Big Boy burgers I knew and loved.  They say, "You can't go home."  I guess that can apply to restaurants as well!  

Barbara


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## Barbara L (Sep 27, 2008)

pdswife said:


> Oh and Sambo's! It was a pancake place in Oregon. Yummy!...


We used to have them in California too.  I believe they just changed their name at our location (during the 70s I believe), but I can't remember what the new name was.

Barbara


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## quicksilver (Sep 27, 2008)

pdswife said:


> Oh and Sambo's! It was a pancake place


 
I loved them too. Never saw them on the east coast though. Just when I went on my honeymoon and toured Utah, Nevada, Arizona & California in the 70's. They had the best breakfasts.


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## Mama (Sep 27, 2008)

quicksilver said:


> I loved them too. Never saw them on the east coast though. Just when I went on my honeymoon and toured Utah, Nevada, Arizona & California in the 70's. They had the best breakfasts.


 
They had them in Georgia about 25 years ago but have long disappeared.


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## jabbur (Sep 27, 2008)

homecook said:


> Mountain Jack's and Boar's Head. They were great steak and seafood places here. They also had the BEST bloody marys!
> 
> Barb


 
Mountain Jack's has been gone from my area for so long!  We loved going for the good food and the decor.  DH loved looking around at all the different stuff they had there.  Another place we miss is Po' Folks.  It was simple country cooking but their fried chicken was the best.  Better than KFC.  Could get a picnic pac for 10 people for around $20 and have chicken with all the fixins AND a gallon of tea or lemonade.  That was some good eatin!


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## lyndalou (Sep 27, 2008)

I went to Mama Leone's on my Senior Class trip to New York City in 1957. What a treat for a 16 year old girl. Sorry to know that it is out of business. (please don't do the math lol)


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## justplainbill (Sep 27, 2008)

pdswife said:


> Oh and Sambo's! It was a pancake place in Oregon. Yummy!
> and Waddles... in Oregon too..


Guess you're not referring to the Sambo's chain that had to change it's name to Denny's for PC reasons?


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## Barbara L (Sep 27, 2008)

justplainbill said:


> Guess you're not referring to the Sambo's chain that had to change it's name to Denny's for PC reasons?


According to www.dennys.com Denny's changed their name from Danny's Donuts to Denny's in 1959.  I know we had a Sambo's in our town until the early '70s.

Barbara


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## LEFSElover (Sep 27, 2008)

there are still Bob Big Boys around, for instance, in Baker California, just outside Vegas. but they have changed everything, where as their burgers used to be huge and full of flavor, they are now mediocre at best.
all 5 of this family has decided not to darken any of their doors any more.  it just ain't worth it


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## Callisto in NC (Sep 27, 2008)

Mine are still around but not here ~ Togo's and Del Taco.  I know, very unsophisticated, but I loved Togo's turkey salami on white and Del Taco's Big Fat Steak Taco.


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## Barbara L (Sep 27, 2008)

Callisto in NC said:


> Mine are still around but not here ~ Togo's and Del Taco. I know, very unsophisticated, but I loved Togo's turkey salami on white and Del Taco's Big Fat Steak Taco.


I have always preferred Taco Bell to Del Taco, but when I went back to visit my family in March, I made sure we went to Del Taco at least once!  I do miss them!

Barbara


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## Callisto in NC (Sep 27, 2008)

Barbara L said:


> I have always preferred Taco Bell to Del Taco, but when I went back to visit my family in March, I made sure we went to Del Taco at least once!  I do miss them!
> 
> Barbara


I was walking distance to Taco Bell and would prefer to drive to Del Taco.  If I had known where they stopped when I was driving here I would have stocked up.  

Anyone in So Cal remember the Jolly Roger?  The girls dressed as wenches.  My parents used to take me there when I was young.  I attribute my Ren Faire career to that restaurant.


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## Maverick2272 (Sep 27, 2008)

Geez, so I am not the only one that misses Shakeys, LOL. That and Bonanza, no idea if they are still around but can't find them out here anymore. We also used to have Taco Johns in Iowa, I wonder if they are still around as well.


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## Barbara L (Sep 27, 2008)

Callisto in NC said:


> ...Anyone in So Cal remember the Jolly Roger? The girls dressed as wenches. My parents used to take me there when I was young. I attribute my Ren Faire career to that restaurant.


I have been to the one in Oceanside.  



Maverick2272 said:


> ...We also used to have Taco Johns in Iowa, I wonder if they are still around as well.


I know they still have one in Ottumwa.  We ate there once in August.

Barbara


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## justplainbill (Sep 28, 2008)

Barbara L said:


> According to www.dennys.com Denny's changed their name from Danny's Donuts to Denny's in 1959. I know we had a Sambo's in our town until the early '70s.
> 
> Barbara


 
ACCORDING TO TES@EVERYTHING2.COM:

_What this country needs is a good ten-cent cup of coffee_ - Sambo's advertising slogan, 1967
Sambo's is/was a chain of restaurants popular in the 1960's and 1970's. The restaurant chain featured inexpensive family dining with a theme and decor based on the children's story _Little Black Sambo_.
This is a tale of rags-to-riches-to-rags, of a brilliant idea buried by racism and poor management. This is the story of Sambo's.
*Origins*
Let's go back to the year 1957 and the town of Santa Barbara, California. Two recent college graduates, Sam Battistone and Newell "Bo" Bohnett, decided to enter the restaurant business together; their goal was to start a chain of restaurants using some of the techniques developed by Ray Croc, Dave Thomas, and other early fast food chain entrepreneurs and apply them in a manner that was family-friendly.
The pair decided to combine their names and use that as a restaurant name: Sam and Bo's, which was quickly shortened to Sambo's. They opened their first restaurant in 1957 in Santa Barbara, and it was an instant success due to its family-friendly sit-down dining environment and very low prices (one of the distinguishing characteristics of Sambo's).
In 1958, Battistone was introduced to the children's story _Little Black Sambo_, written by Helen Bannerman in 1899. The story told the tale of Sambo, an Indian boy who goes into the jungle and loses his clothing to bullying tigers. But the tigers chase each other around a tree and eventually melt into butter, which Sambo puts on his pancakes and eats.
Battistone and Bohnett decided to theme their restaurant around this children's story. They redecorated the restaurant and menus to match the art from the book and made pancakes one of their signature dishes. This choice was a bright idea, but it would come back to haunt the pair.
*Rapid Success (1960-1978)*
With this retheming, the restaurant chain began to take off. The second and third Sambo's opened in California in 1959, and the chain quickly spread, as it occupied a market niche that was largely unfilled: an inexpensive and relatively speedy family restaurant.
By the mid-1970's, the chain was the fourth most-franchised restaurant chain in the United States, with more than 1,400 franchises in the United States and 200 more in Canada by 1977. In fact, the success of the chain was such that other restaurant chains, such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's, and Perkins used Sambo's as a model business during the food franchise wars of the 1970's.
Unfortunately, things were about to go downhill for Sambo's.
*The Beginning of the End (1978-1982)*
In 1978, the chain received multiple lawsuit threats due to its choice of decor. The "Sambo" character, as portrayed in the children's book, had very dark skin and it was perceived that Sambo was a stereotype of people of African descent. The story itself was also described as being racially insensitive, as Sambo makes some questionable choices in the story; this contributed to the perception of Sambo as a racial stereotype.
The chain attempted to rename and redesign itself to avoid lawsuits (names such as Sam's and Special's were tried in the early 1980s), but the second major problem in the Sambo's chain began to rear its head. In order to spur on rapid expansion of the chain, the business structure of Sambo's was organized as a clever Ponzi scheme.
The scheme worked like this: in addition to pay, workers at Sambo's were compensated with "Sambo's Shares." These shares, when accumulated, could be used to purchase a new Sambo's franchise at a reduced price. The goal of this scheme was to encourage forward-thinking Sambo's employees to start their own chains, but the actual result was that people were buying Sambo's franchises without the financial means to truly support the restaurant.
*The Downhill Slide (1982-1989)*
Between 1982 and 1989, the number of Sambo's restaurants in North America went from roughly 1450 restaurants to just one. With franchises going out of business, since they were unable to afford the costs of redesign and restructuring, the franchise fees for the chain stopped coming in. As a result, the chain was unable to promote itself and thus even well-managed individual restaurants went out of business.
_Denny's__, another restaurant chain with a similar target niche, made a name for itself in __1984__, when it purchased roughly 800 of the Sambo's franchises and rechristened them as __Denny's__._
By 1989, only the original Sambo's (then called Sam's) in Santa Barbara remained.
*The Legacy of Sambo's (1990-date)*
The Santa Barbara restaurant reverted to the Sambo's name in 1990 (minus the decor) and is still in business today. Chad Stevens, the grandson of Sam Battistone, now owns the restaurant and has flirted with the idea of expanding with new Sambo's restaurants, but for now, there is only one Sambo's.
Interestingly enough, Sambo's is perhaps best remembered in the field of wooden nickel collecting. During the 1960's and 1970's, Sambo's used wooden nickels as part of their promotion for selling coffee; one could exchange a Sambo's wooden nickel for a cup of coffee, and these nickels were often sold in bundles (i.e., eight or ten for a dollar). These nickels are now coveted among wooden nickel collectors.
*Lessons Learned*
The story of Sambo's has two valuable lessons for those looking to start a restaurant chain. The first one is to _choose your theme wisely_; a poor choice in terms of theming your restaurant can come back to haunt you. The second, and perhaps more important, lesson is that _overexpansion can be the death knell_; pick your franchisees carefully so that your business chain has a stable background and financial stability.


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## Foodfiend (Sep 28, 2008)

There was a barbecue place in Stockbridge, GA called Sconyers that had the best (and I do mean the best) ribs (the ribs were more meat than bone) and pork.  They also had a lean version of pork that was absolutely out of this world.  The family had converted an old house into the restaurant, and my brother and I would go every Friday night when we had a chance and fill up on the ribs (all you can eat) that never needed any kind of sauce on it, and the pork.  We came back from vacation one year and found that it had been burned down to the ground.  Haven't found anything since as good as theirs; but Fox Brothers barbecue up near I-20 is close to it.  Another couple of places I miss are Steak & Ale, and Pilgreens.


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## ChefJune (Sep 28, 2008)

lyndalou said:


> I went to Mama Leone's on my Senior Class trip to New York City in 1957. What a treat for a 16 year old girl. Sorry to know that it is out of business. (please don't do the math lol)



It's been gone a VERY long time, Lyndalou, and before that, it had become a dreadful tourist-trap-py place the real Mama Leone would never have recognized. 

"Sambo's," thankfully, had to be renamed because of its terrible, demeaning name.  I have no idea what they changed it to (certainly NOT IHOP! )

seems most folks are recalling places long gone, that they went to while they were dating, or at least much younger.  Places like that achieve a patina in our memories that no real place of today can ever compete with!


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## quicksilver (Sep 28, 2008)

ChefJune said:


> seems most folks are recalling places long gone, that they went to while they were dating, or at least much younger. Places like that achieve a patina in our memories that no real place of today can ever compete with!


 

I don't know about everyone else, but part of the enjoyment of dining out is the pride the people serving and products that are served. People did their work and it showed they enjoyed it. I don't see that too much today.
And the thing that made alot of these places unique seems to have gone by the wayside. I KNOW that's not a 'patina', but fact where I've come from. 
And No, most of today's places can't compete. Because as much as it's a dining experience, it's also about the people. Dating, younger, or with family, whatever, it's about the people. You could have the most beautiful menu, in the most beautiful establishment, in the most beautiful location, and have a rotten experience if the wait staff is bad, or you don't care for who your dining. One would be a meal. The other; a dining experience - and memory.


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## justplainbill (Sep 28, 2008)

quicksilver said:


> I don't know about everyone else, but part of the enjoyment of dining out is the pride the people serving and products that are served. People did their work and it showed they enjoyed it. I don't see that too much today.
> And the thing that made alot of these places unique seems to have gone by the wayside. I KNOW that's not a 'patina', but fact where I've come from.
> And No, most of today's places can't compete. Because as much as it's a dining experience, it's also about the people. Dating, younger, or with family, whatever, it's about the people. You could have the most beautiful menu, in the most beautiful establishment, in the most beautiful location, and have a rotten experience if the wait staff is bad, or you don't care for who your dining. One would be a meal. The other; a dining experience - and memory.


 
Some joints with good food have / had wait staff with an attitude- EG Peter Luger's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Lundy Brothers in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.  Only place I've ever been to with good food that I'll never go back to is the Oak Chalet in Bellmore, NY because the owner is snotty.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 29, 2008)

getoutamykitchen said:


> I went to a german restaurant in Fort Worth, TX by the same name. Believe it or not I had an out of this world Country Fried Steak and oh let's not forget the fried dill pickles. I wonder if it's the same.


 
There are a few different Hofbrauhaus' restaurants.  This was family owned.

And no way could you get chicken fried steak there, unless it was C_hicken Fried Steak Schnitzel. _


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## Callisto in NC (Sep 29, 2008)

Barbara L said:


> We used to have them in California too.  I believe they just changed their name at our location (during the 70s I believe), but I can't remember what the new name was.
> 
> Barbara


Denny's.  At least that's what our Sambo's changed to.  The Denny's is still there.

I used to like Fudruckers in California but the one here isn't the same.  You know, without those hanging sides of beef, it's just not Fudruckers.  

Coco's is another one I miss.  So many chains that just don't cross the Mississippi.


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## Clienta (Sep 29, 2008)

Saint Basil's in Syracuse, NY
La Cena in Fayetteville, NY
Sedgewick Market in Syracuse, NY
Louie's Oyster on Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Durty Harry's in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Avalon's Steak House on Isla Mujeres, MX
Casa Bella in Gananaque, Ontario, Canada


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## Barbara L (Sep 29, 2008)

Callisto in NC said:


> Denny's. At least that's what our Sambo's changed to. The Denny's is still there.
> 
> I used to like Fudruckers in California but the one here isn't the same. You know, without those hanging sides of beef, it's just not Fudruckers.
> 
> Coco's is another one I miss. So many chains that just don't cross the Mississippi.


Yes, ours became a Denny's as well.  I was thinking ours changed before my daughter was born, but after reading some of the other posts, it may have been later.  Time flies by so fast it is hard to know what happened when!

I wish that a lot of my California favorites were here as well!  I miss Boll Weevil's steerburgers and especially their guacamole burgers.  Fillipi's Pizza was the best I have ever had.  I got to go to the one in Escondido once on my trip in March.

Barbara


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