Was there a Galaxy Diner located on Erie Ave. below I Street back in the Sixties / Seventies ? Red Robin on Frankford Avenue was well liked. The transit stations and concourses were so much more dismal back then that now when I find a SEPTA station unpleasant, I recall what used to be and think, Aw, thats just a tiny puddle of pee. In honor of Classics Week, it's time for a fond look back at long-gone Dallas restaurants, beginning with a visual tour of vintage Dallas restaurant menus. We do, and it was great. In its last incarnation, old heads from the Leroys Showcase Lounge days drank alongside members of the queer punk bands playing shows upstairs. The Broad Street sat closed for many years beginning in the early 2000s, and one report had Stephen Starr interested in reopening it. Meanwhile, the western blocks of South Street became a bustling African American shopping and entertainment strip. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Just dont ask him when the actual trolleys will return to the tracks on Germantown Avenue. Often overlooked for inclusion in the Philly diner pantheon, the Dining Car on Frankford Avenue in the Northeast nevertheless continues to get plenty of love from the neighborhood, and for good reason. Cant beat the prices and food anywhere. I want a good meal at a reasonable price, but I also want to connect with actual peoplestaff and customers. Many of us went to preschool, elementary school and high school together. 6. Djangos homespun chic vibe and killer cheese plate signaled what was to come. The name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. Best 30 French Restaurants in Philadelphia, PA with Reviews One year, we heard a judge was hosting one of these parade-watching parties. Or that the chef erred on the salty side with the otherwise tender pot roast? A full ten years before the culture rediscovered the vintage diner, Joe Morozin wanted his new diner to look like something out of the 1930s, but at about six times the size. Im sorry to inform you that it closed just last yearand has now been remodeled into an urgent care center! They also all use the same playbook so any differences become nuance. | Photo: Randy Garbin. The diner has its own history that stretches back to the 1870s when food vendor Walter Scott in Providence, Rhode Island modifiedhis horse-drawn freight wagon into something akin to modern day food cartsand trucks seen all over Center Citya small vehiclefrom which hot meals are dispensed. But beyond that, this: Theres too much crime. The Trolley Car Diner represents Ken Weinsteins support for Mt. Notably, the Big Greek Diner has become less and less Greek. The boy moved to New York, which was sad (according to my diary), but I miss the old TLA more. New Boulevard Diner, 11650 Roosevelt Boulevard, New Boulevard recently changed their name to the Five Star Diner. In February, when Lonely Planet named Philadelphia the best U.S. travel destination for 2016, the city's tired reputation for cheesesteaks, Rocky movies, corruption, and blight-cliches of 1981 or thereabouts-seemed finally put to rest. Ive come here often, with family and friends in tow, and we enjoy whatever we order, particularly when I select something off the specials list. This was no bland suburb, no Peyton Place. But problems with the logistics of the space and rent hikes got to be too much for the chef, whosstill got Paesanos, Monsu,and Heffe Tacos. The Frazer Diner in Frazer is the only un altered Jerry O Mahony diner in existence.Built between 1929 and 1935 it was originally the Paoli but was moved to Frazer on Lancaster Ave, in 1957. The children of the suburban boom became adults and had children of their own. A bakery and an expanded dining room was added later. with snapper soup on the menu, theres no way that this newish iteration | Restaurant Rating System But once upon a time, before the city's restaurant renaissance, downtown Philly was renowned less for its munchies than for its dark and sexy nightclubs. I just couldnt remember where it was. My favorite diners get creative, while still serving up the classics and preferably with fresh ingredients. Also now gone. Center City fared better than most neighborhoods, but it wasnt immune. Next time Ill have to get the sauce on the side to be sure. Inside he ripped out a third of its extensive counter to accommodate more booth seating and wider waistlines, and he replaced much of the diners original laminate surfaces. by Craig LaBan. Can a diner still call itself Jewish-American after a Greek immigrant buys it? Restaurants. Please like & follow for more interesting content. There wasnt the money to pay for things like clean streets. Articles like this raise my homesickness for Philadelphia to Olympian heights. Order Online. In 1998, with diners at the peak of their resurgence, Ken tossed the idea into mix, and the hunt commenced. Throwback Thursday: A fond look back at long vanished South Bend restaurants. If anybody rememberit. I had a lot of great memories working there. I feel like I cant truly enjoy a vacation or visiting a town without going to a local diner. The Domino Diner facts were about 99% correct with the exception of the operating name at its original location in Medford, Massachusetts. Sad long after selling and the fire. http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-updated-7611752, You would be better served by using classic instead of real, Another great diner is 4 Seasons on Cottman and Blvd. A History of the Food Court | Mental Floss Quaker Diner on Rising Sun has been remodeled recently: https://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/quaker-diner-time-to-revisit-an-old-friend/. Growing Up in Philadelphia: The Lost City I also waitressed at Oak Lane Diner when I was in grad school in the late 70s (Hmm, tuition=extra money=diner job). While no bells ever rang 1310 Drury Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Now, well have the opposite a luxury hotel erected by New York developers ona spot thatmany Philadelphiansconsiderhallowed ground. ET. My family used to eat there once a week for years. None of that here in Atlanta area. McGillin's Olde Ale House, Philadelphia. It didnt help my impression of the place when I watched Richard Kubach, Jr. on a television segment of WQEDs Pennsylvania Diner Roadtrip explain that the semi-circular booths where total strangers often sat at the same table enhanced the diners sense of community, when,more accurately, his practice increased customer churn. Find out more about his work and writings at www.randygarbin.com. Good soups and lunch. It was great fun. The Trolley Car Diner was built by the Mountain View Diner Company of Signac, New Jersey, which seemed to do extremely well selling diners in the Wyoming Valley up into the Binghamton, New York area. Maybe Grace Kelly never dropped in for a cup and a slice of pie, and I suspect very few pairs of tasseled loafers shuffled across its terrazzo floors, thoughnot that the diner wouldnt welcome either. The real estate developer Ken Weinstein loves Germantown Avenue. Look here for profiles of the District's many. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. The Domino Diner suffered a fire eight years ago and is likely abandoned now. It isnt a converted rail car. They were s Philly traditional, I worked for the Perini Corp for that area of reconstruction. Le Bec-Fin was a French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that first opened in 1970.Owner and founder Georges Perrier named the restaurant after the French colloquialism for "fine palate". Philadelphias decline was well under way by the time I was born. floor of the hotel was home to The Fountain. Bobs Diner looks a little worn out after nearly 80 years at the same location, but the neighborhood loves it, especially on weekends when youll wait a while for a seat. Last summer, Kurt Vile played a concert in that now clean, bright courtyard, and I looked at the people in line at food trucks, friends meeting up and hugging each other, people dancing, and I thought, What the hell happened to this place? That courtyard has gone from 12 Monkeys to Frank Capra on Ecstasy. Since then, it's grown up, gotten a job, and emerged as the much more responsible . Since the 1950s, the Perloff family ran the Country Club in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood catering to its Jewish community. Manage Settings Hey Friend, Before You Go.. City, one in North Philly and the Pennsauken outpost thats still kickin This was the center of our universe. What Philadelphia looked like in the 1980s Through These - Bygonely There is a broad variety of dishes, but not its not overwhelming. My grandfather purchased the property and had the diner built in the 50s It was then Jersey Queen Diner. THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Garden Philadelphia PA Reviews - GAYOT Specialties: Escape the 1980s is the largest & highest-rated escape room game in Philadelphia! Even though nations first automat restaurant made its debut in Yet another Petrogiannis acquisition. I worked for your grandfather Pete and your Dad from the age of 12 to 17 at the Heritage. It was anything but. Enjoyed this article, but am left wondering: Whats up with Bobs being more or less in a graveyard? This article was intended to document only REAL prefabricated diners, i.e. Wow! Susan and Lizzy were on Panama, right across the street from each other, while Liz No. Savoy Your email address will not be published. Center City Philadelphia has come into its own: exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. Youd never know from the retractable roof and wood-fired menu of Sad. The Lombard Swim Club had a topless section. Italian roll could get their fix on Old York Road, and those who had the I WAS BORN AT Hahnemann Hospital in 1968, swaddled, and taken to a studio apartment, where I slept in a dresser drawer until the crib arrived. For some native Philadelphians like me, all of this is difficult to absorb. Easy parking. Blanc de Blancs Champagnes are different from the majority of Champagnes.Check the list. 1970s philadelphia restaurants. I admire them for sticking it out. | Photo: Randy Garbin. The family also owned Alexanders restaurant in Abington up the road. Brother of Patrick Mahomes accused of assault by restaurant owner and vending machines-meets-restaurant featured walls of serve yourself windows Sorry, Bern, but thats just not true. His marketing calls it a 50s-themed diner, but you wont see a Marilyn Monroe cutout greeting you at the door and you wont get barraged with Chubby Checker on the overhead sound system. Philly has been in the midst of a long-lived restaurant boom that shows no signs of slowing. St. Joseph County police searching for missing 12-year-old girl. We knew every corner of each others homes, including whose Rittenhouse Square rooftop made for the best water-balloon launching pad. I look for a good value balanced against the general experience. The executive vice president and co-owner of Century 21 department stores is explaining why a new Philadelphia location at 8th and Market is the logical next step for a chic discount chain that until now has stuck to New York and New Jersey. In the late 1970s, the Dewey's restaurants in Philadelphia began to fold, victims to competition from national fast food chains like . "On our first visit to Philadelphia, my friend recommended we try Talula's Garden. The history of restaurants in the Nation's Capital. They ruled that neighborhood. Back then, these were not only the primary vectors for graffiti, but had torn and broken seats and rusted poles. The other is Silk City on Spring Garden Street. Once the quarters were spent, or stolen, we could head over to Days Deli at 18th and Spruce to get fries. Just a classic Chinese restaurant menu today. In Spain. For some reason that roll along the roofline became an extremely popular motif on retro-styled diners starting back in the mid-1990s. One of the first major restaurant chains, it went public in 1961 with 605 . From World War II until the 1980s, the Philadelphia area was home to many of these "old line, crockery, silver and glass restaurants." There were 24 Linton's, 44 Horn and Hardart's and 18 Dewey's. . Developers are breaking ground on skyscrapers. Bringing the spirit of the decade to life with quintessential . Melrose really had some good food under the Kubachs. My parents met at a diner somewhere near Elkins Park in the mid-1930s that was run by a couple named John and Gay. Every diner taken over by the Michaels diner group, has suffered a precipitous drop in quality. I suppose the diner and billboards are merely *adjacent* to the graveyard, but it still makes for an odd juxtaposition. The Franklin Institute, but his biggest contribution to the city has to be A couple of notesthe Boylevard Diner is now closed, the K Diner was first known as rhe Crest Diner and around 1978-79 it became Mil-Lees Luv-in, and Casa DEspana on Whitaker Ave was formerly known as the Franklin Diner, which was a local icon and was always busy. Jack Doneius bought a run-down, but well-preserved diner in Manhattans lower West Side, spruced it up, and started serving upscale food. 11531 reviews. These days, Poses runs a catering company and onsite eateries at Stuccoed into obscurity at Annas. The older ones began appearing in the late-1980s and early-1990s, started or inspired by German immigrants that had once settled there. I remember the original Oak Lane diner to be a red Formica looking building very small. So true. When built, the few remaining companies produced restaurants in confused styles, but no one held a candle to some of the creations that came out of the Kullman factory. Petrogiannis put his own stamp on things with a silly turret-like roofline to raise the diners profile. Most of the time contractors use them to cover up the roof-top air conditioning units and to add additional height for increased profile. In my high-school years, street crime was so commonplace that we hardly took note of it. The best of them will serve you something that usually tops out at fair-to-good. That was largely original but sparsely patronized. Along with an array of punch-packing tropical drinks, Pub Tiki boasted a | Photo: Randy Garbin. Before the Four Seasons transitioned into the sleek, new Logan Hotel, the ground Fond memories. You can still find at least a half-dozen examples of their diners built between 1948 and 1954. The boy I loved unrequited all through high school was on 21st and Delancey. Write by: . The Five Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Philadelphia Most are gone now, I think. In many ways, his designers improved upon the original interior that is as rare as a perfect omelette. We tried the apple pie with vanilla sauce, which made for a decadent pairing. At Peter Dooner's one met the epicure element, les bon vivants of the town. To order the clip clean and hi-res or to find out more visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. There was always a lot of food and drink, and no one noticed the kids whod sneak in and out, grabbing rolled salami off of linen-draped deli trays. Today, the Dining Car still keeps those traditional hours, but it attractscompany infewer and fewer numbers. They live on in the form of dead Yelp pages and in our memories. Twenty-four diners now operate in Philadelphia, down from 30 in 1990 when I first toured the city (Ive visited more than 1,000 across the country). It is a true-and-tried diner. https://www.facebook.com/lhapachapter/posts/3824830150954142, I am looking for a dive in dinner in pa in the 1950s It was I think back then near the Phila airport. The Farm & Fisherman Closed in: 2016Why wemiss it: Josh and Colleen Lawlers petite Washington Square West BYOturned outelegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare they famously had no walk-in refrigeration, meaning that fresh ingredients were constantly coming into the restaurant. Thank you. absolute game changer, forever shifting the trajectory of Philadelphia 2023 BygonelyPrivacy policyTerms of ServiceContact us. I grown up in Oak Lane is the 40s. Freshly ground meat, a Melrose tradition, has been replaced by portion control. I have the original plans and zoning for the building. Alex, you are correct. But it was. Ride Trains. That looks like the store Teddy Pendergasss first manager had a beauty products center. Chi-Chi's. Wikimedia Commons/Nostaljack/Public Domain. | About Us He sold it in the late 90s and there have been a few owners since then. In its place first came the colonial style diner, then the Mediterranean style diner complete with Doric columns, the modern design and its glassy glitz, or some unfortunate melange of all three. (2) Snow White Randy Garbin Randy Garbin has traveled the countrys back roads and Main Streets in search of diners, roadside attractions, and the great mom and pop enterprise. I dont want a Rittenhouse Square ringed by abandoned construction sites rather than beautiful hotels. Found this pic of the Quaker Diner on Rising Sun https://foxchasereview.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_1435.jpg. Spice Grill in Port Richmond. You could come out boasting that your waitress was a thirty-year veteran which is no small thing in a business known for its employee turnover. But, I do remember going to lunch there with my dad and having a Liberty Bell shape burger during the bicentennial year when I was about 13. MmClosed in: 2012Abelovedneighborhood spot (Fitler Square) serving quality New American fare is a beautiful thing. At the same time, she hinted thathertaco cart might be back in some form in the future, so were holding out hope. But theres something about the national retail chains, about the people in teal, about the loss of diners and movie theaters in all their sticky-floored glory that makes me feel Center City has edged a bit too far toward the post-Giuliani NYC model of moneyed, sterilized urbanity. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Unused Pre-1980 RESTAURANT SCENE Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA hk4537 at the best online prices at eBay! He claims to know all the dinners. Eagle II Thank you so much for sharing a great posts. | Photo: Randy Garbin. The Rise And Fall Of Philadelphia's Diners - Hidden City Philadelphia While i frequent my old neighborhood diner (trolley car diner)most often, one that i really love that is always superb to me is the Four Seasons Diner on cottman Avenue. These days, the legend lived on in Abington, until just a few days ago. One of my favorite Philadelphia restaurants of all time was Frankie Bradley's. I went there for years, and usually ate prime rib, which was . You might take drugs. Thank you so much. The Crime rates in the 1980s Philadelphia were very high. Restaurants in Philadelphia Area - OpenTable All-in-all, the Melrose still mostly looks and feels like the Melrose. A DeLorean is no longer necessary to return to the golden age of MTV and the Brat Pack. Restaurants - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia MONDAY - FRIDAY. Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. The waitress might call you hon, not because afocus group demanded it, but because that is how she talks. 20 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia - Time Out Sit in the Square, as we did, and it was a pageant: People were black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor. These 1980s Restaurants Didn't Stand the Test of Time - Eat This Not That I sorely miss them since I live in Florida. It's RADICALLY different from all the others: It's a Pure Energy, bubble gum pop, super charged, time-travel thrill! Though a big diner, the Dining Car represents a rare breed that mostly excels in the kitchen, which explains the lines out the door during the dinner and weekend breakfast hours. | Photo: Randy Garbin. 5. If there are photos of this grand 1920s OMahony in its original setting, Id love to see them. My wife and I had the London broil, fried seafood combo, and the minestrone soup. There was no single grown-up world, no monolith. The OMahony diner came to Philadelphia in the 1960s from Medford, Massachusetts where it operated as Carols Diner. The city's vibrant restaurant scene has grown tremendously in recent years. One thing remains the same, though: the rats. closure took with it the title for worlds largest indoor lobster tank and a retro Originally published as The Lost City in the August 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine. Another Michael Petrogiannis diner. The combo comes, oddly enough, with a dollop of tuna salad as well as fried shrimp, a crab cake, schrod, and scallops, my particular favorite. In 1981, Joe Morozin went to the Swingle company of Middlesex, New Jersey and asked for something a little different. Randy, Thanks for acknowledging the original Oak Lane Diner which does in fact still exist in Newburgh, N.Y. Jasons exotically beautiful mom lived on Pine Street, but his dads place was on the Square. Diner manufacturers eventually centered in northern New Jersey, where for a good 70 years they produced iconic stainless steel restaurants. Anyone can buy an old Winnebago or shipping container and call it a diner, but the term comes from builders to describe their newer, better more stationery lunch wagons to be sold and set up across the country. Who the hell cares. I like how Starrs designers paid loving homage to the Mad Men era by stripping away some of the diners original colonial-style trappings. 8013 Castor Avenue, (215) 342-3005; 2153 S. Hancock Street, (215) 462-1637, lipkinsoriginalbakery.com. a seafood-centric menu, heavy on the truffles and Champagne. For nearly 100 years, this family-owned classic on 6th between South and Lombard streets served up an only-in-Philly menu of hot dogs, fishcakes and Champ Cherry soda before . But the retail counter was nixed and replaced with a full-service bar 2013 andearlier this year, the conceptbecame one of the surprisingly few casualties in Garces Groups recent restructuring due to outstanding debts. Living now in Georgia, diners are much missed by this 91 year old Philly/south Jersey lad. The girl who took me to Houlihans on the Square with all the cool kids lived at 18th and Delancey, across the street from towheaded Laura and her little brother Adam, both of whom have passed away, which is a sentence I shouldnt have to write while Im still in my 40s. Fifteen years later Weinstein has proven both his knowledge of his market and his appreciation for the authentic diner experienceone refreshingly devoid of cutesy, cheap nostalgia that rises far above the tired greasy spoon trope. Does anyone have any information about what the Diner might have been called. 8 Lesser-Known Abortion Funds to Support Post-Roe, Your Guide to This Weeks Eagles-Giants Playoff Game. This was the place to reconnoiter, the hub, the treehouse club, the HQ. If you had the good fortune to see itbefore 2000 and havent seen it since, stay away. The food is better, but kids dont go there to spill secrets over a shared can of seltzer and a ham and cheese sandwich. From the Kinolibrary archive film collections. The sense of lawlessness was pervasive. Last year, Philadelphia was feted in the New York Times, the Toronto Star, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Food & Wine, the Globe and Mail, Cond Nast Traveler, Bon Apptit, and countless online outlets. Palumbo's, 9/Catharine: Decent gravy joint, but the ambience was sooo 1950s. You really cant ask for a more comforting example of comfort food than croquettes, and you cant find a better example than at the Dining Cars. For a number of years a group of 6-10 friends and co workers would park near the Domino Diner and go on a 20-30 mile bike ride, returning to the Domino for a late breakfast. My grandfather, Peter, built the heritage diner and then my dad, Steve, changed it to Sophias Diner and Stacys Pub. This makes Hiroki, which opened in 2019, a welcome . Senior year, a friend and I went to see Hannah and Her Sisters. Dewey's Famous | The Philadelphia Gayborhood Guru See more ideas about memories, restaurant, howard johnson's. 1617 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19102. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Dom was a hub for the area for a long time. They really dont build them like this anymore. On Sun, 17 Sep 2000 19:33:55 -0400, Ruth Savitz Click here to go to the official Facebook page of A Slice of the 80s. Venerable Old Original Bookbinder's, Second and Walnut, is one of many restaurants Philadelphians still miss. Lets cut the nonsense, shall we? Continental The famed space at 1532 Walnut St. was briefly Sad on both counts. 9/Washington: The first Vietnamese restaurant in Philly, I believe (ca. ChifaClosed in: 2013At Chifa, Jose Garces focused on the relationship between Peruvian cuisine and its Cantonese influence,puttingyuca fries, lomo saltado, soup dumplings, and scallion pancakes all on one glorious menu.