iblock9 wrote:BTW have no idea why the format of this post came out this way

It looks like you understand the idea that the area which you want formatted needs to begin and end with tags, but the "end" tags are slightly different than the "begin" tags.

End tags begin with [/, and they do not have any "variables," only the name of the tag that is being "closed".

So in your post, at the end of each section you should have used [/quote], not [quote="Cathy2"]

This has been a public service announcement.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I remember going to Victoria Station, though I don't recall what I ever ate there.

I think their claim to fame was prime rib which, as I recall, was nowhere near as good as Lawry's (or The Cart), for example.

tem wrote:My earliest memory of it is seeing Star Wars where when I was like 8 in 1977. Look how many seats !

In the same vein, I remember seing "2001 a Space Odyssey" back in my high school days; stoned and sitting on the floor in front of all those seats looking up at that giant curved screen. Ahh, the good old days.

Hi,

There were two theaters at Edens. The other one was the round building. I somehow had the impression the screen was wider, which may be the round building whose vast theater seemed to be under the parking lot.

The Edens nursing home on the edge of Expressway is the best landmark for estimating their location. The Edens theaters were immediately south and slightly west of it. Otherwise it is where Kinko's/FedEx, pet supplies, not so great Japanese restaurant, ect now reside in Northbrook.

I fully recall seeing Star Wars at the Edens. The beginning when you are confronted with all those stars had quite a visual impact. Both theaters were great to see movies with visual effects and a cast of thousands.

After it closed and it was waiting for demolition, you could peer in to see all the glass candy counters smashed. I guess that was the last hurrah for the employees. It saddened me a bit, because I had that little bit of hope someone would rescue it.

Regards,

From my long Northbrook Roots over 30 years, Henrici's was were the rehab center is now. Prior to that it was Olive Garden. I don't remember Garcias but it could have been there. Goodmans was a sort of deli, Greek Coffee Shop similiar to Barnum and Bagel and was just the other side of Clavey. Edens Theater was were the shopping center is now. Cravings was by the bowling alley. 41 North was a Bennigans before it was 41 North. Phil Johnsons was located where Carsons is now, next to Whitehall North Nursing Home. I think thats about it.
Paulette

This thread is starting to give me a clearer picture of growing up in the area -- when I was a teenager, I worked for a short time (a real short time) at the Arby's on Skokie Rd., just north of Lake Cook. And I recall fondly a number of meals at Henrici's, less so with Phil Johnson's (wasn't their claim to fame fried chicken?). Of course, there was the Golden Bear around Lake Cook and Waukegan, a diner of sorts, but I seem to recall liking their fried chicken quite a bit when I was a kid. And what was better than the Edens theater? I too prayed that someone would take a chance with it, but then the wrecking balls came in. Of course, Barnaby's is still there after all of these years, just south of Dundee Rd, serving up one of my favorite thin crust pies in Chicago.

As for 41 North, I had one meal there that I recall being dissatisfied with, but I don't recall anything more. However, if there is any connection with Claim Company, then I'd love to try the re-invention because I loved those Motherlodes with all the fixins' and especially loved their chips, very crispy on the edges, but a little softer in the middle. I don't think anyone makes chips like the Claim Company made them.

BR wrote:...snip...
However, if there is any connection with Claim Company, then I'd love to try the re-invention because I loved those Motherlodes with all the fixins' and especially loved their chips, very crispy on the edges, but a little softer in the middle. I don't think anyone makes chips like the Claim Company made them.

Claim Company was one of the restaurants opened by Jim Errant under the umbrella Errant Enterprises. EE encompased, at various times, CC Northbrook, the original CC on Clark at Belden, CC Oakbrook and a brief lived CC in the Bloomingdales building, Timbers Charhouse, America's Kitchen (the original restaurant in the Bloomies bldg), Zarrosta (Oakbrook and State (?) street, and Gentleman Jims (which no one remembers!) I think I missed one...

The 41 North partners were Errant Enterprises employees, variously senior corporate management (Arnie) and at some point Ted managed Timbers. CC did really well in the North Shore partly because it boasted a scratch kitchen that didn't balk at special orders (yes, bubbie you can have a tail piece of whitefish) and partly because the salad bar was large. Jim Errant was early LEYE management and spun off his own concept...didn't CC remind anyone of RJ Grunts?

As for those chips (Cottage Fries), people either loved them or hated them; no middle ground was possible. I think ordering a Motherload was a pain in the rear...it took 10 minutes to decode all those options. And here's the thing, they came in frozen and preformed from the meat supplier!

BR wrote:This thread is starting to give me a clearer picture of growing up in the area -- when I was a teenager, I worked for a short time (a real short time) at the Arby's on Skokie Rd., just north of Lake Cook. And I recall fondly a number of meals at Henrici's, less so with Phil Johnson's (wasn't their claim to fame fried chicken?). Of course, there was the Golden Bear around Lake Cook and Waukegan, a diner of sorts, but I seem to recall liking their fried chicken quite a bit when I was a kid. And what was better than the Edens theater? I too prayed that someone would take a chance with it, but then the wrecking balls came in. Of course, Barnaby's is still there after all of these years, just south of Dundee Rd, serving up one of my favorite thin crust pies in Chicago.

I believe that Wood Fired Chicken now occupies the former Golden Bear space. It used to be called Full Slab Ribs but changed over about 10 years ago.

And I love Barnaby's too, which I believe has been in that location since 1967. One thing this discussion highlights is how remarkable and rare it is for a restaurant to survive multiple decades in a single location. Barnaby's has been through several owners and a few cosmetic changes but it's basically the same place it was when it first opened. Of course, I do miss the little electronic signs located on each table that used to flash a message when your pizza or sandwich order was ready.

=R=

paulette wrote:Phil Johnsons was located where Carsons is now, next to Whitehall North Nursing Home. I think thats about it.
Paulette

No .... Phil Johnson's was on the south east corner of Lake Cook & Waukegan, where the Borders is now.

obit of Arthur Johnson, son of Phil the founder

HI,

What was the restaurant where Carson's Ribs now resides. It was another old fashioned roadhouse like Phil Johnson's.

Regards,

Cathy,

The name of the place was Bill Knapp's. It was an average family place from what I recall...I remember having breakfast there once but that's it.

Since this thread has morphed into memories of places on the Northbrook/Deerfield border that have passed us by, we should definitely include the old Big Boy on the SW corner of Lake Cook & Waukegan (turned into Applebee's and is now a Ritz Camera & WaMu building). We used to carry out once in a while growing up, and I fondly recall having Diamond Jim's (turkey club) & Brawny Lads (burger with a monstrous slice of raw onion) as a kid. There are still plenty of Big Boy's open in Michigan; not sure if any are still around in other parts of the country...

...and how about James Tavern, just east of where PF Changs now sits. It was Woody's Roadhouse for a while in the 90's and the Crate & Barrel outlet now sits on the exact spot of the old building. I remember having a bad Christmas Eve dinner there sometime in the mid-to-late 80's and think it closed a few months later.

TonySpilotro wrote:Cathy,

The name of the place was Bill Knapp's. It was an average family place from what I recall...I remember having breakfast there once but that's it.

I knew a family in Deerfield who traveled to somewhere in Indiana to another Bill Knapp's. They missed something that I could not recall being overwhelming memorable.

In what is now Wildfire, wasn't it once a Pizza Hut?

My best friend Cathy was taken to James Tavern for one of her graduation dinners. I recall she was not very happy about it.

Regards,

Great pictures of the Edens theaters!

The Victoria Station chain used to award the last player picked in the NFL draft a lifetime of free meals.

The Pickle Barrel was the ultimate treat for us as kids. We couldn't believe the free pickles on the table.

Don't forget The Refectory which was down around Henrici's, but I can't remember where.

Cathy2 wrote:My best friend Cathy was taken to James Tavern for one of her graduation dinners. I recall she was not very happy about it.
Regards,

I recall James Tavern -- didn't like it. I think they specialized in "Colonial-like" food if I recall correctly . . . I know they offered a peanut soup.

I do remember Woodfire being where the Pizza Hut was. My son went to a birthday party there when he was young!

What a great thread. I, like so many here, saw Star Wars, Raiders, and other big, big movies at the Edens. With real estate costs and multiplexs, no way it could have survived, but I would love to see today's eye candy movies on that big screen. The last movie I saw there was on a date in the early 90s. It was the DeNiro remake of Cape Fear and half the seats had rips in them. There were a dozen or so other people in the theater, not exactly the electric atmosphere of 1977.

Arby's at one time did serve actual roast beef. Not sure when they changed to Carl Budding-esque pulverized and reconstituted meat. What's somewhat amazing is that the Burger King across the street has been in business for more than 30 years.

And while we're talking about survivors in that corridor, don't forget Beinlich's and Hole in the Wall.

AlexG wrote:Arby's at one time did serve actual roast beef. Not sure when they changed to Carl Budding-esque pulverized and reconstituted meat.

Not in 1983, when I was working there for a very, very brief period, at which time it was a lumpy mess (which I gladly consumed)

So there's some back-and-forth here about these restaurant locations. Having lived here for most of the last 35 years, to confirm:

- Henrici's was at the site that was most recently 41 North. In between, it was a Bennigan's for quite a long time. I am sure there were other restaurants in that space. I think one of them might have been called Grasshopper (or maybe that was the name of something on the menu at Henrici's).

- The space further south that is now the MRI place was a number of restaurants before that, including Olive Garden, Garcia's of Scottsdale, and the Country Inn (which nobody has mentioned ). Likewise, I believe there was one or two other restaurants in that space.

Both of these, as well as the now-fifth-third bank location, were what my family called the "cursed spots" along Skokie Blvd. They turned over a lot, which showed that restauranteurs are quite capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The space that is now Yamamoto and was Dr. Zushi and Artie's before that also seems to be on the cursed list.

Goodman's, as mentioned, was north of Skokie and Clavey on the west side... but it wasn't right on the corner where CVS is now. It was more where the Hyundai/Dodge dealer sits. Fuddrucker's used to be a furniture store. Goodman's had great pizza bagels, and I miss it.

The Myron & Phil's outpost was, as confirmed, in the Holiday Inn's restaurant space, which became the Villa Moderne's restaurant space (what a name for a hotel!)...which was all torn down to build the strip mall (along with the Edens theatres, the Peacock Palace building, the bowling alley, and the strip mall that had the bagel place and Subvention [which had great subs]).

What I really want to see is if anyone can remember the name of the pizza place that was at Lake-Cook and Skokie -- I think it was Skokie Gardens. This is 30+ years ago. Also, Daniello's preceeded what's now Hole in the Wall, we used to get takeout from there all the time.

And I used to work at the Burger King on the west side of Skokie Boulevard. When it still had a salad bar. (Actually, Victoria's Station had a GREAT salad bar, and they even had a cooler for the metal salad bar plates)

(Posted by the hubby of DebsDiningDigs)

HI,

The predecessor to Fuddruckers was the decorators Wilson and Jump.

Pickle Barrel was a long running location. Edwardo's also was long run, not exactly a cursed location.

I do sort of agree on the Arties, Dr. Zushi and Yamamoto. Dr. Zushi was overpriced and my one experience at Yamamoto was mediocre making it expensive at any price point. It is a lousy location for a restaurant with several respectable heavyweight competitors nearby.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Pickle Barrel was a long running location. Edwardo's also was long run, not exactly a cursed location.

You're right, the Pickle Barrel was there a long time. But ever since...

I'd argue that Eduardo's wasn't successful in that location. A chain is much more willing to maintain locations that are underperforming as a trade-off for market visibility and other factors. Besides, during the time it was Eduardo's, it went from a single restaurant, to splitting into two restaurants, to having the second place turn over (twice more, if I recall correctly). Other than the occasional kids birthday party, I can't recall seeing Eduardo's ever really that busy in that spot. And I definitely can't think of that many restaurants that have subdivided their space like that.

I think it is interesting that all three of these spots along Skokie Boulevard have ultimately been bulldozed into non-restaurants (if the report about 41 North becoming another office building is accurate). Prairie Grass appears to be doing well, but that's another spot that has turned over a lot. We'll have to see. On the other hand, Beinlich's is still there

Drove past there over the weekend and their 'marquee' says thanks for the seven (or eight) years. They are closed.

Wow, what a blast from my past! I grew up in SE Highland Park and remember all these places along the Skokie Blvd., Clavey, Lake-Cook Dundee area.

I do not remember Henrici's, but I do remember Garcia's and the Olive Garden, as well as the Bennigen's.

Some more that graced the area in my childhood that are gone: Gold Coast Dogs and Two Jays in Crossroads. Peacock's Ice Cream in the strip mall where NYB&B was.

Wait?? When and why did Metropolitan Cafe close? It was always busy and good whenever I went there!

Does anyone remember a deep dish pizza place that used to be somewhere between Charlie Beinlich's and the Caddy dealership (Steve Foley?) on Skokie Blvd. on Northbrook. My friend and I used to go there a lot in high school in the mid '80s. It wasn't one of the main chains (so not Edwardo's). They were in business in the '80s and I think into the '90s, and they used to have tempura veggies in addition to the standard Chicago pizza fare. Anyone? Beuller?

Eduardo's took over the pizza spot from Baccino's. Don't forget the absolutely dreadful 5 way chili spot not far from the theaters!

BACINO'S! YES! Thank you! That sucker was on the tip of my tongue since I first started reading this thread last week.

Bacino's used to a brisk business it seemed. Frighteningly, I still have a magnet from that location of my fridge.

There is a great aerial photo on the west wall at Beinlich's of the area we've been talking about from the '60s. Check it out next time you're in for a shrimp and crab meat cocktail, burger, Michelob, and a Hershey Bar.

I only recently moved on up to the North Shore, being a Grover (morton) most of my youth.

I just have to comment on the ARBY's comment. There used to be a place on Milwaukee Ave just north of Ballard called Cal's, I thought it was a chain but it is NOT the same as Cal's Jr., and anyway, they had THE BEST roast beef sandwiches. They were definitely real meat, not processed. Cal's was just north of Tasty Pup which I believe was built on the land previously called Kelly's, a pre-McDonald's burger spot that was there before Ballard Road was built to go that last block east.

And I thank you for the Garcia's talk, I seemed to remember it at Lake Cook and Skokie Blvd, where I think the Pier One is/was most recently.

sujormik wrote:And I thank you for the Garcia's talk, I seemed to remember it at Lake Cook and Skokie Blvd, where I think the Pier One is/was most recently.

the Garcia's was at the corner of Dundee/Skokie where the rehab center is now. It used to be an Olive Garage. Arby's used to be where the Pier One was.

Arby's was a bit to the North in the Crossroads parking lot in front of what is a recently shuttered Comp USA (was various sporting goods stores over the years). The Pier One, which is now a Fidelity or Schwab or something like that is right on the NE corner.