Rene G wrote:

AlanHenry wrote:"California Twinburgers" on Stony Island in the 50s.

Sounds like you're talking about Richard's (later Art's) Drive In on Stony Island just north of 87th. Richard's was known for the California Twinburger, similar to (but earlier than) a Big Mac.

How does this differ from the Big Baby?

Regards,

More than ten years ago...gyros at the OLD Andie's on Clark in Andersonville. Now that was a real hole in the wall! I have eaten there once since they opened the larger place, and I remember being rather disappointed. So it goes..........

We very seldom went out to eat. But when we did we went to places that are long gone. I remember going to an A and W Rootbeer stand in Maywood as a very young child as I lived there until I was about five.

The few times that were special occasions and we went out we would go to places like Kirie's in River Grove.
http://cdm.digitalpast.org/cdm4/item_vi ... R=21&REC=1
We also went to Russell's BBQ too occasionally.

During the 1960's going out to eat seemed to become more popular, with choices such as pizza and chinese food.
I recall my first taste of Chinese food from a restaurant in Franklin Park. My mother ordered it because guests were coming and it seemed very avant garde at the time. I liked it immediately even if I thought it tasted a little strange.

I recall my first taste of deep dish pizza was at a cavernous place at the back of Piper's Alley in Old Town now long gone. I think this was probably around l966 or so.

We would also frequent such places as Dave's for hamburgers and Bob O's for hot dogs.

I have several that were all formative in a certain way.

My mother loved food and having grown up in California, at things like avocados and artichokes, things that no one in the tiny Midwestern town I grew up in had ever heard of. My father was typical of many in that tiny town: beef (well done), chicken (fried), lunch meat sandwiches, potatoes (any way), and veggies. At least he did prefer fresh or frozen to canned, though he still liked them cooked limply.

So, when possible, my mother would escape with me and the two of us would go places my father wouldn't dream of going. This led to many trips to Galvez' in Frankfort for Mexican, Cliff and Tommy's in Monee for Chinese, etc. This in itself is still memorable - the monthly experience of being with my mom, just the two of us, driving to one of "our" places and eating delicious food together.

The first single memorable experience from this collection of experiences was at Keith's, a restaurant in Homewood. I was probably 4 or 5 years old and wanted to try lobster. My mother agreed and I was smitten. I can't remember much about the restaurant, just that it was dark and full of people enjoying themselves, with a waitress who actually appeared to like small children who appeared to enjoy dining out.

The second was similar to one upthread. My mom believed that I should know how to cook and entertain. I always participated in cooking and baking our meals for the three of us, but at eight, she decided that I should be able to cook a meal for a group. I don't remember know who was invited or what was on the menu, but I was in charge of creating a menu and cooking a meal for six. I am assuming it was the three of us and my grandparents and my uncle, but I don't know. I do remember, though, that feeling of accomplishment; that if I could do this, I could do anything!

Thanks mom.

My uncle had a saying - "it costs a little more to go first class." Whenever he was in town, we'd go to the Oasis over the Tri-State (aka 294) near O'Hare. At that time, it was a Fred Harvey, semi-fine dining, white tablecloth restaurant. I fondly remember meals of shrimp cocktail followed by fried shrimp, while watching cars whiz by below us.

I have two, from my native Baltimore--one "low end," one "high end."

The "low end" was Hamburger Junction, where your order arrived at your table via electric train. Wondrous and wonderful.

The "high end" was The Chesapeake, which still is probably the best restaurant I've eaten at in my life. Our parents took us there before we were really of "appropriate" age, but my mother drilled proper table manners into us so that my sister and I were a good little lady and gentleman. The lump crabmeat sauteed in butter in a chafing dish tableside, then served over toast so that by the time you were finished with the crabmeat the toast was sodden with the melted butter--orgasmically good, and I was still eight years away from knowing what an orgasm was. The Caesar salad continues to be the benchmark by which I measure all others. (Raw egg, anchovies, tossed tableside, the whole nine yards. Caesar salads are either great or not depending on how closely their taste profile duplicates that of The Chesapeake's.) The peach melba sundaes, to die for. Sadly, The Chesapeake no longer exists...except in my dreams.

It's easy. I was visiting my aunt and uncle and we went out to a very fancy restaurant. I do not remember the name but it was in Ann Arbor, MI. My aunt ordered gazpacho!! At first I thought it was tomato soup, but then found out it was cold. What the h377!!! That is when I found out that there was so much more to the world then I already knew.

I am now a chef and I think very fondly of my aunt Jill who showed me so much with her patience of my limited culinary knowledge but opened up the world to me and a great career.

pizzadan wrote:One of the earliest memories was of a place in Evanston, now occupied by the Davis St. Fish Market called the Dominion Room, it was a nice family restaurant that my family seemed to frequent about twice a month. I recall awsome pan fried chicken. They also served appetizers like sherbert in fruit juice and sherbert "intermezzos". They were big on plate dinners with several courses and gravy on everything. Alfie the manager, and Tarragon dressing, which was probably available at retail up until ten years ago.

Also, there was a place on Greenbay Road called Mary's Cupboard, just south of Winnetka Blvd. They did a great broiled chicken with a weird bbq sauce that my whole family loved. I can still remember that sauce today. I think that placed ceased to exist around 1970.

There was also that really cool ice cream place across from the present day Plaza Del Lago. . . . "No Man's Land" maybe, I'm not sure. I mostly recall blackberry icecream.

Suddenly thinking today of places I knew long ago, including the Dominion Room, I did a search, and came across this thread. While the thoughts are not really of my first memorable dining experience, this post reminded me of other places. We used to eat all the time at Mary's Cupboard. I used to love watching all the chickens turn on the rotisserie, which had a glass wall, so you could easily enjoy the rows and rows of hens turning golden brown. They also had spaghetti served with garlic bread, fried clams served with hush puppies (and I still love hush puppies), and minute-steak sandwiches, with the bread soaked in the juice from the meat. Probably wouldn't be impressed now, but boy it tasted good when I was about 10 years old. The glass wall has been bricked in, and today the building is home to the more upscale Restaurant Michael.

As for "No Man's Land," that was the name of that entire, unincorporated area where Plaza Del Lago was situated. Today, it's part of Wilmette. The ice cream place was Peacock's, and it was awesome ice cream. Even when I was grown up, I could tell it was some of the best out there. One of the things that made it special was that the fruit ice cream (peach was my favorite) was seasonal. You only got it when there were fresh peaches available. I also loved their pistachio and, later, their cappuccino with chocolate chunks. Having not thought of it in several years, I looked it up, to see if it might still made somewhere. However, it is gone. The owner, who passed away a few years ago, closed it because he didn't want it to fall into the hands of people who would not keep up his high standards. Sigh.

The Ritz in Madrid, when I was 10. I ordered roasted sea bass with Bearnaise sauce. I'd order the same thing again tomorrow. We'd spent the entire day at the Prado, which is very nearby. I can trace my life-long love of both 18th century European art (and Bearnaise) to that day.

Quite a trip.

I was about 7 years old and Dad took me to Al Carr's Wishing Well restaurant on 26th street in Cicero. This was 1967 and salad bars were pretty much limited to supper clubs and salad carts. I thought it was the best thing I had ever seen and was in awe of it's size. I started designing my future restaurant after that experience and it always revolved around a salad bar. Ten years later Wendy's and Ponderosa really took off with their salad bars. Then restaurants themed around one such as Sweet Tomato. If only there was enough money in my piggy bank at 7 to run with my ideas!

Four memorable dining experiences from my childhood come to mind:

1) Vague memories of an early morning breakfast--I couldn't have been more than three or four--at Freedman's Cafeteria around 13th & Racine near the South Water Market, with my dad, who was in the produce business. An older woman barked at me, "...you want some hot cakes?". That woman was the mother of Myron & Phil, who opened their iconic restaurant on Devon in Lincolnwood about 12 years later.

2) About that same time, my mom worked in downtown Evanston and my dad & I would pick her up at her dental office or after shopping at Lord's, a department store nearby. And from there we'd go to Cooley's Cupboard (on Orrington?), which I think was a dimly-lit tea house that served good hamburgers from what I remember.

3) One of the first times myself & my three brothers were taken out to dinner to a 'nice' restaurant (we were all within 5 years age-wise & were a handful, as they say) was by my brother's godfather, to Mister Ricky's in Skokie. Don't remember the meal itself, but this was probably mid-'60's, when the first Melman joint (named after Rich) was in its prime.

4) In March of 1966, before the Hawks game in which Bobby Hull broke the 50-goal barrier for the first time, I made my one & only appearance at Barney's Market Club on Randolph. Again, don't remember the meal except that my dad & his pals were very boisterous & the service was ver-r-r-ry slow. Yes Sir, Senator!!