restaurant battles....Yesteryear edition

Posted by Puddleglum July 27, 2011 at 1:29 p.m.

Being as pretty as I am is a full-time job, but it has its payoffs when I am able to share my golden rays of hope and uplifting cheer to all of you. Lemme share right now!

We all have our favorite restaurants here in Lawrence. We all have our favorite dishes that they serve. Some of our favorite restaurants have disappeared, and we live on with memories that we keep to ourselves.
But time after time, I hear spoken lore harkening days gone by and dishes so good that no mortal shall ever surpass. I surmise there must be a few select options which rise above the mundane surplus of recipes old but not forgotten. If you could rewind the clock and your favorite restaurant of yesteryear were still open, what would you order? please post both he name of the restaurant and the menu selection:

Delicious
Digg
Tumblr
Wordpress
Reddit
Copy and paste the link:

puddleglum 1 year, 10 months ago

mmmm...Mojo's wings with whiskey a go-go sauce

pizzapete 1 year, 10 months ago

A slice of Rudy's pizza and a 3.2 beer sitting outside with friends at the Crossing.

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

those were some good times for sure!

geekin_topekan 1 year, 9 months ago

Sitting at the Crossing watching the 4th of July fireworks. They used to be by the stadium.

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

The Chuck Wagon! with the whole fam dambly on Friday night. I prolly had a hamburger or something. My dad would have steak. And I would always get to reach into the ceramic chuck wagon bowl for a treat on the way out. circa 1960

sbradt 1 year, 9 months ago

Now that brings back some good memories.

riverdrifter 1 year, 9 months ago

I've got the old deer rack that hung in that place. Don't know what happened to the chuck wagon that sat out front.

snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year, 10 months ago

When Vermont St BBQ was actually on Vermont St, they did some dang good ribs.

sjgreen 1 year, 9 months ago

and they used awesome bread on their sandwiches when they first opened!

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

they cranked out some great food....wings were amazing.

scopi_guy 1 year, 10 months ago

Quesadilla at the Aztec Inn. I loved their chips and salsa too. Kind of hot, but not too hot. And a kind of funny type of cheese dip that had chunks of some kind of meat in it (I never asked what it was)...but it was pretty good too. Then you could go and play pinball after lunch. Or bowl a game.

RoeDapple 1 year, 10 months ago

Bucky's! Pork tenderloin

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

Do you remember when Bucky's was Sandy's? They had great fries as they didn't peel the spuds.

RoeDapple 1 year, 10 months ago

I remember when Sandy's was built . . .

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

whoa!

yourworstnightmare 1 year, 10 months ago

LuLu's. The spicy beef.

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

LULU's chicken massaman curry....I often travel to K.C. with the intent of stopping by the LULU's but I always get sidetracked.

oliveoyl 1 year, 9 months ago

Yes! Yes! Yes! Lulu's massaman curry. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

scopi_guy 1 year, 10 months ago

5 cent ice cream cone at Gibson's. I know, not a restaurant, but it was pretty good.

MapMadeMind 1 year, 9 months ago

Funny tacos @ Taco Grande were awesome! We still make them in our house!

ashamedofyou 1 year, 9 months ago

What are funny tacos? They sounds like they might be good!

MapMadeMind 1 year, 9 months ago

They are a flour tortilla with a layer of nacho cheese (or some locations used to use nacho cheese and refried beans) between it and crunchy taco shells. The result is fantastic.

weedy01 1 year, 9 months ago

Taco inside of a flour tortilla and cheese dip

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

12-cent burgers!

somedude20 1 year, 10 months ago

Heck I miss Milton's being open later for dinner as they had a some good food (miss those brick oven pizzas and calzones. Mojo's was good and quick for delivery and Tanner's was not too bad (they had the weird names for the chicken there, lips?) Mass St Deli had a decent cajun burger ( and a cute waitress)

pizzapete 1 year, 10 months ago

Yea, I liked it better when Miltons was more of a wine bar than a coffee and breakfast place.

Andini 1 year, 10 months ago

A fried bologna sandwich at the Cheese Shoppe.

cellistpilot 1 year, 10 months ago

The Red Lion - What ever Bill served as the "special" each day for lunch. And the deserts there were great too!

riverdrifter 1 year, 9 months ago

"Get the hell out of here if you're not gonna order!"

1029 1 year, 10 months ago

(1) Kilroy at the Cheese Shoppe; (2) smoked wings at Vermont St BBQ

pizzapete 1 year, 10 months ago

The Glass Onion made a mean black bean quesadilla and eating outside offered a good view of the girls walking from campus back to the dorms.

oliveoyl 1 year, 9 months ago

I also loved the black bean quesadillas at The Glass Onion! Good times.

Thinking_Out_Loud 1 year, 9 months ago

Glass Onion had fantastic milkshakes.

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

Multi, my buddy & I would go into Taco Grande whereupon he would say something like 'if I can chug 12 oz. of your extra hot sauce, will you give me some free tacos?' They would. He did. We always ate cheaply.

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

Raney's Lunch Counter - hot beef sandwich

scopi_guy 1 year, 10 months ago

Free ice water at the Ira Price cafe.

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

Casa de Taco - best tostadas I can remember.

pizzapete 1 year, 10 months ago

Waffle burgers at the Replay, before the back patio was added.

RoeDapple 1 year, 10 months ago

Remember when you ordered from the front window at Sandy's and ate in your car?

http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com/sandyscolorbuilding.jpg

rockchalker52 1 year, 10 months ago

That's nice, Roe! Takes me way back. Man, I miss those fries.

jhawkinsf 1 year, 9 months ago

Cornucopia - the all you can eat salad bar, a great dinner. The Red Lion - great, quick lunch. Paradise Cafe - breakfast.

cellistpilot 1 year, 9 months ago

I totally concur!

sbradt 1 year, 9 months ago

it was in Baldwin and it was the Black Jack Cafe. Great trip on Saturday morning listening to Rick Frydman's Ethnic Cowboy Show on KJHK

scott3460 1 year, 9 months ago

Kung Pao Chicken at the Peking Restaurant circa 1990-94. And a pretty good buffet there too

Furrs Cafeteria on the other side of the intersection

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

Furrs?

that's brave. I'd prefer a warm glass of water at the Congo bar...well, maybe not in a glass

sjgreen 1 year, 9 months ago

Molly McGees chicken fingers and gravy!

valree 1 year, 9 months ago

Dump Truck Sundaes!!

Thinking_Out_Loud 1 year, 9 months ago

Molly McGee's Wham-O sandwich, when they still used frisbees as plates!

wissmo 1 year, 9 months ago

Another for Molly McGees, could eat there two or three times a week. Much missed.

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

Molly McGees- how did I forget that? cheese fries and the hamburgers all rocked!

Blue73, I gotta admit, I can find out the answer to your question tomorrow, but alas-I would have to ask someone else-I can't remember the name.

how about the Limeades at the Woolworths diner downtown? man, those were the best! The diner was so cool!

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

it was something on wheels, but afterwards it was the breaker drive in

snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year, 9 months ago

Douglas County Pie at the Paradise Cafe

gutenberg 1 year, 9 months ago

How about "The Hole in the Wall" near 9th and Mississippi, c. 1970? They served picnic style meals in a cardboard box, such as a grilled roast beef and cheese sandwich on a good bun, "special sauce", maybe with horseradish, home made potato salad, deviled egg, dill pickle. Boston cream pie for dessert Very memorable meals, at least to me.

TheSychophant 1 year, 9 months ago

Those roast beef sandwiches and potato salad were great. used to stop by after the downtown bars closed at midnight.

riverdrifter 1 year, 9 months ago

Made a good reuben too.

cellistpilot 1 year, 9 months ago

Tin Pan Alley. Just about everything was good.

TopJayhawk 1 year, 9 months ago

Off topic a little bit.

The China Inn in Topeka. Best won tons, egg roll and fried rice I have ever had. Not too much Cantonese available now.......And the Almond Chicken was to die for.

scopi_guy 1 year, 9 months ago

I remember the sweet and sour chicken...all the dishes were served in those stainless steel serving bowls with the lids. They'd be steaming hot when they'd come to your table. The S&S chicken wasn't just deep fried wads of chicken and flourescent red sauce like you get most places now. It had a lot of different vegetables in it, the chicken was sauteed and not coated/fried and it had tomato wedges and sweet pickle slices in it. I was almost born in that restaurant...just made it to Stormont Veil to make my arrival. Its demise was kind of sad, heard they had trouble passing the health inspections. I loved their big electric sign.

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

I had a thing for the milk at Drake's...always very very chilled...probably the coldest milk I have ever drank.

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

I dunno how good it was for some reason, but I do miss eggs bacon and hash browns at the Village Inn late at night.

KansasPerson 1 year, 9 months ago

I just loved the potato pancakes at Paradise. I have never had such good ones since.

I was also very partial to the egg-salad sandwich at Joe's. Maybe a doughnut for dessert. :-)

I don't miss the food at Village Inn so much as the place itself. Great place to sit and talk until 3 a.m. Also they had a cool deal for kids on some weeknight where they'd rope off the upper seating area and the kids would sit in there, watch some Disney movie on the VCR, make art projects, and eat something like dinosaur-shaped burgers or some such thing.

And I liked the old Pizza Shoppe or Lawrence Pizza Company or whatever its original name was -- at Sixth and Kasold. Good food, good staff, nice Lego table for the children.

KansasPerson 1 year, 9 months ago

Oh, and I liked the chicken piccata at old Nabil's. That was a neat place.

You've opened up a whole can of memories, puddleglum.....

puddleglum 1 year, 9 months ago

yea!

MapMadeMind 1 year, 9 months ago

The twice-cooked pork with a little shrimp, scallops, bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, celery, spinach, and water chestnuts with sa cha (spelling?) sauce @ Jade. Man was that delicious!

RoeDapple 1 year, 9 months ago

How about Margeret's Cafe next to Allen's Drive In? I got arrested there once . . . but it had nothing to do with the food. More to do with the manager of Allen's . . .

(charges later dropped . . .)

LisaGreenwood 1 year, 9 months ago

Burger and best ever milkshake at the Glass Onion before it went "green." Potato pancakes, breakfast burrito and cinnamon roll at Paradise Cafe. Reuben at Mass St. Deli. Anything at Tin Pan Alley. Dump Truck Sundae at Molly McGee's.

Finnbar1 1 year, 9 months ago

Tin Pan Alley-Teriyaki Steak Parardise Cafe-about anything Rax-chocolate shake thingy Valentino's-spaghetti Dairy Sweet-anything I also kinda liked the restaurant at Woolworth's Joe's Bakery-egg salad sandwich Taco Villa Harry Bear's Mass Street Deli Bucky's can't think of the name of it but it used to be at 6th and. Kasold? where Dillon's is now?

blackcopter 1 year, 9 months ago

Russel's East?

geekin_topekan 1 year, 9 months ago

South Iowa. There was a Chinese place there for a while. I believe it is the blighted spot where the current Olive Garden controversy is located.

Bum Steer. I thought it was a steak house. Used to attend AA meetings there in the 80s.

Paul R. Getto 1 year, 9 months ago

"The Red Lion - What ever Bill served as the "special" each day for lunch. And the deserts there were great too!" == Best food ever served in Lawrence. Do you know he had one of those boat/cars? That was a piece of work, as was Bill. Wonder what happened to him?

cellistpilot 1 year, 9 months ago

I think I heard it from his wife that he died in Alaska panning for gold up there.

Bob_Keeshan 1 year, 9 months ago

The cheeseburgers at Jenning's Donuts were the best things ever.

The burgers at Replay were also quite tasty.

devobrun 1 year, 9 months ago

The sign above the door as you left Bill's Red Lion said to not tell anybody about the place....he didn't serve strangers. Can't remember the food at the Lion much. It was home cookin', but kinda bland.

He lived next door to a friend of mine sorta behind Central Jr. High. Dirt lawn, kids in diapers runnin' around. Dog patch.

My friend called him.....ahem, (unmentionable body part) Bill. He seemed to approve of the name.

Alceste 1 year, 9 months ago

that sign not to tell strangers about the place......Remember....it's your seat....

BorderRat 1 year, 9 months ago

Drake's circa 1980 when Granny, I don't think I ever knew her given name, would open the place at 3 AM, for all the midnight shift delivery guys to get breakfast. Best biscuits and home made gravy around.

trinity 1 year, 9 months ago

Don's Steak House back in the days when it was still awesome. Ham steak...yum. Griff's. Bucky's. Ahhh, memories.

oliveoyl 1 year, 9 months ago

Massaman Curry at Lulu's Black bean quesadillas at The Glass Onion Breakfast enchiladas and a bloody mary at Paradise Cafe Mexicali egg sandwich at Bucky's (great for hangovers!) Almost anything from The Cheese Shoppe

pizzapete 1 year, 9 months ago

Potato Mountain, chicken noodle soup poured over a mound of mashed potatoes.

kernal 1 year, 9 months ago

I haven't had that since the second grade in the school cafeteria! The soup was homemade and real mashed taters.

RoeDapple 1 year, 9 months ago

To me the downfall of many of the food establishments mentioned occurred after Harwood's Meats closed. Fresh beef, pork and chicken delivered 6 days per week made the difference between a mediocre meal and a dining experience, be it a hamburger at Sandy's or a steak at the Sirloin. One of the little guys that made a big difference.

BruceWayne 1 year, 9 months ago

Amigos on 23rd...best tex mex ever?

MapMadeMind 1 year, 9 months ago

Where was Amigos at? Must have been before my time...

Katara 1 year, 9 months ago

Not in Lawrence but the best dish to me was Springfield Cashew Chicken from Bamboo Inn in Springfield.MO. It was a little shack with absolutely no seating. You ordered at the window inside and the old man yelled at you while he got your food together. One order was enough for several meals.

His crab rangoons were delicious as well.

kernal 1 year, 9 months ago

Cornucopia: black bean enchiladas and the salad bar -best salad bar I've seen in Lawrence. Paradise Cafe: just about everything

Alceste 1 year, 9 months ago

The steak fries with chicken gravy at Tin Pan Alley along with most of the menu of that joint.

Then there was the Deluxe Cafe and the Union Cafe, across the street from each other on Mass Street up by Francis Sporting goods.....nickle juke box machines at each and every table.....

Moore Burger could never be replaced......nor could Vista Burger.....them 25cent burger specials with the limeade......

And...actually, the steaks at the Kansas Union on Sundays in the late 50's and early 60's were quite good and very good value.....

geekin_topekan 1 year, 9 months ago

Burger at the Eastside Tavern with a hangover. I miss my iron-stomach days.

Late night at Country Kitchen (23rd and Ousdahl?) with my buzz on. Complain about the food and the cook, an older lady, would come out and lecture you about her job. Did this on a number of occasions. Fun times!

Committing Drake-0-cide.

blackcopter 1 year, 9 months ago

Jerk Chicken @ Tin Pan Alley; Nachos @ Bluebird Diner; Anything at Terra Nova Cafe. They had great salmon mousse pie, venison stew, West African peanut soup, desserts, etc, etc. Burgers and fries @ Johnny's in the 80's (They are not even close to what they used to be); Stranger Chicken @ Magic Wok (might have been Strange Chicken, but I seem to remember they called it stranger). It was so spicy but could not stop eating it; Cappuccino cookies @ Paradise (and many other things including the Douglas County pie); That's just a few things I did not see on the list already.

overplayedhistory 1 year, 9 months ago

I don't think I am old enough or eat enough disease causing, health care cost inflating food, to comment with this 50 years + crowd. Thanks for all your contributions Boomers.

New poll: how many people on this thread still eat like that or have some disease that is associated with obesity?

Rasta Pasta---- Full Moon Cafe Tempeh Reuben------ Herbivores

deaner 1 year, 9 months ago

Village Inn at 3AM

MattressMan 1 year, 9 months ago

I think it was in the 60s in the 600 block of Vermont on the west side there was a place called Willies Cafe. We didnt have much money back then so it was really a treat when we got to go there and have the enchiladas, from what I remember they were pretty good. And NO it wasnt Wille C's that was in the old ice house location several years later.

Commenting has been disabled for this item.