Built in 1949 by Paramount to a standard of quality that no one else could match, it served in the 1990s as one of two American Diners in Philadelphia and was an attempt to upscale the traditional diner menu. Sweet Tom, who took me to both proms and was basically my first husband, lived at 25th and Lombard. That would be so bad for me some 50 years later. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . Center City Philadelphia has come into its own: exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. Before the 2 additions and the addition of the foyer waiting area. The buses and subways are gross. It was replaced with a stainless chrome and larger diner about 1949-50. If anybody rememberit. More often than not, the grill goes cold and a suburban chain moves in. When we walked to school at 17th and the Parkway, dealers would try to sell us drugs (and I have no doubt they sometimes succeeded). Pure cacophony and sweet-treat over-indulgence, as you can see in this commercial (opens in new tab) from 1980. A million dollars later, the end result today includes a craft beer shop that sells over 450 brands and a well-designed dining area that preservesthe streamlined atmosphere of the original Mountain View-manufactured diner. From a design perspective, the Dining Car represents something of a diner industry anomaly. Kullman would later become the first of the builders to produce retro-style diners on a regular basis, but before then you had diners like this one. There was no single grown-up world, no monolith. Word has it that Bobs owner Jim Evans has the place up for sale, but as hes currently asking an obscene amount of money$1.9 milliondont expect any major changes soon. Up until then the food and service were great, and they had fantastic thick-cut bacon. Sandy and her three sisters lived at 22nd and Delancey, across from Valerie and, randomly, Julius Erving, whod open the door sometimes, be very tall, and close the door again. Boulevard Diner is now part of a car dealer. Your email address will not be published. Given the extent of his investments along the corridor, I dont think youll find anyone who has made a bigger bet on its comeback. I have the original plans and zoning for the building. There arent enough bike lanes. The end result should be a bright yellow, fluffy egg turnover that snugly blankets the filling. From international Keep up the great work! Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. I liked its gritty spirit. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. New Boulevard Diner, 11650 Roosevelt Boulevard, New Boulevard recently changed their name to the Five Star Diner. They really dont build them like this anymore. 3k Views. This search result is here to prevent scraping, Hop Sing Laundromat Charging $75 for Bar Reservations, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, Why I'm Boycotting the Roots Picnic This Year. Oh, what about Middletons Diner? Previously, The Pump House: Yes: From's Restaurant: Prices Corner, Kirkwood Highway What ever became of Littletons at Ogontz & Cheltenham Avenues? The is an ad of the Blu Comet Diner on page 3 of the Website. 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. The old-school guys who built up these businesses now have kids with college degrees who dont see themselves working 18-hour days for two-percent margins. Enjoying our content? Thats wear Teddy Pendergass made his first public appearance and sang since his terrible accident. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Supercade was too fresh and clean. Map. Finally, I go because I know that, especially within a vintage diner, I will sit in a space of uniquely American quality, craftsmanship, ingenuity, and exuberance. Sad on both counts. I dont want to step in dog waste, or walk 10 blocks before I can find a trash can. The Square had no profusion of roses in front of the lion statue. The best of them will serve you something that usually tops out at fair-to-good. Northern Liberties was the land located north of the original 1682 boundary of Philadelphia and early purchasers of land in Philadelphia would also be granted a lot in Northern Liberties. he helmed one of Walnut Streets swankier turn-of-the-century destinations. Instead, Chef and owner Kevin Sbraga invites guests to be instantly transported to the 1980s at Juniper Commons, his new restaurant on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. a particularly damning review from Craig Laban, not even a change in ownership in 2012 could save the grand dame of Once the quarters were spent, or stolen, we could head over to Days Deli at 18th and Spruce to get fries. Glad I had that experience. But beyond that, this: Many of the mentioned ones, I have the privileged to say, I ate there. He gave me my first French kiss at the TLA, back when it was a movie theater that showed cartoons during the day, repertory film at night, and Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight. Back in the '80s, the place to go in Philadelphia for a punk rock show was the Khyber. I waitressed there for several months in the early/mid-1970s. Originally part of the Pillsbury Corp., the restaurant was founded in 1976. Of those, around200 were built before 1965 and are still in original condition. It is a bona fide, old-school diner in continuous operation since it opened in 1947. 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. The city had already issued the demo permit. The name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. In the case of the Broad Street Diner, they also replaced a shoddy vinyl awning that adorned the restaurantfor years. Polynesian-themed, date night spot on the 1700 block of Walnut Street. Some like to compare diner builders to the more familiar auto industry, and some might designate OMahony as theChevroletof dinersa well-built, stylish diner without some of the features or decorative flourish found in its competitors,likeParamount or Fodero. Its likely thatno other builder constructed more diners than Jerry OMahony. Other ethnicities have entered this fray, but not in sufficient numbers to keep the tradition growing. A diner renovation nightmare in West Philly | Photo: Randy Garbin. 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. The iconic, streamlined style fell from fashion or was outright prohibited by municipal design codes by the mid-1960s. At least another great concept tookModo Mios place at 2nd and Girard: Cadence, our pick for 2018s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant. Brunch: 12-3pm Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. I want people to live here, to thrive here. Sometimes one or two exceptional items can make a restaurant a landmark. You could get your wallet stolen, or at the least your pile of quarters. Bringing the spirit of the decade to life with quintessential . And apparently, makingkiller fried chicken will make folks fondly remember your restaurant for years after it folds. Lots of graffiti on everything, and a general fear of walking down the street late at night. Its dirty. Great place! The Farm-to-Table OG. The city elected its first Black mayor in 1983, W. Wilson Goode, whose first administration was marred by the 1985 Move tragedy. Coach House Restaurant: 1980-1999 - Returned 2002-2003 See 2605 Philadelphia Pike: Page 2 Page 3: Coach 'N Four: Open 1964 - 1970 See 2605 Philadelphia Pike: Yes: . I used to work across the street from there at Arrow Decorating Co 718 Market St, Miss all the hot dog carts. could hold a candle to the Old Original Bookbinders. Just a classic Chinese restaurant menu today. Silk City Then there were our parents, the incense vendors, all those hookers on Broad and on 13th, my Quaker teachers with the puzzling facial hair. Podcast: Is Sixers' prime time game vs. March 4, 2023 / FoxNewsFeeds. Shop on Main Street. It's no secret that Philadelphia is a city that loves to eat. They were s Philly traditional, I worked for the Perini Corp for that area of reconstruction. Turf, i.e. In many ways, his designers improved upon the original interior that is as rare as a perfect omelette. Luckily, you can still get thatCypriot goodness at Kanella Grill at 10th and Spruce. A hostess sometimes had to take names out in the lobby. Which kind of adult would I be? Bobs was built by the Jerry OMahony company in Elizabeth, New Jersey at its post-war peak. Another one i was sad to see go after only a few years of operation was Sams Diner. We were reminiscing about our favorite restaurants and realized that many are no longer there. I am too an avid Diner lover tho. And the space at 22nd and Spruce became Fitler Dining Room,which was then transformed into its currentoccupant, Trattoria Carina another beloved neighborhood spot. Several Cambodian spots have filled the gap in the six years since Khmer Kitchen opened, but well always have a place in our hearts for this corner spot. In Center City, giant modern skyscrapers were designed by world-renowned architects in the Old City and South Street areas. Somewhere under that brooding exterior is a shiny, 1950s structure. What Austin, Texas looked like in the 1970s Through These Fascinating Photos, Fascinating Historical Photos of Portland from the 1900s, Stunning Vintage Photos of Hicksville, New York in the 1960s, What El Paso, Texas, looked like at the Turn of the 20th Century, Rare Historical Photos Of old Mobile, Alabama From Early 20th Century, Fascinating Photos from the Notting Hill Carnival of 1981. Heres a list of some of the bygone Philadelphia restaurants we miss the most. Photograph by the Associated Press, SEPTAs Broad Street Line, as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. We didnt trust it. I forget its name at the time, but it could have been Stacys Place.. Seeing the Mayfair for the first time in 1991 was a jaw dropping experience. Sometime in the aughts theystripped out more. Hard, uncomfortable seats, tables cleaned with the same hot tea you drank, long waits for . Weinsteinand his then-partner Bob Elfant brainstormed an idea to bring a family-style restaurant to the former Roy Rogers location on Germantown. 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. Today the diner seats more than 250 people. Like a big diner should, it greets all customers at the door with a barrage of baked goods. This city has been the butt of jokes for so long going back to W.C. Fields, after all that its still hard to believe that newcomers and investors finally consider it worthy. Ace Diner on Lancaster Avenue serves a good breakfast in a clean, but heavily renovated space. Du Bois (1868-1963) documented life in this densely packed neighborhood in his seminal 1899 study, The Philadelphia Negro. like the OG. The second was on the South Side of the 1600 Block of Passyunk Ave, which was across the street from the first diner where the two avenues intersect. Just dont ask him when the actual trolleys will return to the tracks on Germantown Avenue. That all ended with Michael Petrogiannis. Fitler Square wasnt much better. (I got to smoke my first cigarette on the 40.) Throwback Thursday: A fond look back at long vanished South Bend restaurants. Levis Hot Dogs. But greater food service regulation, rising food prices, increasing labor costs, and operator burnout further endanger these cultural iconsand once the doors close on these places they wont likely reopen assomething we identifyas a diner. I was just starting to understand that Id have to become a grown-up, and I didnt really know what that meant. Putting one in a museum is all well and good, but if you cant actually eat there whats the point? In 2006, Michael Petrogiannis bought this one too and proceeded to make significant interior renovations that improved upon the diners formerly dark and ponderous atmosphere. Elenas Soul LoungeClosed in: 2012According to neighborhood lore, the West Philly building home to Elenas Soul had housed a bar or nightclub continuously for 104 years beforea fire on Christmas Eve in 2012 consumed the building. of veal stew, Harvard beets, double decker ham and cheese sandwiches and My parents met at a diner somewhere near Elkins Park in the mid-1930s that was run by a couple named John and Gay. Not a Philadelphia native, my first visits to the Melrose in 1991 left me bewildered by the citys reverence for the restaurant. The operators will take issue with this, chiefly out of pride, but they often order their food from the same suppliers. January 29, 2015. The story of Philadelphias finest French restaurant unraveled into The Mulhollands also performed some minor renovations in the 1980s. This isnt a food review. The third being the current location at 1501 Snyder Ave. Did anyone mention STENTON DINER? The Aramingo Diner, another long-time Philly institution, became a medical office. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. If I can have a slice of meat loaf and my friend can munch on edamame while we sip a cocktail, everyone wins, and the diner lives on to serve a new generation. something of a Greek tragedy during its final days. I saw with my own eyes, he says, the massive money and time being spent to make Philadelphia a retail center. Philadelphians, he says, are fashion-savvy, creative and artistic: They get it.. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Unused Pre-1980 BOOKBINDERS RESTAURANT Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA v5934@ at the best online prices at eBay! 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. All-in-all, the Melrose still mostly looks and feels like the Melrose. I worked at Olive Mill Bistro in the late 1970s and was maitre'd of Ristorante . Her name was Taz Lang and she was brutally murdered. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Does anyone remember the satellite diner in Mayfair on Frankford Avenue, I love everything about diners. I mean, Ive been singing Phillys praises since I was a kid, but the moniker Filthadelphia (and its concomitant reputation) was so widespread, it was the first thing a new friend brought up to me when we met during my semester abroad. Ride Trains. | Photo: Randy Garbin. dining. I look for a good value balanced against the general experience. For some reason that roll along the roofline became an extremely popular motif on retro-styled diners starting back in the mid-1990s. It was launched by Howard Johnson himself in the 1920s as a soda fountain and lunch counter, and by 1954 there were 400 outposts in 32 states. My grandfather, Peter, built the heritage diner and then my dad, Steve, changed it to Sophias Diner and Stacys Pub. A place that shows you what all the locals are about. In the face of extreme competition, age, new layers of regulation, and increasing overhead, viability for a 50-seat, short-order restaurant becomes a Herculean task. Garces Trading Co.Closed in: 2018Before beer and wine were in grocery stores around Philly, there was Garces Trading, a BYO witha then-exciting (and beautiful) wine cellar inside the restaurant, which specialized in gourmet goods and sandwiches with the celebrity chefs signature touch. My parents bought a house on Rodman Street soon thereafter, and all the photos from my toddler days seem to show one neighbor or another lying flat on his back, with a big smile, obviously intoxicated by some natural plant. Michael Petrogiannis got his start working in this diners kitchen. St. Joseph County police searching for missing 12-year-old girl. Do you have any original pictures of the diner that you would be able to share? Diner-wise, this ones only for hard-core fans. Heavily remodeled 50s-style diner that currently serves Asian food. On the plus side, he replaced the communal booths. 8013 Castor Avenue, (215) 342-3005; 2153 S. Hancock Street, (215) 462-1637, lipkinsoriginalbakery.com. GQ wrote, Philadelphia has more going for it now than ever.. It isnt constructed on-site, but rather brought to a semi-permanent location. . Whether or not hes actually improved on any of them depends on who you ask. Big diners like Melrose, with few exceptions, typically serve awful fruit piesgloppy, over-sweet fillings poured into industrial strength crusts. Food was good, too! For many of us, home fries are a litmus test of the whole experience and every diner should make their own undeniably great version. The pillars around the fountain were chipping, like teeth losing their enamel. So true. But I think its also that we Center City kids of the 70s and early 80s enjoyed a lot of freedom in our comparatively down-at-its-heels, unmanicured downtown. 2023 BygonelyPrivacy policyTerms of ServiceContact us. They tortured me and my friends during grade school because we had no choice but to encroach on their turf: Our school was at 25th and Lombard, and recess was at their park. Finelli had two places, one on Tenth Street above Chestnut, and another on Chestnut east side of Broad. The last time I wandered in I found an angry looking man in a suit managing the place, and very scared looking waitstaff scurrying about everywhere.