Your Favorite All-time Restaurant - Even If No Longer In Business

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Jayflight said:
There is a family tradition that dates back two modern generations of nothing but German potato salad. Don't let your taste buds be confused with regular potato salad.
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My FIL was German and he used to make German potato salad. It is quite different; served warm. To be fair it seems no two people makes potato salad the same.
 
Oldgator73 said:
My FIL was German and he used to make German potato salad. It is quite different; served warm. To be fair it seems no two people makes potato salad the same.
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My MIL was of German decent and so she had her Mother's formula from the decades ago and we had it for every holiday. Well when she passed my wife got the weathered and worn recipe box that also had the recipe in it. Well one thing let to another and we had a distant cousin in for Christmas dinner and of course we made it.

Well the gentleman said that it tasted a wee bit different from when he and his wife would make it over the years. So when he returned home the two swapped recipes and suddenly it dawned on them that my wife had the real recipe that had been passed down and that somewhere along the line onions were left out of his. This seemed to be a common practice with many of the old timers not wanting to pass along the perceived genuine recipes for most everything , but only to certain people. If it ain't tart, it doesn't get made in my house either.
 
My wife's family heritage are German Baptist (Dunkards). When they have family get togethers, the food is unbelievable .... absolutely everything. My wife (she's not German Baptist) does have ancestorial genes though. Over the years, her German Baptist cooking has skyrocketed to unbelievable proportions! I'd rather eat her cooking than any restaurant any day.... even something as simple as a hard boiled egg. She has a way of making those eggs the creamiest thing you can imagine.

But, if I have to select a restaurant, then Das Dutchmen Essenhaus
has to be it. Located in Middlebury, Indiana, right in the middle of Amish Country. It's been my top restaurant for over 30 years now.
 
Back in the day we had a restaurant here in San Jose, Ca called the Winchester Wagon House - a pretty decent steak house with a unique ambience inside: the tables were booths that were placed in a circle around the perimeter of the place, with conestoga-type canvas coverings over the booths - all facing toward the center of the room. The floor was made to look like the open prairie. In the center of the room was a large "camp fire" and the room was kept fairly dark. The ceiling was black, and had tiny lights for twinkling stars, and instead of background music they played coyote howls, owl hoots, and other random prairie sounds. The food was great: awesome steaks and ribs; a beef stew that would knock your socks off; chicken and seafood for those who don't like beef.
 
Onyrlef said:
They go back a few more than two generations.
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Details Mr. Watson, I was just speaking of direct knowledge of the two generations before my SWMBO came about. ;) I can't speak of direct knowledge of much of anything before Henry Ford built his first automobile.
 
Sambo's holds a special place in your heart, and I can totally understand why. There's something about those beloved breakfast spots that just make mornings better. It's a shame when such cherished places close their doors, but the memories linger on. Speaking of memorable spots, last summer, I had an incredible time at Bar Füssen in Germany. The ambiance was fantastic, and it reminded me of those classic diners where you'd enjoy a hearty breakfast. If you're ever in the mood for something similar, it's definitely worth a visit. And hey, if you're open to exploring new dining experiences, this place at Restaurant Füssen is a restaurant that offers a diverse menu that might surprise and delight you.
 
My favorites are:

In-N-Out Burgers

Great American Food and Beverage Company in Santa Monica

Oscar's near the entrance to Zion NP

Big E Steakhouse at the Grand Canyon
 
Alan_Hepburn said:
Back in the day we had a restaurant here in San Jose, Ca called the Winchester Wagon House - a pretty decent steak house with a unique ambience inside: the tables were booths that were placed in a circle around the perimeter of the place, with conestoga-type canvas coverings over the booths - all facing toward the center of the room. The floor was made to look like the open prairie. In the center of the room was a large "camp fire" and the room was kept fairly dark. The ceiling was black, and had tiny lights for twinkling stars, and instead of background music they played coyote howls, owl hoots, and other random prairie sounds. The food was great: awesome steaks and ribs; a beef stew that would knock your socks off; chicken and seafood for those who don't like beef.
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Ever been to the Grand View Restaurant on Mt. Hamilton? I have, but that was many years ago.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
We have a few from over the years. Here are a couple of our probably very favorites:

Shakey's Pizza, Grand Prairie, TX. We would always stop at this Shakey's Pizza as kids, when Mom and Dad would drive in from Biloxi Mississippi, then after that, from Abilene TX (Dad was in the Air Force). I remember us younger kids (my brothers and one sister) used to get the biggest kick out of watching them make the pizzas through a big long glass viewing window. Priceless memories.

Yum Yum Tree, Oahu HI. We used to take the kids there once or twice a month (it was a different time back in the 90's). My two older boys still remember the place, and the food. There is a commercial on YouTube from the 90's that show a combo plate of steak, BBQ chicken, and ribs, with veggies and a salad, for $10.95.

It's Greek To Me, San Antonio, TX. This little place was run by a Greek couple, as most good Greek places are. We used to eat here quite a bit, and got to where the owners (and a couple of the servers that stuck around) knew us. What made it really special is after my wife and I moved to the Houston area, my youngest son still went there a lot. When he got sick (Ulcerative Colitis), these guys helped him a lot and treated him like a son. When they finally retired and closed shop, we went back there to see them one last time before they closed. Very good people, and very good food.
 
edjunior said:
We have a few from over the years. Here are a couple of our probably very favorites:

Shakey's Pizza, Grand Prairie, TX. We would always stop at this Shakey's Pizza as kids, when Mom and Dad would drive in from Biloxi Mississippi, then after that, from Abilene TX (Dad was in the Air Force). I remember us younger kids (my brothers and one sister) used to get the biggest kick out of watching them make the pizzas through a big long glass viewing window. Priceless memories.

Yum Yum Tree, Oahu HI. We used to take the kids there once or twice a month (it was a different time back in the 90's). My two older boys still remember the place, and the food. There is a commercial on YouTube from the 90's that show a combo plate of steak, BBQ chicken, and ribs, with veggies and a salad, for $10.95.

It's Greek To Me, San Antonio, TX. This little place was run by a Greek couple, as most good Greek places are. We used to eat here quite a bit, and got to where the owners (and a couple of the servers that stuck around) knew us. What made it really special is after my wife and I moved to the Houston area, my youngest son still went there a lot. When he got sick (Ulcerative Colitis), these guys helped him a lot and treated him like a son. When they finally retired and closed shop, we went back there to see them one last time before they closed. Very good people, and very good food.
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The last remaining Shakey's in N. CA is in Oroville. I lived in Oroville for 10 years and went there one time. I wish I had gone more...I miss it.
 
One of my favorite all time restaurants was a Carribean place in Auburn, CA that was always packed before year 2020, but still could not survive through the COVID thing.

The name of the place was Joe Caribe. It is now a Pizza place. Old Carribean menu still online. I really enjoyed their curry burritos. Especially their shrimp curry burrito. But everything on their menu was great tasting.

"Burritos All burritos contain whole black beans, Spanish rice, jack cheese, and island slaw and a side of pickled carrot

"Shrimp Curry with mild yellow curry, chopped peanuts & toasted coconut 12.00."

The owner decided to retire when the COVID thing put him out of business.

I am surprised there are not more Carribean style restaurants around, as this place was packed every day and night before COVID. Even on many weekday day nights I would go elsewhere because they often had too long of a line to get in the place.

-Don- Reno, NV


​

 
Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton, CA. Unfortunately no longer there.

Now... my house. I regularly do recipes that we did before I retired.
 
Chef Duane said:
Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton, CA. Unfortunately no longer there.

Now... my house. I regularly do recipes that we did before I retired.
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We have a bunch of Lupe's around here, though they are called Lupe Tortilla. Their food is good enough, but what sets them apart is their Charro beans. They serve a small cup with the chips and salsa, and it can also be in lieu of the refried beans. The Charro beans are outstanding. Best we've ever had.
 
Walts Warf for steaks/sea food in Seal Beach, CA. Cervantes in Albuquerque or Castros in Santa Fe or Franciscos in Durango, CO for New Mexican. TTT truck stop in Tucson for plain good food. Old House in Santa Fe is closed but best filet mignon, still looking for a replacement for that one. Best Thai was in Destin, Fl at the Thai Elephant. The cook was from the same area of Thailand I spent three years in, so the spicing and flavors were what I consider authentic Thai.
 
edjunior said:
We have a bunch of Lupe's around here, though they are called Lupe Tortilla. Their food is good enough, but what sets them apart is their Charro beans. They serve a small cup with the chips and salsa, and it can also be in lieu of the refried beans. The Charro beans are outstanding. Best we've ever had.
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The one I'm talking about was a one-off and not part of a chain.
 
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