The trains were installed on an overhead wooden monorail at the 18th Street location in the 1970s, and it was dubbed Fritzs Union Station. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States.It is the central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Missouri-Kansas state line and has a population of 2,392,035. 11. Ferruzza: I loved EBT. They used family recipes from Vitas parents, natives of Sicily, and Vita made a point of greeting each customer personally. This friendly family-owned French restaurant was recently honored by Zagat as the best overall restaurant in Kansas City and named by OpenTable as one of the Top 100 restaurants in the United States. This was your classic cafeteria food where you pushed a tray down a shelf and pointed at the food you wanted. "People have very diverse reasons for loving a restaurant," food critic Charles Ferruzza told host Gina Kaufmannlast week on Central Standard. Secret to success: We watch over the preparation of all food items and we really are strict in the preparation and ingredients, Jimmy Cascone says. When he was discharged in 1956 he planned a construction career. Sep 13, 2019 - Restaurants that I ate at as a child..most no longer exist. Burger King. He agrees with Bryants philosophy: You dont get fancy with a barbecue. My favorite options was their chicken and biscuits and gravy. Some of our favorites include their Key Lime Pie and the Blackberry Pie. Our family used to have lunch at the cafeteria after church back in the late 1970s. Sometimes, restaurants appeal to certain communities,Kansas City historian Monroe Dodd told Kaufmann. These 17 Photos Of Kansas In The 1970s Are Mesmerizing. In early 1964 it moved to its current spot just west of Broadway, offering a little of Old Mexico in downtown Kansas City, according to its newspaper advertisements at the time. If I was going to work there another 15 years it might as well be as an owner, she said. Kansas City Marriott Downtown. But what makes a Kansas City restaurant iconic? One of KCs home grown pizza options in the mid 1970s was Schaals Pizza. History: The Historic Overland Theater, built in 1946, opened Christmas Day, featuring "The Hurricane" with Dorothy Lamour and "In Old California" with John Wayne. Ollie Gates worked there before earning a building construction degree from Lincoln University and then joining the U.S. Army. And I know that a lot of people think of EBT as just the best dad gum place to go shop in the whole city; there was a tearoom there. Secret to success: Los Corrals is more than just a restaurant. People have been coming for their 20th anniversary, 30th, 40th. It was an instant success. Perry put him on the payroll. Gangland Wire, a documentary-film blog and podcast produced by attorney Gary Jenkins, a former Kansas City police detective, recounts how federal and local officials snuck into and bugged the restaurant in 1975. Website Take me there. We treat everyone like family., Location: 5410 N.E. While it did not have the casino economy and distractions of a contemporary Chuck E. Cheese, it was fun for us kids at the time. In the 1950's when I was a kid in KCK: Peter's Drive-In (formerly Zesto) pork tenderloin sandwiches. The Waldo location lasted 44 years until 1997, when the family sold the property to Walgreens. In 1947 Kansas City annexed more land to the south. Grandpas whole idea was to have those on the streetcar stops so thats why they were so close together, said Scot Sparks, third-generation owner. The 26 Essential Restaurants in Kansas City. The customers who walk in say Hi, mom. Its like shes their mom.. Located in the Westin Crown Center for decades, the Polynesian-themed restaurant featured a Tiki Bar atmosphere with Asian/Oceania food and Kansas City classics. Even though the quality of the food was really inconsistent at the end there was something about eating in that time capsule. One of my favorite family dinner locations as a kid was the Putschs cafeteria which used to be in Prairie Village at Mission Rd. Get the Chuppa- Cobb- Rah, an Elote street corn on the cob seasoned to perfection. Since then presidents and celebrities have made pilgrimages to the brick building. Restaurants. . 10. The Rauschelbach family has owned Arthur Bryants Barbeque since 1982 (the Bryant family owns the building). So the couple run it together with just a dishwasher and server, working four hours at dinner Thursdays through Saturdays. 11616 Ash St., Leawood, and 71 E. 14th St., KCMO. Secret to success: It would all go back to Mike and Dennis and their ability to make people feel welcome. Power and Light also offers Valet Parking in front of our restaurant Tuesday- Saturday from 4pm-close. Van Noy bought the current building, which had a soda shop on the first floor and roller rink on the second, and partnered with Wright. "It could be food, it could be place they got engaged it could be anything," he said. They offered a limited menu, mostly hamburgers, hot dogs and chili. Never was a destination in my family, though I remember it being a fancy date destination. North Kansas City / Riverside, Kansas City, Missouri. His son, Steve, started washing dishes and busing tables as a 12-year-old. Never got a chance to dine at Skies or check it out. Also, consistency with the food and the service, said Greg Hunsucker, chairman of the board and son-in-law of the Tottas. The first menu offered a 79-cent, three-course meal, and they soon changed the name to Jaspers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Church-going enjoys a revival. I think thats how a lot of restaurants here got to be iconic.". Want us to cover a Kansas City are restaurant of yesteryear in future updates? Directions Advertisement. Umberto's Clam House Little Italy, New York City. Dont recall hanging out there myself, but it had a big bar, cheap margaritas, and all the delicious food. The couple had their mothers in the kitchen, using recipes from Gus mother, a native of Torreon, Mexico. Planet Sub grew out of the Yello Sub mini-chain, which had two restaurants in Lawrence, Kansas. Do I recall there being live music during our first visits? What readers remember about the restaurant: I remember Smaks as a child because there was one a block from my childhood home and the hickory burger was my favorite, great place to eat.. NEW! The restaurant, named Jasper's, quickly became a popular Kansas City dining spot. She was 92. The founders were Ruth Coleen Bond and Lawrence "Pat" Moran. The couple had five children who all worked in the restaurants, but the youngest, Fred, was willing to put in the long hours. A blog about Kansas City restaurants and food. Some friends of mine of a certain age say they knew their boyfriend was serious about them when they took them to the Westport Room. I make it so you can put it on bread and eat it.. "At one time back in the 70s and 80s there were Baby Doe's Matchless Mine restaurants in Columbus, Kansas City, Birmingham, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles. Secret to success: Our key to success is MITH a Mirabile in the house, said Jasper Mirabile Jr. There is never a time where there is not a Mirabile in the restaurant, and most of the time there are four to five of us here, weekends especially. It was a very fancy restaurant, I understand. Old man Perry and my brother made it too hot. In 1972, Trillin said it was one of the countrys best steakhouses in a piece he wrote for Playboy. My father does remember that they went there a lot. But his father promised to change the name to Gates & Sons if Ollie came to work for him. Basic American comfort food done pretty well. Ill fess up that the main reason that this tween at the time went to church during that era was for the lunch afterwards. Opened in 1979, the restaurant closed in 2019. If you had an income to do it, if your parents had the income to do it, you would meet w your friends there, even as a teenager, because it meant something. We can travel back in time to visit restaurants in the Kansas City area. Betty opened Torreon in downtown Overland Park in 1967 and relocated to the current spot in 1973. Youngsters and young adults in the fifth and sixth generations also fill in. Vs said theres a little bit of everything on the menu, such as scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, biscuits and Italian sausage gravy, stuffed pasta shells, Cajun shrimp tortellini Alfredo, carved ham, burnt ends and Italian rum cake. If you were shopping at a discount department store in Kansas City in the . Their daughter, Margaret, married Jim Browne, also from County Kerry, who became the second owner. But when people tell Jerry Rauschelbach, 60, how great it must be to own the legendary spot, he says: Oh, you dont own Arthur Bryants. Chicken Finger Party Pack $69.99. . Location: 600 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas. The Bannister Mall was the location I remember visiting. Location: 9129 Elmhurst Drive, Overland Park, Best known for: Chicken enchilada stack (chili verde and egg layered in a stack of corn tortillas) and fishbowl margaritas.. Equally as memorable is the Anthony's lounge, which beckons when you step into the Downtown restaurant. Yelp. It is not an expensive dine out, its not a cheap dine out, but affordable. Affordable for families and popular with seniors. Scudiero family photos, an Italian flag and a map of Italy line the back hallway. West Plaza pizzeria opening kitchen in KCs Crossroads, This coffee chain from Oregon is opening more locations in the Kansas City area, Celebrity-owned Wahlburgers closes Olathe location. But the Wish-Bone story started with just a single Italian recipe some 60 years ago. Harry Starkers (Plaza), Hotel Muehlebach (Downtown), Skies (Downtown, in the former Hyatt Regency at 23rd and McGee), Bentons (Crown Center). Manny's Mexican Restaurant, one of the most prominent Kansas City Mexican eateries still selling the Kansas City taco, didn't arrive until 1980.When Manny Lopez, a second-generation railroad . The restaurant closed sometime in the late 1970s we think. In the 1950s and 1960s, the White middle class moved in droves to newly developed suburban areas such as Prairie Village, just across the state line in Kansas. Includes a spicy hot chicken bite appetizer, 8 thighs, 12 legs, 12 tenders, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and our world-famous cinnamon rolls. Norton OH at the best online prices at eBay! Thats what we strive for.. Our stop in the 1970s will include the Shakeys Pizza that was located on South Troost. Those restaurants are long gone. "Jack Stack Barbecue is the best.". She had a part-time job at a family business and four young children at home, but it was her dream to have a restaurant. He saved up the $7,000 they needed to open their own place at 1300 Minnesota Ave. Thirteen is his lucky number. A lot of customer service, thats a big thing, Scudiero said. Annie Chambers died in her Kansas City mansion on March 24, 1935. I recall the pizza being that style which could be descried as classic roadhouse pizza (think Fun House Pizza or classic Pizza Hut). A year later the partners Anthony and Alda Rieke, and Aldas brother, Anthony Sieleman pooled their savings ($183) and started a barbecue stand nearby with only nine seats. and 1900 Baltimore Ave. During the Depression, Claude Sparks opened a downtown diner with a few counter seats. Re: Restaurants you ate out at as a kid. (913) 384-5998. Secret to success: Steffes said it comes down to the chili. Customers put their heaping plates of meat on Formica-topped tables with plastic squeeze bottles of sauce at the ready. Opens at 11am. City directories for Kansas City, Missouri, are available on microfilm in the Missouri Valley Room. 30. But he did put in air conditioning. While it was far south of the Kansas City city limits at the time, they decided good food, good service and fair prices, would be a draw. Three in the metro New York City area and four in northeast Ohio, where the . There were 13 locations in its heyday. But I still recall the pizza being a disappointment. Frank and Jolyn were determined to keep the tradition of the Majestic alive in Kansas City and opened Fitzpatrick's doors as The Majestic Restaurant in November of 2009. Vergne Dixon first sold his chili from a street cart before opening a brick-and-mortar Dixons Chili Parlor at 15th and Olive streets in 1919. People have to wait a little while because everythings made-to-order. They do business all around the metro and it's owned by the Simone's who have a long history in the mob. Does anybody know of the old 1970's restaurant in Kansas City called "Baby Doe's Matchless Mine". Zeppis on Wornall was probably my favorite went there after ball GAMES as kid. 801 Chophouse. Jack Stack Barbecue - Martin City. The downfall of Arthur Treacher's began in the 1970s, when fast-food chains, new and old, were duking it out. But now, like many restaurants coming out of the pandemic, they struggle to find enough employees. In many ways, the restaurant that existed during the 1970s on 103rd Street in South Kansas City, anticipated the fast casual theme restaurants of the 1990s to the present. One of their two sons in the Kansas City restaurant industry and could be the third generation owner one day. Dodd: Part of its greatness was that you could look out and see this amazing thing: Propeller airplanes taking off in the 50s Its a place you didnt forget whatever the food is like. Steak and Ale. George Cascone first opened Cascones in Columbus Park in 1932, using longtime family recipes. All were situated to allow diners a "view" of some sort: a limestone quarry . Johns oldest son, George, was at college, and his 17-year-old son, Frank, was headed there. This week, Chuck Eats KC has access to a culinary time machine. . flatbread, salad and garden risotto.". His son, John, took over in the late 1940s after returning from World War II. David operates their sister restaurant, RCs Restaurant & Lounge, a fried chicken place nearby, founded in 1973. . Dec 19, 2015 - Restaurants and other food businesses that have closed or people who are no longer active in the KC area. The May 1957 Ruskin Heights F5 tornado demolished that location (its now a Fiorellas Jack Stack Barbecue). . 21c Museum Hotel closed it for a major remodeling in 2018. After Stone died in 1966, his brother-in-law took over. A bottle of pepper vinegar is set on the side of the plate. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933-1983) in December 1965 and closed in 1981. With about one million square feet of indoor retail, this mall opened in 1997 but closed in the fall of 2015. Dodd: It had a dish called Maciel's Chicken. He had his own ideas. The last one closed in 2009. . 2. The Cellar. The Kansas City restaurant was long an anchor restaurant in the Crown Center complex. They got dressed up, so I assumed it was a fancy restaurant. Rare Historical Photos Of old Mobile, Alabama From Early 20th Century. Vita V and Jay Totta opened Vs Cafe in Independence with just a seven-stool counter, three tables and four booths. Im here all the time, I dont go out, Annie Der said. It has been featured in such publications at The New Yorker and Bon Appetit, along with the Travel Channel. KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 13Night finds the streets of the River Quay section all but deserted. Four Winds Restaurant at the Municipal Air Terminal (Downtown). 467 m. Pizza Hut- When Claude died in 1993, he left the business to Gary. People would just wait forever for them.. It is now owned and operated by a third generation of siblings Frank, Jimmy and Lucille Cascone and some fourth generation family members also work there, including manager Jenny Ann Arena, Franks daughter. Lidia's Restaurant. professional baseball player who played for 12 years with the Angels and Royals, listing all these formats around the world, local burger chain Smaks was a popular choice, Kansas City-area restaurants youll never eat at again, part 2, Intifooda: Rediscovering Palestinian Cuisine, Kansas City Eats: A forum for KC restaurants and food, 10 Dishes to Warm Your Soul in Kansas City, KS, Here are the 43 best kept secrets in Kansas City. And everyone worked downtown. Jasper's Italian Restaurant has served its family . Website. In the past 20 years the city has . A lone patron sipping a screwdriver at the bar of Poor Freddie's feels the solitude inside to be . They would say, So we can get six for a quarter? He would say, No, but you can get seven for 35 cents. They wouldnt do the math.. Secret to success: Were just a little grease joint in the hood and Im OK with that, Rauschelbach says. Los Corrals started in one room in the circa 1889 building and has since expanded to several rooms decorated with art from local Hispanic artists, Mexican artifacts, vintage neon signs, and a wall of brightly covered redeemed Los Corrals margarita cards Buy nine margaritas and get a complimentary 10th margarita. But in the heart of Mexico City, La Cucaracha offered a timeless cool, as evidenced by this 1930s . 11. "The Wish-Bone " was open for business. 4. Along with the regular Mexican offerings, Mama Tios specialties included Mamas Loaded Fries, the Potaco, Tios Chimichanga, and the Sancho Supreme. Gladstone, North Kansas City: 1970-1972: North Kansas City: 1973-1990: Gladstone, North Kansas City: 1993 : Gladstone, Liberty, North Kansas City: Cole's City Directories: Additional Coverage Areas: Ferruzza: I have a great nostalgia for it. Brandi Smithmier worked for the previous two owners before buying the restaurant and bar in 2019 with her husband, Bill Arrington. Ferruzza: People liked the fact that it was there, even though many of them stopped going there. Feel free to add your memories of these places or others in the comments or form below. Joseph W. Gilbert Sr. died in his sleep on September 29, 1983 while vacationing near Geneva, Switzerland. It seems like every big city with skyscrapers has one that has a revolving restaurant on the top level. $25 for two. Looking back at the old Next Door Restaurant chain. More. EBT (South Kansas City, at I-435 and State Line Road). Not much has changed since the opening on Feb. 12, 1972 (two days after Annies birthday). Foodertainment, Fred Kropf said. Ferruzza: I think the most talked-about restaurant in my 30 years in Kansas City -- which was closed well before I moved here -- is The Westport Room. I am quite sure Shakeys was the first pizza I had as a child growing up in south Kansas City. One newspaper story has the Peanut selling beer in August 1933, during Prohibition, maybe giving it its speakeasy reputation. Golden Ox Sunday buffet. (round 2), Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Kansas City: A Tasty Guide, 2023 Chuck Munson | Design & Development by, Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Kansas City. You can still buy their pies at area grocery stores like Hen House. You would expect it to do well in this era, because with those views of Kansas City, the restaurant could easily promote itself as an Instagram and selfie hot spot. The Kansas City area can boast more than 30 restaurants that have been around for at least five decades. Secret to success: Weve always been a neighborhood bar, Kenny said. Location: 1325 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. New York Bakery & Delicatessen (70th and Troost). The Savoy Grill opened in 1903, making it one of the oldest Kansas City restaurants still in its original location. Secret to success: Its the product, what else? . Although younger generations may know of Howard Johnson's thanks to Mad Men, '70s kids will remember actually visiting the orange-roofed restaurant chain. Best known for: Shrimp fried rice and more recently, Springfield cashew chicken. The outside of Union Station in 1974. See more ideas about memories, restaurant, howard johnson's. If you are a fan of submarine sandwiches, you are probably familiar with Planet Sub, which has dozens of locations around Kansas City (and other cities). Anthony's. This third-generation, family-owned restaurant is a must-try for classic Italian dishes. . There are plenty of businesses in KC run by people associated with the mob, but the bigger ones aren't restaurants or clubs. Secret to success: Theyve thrived for decades by offering a quality product at a fair and competitive price as you possibly can, Marisha Smith said. I only remember the burgers, which were good for cheap burgers, and the wrinkled, glazed buns. Best known for: World Famous Chili. Founder Paul Dunbars wife came up with the meat-based, dry chili with no tomatoes but a layer of beans. We take these kinds of salads for granted these days, but this was new to me. KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce was originally created by Richard E. Rich Davis M.D. Joe Heyen and Anthony Ladesich spent the last two years interviewing hundreds of people and pulling together mountains of decades-old film reels, posters and photos to piece together their 85-minute love letter to the Kansas City of the early '70s. The Ibarras divorced in the mid-1960s and split up the restaurant operations. The Cascone family traces its roots to Ragusa, near the southern coast of Sicily. In many ways, the restaurant that existed during the 1970s on 103rd Street in South Kansas City, anticipated the fast casual theme restaurants of the 1990s to the present. By 1968, servers donned tuxedos and put on tableside shows preparing Caesar salad and cherries jubilee. And our food is really good and unique. Kansas City's only Persian restaurant. Howard Johnson's. Jordan Smith/Flickr. It was supposed to be a quick get-in-and-get-out setup.. And the consistency of the food, great staff and its family-friendly, said Tammy Ruff, general manager, who has been with Strouds for 32 years. First Floor. Free shipping for many products! 6. There is even a long Wikipedia page devoted to listing all these formats around the world. Heres a guide to 19 of them. Now its a pleasure, he once said. We are piloting our time machine to Lawrence in the 1980s, to pick up some of our Yello Sub favorites from that era. These amazing photos will take you back to the 1960s Kansas City. The restaurant was an immediate success, but it was in 1948 that the Wish-Bone found its . Then it doubled again with a large dining room and central bar. originally created by Richard E. Rich Davis M.D. But hey, pizza made by a former Kansas City Royal! Joyce Smith has covered restaurant and retail news for The Star since 1989 under the brand Cityscape. One is open 24/7. Looks like a country take on TGIF Fridays, right? I remember the location at 103rd and State Line Road. Cancel anytime The product carries our business. You may remember those home style tacos consisting of hamburger, shredded cheddar cheese, and broken taco shells. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. When John died of a stroke at age 45 in 1961, his brother ran the Northland restaurant until he died two years later of a heart attack. Its a unique product that you cant get anywhere else, and we are super fast. But the contemporary look was not a hit with customers so that part was replaced by an art gallery. In 1949, Hensley Coffee proudly proclaimed that Dixons Chili served its coffee, along with many more including Hoopers Cafe and Yu-All Drive-In. The mottled glory that was Max's is a two-part saga. In 1972, journalist and Kansas City native Calvin Trillin pronounced it the single best restaurant in the world in a magazine piece. It was home to the Huston Family, but . But the wooden tracks occasionally dumped a tray of food on an unwary customer, and stainless steel was substituted. The chain had five locations in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. You could tell it by the way people frowned. If there is a place you went with your family when you were a kid for an occasion you werent going there to celebrate the food as much as you were to celebrate being together, Dodd said. You can currently buy the sauces and rubs that followed at most grocery stores around the USA. . It also has a large patio with a stage and party deck. Sustainably sourced seafood isn't easy to come by in landlocked Kansas City, but Jax Fish House is an undeniably excellent choice. The image of the old Emery Bird Thayer store as the best of all the department stores in town had a lot to do with propelling that restaurant. Town Topic was the first customer for L&C Meat company in Independence in 1946, and L&C still grinds the meat and delivers it daily. PublishedJanuary 11, 2016 at 3:26 PM CST, Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri, Credit Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri, As Kansas City's EBT Restaurant Prepares To Close, Here's A Look At Its Iconic Namesake. J. Huston Tavern, opened in 1834 (185 years) J. Huston Tavern in Arrow Rock (an hour and a half east of Kansas City) is the oldest restaurant in Missouri. Their daughter, Marisha Smith and her husband, Bill, operate the barbecue.