Wednesday, November 21, 2007
News / Restaurants Remembrance of Egg Salad Past
Posted by Carrington Fox on Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 9:48 AM
As exciting a time as it is on the local restaurant scene, with the explosion of casual fine dining and all the pomegranates, marrow bones and mache that come with the creative contemporary genre, it's nice to take a moment to remember those who went before. Scenester "Sharuch" was trolling over at Thinktrain.com and found this link to a conversation at Chowhound.com.
I can almost hear that band on the stage at Shakey's Pizza, and it makes me wonder if I don't have a Styrofoam boater that I ghermed off the banjo player.
But for me, the real bygone flavor of youth is Moon Drugs, where Mom took me for vegetable soup on the days school let out early. Today, for example, the day before Thanksgiving, would be a Moon's day.
Comments (29)
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My parents always wax nostalgic about the old downtown Candyland, which was the highlight of a trip to Nashville when they were kids.
I really miss the bizarre entity that was the Flying Fish/Multi-Bob in mid-'80s Hillsboro Village where Bosco's is now. It was the first gourmet pizza place I remember in town, a great pre/post-movie hangout.
Anyone else here old enough to remember old Vandy hangouts like the vegetarian buffet The Laughing Man, the all-soup restaurant Helga's Soupkettle, or Mack's Country Kitchen?
Fluffernutter: What was the name of the pizza place where we used to assemble the Fireplace Whiskey Journal?
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Mention of a vegetarian buffet made me think of Country Life. And that made me think of Sunshine Grocery. Ah, the trailblazers of days gone by...
Having grown in Los Angeles, I miss Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. They had a big siren, and all the waiters would run around and cheer for kids if it were there birthday. I had a 3rd birthday there, and I still remember it because it was so much happy to-do about me and my birthday. When Marriott took it over, the drove the Farrell's chain into the ground. A new company bought the rights to the Farrell's Ice Cream name and concept, and now there are 3 parlors that have risen out of the ashes, one in Santa Clarita, CA on the way to Magic Mountain Amusement Park, and 2 in Hawaii, with one on Oahu.
I also miss Shakey's Pizza. What kid didn't love watching the pizza being made through the big long window? I love it.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I lost a job in high school and went to the only place open—a Shakey's Pizza. I was the only person in the joint, and some poor sap in a handlebar mustache felt it was his obligation to cheer me up. In those circumstances, "Get Happy" would crush anyone's soul.
I know people who never forgave Wild Oats for shuttering the Sunshine Grocery. Guess it was just a matter of karma.
Anyone miss the Fifth Quarter? And has anyone here ever tried the Stockyard?
Mr Pink, yes, I miss the 5th Q. It wasn't retro, its decor was the original. On all you can eat prime rib night, it was probably the best prepared prime rib in this town. It was kitchy birthday dinner for me in 2006.
http://lannaelong.blogspot.com/2007/07/end-of-era.html
I have a real love of brioche, which is not easy to find in this town. I miss the original Nick of Thyme in Brentwood for that reason, among many others. Cathy, the chef, made the most phenomenal brioche.
I bought a "loaf" of brioche the other day at Marche. Excited over my find, I could not wait to get home, toast a thick slice, and slather it with butter (image: butter running down my chin while my dog waits happily underneath to lick the dripping butter off the floor). Plan was in full progress, then, suddenly halted when I come to find the brioche was RAW in the middle. I was crushed almost to the level of inconsolable. My excitement vanished quickly turning to disgust. What a bummer!!
Cathy where ever you are make brioche and sell it again!!!
"Anyone else here old enough to remember old Vandy hangouts like the vegetarian buffet The Laughing Man, the all-soup restaurant Helga's Soupkettle, or Mack's Country Kitchen?"
Yep. Had many a barbecue w/ fries late night at Mack's (where Vanderpuppies meet the real world, as a friend of mine and fellow Vandy student used to say). Had many a dinner off the brown rice & veggie steam table at Laughing Man (accompanied by some of the largest roaches I've ever seen, which periodically crawled out of those wood slat walls onto my table). I wasn't as crazy about Country Life, though I went a few times. A little more upscale place from back then was Slice of Life, especially if you caught them on one of the evenings when David Schnaufer was playing dulcimer in the dining room. Or (going further back in the wayback machine) anyone remember The Grateful Breadbox?
Hell, I still miss Fate's Pig & Pie. That's still the best barbecue I've ever had in Nashville.
A restaurant I don't miss: Julian's. May it burn in hell.
I've never even heard of The Grateful Breadbox. Did it have a clientele of Breadheads?
Another restaurant I always heard great things about (but never visited) was the Maharajah, which was reportedly the first Indian restaurant in town. It was a favorite of Mrs. Pink.
OK youngsters, let's go back to the early 70s. Candy's for crepes on West End, Jock's(Cumberland Vally Jockey Club)where Mario's was last, across the st Figaro's, Italian and Mozart's for the best wait staff/continental food. And lastly,the Exit Inn served vegetarian at lunch, I cooked there sometimes on my regular works days off.The cooks were friends of mine.
Ok...I miss Moon's. The best grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna salad and their chocolate sodas were to die for. Candyland chocolate drifts after Fort Nightly on Friday nights. Zager's Delicatessen which was across from Hillsboro High School had the best pickles. Jimmy Kelly's when it was on Harding Road across from Moon's had the best corn cakes ever. The "new" Jimmy Kelly's is great, but the original one was fine dining to a little girl.
A few thoughts:
-Fifth Quarter - Yes, the prime rib was awesome, and so was the salad bar. Waldorf salad, carrot raisin salad...mmmm...
-The Stock-Yard - Really cool atmosphere and great service, but not the best steak in town. The location is really random, too, isn't it?
-Nick of Thyme - Is it not still open? It's right there in Brentwood next to the restaurant formerly known as Pargo's, right? I didn't know it had closed.
-Fate's Pig & Pie - Is this the same Pig & Pie that was on Charlotte Pike, where Brewhouse West is now? If so, they're still open in the Bellevue Mall on weekends. And yes, their barbecue is very, very good.
-Jimmy Kelly's - I think the corncakes are still pretty damn good.
-Boo's - Yes! What a shame that that place closed.
-I know I will probably be stoned for saying this, but sometimes, every once in a while, I miss Mr. Gatti's.
Somebody told me Wilma Kaye's had closed in its newer location on Stewart's Ferry. If so, a tragedy.
I think you're right, Mr. Pink. I looked for it last time I drove by and didn't see it.
WK's was my favorite Cajun food in the city. Those Cajun fried pies were so amazing.
Exactly right. And their hot chicken was fabulous—it had the heat, but the herbs gave it more of a Louisiana twang. I begged for their seasoning recipe, but no dice. Same with the fabled Bouglea pepper at the now-defunct Mr. Boo's.
I worked at the Grateful Breadbox around 1979-1981, when it was owned by Salem Forsythe. He sold it to Steve Knopf and it soon closed down. We baked whole grain breads, pies, and pastries, using honey and molasses rather than sugar. What a lovely time it was.
Any way we could convince you to try it again?
Reminds me of a wonderful Murfreesboro health-food restaurant from the early 1980s called The Tennessee Grainery. They had avocado-shredded-carrot-cheese-sprout sandwiches that hooked me for the life of the place. It was the first time I'd ever seen soy sauce.
I'm so glad you all mentioned The Grateful Breadbox! It was one of my favorite places for lunch during my Vandy days, '79-'82. It was such a soothing, happy place. I don't live in Nashville anymore, but I'm wondering if the old International Market is still open over on Belmont Boulevard... You used to be able to get lunch there for less than $2! I liked Laughing Man, too, but with passing years it's The Greatful Breadbox I miss the most.
yikes! I'd like to have spelled "Grateful" properly in the previous post... Sorry.
There used to be a lunch place called A Matter of Taste downtown on 2nd downstairs from Windows on the Cumberland when it was still in the Emporium, r whatever that space was called. A Matter of Taste had the best chicken salad I've ever had and every time I have a chicken salad sandwich nowadays, I think of it. They still exist as a catering entity, but it ain't the same.
There was also a Mexican place downtown for a brief time called Bienvenidos - it was in that space on 8th across from The Standard that's now The Standard's weird coffee shop thing. Anyway, best Tex-Mex I've had outside of Texas, with a gordita (not the Taco Bell-type) that was out of this world.
And I still miss Satsuma's salmon croquettes.
Thanks for bumping this old thread! The summer my dad and I were fending for ourselves, we ate at either Grateful Breadbox or Laughing Man twice a week. Great food, great prices. I miss both of them. I still make the Laughing Man steamed vegetables with tamari butter, and somewhere I have the recipe for their carrot-cashew dressing.
Anybody remember Hap Townes Diner? Also, I can't believe there's no love here for Faison's. That was probably the social hub of an entire generation. Also, R.I.P. Mayo's Fried Pies.
The Grateful Breadbox and the Laughin Man was back when we were truly concerned about what we ate. I miss those days and wish Nashville would return some of those type places to make eating good fun again.
I worked at all those vegetarian joints and then many years later owned Garden Allegro. Now I am opening a joint in Boulder, Colorado similar to them all called laughing Planet. Come and see me!
Y'all gone and done it. Made me miss Nashville. The Mr Gatti's statement just brought it all home.:) I was just talking about sprouts and discovering them At The Warehouse( downtown before the warehouses were revamped with the Spaghetti Factory ect.) The Warehouse housed many businesses. Charlies had vegetarian sandwiches and lots of imported beer. He fed me and I sang. . The Laughing Man was a different experience in dining. I also worked at Mark's off of Printer's alley, I worked at Ciraco's and heard they also closed. Great Memories.
