Restaurants you ate out at as a kid

[butter_breath]

Putsch's cafeteria on the plaza
McDonalds on Raytown rd off of 31 and van brunt I think it was the first one in KC.
Smaks on Independence ave
Hav-a-snak on Van Brunt
Sambo's in NKC
Sam Wilson in Independence
Fun House in Raytown
Clem's Independence
There was a diner one block west of 30th and Troost. Can't remember the name, my grandmother worked there. I remember the blue exterior walls and the pies on the counter in the pie cases.
Pat's pig off of Van Brunt

[shinatoo]

Didn't eat out much, but Sundays after church, the extended family would meet up at Putch's at Blue Ridge Mall, then after they closed it was always Bishop's at Banister. We did get to Pippin's/Tippin's once and a while.

[WSPanic]

Winchell's closed shop in KC around 2000.  Maq's Donuts at 95th & Mission Rd still uses Winchell's products.  He showed me his stock area and everything says "Winchell's" on it.  He said Winchell's corporate made a deal with Krispy Kreme: Winchell's would leave certain markets (including KC) if K.K. would stay out of other markets.  If you want Winchell's, go to Maq's.

That store was a Winchell's back in the day - if it's in that same spot in Southeast part of Ranchmart.

Ranchmart was a dining destination growing up - Pumpernick's, Putsch's, Taco Via, Winchell's - anyone remember Jose's in Ranchmart? Was pretty good Mexican. Stop in to Shortstop for some snacks and smokes.... the good ol' days.

[moosnsqrl]

This may be the best forum thread ever.

Ah, food nostalgia. I was feeling a bit left out so I tried to dig-up something similar in the backwater where I misspent my youth. I did find a thread but no one had posted anything to it since 2009.  I guess it's true - you can't go back.

[WSPanic]

One memory I can't seem to get my head around involves a mining-themed restaurant called Baby Do's (I think??). Maybe somewhere off I-35 near the state line.

Was just looking around and found some interesting information about Baby Doe's Matchless Mine restaurants. We had one in the "Cambridge Terrace subdivision in KCMO". It was around from 1980-1985 before the foundation failed (summary of ensuing lawsuite linked below).

http://www.babydoe.org/restaurant.htm

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. All were situated to allow diners a "view" of some sort: a limestone quarry lake in suburban Columbus, a panorama of downtown in Birmingham, Dallas and Denver, etc.. And all were built according to a similar architectural model. The basic layout included an entrance made to look like a mineshaft, flanked by various mining-related artifacts such as tipple cars on narrow gauge rails and rusting hoist machinery. Inside, "down the mineshaft" as it were, one of two paths led down to the bar, while the other ascended to a dining room. Both rooms were heavily clad in the dark, rough-hewn timbering resonant of the interior of a mine, while, at the same time being furnished in high Victorian chintz and carpeting. And, as if to provide further cognitive disonance, both public spaces enjoyed un-underworld-like floor-to-ceiling glass windows facing "the view."

Court case
http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-app ... 79/464555/

[Roanoker]

In the 1950's when I was a kid in KCK:

Same here, except for me it was the area around 47th to 63rd and Paseo.

Gaetano's - rarely and it seemed exotic

It was past my childhood, more like in my 20s, but one person out of our little group of programmers would pick up pizza there at lunch and bring it back to Western Auto for us to feast on. They had the absolute best pizza ever.

Lunch at Wolferman's in downtown KCMO.

Yes. A real treat. It seemed so upscale.

lunch in the restaurant in the downtown Macys.

I ate there every day in my 20s, when I worked downtown. I always got their cheese fondue. Wonderful stuff. And their fountain Cokes were the best in the world. I don't know why.

Winsteads - when I was in high school and could drive there.

Yes. Great place.

Another drive-in near the Plaza.  I can't remember the name.

Possibly the Y at the corner of 47th and Paseo? It later changed to Max's Drive-In. That's where high-school students would drive through to see and be seen. For those who went to Southeast High School, it was Allen's Drive In. I remember sitting in the back seat of the car while my mom and her friend chatted in the front. I would order onion rings and a Coke. I would then pull the yukky onions out, discard them, and eat the delicious, deep-fried crusty rings. I was a little pudgier than my friends at the time.

When I was really little, I remember going someplace where my mother bought a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar that was cylindrical and domed, filled randomly with chunks of banana. I have no idea where she got it. I just remember she had wrapped the stick with what she thought was its paper cover but turned out to be a $20 bill, which she threw out of the window. That should have taught her that littering does not pay.

[ChefColby]

Oh man I forgot about Taco Via...I grew up right down the street from Ranchmart. We called Taco Via "skateboard food". Pumpernick's was my first restaurant job. The guys that owned it always seemed like they were up to no good. They also had a BBQ place in the back by the bowling alley in a very small around the corner storefront. No one was ever in there. Looking back now I wouldn't be surprised if it was a front for something.

[WSPanic]

Oh man I forgot about Taco Via...I grew up right down the street from Ranchmart. We called Taco Via "skateboard food". Pumpernick's was my first restaurant job. The guys that owned it always seemed like they were up to no good. They also had a BBQ place in the back by the bowling alley in a very small around the corner storefront. No one was ever in there. Looking back now I wouldn't be surprised if it was a front for something.

Yeah - I grew up at Ranchmart - possibly hanging out with a large group of skateboarders in the late 80's (wasn't a very good skateboarder, but I enjoyed the lifestyle).

I honestly do not remember the BBQ place. Probably a front. They did have a chinese restaurant on the very back side behind the theaters. That place would literally serve beer to anyone over 16 - as would the bowling alley.

Taco Via is still open at 95th/Antioch and in Olathe. Still the same food.

[moosnsqrl]

Oh man I forgot about Taco Via...I grew up right down the street from Ranchmart. We called Taco Via "skateboard food". Pumpernick's was my first restaurant job. The guys that owned it always seemed like they were up to no good. They also had a BBQ place in the back by the bowling alley in a very small around the corner storefront. No one was ever in there. Looking back now I wouldn't be surprised if it was a front for something.

I thought everything in Ranchmart was a front for something else! Old boyfriend grew up just around the corner and always thought Tiger's Records (long before your day, Colby) was a front for something. Actually, I think it did turn out to be. Hmmm. Any of the 'elders' on here remember anything about that?

[bbqboy]

Just about everything in music in KC had some connection somewhere.
Tiger's demise being  exhibit 1.
I recall, as a smaller kid, Ben Asner, who lived not far away, would show up places with the trunk of the Cadillac full of toasters and other various junk. He rented the first store, where you walked in at Caper's, and then took over the rest of the building. Records sold better than toasters, and boom, ben was a record merchant.

[WSPanic]

This looks interesting - too bad they charge for access to the pictures...

http://www.oldkc.com/

[loftguy]

I thought everything in Ranchmart was a front for something else! Old boyfriend grew up just around the corner and always thought Tiger's Records (long before your day, Colby) was a front for something. Actually, I think it did turn out to be. Hmmm. Any of the 'elders' on here remember anything about that?

Hey, moonsnqrl, you can kiss my elder! &

Did not know that there was a Tiger's at Ranchmart.  There was a Tiger's Record Shop on Independence Ave. between Prospect and Chestnut.  Tiger Cardarella (Caldarella?) was quite entrepreneurial.  He ended up going to jail for selling stolen records.  Seems he bought a big batch from a group of kids who would grab a stack of albums at Sears on Truman, shove them under their coats and run up to Tiger's and sell them to him. He got popped for Sears, but he had hustlers lifting from every seller in town.  (Explains how he sold them for $3).  Unfortunately for Tiger, the fact that this particular time he pasted his price tags right on top of the Sears price tags, did not go unnoticed.  Yeah, Tiger probably had a few other things going on, too.

Oh and AJoD, Ross's in Omaha had no relation to the KC place.  I ate at the Omaha Ross's a few times.  It was pretty much a movie set midwest wise-guy kind of place.  Lot's of characters tied to horse racing there.  Nubby silk suits, banlon shirts and pinky rings.

[bbqboy]

Hey, that's funny. I was going to describe eating at Ross's several times
with my father in law, who, as you just described, wore a diamond pinky ring and ban-lon shirts.
They owned Morris Mens Wear, DT and in the 59th and Maple shopping district.
As I recall, they had the Elvis tribute display.
I always liked that all the old school steakhouses in O served Spaghetti
as a side.
Ak-Sar-Ben RIP.

[moosnsqrl]

Hey, moonsnqrl, you can kiss my elder! &

I should have said "any of my contemporaries" - meaning somewhat older than ChefCAG but not as old as his father (take that, Greg!).

I think I was confusing Caper's and Tiger's. Caper's Corner was what my old bf was highly suspicious of. At least it was truth in labeling

[bbqboy]

you weren't wrong. Tiger's the one who ended up in the boxcar.
Another story. My best friend Max and his brother used to play around town, One night they were playing at the Irish bar at Armour & Broadway. (before it went boom). We were standing outside behind while they were on break. A car drives up, a guy gets out, walks over to the dumpster and pulls bags out of the dumpster. Throws them in the car and drives away.
We saw nothing and said nothing.

[loftguy]

I should have said "any of my contemporaries" - meaning somewhat older than ChefCAG but not as old as his father (take that, Greg!).

I think I was confusing Caper's and Tiger's. Caper's Corner was what my old bf was highly suspicious of. At least it was truth in labeling

Wasn't Caper's owned by Ed Asners brother?

[mlind]

We ate at Nuway in KCK.  It was hamburger meat, but not formed into a patty.  It may have had other locations in KC.  Also, I remember a sort of upscale Polynesian restaurant in downtown KCMO.  I remember the butterflied fried shrimp - a first for me.

Also, I remember the Big Chief Root Beer stand in KCK.  My sister was scared of it.  I have a picture but I can't figure out how to insert it here.  

[bbqboy]

NuWay still exists in Wichita. a style called loose meats. We always went to the one on SW Blvd to the East of 7th street.
I met Ed once at Caper's in my foggy memory.
Saw the Robert Fripp/ Revox tour inside caper's. One of my best memories ever.  
Caper was Ben's dog, BTW.
I have a feeling I'm the oldest guy on the forum. Sportster, come home.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Wasn't Caper's owned by Ed Asners brother?

YES

[loftguy]

NuWay still exists in Wichita. a style called loose meats. We always went to the one on SW Blvd to the East of 7th street.
I met Ed once at Caper's in my foggy memory.
Saw the Robert Fripp/ Revox tour inside caper's. One of my best memories ever.
Caper was Ben's dog, BTW.
I have a feeling I'm the oldest guy on the forum. Sportster, come home.

Having been a customer of Capers, I can relate to foggy memories.

I guess you can feel like th oldest guy, if you really want too,  but seems to me that some of the young posters are way older than you.  Know what I mean?