Restaurants you ate out at as a kid

[KCMax]

This comment by Mean brought back some memories for me. When we were a kids, mom and dad got really dressed up to go to a generic Italian place that served a salad and spaghetti and maybe a bit of crusty bread. For special occasions we would all get dressed up and go out to Chi-Chis or maybe Shoneys.

I have a short piece up at KC Rag about my dining experiences as a kid. What are yours? Where did you eat out?

[Boognish]

After my father finished preaching on Sunday, we would pack into the car (a thoroughly gangsta 1987 Lincoln Town Car) and drive 26 miles to the Golden Corral in the next county. It's not that our 5,000 person town didn't have restaurants, in fact, it had several of them better than the Golden Corral. My dad just really liked that place.

I remember foreign fast food (ones outside of the Hardees, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Dairy Queen we had in town) being incredibly exciting, even McDonald's. It only came up on road trips, though.

[mean]

As a kid, I was under the impression that Red Lobster, Chi-Chi's, and Tippins must be the pinnacle of fine dining because you got dressed up to go there, unlike Perkins, Denny's. Getting to go to Annie's Santa Fe and V's was a huge deal! Oh yeah, and man, who can forget busting out their Sunday best to go eat at the exotic and unusual Magic Wok on Noland Road? I loved that place as a kid. After the one time I got a birthday party at ShowBiz, my parents said "never again!" so henceforth, birthday dinners were usually at Magic Wok. I remember having some friend over staying the night for my birthday once, and we took them to Magic Wok where they proceeded to refuse to eat anything because it was too weird. I believe we ended up going through the McDonald's drive thru on the way home so the kid wouldn't starve.

I recall a salad bar / buffet which I don't believe exists anymore, somewhere around 40 Highway and Noland (not Old Country / HomeTown Buffet). I am pretty sure it was a standalone building, not in a strip. I remember really liking Po' Folks, too, which I believe still exists in some form in and around Atlanta--went to one several years ago down there. Fast food-wise, I thought Brown's Chicken was superior to KFC, but I think they're just in Chicago now. I remember liking Grandy's, not sure if they're around anywhere... ohhh the memories.

[beautyfromashes]

Po Folks, Annie's Santa Fe at Bannister Mall, Dos Hombres, Furr's Cafeteria, Shoney's, Graziano's, Washington Street Station (anyone remember this one?)

[chrizow]

pizza hut, near 63rd and raytown road - i still have a huge feeling of nostalgia if i see those red plastic drink cups anywhere.  i recall redeeming my BOOK IT! points there for free personal pizzas.

there was some restaurant that we went to all the time that i hated as a kid - it had lots of wood, dark booths, tiffany-type ceiling lamps, and there were huge colorful swirly lollipops everywhere that you could buy.  (my parents bought me one once and it tasted like candy from the 1960s and i threw it on the ground).  it was just a burgers, steak, etc. place.  anyone remember? it was on the MO side i am sure, southtown.

gaetano's - only went here once, actually, but it was memorable.  we had gone to a comets game (after i had thrown a two-hour crying fit over having to wear this new warm-up tracksuit that i begged for weeks to get, then refused to wear), then went to gaetano's afterwards.  i ordered a jalepeno pizza, which i added crushed red pepper to, and a hot chocolate to drink.  afterwards, my brother and i piled in to the backseat of my mom's datsun hatchback, and i had to puke.  my parents were outside the car doing something, and my brother couldn't get the seat to move forward so i could jump out of the car.  he just kept yelling "CHRIS IS GONNA PUKE!!!" and finally my dad moved the seat up and i ralphed 98% in the parking lot, but a little bit inside the car.  awesome.

dos hombres - 87th and blue ridge - loved the taco bar.  my parents always got chile rellenos and i thought they were super exotic and strange.

shoney's - 350 and raytown road - all the freaking time.  i would only order fried shrimp and french fries.  i loved snatching the shoney-bear suckers (lime only) afterwards

darryl's - near bannister mall - quasi "cajun" type generic bar and grill menu.  i liked going there, though, esp. after an epic shopping sesh at bannister mall.

"goldie's" burgers in joco somewhere.  huge burgers, good shakes. 

tippins, noland rd - i loved watching the trains go by.  i ordered the same thing every time - chicken noodle soup, with boston cream pie for dessert.  i remember we'd have to wait like an hour on the weekends.

garrozzo's, 40 hwy - probably my first experience with a "nice" restaurant.  it definitely felt fancy - dark, quiet, candles, etc.  absolutely loved it.  i was slightly older, maybe middle school at this point.  chicken spidini.

[voltopt]

There was this cafeteria at Bannister Mall that my grandmother called "Mr. Bishop's."  I'd go there quite frequently with her, and I'd also go to the one in Ward Parkway Center.

Mama Tio's mentioned in a previous thread, was a regular stop for my family, as was Torre's Pizza on Wornall Road.

I also recall going to Princess Gardens at 89th and Wornall a lot, but I haven't been in a while.

[KCMax]

BOOK IT! I remember that. What a great program. No way any kids would game that system.

What was Comets player Gino Schilarldi's pizza place and where was it? I remember as a kid wanting to go there so badly, but we never did.

[beautyfromashes]

there was some restaurant that we went to all the time that i hated as a kid - it had lots of wood, dark booths, tiffany-type ceiling lamps, and there were huge colorful swirly lollipops everywhere that you could buy.  (my parents bought me one once and it tasted like candy from the 1960s and i threw it on the ground).  it was just a burgers, steak, etc. place.  anyone remember? it was on the MO side i am sure, southtown.
darryl's - near bannister mall - quasi "cajun" type generic bar and grill menu.  i liked going there, though, esp. after an epic shopping sesh at bannister mall.

Harry T's?

[slimwhitman]

These would be late '70s & early '80s memories:
Joe's Barn in Stanley (our country drive to 145th & Metcalf).  Great fried chicken.
We often went to Zarda's Dairy for ice cream.  Either on 79th in downtown OP or on 63rd St (SM Pkwy) near Neimann.  That was also where we bought all our milk.  Did grocery stores not sell milk?
Happy Joe's Pizza was a big deal for us.  We went to the one at 95th & Quivera.
As other's mentioned, Chi-Chi's was a favorite.  My mom became a Chimichanga addict.  I recall it being located near 105th & Metcalf.
I loved the A&W restaurant on 63rd (SM Pkwy) west of Metcalf.  It had a huge fireplace in the center of the dining area.  We also went to the Pizza Inn next door.

Sorry that all these were in JoCo.  We lived near 65th & Metcalf and my folks refused to step foot in that crime-ridden city of KCMO.  Even the CC Plaza was dangerous in their minds.  I have no childhood memories of anything east of downtown Mission except seeing downtown from I-35 and a couple events at Bartle Hall or Kemper Arena (Kings Basketball!).

[AllThingsKC]

As a kid, I remember eating a Furr's and thinking that was fine dining.  Even though we normally went to the one in Antioch Mall, they had one location that was decorated very nicely.  It was on Metcalf, I think.

I also remember Shoney's (which I kind of miss).  They later became Big Boy, but it wasn't the same and Big Boy didn't last long.  Both Shoney's and Big Boy are still around....JUST NOT IN KC!

I remember White Castle, before they all went extinct in KC.  Of course, they are still around in other places.  The logo above is their old logo, but it is the one I remember.

There was a fast food chain called Hot 'n' Now, owned by Pepsi.  They had 39-cent hamburgers and 25-cent fries, if I remember correctly.  They were good.  But, they only lasted a few years in KC.  They are still in business in Michigan and Wisconsin only.  Their hamburgers are now 72-cents.

I remember Big Burger on Vivion Road.  They're still there and open for business.  Though tragically, last year, the founders/owners of that place were killed in a car accident at North Oak & Vivion, just before Christmas.

Of course, I remember Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! program.  I don't think I know anyone who wasn't in that program.  I had a BOOK IT! button.  It always did remind me of Reading Rainbow.

I know it's been mentioned, but I remember Chi-Chi's.  They are no longer in the United States, but as with all the other restaurants, they left KC way before they stopped doing business in the U.S.

I remember Tippin's restaurants and their awesome pies.  I had an Aunt who always gave Tippin's pies to people for their birthday.

And then there was Luby's Cafeteria.  They had several locations around Kansas City.  They are still around in the South, but they're not in KC anymore!

Again, TGI Friday's is still around, but not in Kansas City!

[chingon]

We came up to KC on Saturdays occasionally, and we would nearly always go to Scimeca's on the Ave. and Jenny's in the North End. Before they got a Winstead's in Topeka, we went to the one on the Plaza alot, until one day when I was about 5 or 6 a man shoved me out of the way walking through the front door and my father beat the shit out of him in the little entryway between the two doors. After that I think we avoided the place.

[BAK]

Medlin's Colonial Inn

[KC Sporting Life]

Annie's Santa Fe was a pretty regular stop when I was a kid, and I loved it.  It seems like it was in Gladstone, on North Oak maybe?  I think we hit the one on the Plaza once in a while, but didn't venture that far south often.  

Furr's in Antioch Mall was an occassional stop, along with LC's BBQ before Royals games. And just about once a year, my dad would spring for Stroud's, the one up North. I always looked forward to that.  

[loftguy]

I represent an era shift.

My family was of limited means, so the ventures into restaurants had special significance.  I probably remember every one.

The old Jennie's Italian, Cherry & 5th.  It seated maybe 30 people and was packed, packed, packed.  People would be standing in the aisles between the tables waiting for a seat, cruelly having to  watch others enjoying huge servings of spaghetti, or lasagna, veal.  Jennie would walk around and if you had something left on your plate, she would say "Wass wrrrong with you?  Eat that!  It's good for you!"  The place was warm, smelled fabulous and everyone in the place was smiling.

Ross's Steak House.  It was on Blue Ridge Blvd. somewhere strange, north of 24 Highway (Independence Ave./Winner Road).  It was a place that struck me as an upscale 1930's/1940's roadhouse, with long huge windows out to Blue Ridge, wrapped in multicolored neon.  It was an upscale place, seating about a hundred, with a long bar filled with folks having Manhattans and Highballs.  Ross's served steaks drenched in garlic butter, served on sizzling platters.  I gorged on fried chicken and baked potato.

Dixons Chili.  Same food as now, but the location then was around 16th and Lydia and later between 10th and 11th on Main.

Myron Greens Cafeteria, next to Wall Street Tower in the 1100 block of Walnut.  Warm, cozy with lots of ancient dark wood paneling and trim floor of miniature tiles.  Long stainless steel steam counters with ancient ladies in white uniforms and caps.  Don't remember the specifics of the food, it was the feel of the place that locked into memory.

The Forum Cafeteria in the 1200 Block of Main.  It was finished in a more open, modern palette in pastels and brushed chrome.  The Forum had great meatloaf, baked chicken and especially chocolate cream pie.

The Hawthorne Room in the Jones Store at 12th and Main.  This was a place with a hostess, and it kind of looked like a 1950's movie set restaurant.  Everything was institutionally, perfectly placed. It was immaculate and the ladies wore white gloves to lunch.  I had a burger and fries, which were unexceptional, but this place was about presentation and presence.  I saw my first diet plate served, cottage cheese with a pineapple ring and a marischino cherry on top.........why would anyone order that?

[WSPanic]

Putsch's Coffee House (frequented Ward Parkway and Ranchmart locations - for breakfast only)
Smack's (Ward Pkwy Mall as well)
Happy Joe's & Mr. Gatty's for Pizza

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.

Definitely remember Po' Folks - loved that place.

Pretty sure there was a Darryl's in Overland Park - maybe 91st/Metcalf-ish.

[mlind]

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

Peter's Drive-In (formerly Zesto) pork tenderloin sandwiches

Golden Ox Sunday buffet

Thomas Cafeteria

Bryants - my father would bring home brisket

Gaetano's - rarely and it seemed exotic

Terrace Club - this was a private club on the top floor of the Brotherhood Building. Sometimes my parents would order potato chips with sour cream & chive dip for us.  And, maybe Shirley Temples.

The Wishbone - fried chicken.  Their dressing became THE wishbone dressing

http://www.wish-bone.com/News/Wish-Bone-Story.aspx

http://localhistory.kclibrary.org/cdm4/ ... X=1&REC=18

The Grinter House - it was a restaurant at one time.  Fried chicken maybe?

Lunch at Wolferman's in downtown KCMO.

lunch in the restaurant in the downtown Macys.  The book department was right next to it.  I would save my money to buy Nancy Drew books for $1.

Ice cream at the Velvet Freeze on Quindaro

The Dairy Queen on State Ave - closed in the winter.  And one on Mission.  I still love DQ.

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

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

Blenders on State Ave.  It burned down and never rebuilt.  My father said it was arson for insurance.  Best onion rings ever.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Growing up the only time we ate out was traveling and nothing fancy.  That is until high school and I would go with other kids to Allen's on State Line or the grill at the bowling alley.  Occasionally would venture north to Winstead's
If the travels were to my uncle's home in NW ARK then there was a trip to AQ Chicken in Springdale or Mary Mistrie's(?) in a little nearby town.

Of course, on meatless Friday's I would order a carryout cheese pizza from Mark Ninety on Wornall since I reaaly didn't like fish, especially tunafish casserole.

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

Sidney's per chance, on Main south of the creek.

[mlind]

Sidney's per chance, on Main south of the creek.

Maybe - they had chocolate frosties that I like better than the ones at Winsteads.

And I remember Smaks and Griffs.  Smaks' burgers were paper thin and cheap.

[slimwhitman]

Arther Treachers Fish & Chips (27th & Van Brunt)
My oldest brother would take me here and we'd eat in the car. Fish even a kid could love.

I saw Arther Treachers in Cleveland a few years ago.  I remember the one at 63rd (SM Pkwy) & Antioch in Merriam.
http://www.treachers.com/

[KCMax]

I remember us getting donuts from Winchell's on occasion. They pulled out of KC long ago, although I think they had a Lawrence location a few years back.