KCRag Forum

MidtownGrrl wrote: But I'm sad that all the PH's are drive-through/carry-out now.

Maybe in the urban parts of town but I know a few out in the burbs that are still sit down places.

MidtownGrrl wrote: But I'm sad that all the PH's are drive-through/carry-out now.

I'm sad that their pizza is barely edible. Seriously, the last one we got ended up in the trash. And there was a time when I thought they were the gold standard  - *of chains* I hasten to add.

moosnsqrl wrote: I'm sad that their pizza is barely edible. Seriously, the last one we got ended up in the trash. And there was a time when I thought they were the gold standard  - *of chains* I hasten to add.

to this day, i genuinely enjoy a nice pan-crust pizza from PH - but it is usually cold/soggy so you have to bake it for like 15 more minutes.  the crust is so fake-buttery and addictive.

earliest memories: Las Vegas on S. 34th street across from Maple Hill Cemetery. Burned and never reopened. La Hacienda at 2nd and Ks. Avenue.
Soda fountains at the drug stores in Turner and Argentine.
King Joy Lo, on the 2nd floor of NW corner of 12th and Main.
My father was a Texan and had served in the South Pacific, my mother had lived in NYC area for several years, so we ate out a lot.
Early ethnic adopters, I guess.
as an aside, the 2nd Pizza Hut in the world was on Mission Road at County Line. (47th), next to the laundromat.

bbqboy wrote:
King Jo Lo, on the 2nd floor of NW corner of 12th and Main.

Man, I'm impressed. Seriously.  That was a fabled place in KC.  Didn't it open in the 1890's/1900's? 

If you don't mind, what do you remember of the place, the food?

bbqboy wrote: as an aside, the 2nd Pizza Hut in the world was on Mission Road at County Line. (47th), next to the laundromat.

any citation for that, bbqboy? I'm fairly certain there were at least two in Wichita before they went 'outside' and the first franchise location was in Topeka. Just curious.

loftguy wrote: Man, I'm impressed. Seriously.  That was a fabled place in KC.  Didn't it open in the 1890's/1900's?  

If you don't mind, what do you remember of the place, the food?

We always sat by the windows, which were black and seemed a story high to a 3 year old.
It was fairly formal, with chinese waiters; food is easy because I always had tomato beef, then couldn't find said dish til 30years later in a small cafe in Williams Ca.
I was almost convinced it was in my imagination til then. Now I see it on the West Coast, so Whoever ran KJL must have come from SF, I'm guessing.
I remember  it having big beams in the ceiling and being mint green.
I am now going to have to check my memory against reality.

moosnsqrl wrote: any citation for that, bbqboy? I'm fairly certain there were at least two in Wichita before they went 'outside' and the first franchise location was in Topeka. Just curious.

citation? This is Roeland Park Folklore, thus it has always been true.
It was around 1958-59. Not  sure whether the building exists, but SW corner of 47th and Misson Rd.You realize you stand to crush the dreams of a whole generation of RP'ers?

bbqboy wrote: I always had tomato beef, then couldn't find said dish til 30years later in a small cafe in Williams Ca.

I rember  it having big beams in the ceiling and being mint green.
I am now going to have to check my memory against reality.

 

FWIW, The Kona Kai restaurants that were here in KC had Tomato beef on their menu.

Curious how you are going to do the memory check? 

I'm guessing Fang has access some historic photos of you dining there bbq.

bbqboy wrote: It was fairly formal, with chinese waiters; food is easy because I always had tomato beef, then couldn't find said dish til 30years later in a small cafe in Williams Ca.
I was almost convinced it was in my imagination til then. Now I see it on the West Coast, so Whoever ran KJL must have come from SF, I'm guessing.

Tomato beef is a common item on the menu in SF Bay Area Chinese restaurants. Most Chinese came to the US by way of San Francisco.  I had never seen/met any Chinese until I went to school in California in 1962.  I'd also never seen an avocado or an artichoke.

bbqboy wrote: citation? This is Roeland Park Folklore, thus it has always been true.
It was around 1958-59. Not  sure whether the building exists, but SW corner of 47th and Misson Rd.You realize you stand to crush the dreams of a whole generation of RP'ers?

Not trying to crush anything - just curious why I had never heard of the second one being here. Probably because I am not the product of the highly superior RP/SM education system

bbqboy wrote: We always sat by the windows, which were black and seemed a story high to a 3 year old.
It was fairly formal, with chinese waiters; food is easy because I always had tomato beef, then couldn't find said dish til 30years later in a small cafe in Williams Ca.
I was almost convinced it was in my imagination til then. Now I see it on the West Coast, so Whoever ran KJL must have come from SF, I'm guessing.
I remember  it having big beams in the ceiling and being mint green.
I am now going to have to check my memory against reality.

Your recollection bears an uncanny resemblance to someone named Billy on another forum

took me four days but I finally remembered the fancy pants place we used to go for special occasions. Costello's Greenhouse.

Also went to Stevenson's quite a bit.

moosnsqrl wrote: Your recollection bears an uncanny resemblance to someone named Billy on another forum

If you have the CH thread saved, you should post it, as it has LuJane's musings about Larry "Fats" Goldberg. I was so pissed when they deleted that after 10 years.

shinatoo wrote: took me four days but I finally remembered the fancy pants place we used to go for special occasions. Costello's Greenhouse.

Also went to Stevenson's quite a bit.

OK, now I'm truly  old, as my best friend Max was probably your waiter.
Vince Costello owned it.

bbqboy wrote: OK, now I'm truly  old, as my best friend Max was probably your waiter.
Vince Costello owned it.

I worked there as a waiter for a while.  Vince was a hard task master.  But, I learned a lot about the service business from him; the golden rule was customers don't leave unhappy.  Never.  He threatened to suspend waiters if he heard a complaint from a customer before he heard it from a manager or waiter.  When people weren't obviously excited about a meal even though they weren't complaining, I went and got the manager to see what we could do for them.

Don't remember Max though, must have been before or after my time.  

Was the Costello's that restaurant off Ward Parkway just north of the mall? The one that had all those ferns? Or was that The Ivy's or something? I remember that we never went there because it was "too fancy"....Was it a G&R restaurant?

ChefColby wrote: Was the Costello's that restaurant off Ward Parkway just north of the mall? The one that had all those ferns? Or was that The Ivy's or something? I remember that we never went there because it was "too fancy"....Was it a G&R restaurant?

That was indeed Costellos's.  No GR, it was owned by an ex-Chief's coach and Browns linebacker but it was a franchise out of California (I think).  The menu was steaks and a variety of other items like Rack of Lamb, Seafood Newburg, Seafood stuffed Zuchini, a few quasi Italian dishes (stuffed Manicotti comes to mind), and various other items.  Lunches were what some would consider lady food at the time.  It was extremely popular at the time tapping into the JoCo market at a time when JoCo restaurants were dry.  Had a big spread for Sunday Brunch too.   

What about The Rusty Pelican? Wasn't it right there too?

Highlander wrote: That was indeed Costellos's.  No GR, it was owned by an ex-Chief's coach and Browns linebacker but it was a franchise out of California (I think).  The menu was steaks and a variety of other items like Rack of Lamb, Seafood Newburg, Seafood stuffed Zuchini, a few quasi Italian dishes (stuffed Manicotti comes to mind), and various other items.  Lunches were what some would consider lady food at the time.  It was extremely popular at the time tapping into the JoCo market at a time when JoCo restaurants were dry.  Had a big spread for Sunday Brunch too.   

I drove up to that building a few months ago thinking it was empty but there's a business there. Interesting spot for a restaurant. It's a nice building. Was there another restaurant somewhere named The Ivy's?

My buddies grandma used to take us to a place for lunch in PV shopping center where you had to use the phone at the table to order your food. That wasn't the Ivy's was it? It's the blue moose now.

How about the club on top of the Ramada off 69 hwy. They had those silly phones at the cocktail tables that you could call the other tables. It was still open when I was in culinary school.

Speaking of the Ramada my dad had his buddies used to call it the Ram-it-inn.. LOL I think some husbands got in trouble there back in the day...