I would certainly have included Larry Forgione's "An American Place" which championed and popularized Nouvelle American cuisine and brought new respect for our home-grown ingredients, taste profiles and recipes...along with I am told, coining the phrase "free range chicken." I can still remember meals (at his various NY locations) course by course. Then I would not overlook Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Nuff said.
1
El Cumbre Taqueria in San Francisco's Mission District crafted and popularized the contemporary burrito, paving the way for Chipotle and countless other copycats.
2
Professor: you'd fail my Pizza class. The NYT's itself recognized that Sally's of New Haven is the best - on the planet! Though Mystic got a movie, those in the know (Hey, Gary T!) acknowledge that New Haven is the center of the universe of the pie. Sally's is its brightest star. May Sally rest in peace. Cousin Pepe down Wooster Street was the prime competitor. I grew up in the golden age of New Haven's singular contributions to cuisine, from the split frankfurter at Savin Rock, the first Hamburg sandwich at Louie's Lunch, and in the 1950's a Chinese Restaurant, The Far East, the pre-dated the Mandarin by many years. There are rumors of Sally's impending sale. Go Professor, and get the plain, no cheese, and it will be a revelation, but let it cool so your mouth won't be seared. You'll see why the oven's hot enough to crisp the bacon pie. As for a third choice for Ahh-beets as we from the Elm City call it try The Modern.
Though one could add their own restaurants to your ten, hundreds, I do follow the logic. And, I think one addition should be considered, Michael's of Santa Monica, CA. Though strictly speaking, Mr. McCarty is not a skilled chef as is Alice, I think he is the showman who took her philosophy of cuisine and surrounded it in Armani and Art, thus creating a new chic. One that spliced the food and fashion gene to grow the likes of The French Laundry.
Though one could add their own restaurants to your ten, hundreds, I do follow the logic. And, I think one addition should be considered, Michael's of Santa Monica, CA. Though strictly speaking, Mr. McCarty is not a skilled chef as is Alice, I think he is the showman who took her philosophy of cuisine and surrounded it in Armani and Art, thus creating a new chic. One that spliced the food and fashion gene to grow the likes of The French Laundry.
2
I was not aware of Delmonico's until I read "The Alienist". Many scenes take place there. I understand a film of this book is being produced currently in NYC. I am excited to see how they recreate it, and would think that would be a killer job for a food stylist!
1
What does homosexuality not being a mental illness have to do with an article on restaurants?
2
This cultural artifact of his rearing adds to his progressive creds in all things, probably including culinary appreciation.
1
Legal Sea Foods! We stood in line with Julia Child after the fish market in Somerville, MA, took advantage of a vacancy next door in 1968, adding picnic tables and a simple menu. The freshest local fish and lobster/clams/oysters/mussels, prepared simply, served up as soon as the dishes emerged from the kitchen—no heat lamps at the old Legal!—and few options on the side (cole slaw, onion strings, a good hard roll with excellent butter). Legal's no longer unique or even, sad to say, superior, but it launched a dining tsunami. Indeed, it had a somewhat Japanese esthetic, since quality ruled and preparation was about enhancement. If you haven't had fried Ipswich belly clams from Legal, you have not lived!
3
I enjoyed this list. Probably wouldn't be my ten most influential but it's nice to read someone else's opinion. For the constant complainers, write your own list and put that on the Internet. See what it's like to have a bunch of hate directed at your opinion. Sometimes I wonder if I'm reading coments about food or political agendas.
1
Add Ma Maison to the list. It was pioneering in it's time in West Hollywood, where Patrick Terrail turned a shabby chic spot into the shrine of Nouvelle California Cuisine with a heavy French influence. Ma Maison is also home to America's first outsized celebrity chef who didn't first write a cookbook, Austrian born Wolfgang Puck.
My "leaving the firm" party to head to Ann Arbor was at Ma Maison and it shall always be a memorable gastronomic soirée.
My "leaving the firm" party to head to Ann Arbor was at Ma Maison and it shall always be a memorable gastronomic soirée.
Everybody has their favorite restaurant, usually where they had a good meal in good company. This list is interesting but, to me, rather parochial. I am sure there are great restaurants in Omaha, for example. Omaha is OK for steak, not so much for Chinese food.
2
I would add K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. Prudhomme and Justin Wilson launched quite a trend.
A&W Root Beer stands were pretty influential. So were Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins. Coast to coast popularity and more endurance than HoJo's.
What about the restaurants with unique designs? The Brown Derby; Rainforest Cafe; Trader Vics; the Automat; revolving restaurants atop Hyatt Hotels?
A&W Root Beer stands were pretty influential. So were Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins. Coast to coast popularity and more endurance than HoJo's.
What about the restaurants with unique designs? The Brown Derby; Rainforest Cafe; Trader Vics; the Automat; revolving restaurants atop Hyatt Hotels?
1
If Howard Johnson's makes the list, so should the Harvey House chain.
Asian cuisine in the US owes a lot to Kan's and Benihana. Kan's, in San Francisco, was once the epitome of haute Chinese dining. You didn't go to SF as a tourist and not go to Kan's. And what a lucky thrill it was to go to Benihana as a kid for your birthday. The hibachi grill, the porcelain sumo wrestlers with little umbrellas. Then the chef comes out, knocking his knives on the grill, the flames start shooting up, then chef proceeds to flip pieces of shrimp behind his back up into the air, landing them squarely on your plate. Magical! Benihana wasn't a sushi restaurant, and arguably wasn't authentic Japanese either, but it introduced Japan culinarily to the country. Benihana paved the way for the American craze for sushi, which was hardly known about in the 70's.
"10 restaurants that changed the way we eat", well maybe in a few blocks in a few big cities. Changed the we we eat" while traveling, influenced restaurant design, service and food offerings, improved employment opportunities for women, even improved, some say established, family life in vast areas of our west.
HARVEY HOUSE
HARVEY HOUSE
Grupo se ships. You might add in whichever cruise ship introduced the working class masses to fine dining. For many Americans, that was how they met duck a lorange, lobster thermidore and the aforementioned baked Alaska. For many, it was theses ships in the 1970s , with their low prices and fellow middle class tourists, that offered an affordable and non-intimidating way to eat gourmet.
"Changing America" must mean changing our food habits. How many people in the US never eat "Mexican" or "Jewish" food? In fact, so common, often not thought of as ethnic any more. In 1957 when my dad and i went to the opening of the 2nd deli in my home town, Westport CT, we overheard woman saying, "I'd like some bagels and lox, please. But first, could you tell me, which are the bagels and which are the lox?" So, maybe Katz's?
Bob's Big Boy (1936) and McDonald's (1937-8) deserve a place in the hall of fame of eateries. No question about it.
3
A little surprised that the mention of Howard Johnson's says nothing about their famous ice cream, a quality product if ever there was one. There's never been a Pistachio Ice Cream like theirs - anywhere. I've been all over the world looking - even famous places like Berthillon in Paris (very good) still do not measure up.
Two.
-- Chicago's Charlie Trotter's, which raised all bars, and
-- McDonald's, which introduced food as fuel.
-- Chicago's Charlie Trotter's, which raised all bars, and
-- McDonald's, which introduced food as fuel.
3
The vegan Candle Cafe in NYC has heavenly food that can convince one that meat is entirely unnecessary.
1
Perhaps, instead of offering criticism of the author's choices based on reading this article (or more likely scanning the list of names), we should reserve judgment until we have read the book. Mr. Freedman might actually make well-researched and well-though out arguments for these ten choices. As is stated in the article, he researched thousands of restaurants over a period of two hundred years.
2
I think Tadich Grill in SF deserves a spot on the list for longevity and consistency. Heck, mark Twain ate there!
http://www.tadichgrill.com/history.php
http://www.tadichgrill.com/history.php
1
What? No barbecue?
It wasn't much fun being a cadet in 1972. Finally got a weekend leave so I joined a beautiful Manhattenville freshman and headed for the city. Headed for Mamma Leone's for an early supper... we were led past the waiting line and seated promptly... those folks aways took care of cadets.
Later that evening, we went to Lincoln Center for ballet, she was a big fan... last row of the balcony... I fell asleep in the third act... wine and pasta...
It was a wonderful evening...
She went on to do great things with CNN then write novels... I became a soldier, a businessman, a hospital administrator, a city manager, and now a firefighter...
Later that evening, we went to Lincoln Center for ballet, she was a big fan... last row of the balcony... I fell asleep in the third act... wine and pasta...
It was a wonderful evening...
She went on to do great things with CNN then write novels... I became a soldier, a businessman, a hospital administrator, a city manager, and now a firefighter...
The Dupuy Canal House in High Falls New York. I think it was Craig Claiborne who called chef owner John Novi "the father of New American Cooking." I had my greatest meal there and I have eaten in just about all the great restaurants in New York City.
Pretty New York-centric list. Notable restaurants, yes. But changing America??Reminds me of the famous map of the U.S. from a New Yorker's perspective.
1
Asian cuisine in the US owes a lot to Kan's and Benihana. Kan's, in San Francisco, was once was the epitome of haute-Chinese dining. You didn't go to SF as a tourist and not go to Kan's. And what a lucky thrill it was to go to Benihana as a kid for your birthday. The hibachi grill table, the porcelain sumo wrestlers with their little paper umbrellas. Then the chef comes out and begins his magic. The flames start shooting up from the grill, the chef's knocking his knives, and flipping pieces of cut shrimp behind his back up into the air, landing them square on your plate. Brilliant! Nobody had really even heard of sushi before in the 70's, and while Benihana wasn't a sushi restaurant, it put Japanese food on the culinary map.
How about adding Horn and Hardart automats, also 21 Club?
1
Mr. Freeman's book is a terrific read. And in the recipe chapter at the end, is the recipe for HJ's clams. My 10 year old palette was better developed than I realized 50+ years ago and I thought I detected corn meal in there somewhere...
Re the addendum: I agree about adding The Automat, where I sometimes ate while attending grad school in New York in the late 1960s. I agree wholeheartedly with the one reader who suggested adding Trader Vic's (just the original one in S.F., where my husband and I introduced ourselves to Vic himself, sitting at the bar, & the one at the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza one was so great that my husband & I ate there frequently; I even convinced my four siblings that we should celebrate our parents' 50th wedding anniversary at Trader Vic's at the Plaza.)
I would also add Elaine's--because despite its mediocre food, where else would a New York writer, journalist, or politician go to eat "in the good old days" before Elaine died? I remember seeing Jackie Onassis, sitting quietly with a friend at a table in back & seeing various N.Y.C. police commissioners sitting at a table in the front. What went on in the wee hours of the night in Elaine's side room is only heresay, but I know a few men who swear they took part in the late night revelry in that room.
I'd definitely include the 21 Club. "21" is an American icon. Not only was it was a speakeasy during Prohibition (with a secret door for patrons to enter and exit; N.B. the wine cellar's still there), but "21" is where Presidents and captains of industry have dined for almost 80 years. Their Dover sole, baby lamb chops, profiteroles, & chocolate souffle have always been truly amazing.
Jane W., Manhattan
I would also add Elaine's--because despite its mediocre food, where else would a New York writer, journalist, or politician go to eat "in the good old days" before Elaine died? I remember seeing Jackie Onassis, sitting quietly with a friend at a table in back & seeing various N.Y.C. police commissioners sitting at a table in the front. What went on in the wee hours of the night in Elaine's side room is only heresay, but I know a few men who swear they took part in the late night revelry in that room.
I'd definitely include the 21 Club. "21" is an American icon. Not only was it was a speakeasy during Prohibition (with a secret door for patrons to enter and exit; N.B. the wine cellar's still there), but "21" is where Presidents and captains of industry have dined for almost 80 years. Their Dover sole, baby lamb chops, profiteroles, & chocolate souffle have always been truly amazing.
Jane W., Manhattan
2
Nobody said this was a comprehensive list. It's like finding Lucy, the first human from whom we all evolved. Howard Johnson's was the Lucy of the dining chains catering to traveling families or folks not in the mood to cook. From HJ the franchises we all know evolved. And, the rest of the list is similar, citing the Lucys of Italian, French, Asian, Southern, and any other ethnic fare you can imagine. It's a great, thought-provoking list.
3
You never know where influences will turn up. Iconic French chef Jacques Pépin credits his stint at HoJo early in his career with teaching him about the restaurant business.
1
10 most influential restaurants? Clearly an old school New Yorker put the list together, as there is no Mexican. Taco Bell has been around longer but in San Diego the Roberto's drive thru is an institution. Friends who were relocated to other parts of the country would fill an ice chest with Roberto's fare on trips back to San Diego, and then freeze it when back home. There are plenty of good restaurants all along the border from California to Texas. In the late 70s / early 80s friend's parents from NYC developed a taste for Mexican food when visiting San Diego, and my friends would send regular CARE packages of avocados, chips, salsa, etc., to their parents.
When I was in Barcelona in the late 70s after a few months what I wanted the most was a good Mexican dinner starting with chips and salsa, but I only found one less than mediocre restaurant. Now in Upstate NY there are plenty of offerings, but my local favorite, where the food was prepared by a couple of women from Oaxaca has shut down. I took a Mexican friend there, she rolled her eyes when I suggested the place as she expected typical gringo fare, but said it was as good as anything she had in Mexico. I told her I liked the chips and different salsas there almost as much as the main dish, and she said I'd make a good Mexican.
Anyway, it is a big country and big portion of it now eats Mexican food. My brother said that when he was in Barrow, Alaska they had a Mexican restaurant.
When I was in Barcelona in the late 70s after a few months what I wanted the most was a good Mexican dinner starting with chips and salsa, but I only found one less than mediocre restaurant. Now in Upstate NY there are plenty of offerings, but my local favorite, where the food was prepared by a couple of women from Oaxaca has shut down. I took a Mexican friend there, she rolled her eyes when I suggested the place as she expected typical gringo fare, but said it was as good as anything she had in Mexico. I told her I liked the chips and different salsas there almost as much as the main dish, and she said I'd make a good Mexican.
Anyway, it is a big country and big portion of it now eats Mexican food. My brother said that when he was in Barrow, Alaska they had a Mexican restaurant.
5
I was in at school in Florence in the mid 70s and before I returned home spent a summer in Paris. Twelve months away from California and what I wanted most was mediocre Mexican food, peanut butter and cottage cheese.
I thought that what Paris needed most was a high-end Mexican restaurant.
I thought that what Paris needed most was a high-end Mexican restaurant.
1
For it's popular German culinary delights and for decades making a great restaurant the center of holiday celebrations, I would have considered adding the iconic Luchow's to the list. Also, the 10 Longchamps Restaurants that spanned City Hall to 79th Street for most of the 20th. century - including the popular Riverboat at 34th Street - combined excellent cuisine with affordable prices to popularize the American business lunch.
1
I would have considered adding in Lutece and Shun Lee Palace. Whether they changed America might be arguable, but they certainly improved my palate. At Lutece once, enjoying the wonderful meal, I turned my head toward the next table only to see, not six feet from me, Craig Claiborne discussing the menu with Andre Soltner!! A thrill.
As a young man, I went to Mama Leone's with my first wife, her father, and her model-beautiful sister. A place for tourists then, as Mr. Freedman says. We had a very mediocre meal, but the stunning 19-year-old sister became quite the favorite with the strolling violinist and the accordion player. On and on they played, crowding the table and leering at the young woman, until I finally was forced to bribe them (again) to please go away. Yup, tourist place.
As a young man, I went to Mama Leone's with my first wife, her father, and her model-beautiful sister. A place for tourists then, as Mr. Freedman says. We had a very mediocre meal, but the stunning 19-year-old sister became quite the favorite with the strolling violinist and the accordion player. On and on they played, crowding the table and leering at the young woman, until I finally was forced to bribe them (again) to please go away. Yup, tourist place.
2
A working man could take a day off-pile the family into the car-take them on the town too look at the christmas decorations , the tree- see of course the christmas show-and then splurge at Mamma Leone's!
Proud, happy and full back into the car back to LI..
Yea i get why it goes on the list-indeed.
Proud, happy and full back into the car back to LI..
Yea i get why it goes on the list-indeed.
5
Going to Horn and Hardart with the family after a show was always an adventure. Selecting and retrieving the food was even more fun than eating it. I still remember the baked beans.
3
It's an interesting list but that's all it is, a list. Such things can never be absolute and we have to allow for a certain hyperbole in the title of the book.
HoJo for sure, but White Castle, as some others have mentioned, has a claim to being the first real influential chain restaurant.
Why doesn't the NYT "brigade" drop by one for a change, it's actually very good for what it is, try the plain small burgers sans cheese and bacon. maybe Ms. Clark can recreate those in her kitchen?
I read here of every cuisine from Cuba and Afghanistan but who will sing the praises of the late lamented Ollieburger of Lums, or the red and white hots of Rochester, or beef on a weck (also Western New York)?
What about Jersey's regional foods? The American Jersey, there is one you know.
There was that piece on the Manhattan breakfast sandwich, fine, but Carry On Captains.
HoJo for sure, but White Castle, as some others have mentioned, has a claim to being the first real influential chain restaurant.
Why doesn't the NYT "brigade" drop by one for a change, it's actually very good for what it is, try the plain small burgers sans cheese and bacon. maybe Ms. Clark can recreate those in her kitchen?
I read here of every cuisine from Cuba and Afghanistan but who will sing the praises of the late lamented Ollieburger of Lums, or the red and white hots of Rochester, or beef on a weck (also Western New York)?
What about Jersey's regional foods? The American Jersey, there is one you know.
There was that piece on the Manhattan breakfast sandwich, fine, but Carry On Captains.
1
Agree 100% about Luchow's, Schrafft's, Maxwell's Plum. Does anyone remember Dawson's - in the East 50s between 2nd & 3rd Ave. or 3rd & Lex? And how about Keen's Chop House in the theater district?
1
I can not believe you did not include Dorky Chase, as a historian. That was the only restaurant in the South that black and whites could meet during the Jim Crow years.
3
Dooky Chase (darn that auto correct)
Yes, the Automat. Needs to be honored. An immigrant story. Aren't they all immigrant stories? In Philadelphia in 1888 Joseph Horn had the money . His parents gave him $1,000 to start a restaurant, to get it out of his system . Horn advertised for a helper. Frank Hardart , from Bavaria, wrote on a paper bag, "I am your man."
Every day H & H had a Tasting Table where the Principals would taste the food, to make sure the commissary was producing a uniform delicious taste. They would travel back and forth from New York to Philadelphia each day. 'Since the ride is only one and a half hours on the train, they could do this. New York's commissary was on 11th Ave and 50th St.
When I moved to New York from Philadelphia it was comforting to see some H &H's, although its was a not quite the same high caliber. In April, 1991, when the last one closed at 42nd and Third Ave. there was no fanfare, no announcement, Employees were told at around 4:00, the day before. Store is closed tomorrow..
Sic Transit Glory, or something like that. Let's just remember the good times and the joy it brought.
Every day H & H had a Tasting Table where the Principals would taste the food, to make sure the commissary was producing a uniform delicious taste. They would travel back and forth from New York to Philadelphia each day. 'Since the ride is only one and a half hours on the train, they could do this. New York's commissary was on 11th Ave and 50th St.
When I moved to New York from Philadelphia it was comforting to see some H &H's, although its was a not quite the same high caliber. In April, 1991, when the last one closed at 42nd and Third Ave. there was no fanfare, no announcement, Employees were told at around 4:00, the day before. Store is closed tomorrow..
Sic Transit Glory, or something like that. Let's just remember the good times and the joy it brought.
8
I was really pulling for Taco Bell. Haven for vegetarians and a weekend treat for every Indian kid growing up in the last 20-30 years. Made Tex mex accessible widely.
4
As a child, we used to go to the White Turkey Inn in Greenwich Village. They used to give you sweet rolls and relishes before the meal even began. No wonder I was a chubby child. Sometimes we'd go to Mama Leone's before going to a movie at Radio City Music Hall. Another one of my favorites was going to Rumplemayor's at Central Park South. I loved their cheesecake which was light and yummy. Does anyone have a recipe for that cheesecake?
3
I don't know how iconic this was, but I fondly remember eating at Farrell's, ice cream parlor, diner food, and the most heavenly candy shop in the front that children, including myself, were enthralled by. Does anyone know more about this restaurant and it's history?
I would vote for the automat!
1
Nathan's Famous - the original in Coney Island, where kosher-at-home Jews could get fried frog legs or pork chow mein on a bun. Though the chain restaurants it spawned did not have the more exotic fair, they consistently had the best french fries ever, at all locations.
4
I'll echo the chorus of people pointing out the missing example of some form of Mexican restaurant (Mex-Mex, Cal-Mex, Tex-Mex, etc.) on the list. Considering the millions of tacos in their various iterations (crispy, soft, burritos, wraps, etc.) consumed across the US every day and the ubiquity of chips/salsa/guacamole, that gap is a significant oversight. While I am in no position to pinpoint which establishment should be on the list, I imagine if Mr. Freedman was locked in a room for an hour or two with a food historian like Robb Walsh, he would be inclined to include one.
4
I've eaten in every single one of them. What do I remember the most? Schrafft's toasted cheese bread.
10
No McDonalds? To me a restaurant that was a game changer for all of America.
2
Being form a large family I don't remember going out to eat very much but there were just two places I remember most favorably and whose food is still the standard I measure by.
One was a Chinese restaurant on Knickerbocker Avenue between Stanhope and Stockholm Streets in Brooklyn. I lived on Stanhope. It had a very long it seemed staircase and whenever we went there was always someone peeling gigantic onions behind a curtain leading into the kitchen. No Chinese food since tastes or smells the same to me.
Another was Bob's Diner. A small aluminum set up you might see on a post card. It was on Myrtle Avenue in Queens past the dark M train turnoff at Wyckoff Avenue. It was the only place I'd order the Sauerbraten, home made red cabbage and a rarity, potato balls. The only other place I'd eat that was from my Grandmother's kitchen.
My Father and I traveled. He had a particular hatred for Howard Johnson's. He'd ordered a Malted and the waitress threw the remainder in the mixing cup down the sink. He felt that it was his. No candy store ever did that. It put the excess on the counter so you could finish it. Ironically I heard recently that the last HOJO closed last month.
The only Schrafts I can remember was in the Bal Harbour Shops on Miami Beach. Larry King used to broadcast from upstairs. For Deli it was Wolfies on 20th Street on Miami Beach. Pumpernick's on Biscayne Blvd for breakfast. The Painted Horse for smorgasbord.
Too many one of a kind places to list.
One was a Chinese restaurant on Knickerbocker Avenue between Stanhope and Stockholm Streets in Brooklyn. I lived on Stanhope. It had a very long it seemed staircase and whenever we went there was always someone peeling gigantic onions behind a curtain leading into the kitchen. No Chinese food since tastes or smells the same to me.
Another was Bob's Diner. A small aluminum set up you might see on a post card. It was on Myrtle Avenue in Queens past the dark M train turnoff at Wyckoff Avenue. It was the only place I'd order the Sauerbraten, home made red cabbage and a rarity, potato balls. The only other place I'd eat that was from my Grandmother's kitchen.
My Father and I traveled. He had a particular hatred for Howard Johnson's. He'd ordered a Malted and the waitress threw the remainder in the mixing cup down the sink. He felt that it was his. No candy store ever did that. It put the excess on the counter so you could finish it. Ironically I heard recently that the last HOJO closed last month.
The only Schrafts I can remember was in the Bal Harbour Shops on Miami Beach. Larry King used to broadcast from upstairs. For Deli it was Wolfies on 20th Street on Miami Beach. Pumpernick's on Biscayne Blvd for breakfast. The Painted Horse for smorgasbord.
Too many one of a kind places to list.
There is one HoJo's left, in Lake George, NY. The second-to-last HoJo's, in Bangor, ME, closed last month.
3
Great time travel article. I have a somewhat fuzzy memory of many meals at Friendly's munching tuna on toast, with a sundae for desert. H&H automat, of course (anyone ever hear David Amram's Horn and Hardart's Succotash Blues?). And the diner counters where your burger came by electric train!?
Fun to go back--"for only a dime."
Fun to go back--"for only a dime."
3
Red's Giant Hamburg on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri. For good or ill, believed by many to be the first drive-thru in the U.S., but wow, the most amazing burgers, chili, and fries.
There was a rusted-out Buick out front with a pole coming through the roof spinning old bleach bottles covered in tin-foil wildly through the air. I cried the first time I ate there (I was about seven). It was really seedy, and the food didn't seem safe to eat.
But it was. And so good. Wow, I miss that place...
There was a rusted-out Buick out front with a pole coming through the roof spinning old bleach bottles covered in tin-foil wildly through the air. I cried the first time I ate there (I was about seven). It was really seedy, and the food didn't seem safe to eat.
But it was. And so good. Wow, I miss that place...
2
I'm curious with regard to Delmonico's Lobster Newburg, I wonder when brandy got into the recipe? My 1893 Ranhofer's The Epicurian gives a very simple recipe for Lobster "Newburg or Delmonico" with boiled lobster meat sauteed in cream with a splash of Madera and thickened at the end with a cream-egg yolk liason. The 2008 Dining at Delmonico's has a sauce, for 2 lobsters, made with the shells, 3 cups of cream, mirepoix and tomatoes - and a generous quarter cup of brandy added later along with an egg yolk liason (along with a caviar garnish). Not the same thing at all. Which one made Delmonico's famous? I imagine the first.
1
Following extensive immigration fro Germany in the late 19th century, restaurants serving German food were common in the uS until the outbreak of WWII, Of these the flagship was probably Luchow's, on Union Square in Manhattan, It was a fabulous venue that was a treat to experience. I remember especially the venison and roast goose festivals. My favorite dish was the schwalder pfiffewrlinge -- chanterelles in a creamy dill-laden sauce, There are now only a few German restaurants left, though I know of two excellent ones within an hour's travel or two here in North Carolina. I'd like to see Luchow's remembered; it was a truly distinguished and unique place.
11
An honorable mention should be considered for Louis Dupuy, for his first-class French restaurant Louis', which was located in Georgetown, Colorado (a silver mining town high in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent to a vast wilderness). After a visit to the legendary Hotel de Paris in 1898, Columbia University professor Dr. James Russell returned to New York and established an academic course described as "domestic science." The course had its origins in discussions with proprietor, host, and cook Louis Dupuy. Today, we refer to domestic science as home economics or family and consumer sciences.
3
Patricia Murphy's Candlelight Restaurants. Between 1930 and the mid-1970s there were nine Candlelights at one time or another in Greater New York and southern Florida, each reflecting its decade's zeitgeist. The first Brooklyn Heights Candlelight lightened the mood of a neighborhood in the grips of the Great Depression, the second, on Manhattan's East 60th Street, provided salad bars for the area's working women, then, after Pearl Harbor, added a bar as well as special shelves for servicemen's hats. Following the flight to the suburbs in post-war posterity, Murphy renovated a rambling lodge in Manhasset, Long Island, added extensive gardens and a gift shop, and invented Dining as an Event. Her Candlelight in Yonkers, N.Y., sprawled over 10 acres and included an artificial lake, tens of thousands of flowers, and at Christmas, live animals in a nativity scene. There, and in her restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach, Fla., Murphy turned dining into a moderately-priced fabulous occasion, providing free postcards and postage so patrons could boast of their experiences to friends, in anticipation of Facebook.
8
True. With hot popovers served at the table from heated bins carried by women the way cigarette girls carried trays in nightclubs of the era. Also there was the similar Lorraine Murphy's. Also near Manhasset, The Miller Ridge Inn. I think Prof Friedman gave short shrift to two great American traditions: the Shore Dinner restaurant and the Steakhouse.
3
I grew up near NYC in the 1950s, so I can relate to Freedman's choices, especially Schrafft's. But now, as a Tucsonan--which was recently designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy--I can't believe that the influence of Mexican cuisine on American food culture has gone unmentioned, even in the comments. Except for Chipotle! Please! Salsa and tacos--doesn't everyone eat those, now? Where did they come from?
18
Shame for not putting the French Laundry on the list.
5
Mr. Freedman's list is too New York centric and focused on fine dining to say these restaurants changed America. Leaving out fast food, Mexican, and pizza parlors ignores where most Americans actually eat. A better title would be Ten Restaurants That Changed The Upper West Side.
57
Mr Freedman should really get out of the greater ny area more often...not a single mention of the restaurant which truly defines how we dine today..spago los angeles.
Unfortunately, this book sound more like a collection of early childhood memories with a romantic nod to dining establishments past.
Unfortunately, this book sound more like a collection of early childhood memories with a romantic nod to dining establishments past.
13
I will never forget going to a HoJo's near The Met, for lunch, prior to a performance of Carmen, my first opera at age 11 and someone we were with ordered a cocktail. A cocktail? My head exploded! I thought you got fried clams and ice cream at a HoJo's. I can still recall my surprise.
4
You're sure that wasn't a shrimp cocktail?
Past the service counter with fried clams and wonderful ice cream cones, in the larger HJs was a traditional dining room, slightly less elegant than the Murphy chain or Schrafts.
2
Horn and Hardart, of course and for sure. As much for their iconic locations, as for their automats. I miss them still!
10
NY Telephone had a training center on 8th Avenue at 34th across from the Post Office. There was a Horn and Hardart in the building. I've always wondered what happened to the dolphin handles on the coffee urns. You could get a cup of coffee black, black and sweet, with milk or light and sweet already mixed in the urns. The Danish were as big as a size 12 shoe and you could play football with the muffins they were so big.
3
Criticizing short lists like this is as American as Howard Johnson's!
So I'll play the game, too: Where's Luby's Cafeteria?!
So I'll play the game, too: Where's Luby's Cafeteria?!
3
White Castles. They catered to car culture way before McDonalds. Dad would stop at the Northern Blvd., Bayside location and the car-hops would run out and put the tray on the car door.
12
My father used to stop at a White Castle on Atlantic Avenue for a couple of bags of burgers on the way to the Sunrise Drive Theater on the Sunrise Highway. With 10 of us it was the only way we could afford a movie and dinner.
5
It's still there, Northern & Bell.
Like Kiltie's in the Milwaukee suburb of Neshota County.
I once got sick at Delmonico's, no fault of theirs - it was an allergic reaction, and actually had to lay down on their bathroom floor. And that's the story - it was the cleanest bathroom floor I could imagine. Never been back, but I'm appreciative.
12
This is so funny! Thanks for writing in.
2
Fred Harvey's chain of restaurants along the Santa Fe railroad started in the 1860s should have been noted here as well. The last remaining restaurant El Tovar is located at the Grand Canyon. Harvey brought his gourmand tastes to the west and strictly oversaw quality and consistency. He also took advantage of economies of scale for provisioning each of his restaurants well before the Walmart model. He hired an army of women to staff his restaurants (immortalized by Judy Garland in film) which also inadvertently provided eligible women to the frontier. Harvey also influenced the Santa Fe style of art. While many of the restaurants listed certainly changed how Americans eat and think about food, Harvey was a pioneer and his restaurants introduced fine dining to Americans traveling across the country by rail.
28
On a car trip with my family in 1945 to visit a relative in Alabama, we spent a few days in New Orleans as my mother had known it well from her youth in southern Mississippi. We dined at Antoine's and I still have the menu which celebrated its centenary; a note on that menu states that pricing follows controls of the War Price Administration. Completely a la carte, among the most costly was Dover Sole at $3.00, roughly $40 in today's dollars. I was 4 years old and accidentally tipped over my glass of milk; mother was mortified. The waiter was splendid and made it seem like nothing. Years later, mother suggested I become familiar with the works of Francis Parkinson Keyes and so I read her novels, "Dinner at Antoine's" and "The River Road." The latter prompted my visit to the area as we drove the River Road from New Orelans to Baton Rouge instead in the interstate. Lovely antebellum mansions including Oak Alley where the commercial for Blue Nun wines was filmed, a nun bicycling down the avenue of stately oak trees leading to the mansion's entry. But more impressive were the dilapidated slave shacks somewhat hidden on these properties, reminding us who had supplied the labor.
8
I am surprised The Automat was not included in this list; surely iconic and with food people loved. Plain though it might have been, Automat recipes are in demand and most difficult, if not impossible to find.
15
You're in luck Pauline! Go buy a copy of "The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece" 2002 by Marianne Hardart (Author), Lorraine Diehl (Author) and you will have those precious recipes!
8
I will! Thank you for mentioning it.
2
In the late 60's I had the privilege of dining at the Mandarin. The Chinese chicken salad was unforgettable as was the Dungeness crab with black beans. The atmosphere was as tasteful and elegant as its food. It's hard to imagine that there exists any opportunity to experience Chinese food of this quality since the restaurant closed.
5
When I was at Columbia College in the late forties, my parents took me to have lunch at Schrafts. Alas, I could not be admitted without a tie; I wasn't wearing any. But Schrafts was prepared and lent me one: the greasiest tie I have ever seen, before or since. But lunch was OK.
2
HoJo's corn toastees and a HoJo's ice cream cone.
This was bliss, and if I could have gotten away with it, I would have eaten nothing else between the ages of 5 and 15....
This was bliss, and if I could have gotten away with it, I would have eaten nothing else between the ages of 5 and 15....
13
I remember eating at a particular HoJo's on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, OH in an area now consumed by Cleveland Clinic. Ate there a few times in the 60s with my family before my parents split, and afterward in the early 70s, with my mom & little brother. I really looked forward to the after church stops on Sundays to get a pint of their peach ice cream. My dad always emphasized that it was "hand packed." That was a big deal to him, but I suspect that they didn't sell enough peach to pre-package it. It was good, though. In those days, the only "premium" ice cream you could get in CLE was Pierre's French Ice Cream, which, when I finally tasted it, did not live up to its billing. HoJo's was a lot better. The clams were good, too.
1
I'd suggest the automats.
12
The automats were the precursor of wide acceptance of fast food. The one in Times Square to me, as a young child, was otherworldly.
4
Thanks for the jolt of warmth and nostalgia. My father, William A. Foster, was the Director of restaurant operations for Schrafft's until his death in 1963. Much of what is fondly remembered was his doing. It was an American story. He started working for Schrafft's as a soda jerk in Syracuse when he was nineteen. He never had another employer.
Schrafft's went under for the oddest of reasons. When they built a restaurant, bar or grill, they normally bought the land or building it was in. The value of the properties, particularly in Manhattan, eventually exceeded the perceived value of the business. So, no more Schrafft's, despite its popularity and place in the writings of the like of Capote, Wolfe and Pfeiffer.
So it goes.
Schrafft's went under for the oddest of reasons. When they built a restaurant, bar or grill, they normally bought the land or building it was in. The value of the properties, particularly in Manhattan, eventually exceeded the perceived value of the business. So, no more Schrafft's, despite its popularity and place in the writings of the like of Capote, Wolfe and Pfeiffer.
So it goes.
30
What a wonderful memory. I live in Somerville, MA, on the eastern side of the city, two blocks from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown. From our eastern facing windows to Boston harbor, we see what I think is the original Schrafft's candy factory building. still with the Schrafft's name and clock on top. It's used for offices of all kinds now and is apparently doing well.
3
Its not an odd reason at all in NYC - restaurants are always going under because of real estate issues...
1
I am lucky enough to see it from my window!
No mention of Fred Harvey, and the Harvey House Restaurants? There was a revolution in dining in the United States in the late 19th Century, and it started along the western railroad tracks.
26
Before Howard Johnsons, the Harvey Houses were the first chain of restaurants to offer a consistent fare to travelers, albeit railroad. This led to the acceptance of all of the other roadside chains many decades later.
16
We spent 5 months driving all around America back then. Sampled many of these restaurants. Some were pretty good. JGAIA
What about White Castle? Hot exactly gourmet-style, but it was relatively fast, and did taste good, even with all those holes in the burgers.
4
A VERY misleading headline.
The restaurant that made the most change in America was only one. It taught us to eat in our cars, It taught us to eat off paper not china. It taught us eating economical. It taught us to count how many meals it served.
Why not admit it, McDonald's changed our eating habits the most.
The restaurant that made the most change in America was only one. It taught us to eat in our cars, It taught us to eat off paper not china. It taught us eating economical. It taught us to count how many meals it served.
Why not admit it, McDonald's changed our eating habits the most.
21
Too quote the great Maxwell Smart . . . and loving it.
I think Sylvia's was only "iconic" for New York. Both Gladys' and Army and Lou's in Chicago predated it and lived long lives with many "regulars." And I imagine there are other "iconic" soul food restaurants in Detroit, LA and other northern cities - not to mention the South!
I think Stouffer's is missing from this list. It was a chain similar to Schrafft's (which we never had in Chicago). I remember many lunches at Stouffer's long before the company ever thought of marketing frozen entrees.
And what about iconic German restaurants like The Berghoff (Chicago) Luchow's (New York) and Karl Ratsch and Mader's (Milwaukee). The last two are still serving up great food.
I think Stouffer's is missing from this list. It was a chain similar to Schrafft's (which we never had in Chicago). I remember many lunches at Stouffer's long before the company ever thought of marketing frozen entrees.
And what about iconic German restaurants like The Berghoff (Chicago) Luchow's (New York) and Karl Ratsch and Mader's (Milwaukee). The last two are still serving up great food.
20
Like Dooky Chase's in New Orleans for soul food, est. circa 1940s.
1
I was a busboy at the HoJo's in Costa Mesa. Transplants living all over Southern California would make the trek to our little bean field town to get their HoJo Fried Clams nostalgia fix. The cook poured them out of a paper milk carton directly into the deep fryer basket. Mmmm mmm. Lots of blue haired people blissfully crunching away.
Best ice cream/soda fountain for miles and miles (except for Pink's drug store of course). It was a nice job for a kid. Thanks for the memory.
Best ice cream/soda fountain for miles and miles (except for Pink's drug store of course). It was a nice job for a kid. Thanks for the memory.
9
Living in Southern California in 1970, our favorite farm to table restaurant (they grew their own greens and vegetables)was one that preceded the wonderful Alice Waters in the North. The chef /owner was Alan Hooker and it was located in the then fairly unknown village of Ojai. Darned if I can recall the name of it - but it was superb!
9
Alan Hooker's restaurant was The Ranch House. I still have his vegetarian cookbook from 1970. I think it's still there!
8
My wife and I used to jog three miles each week to keep fit. Ho Jo's just happened to be situated at the three mile mark. Much to our health's chagrin, we treated ourselves to their incredibly creamy mocha chip ice cream. We always walked back home half guilty and half in heaven!
9
Mr. Friedman overlooks Trader Vic's, the upscale chain, founded in San Francisco in the 1950s, featuring elaborate South Pacific atmosphere, cocktails with floating gardenias, and a vivid mash-up of Polynesian "island" cuisines. Trader Vic's brought the thrill of exotic adventure to American dining and inspired a host of inferior restaurants with fantasy names like Kon-Tiki and Wild Mango.
26
I agree. I used to dine at the one in Houston in the Shamrock hotel. That was many years ago. I don't know whether it's still there or not.
Sorry. Neither Trader Vic's nor The Shamrock is still there.
Agree on Trader Vic's
In my neck of the woods, it was Elby's Big Boy Restaurants and A&W Root Beer stands. Both put trays on your family's station wagon door window. They were real family restaurants.
My father told us that what I now know to be the city's drinking water tower across the street was filled with root beer. I can still taste those root beer floats served curbside in those iconic A&W thick, chilled glass mugs.
My father told us that what I now know to be the city's drinking water tower across the street was filled with root beer. I can still taste those root beer floats served curbside in those iconic A&W thick, chilled glass mugs.
13
and the ice as the air condensed on the frozen glasses, slowly sliding down the side of the glass. Thanks for the memories!
4
Antoine's may serve great food (I never got to find out), but the service was so abysmally rude that my wife and I walked out of the restaurant before we even had a sip of water.
1
For my money, the best food in New Orleans is at the iconic Dooky Chase, in the Treme. Long live my shero, Chef Leah Chase.
3
I went to Antonie's 3 years ago with 4 female friends. The food was overpriced; $35 for a fillet of fish which arrived cold. When my friend sent it back with a request to talk to the manager; she was ignored; she had toget up and go tothe kitchen door.
My oysters rockefeller tasted like they were bitter and not fresh
My oysters rockefeller tasted like they were bitter and not fresh
1
Never ate at a Schrafft's but often at a Woolworth lunch counter.
12
Woolworths. The only place you could get chop suey on a hamburger bun. it was 20 cents in 1962.
1
It's a shame the restaurant list is so NYC-centric,which isn't really surprising. But to ignore White Castle, the first successful burger chain , which still thrives today, really calls into question the credibility of the book.
16
The man obviously has good taste if his favorite New Haven pizza is Zuppardi's (technically, in West Haven, though.)
1
Yes, I agree too!
1
Benihana! Food as entertainment and introducing Japanese food to Americans, before we were brave enough to eat sushi and sashimi.
19
So what happened to the king of steak restaurants, Peter Lugers!
9
Peter Luger's may have spawned other steak houses in New York, but - having lived in several other large cities in the US, it didn't influence steak houses in any of those - Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, San Diego.
I'd make a case for Morton's--both for its "Chicago Steakhouse" legacy and the continuing presence of the Morton clan in the restaurant business.
3
The idea of good tasting, interesting vegetarian food, good enough to be eaten even by non-vegetarians, was a novel idea when the Moosewood restaurant opened in Ithaca, NY in 1973. This restaurant and its wonderful cookbooks birthed a nationwide movement of vegetarian gourmet restaurants based on the idea of good cooking with local,fresh vegetables.
35
Great choice. A true game changer.
3
Really? I lived in Ithaca for many years and ate there exactly once. The original cookbook is full of food so bland that it astonishes me (although "Cooks at Home" has a few good go-tos). Our rule in the house was always "use half the liquid, and triple the spices," so it wouldn't be a runny, flavorless mess. No wonder vegetarianism had a questionable rep in the 70s.
3
Although not 'magnificent' it's hard to see why McDonald's is not in the list, with the Colonel, Steak n' Shake, Big Boy, These restaurants really changed the way 'America eats.' As for elite dining, Lutece belongs there. The list is extreme;y parochial with few of the places being real game changers.
17
Nineteen years old dining at Mama Leone's after we had seen "West Side Story" with Carol Lawrence as Maria. Oh, we felt so sophisticated, with our white gloves, high heels. We had such fun.
Memories of eating at the
- Horn and Hardart - the hot chocolate, baked beans, pies, in went the nickles, the door opened and viola, lunch, etc..
- Chock Full O'Nuts, oh the date nut bread sandwich filled with cream cheese and the coffee.
-Schrafft's ice cream sundae for dessert, served in a :silver" goblet set upon a doily and plate.
So young and working in NYC on 42nd street I was enamored of these places. Look forward to reading the book.
Memories of eating at the
- Horn and Hardart - the hot chocolate, baked beans, pies, in went the nickles, the door opened and viola, lunch, etc..
- Chock Full O'Nuts, oh the date nut bread sandwich filled with cream cheese and the coffee.
-Schrafft's ice cream sundae for dessert, served in a :silver" goblet set upon a doily and plate.
So young and working in NYC on 42nd street I was enamored of these places. Look forward to reading the book.
28
But these are all only New York icons.
1
Yes, I agree. I am recalling memories of when I was 19 and first exposed to these eateries all those years ago....
2
In terms of how restaurants changed the way we eat? How many of us got to eat on Freedman's list? This article would be better titled, how Freedman's list of restaurants changed how he eats. How about drive in's like A&W,Car hop restaurants? How about all the Mom and Pop restaurants across America? How about the Diners ? There were 4 in my home town, these are some of what my generation of the 50ies grew up with and as far as I an concerned, changed the way we ate.
Here is my list, most in or near Attleboro MA
Moran's Diner, still in business
Ratty's butter Burgers, So Attleboro, MA, gone
Heagneys Restaurant, a teenage hang out in the late 50ies and 60ies.
A& W drive in
Bristol Farms simple hamburg and hot dog place
Millpond diner in Wareham Ma, an iconic roadside diner
Gus's Grill , a bar/restaurant with a ladies entrance, Italian food, Narraganset Beer, a little gambling, first take out I can remember
Howard Johnson's in No Attleboro where my mom worked in high school
Any clam shack in MA, too many to mention, many on Cape Cod
Checker Club, Pawtucket RI
and of course Mc Donalds first in the area in So Attleboro, what a shock.
White Castle
These places while local to me were duplicated in kind all over America. I would give up any of Freedman's choices to eat at any of mine again.
Here is my list, most in or near Attleboro MA
Moran's Diner, still in business
Ratty's butter Burgers, So Attleboro, MA, gone
Heagneys Restaurant, a teenage hang out in the late 50ies and 60ies.
A& W drive in
Bristol Farms simple hamburg and hot dog place
Millpond diner in Wareham Ma, an iconic roadside diner
Gus's Grill , a bar/restaurant with a ladies entrance, Italian food, Narraganset Beer, a little gambling, first take out I can remember
Howard Johnson's in No Attleboro where my mom worked in high school
Any clam shack in MA, too many to mention, many on Cape Cod
Checker Club, Pawtucket RI
and of course Mc Donalds first in the area in So Attleboro, what a shock.
White Castle
These places while local to me were duplicated in kind all over America. I would give up any of Freedman's choices to eat at any of mine again.
4
Lutece showed Americans what top dining is. The food was beyond superb and no other restaurant before and certainly since meets the standards of its fine cuisine.
10
I don't know if the location has changed over the years, but my understanding is that the only Zuppardi's Apizza is in my town of West Haven, not New Haven, as the article suggests. If I'm mistaken, then I believe there is a new pizza restaurant I need to check out.
1
What about Denny's, Shoney's, A & W Root Beer, Stewart's Root Beer, Hot Shoppes, Bob's Big Boy, and countless other Regional restaurants?
8
And IHOP, for better or worse.
3
On Thursdays we'd go to lunch at the sales barn for a hamburger and a piece of one of Mrs. Panzer's pies. There's nothing more American than that.
2
Seems that a great American steakhouse, probably Peter Luger.
4
A restaurant that should have changed the way we eat, but didn't- Lundy's of Sheepshead Bay. Fresh fish and sea food, done simply and well.
6
The best! There has never been anything like it, before or since. Their reopening was a major fail
1
In 1971 as a young West Coast hippie, I ate at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse -- then just a tiny hip restaurant in an older house in Berkeley. It was eye-opening for me. From herbs, fruits, and vegetables grown in her garden and harvested just before cooking (which reminded me of my grandmother's table), to cheeses whose provenance were the dedicated cheesemakers just around the corner, to fowl with flavors I had never experienced, Chez Panisse was amazing. So glad it was included as a ground-breaking American restaurant.
8
Elitist and parochial! Absolutely irrelevant to the way most Americans eat.
6
By following that line of thinking, great artists and composers should be off any list that discusses change agents in the visual arts or music.
This Yalie should stick to medieval history. The good professor clearly doesn't know much about food. Mama Leone's? The place was a punchline tourist trap from the day it opened its doors. It was the kind of Italian restaurant which catered to rubes and budget tourists and was strictly avoided by New Yorkers.
Schraft's? Ask any New Yorker, of a certain age, what they thought of Schraft's and they'll tell ya how awful the food always was. I could go on kvetching but I'll stop here.
Schraft's? Ask any New Yorker, of a certain age, what they thought of Schraft's and they'll tell ya how awful the food always was. I could go on kvetching but I'll stop here.
1
Yes, but their butterscotch sundae with almonds was to die for!!!
6
I'd argue that the House of Chan at 7th Av. & 52nd St. was a seminal place. It was cosmopolitan & started the upscale Chinese trend in the 1940s, serving high end dishes that rivaled many French restaurants.
3
What about Zingermans in Ann Arbor?
5
Zingerman's is great, but at heart it's just a deli. The unusual thing about it is it's location in Michigan. (And I'm from Ann Arbor)
1
Finally a list of restaurants in the NY Times that is not about trendy places to overspend, see, and be seen. Real places that actual people want/wanted to eat at.
3
This is a nice article and the book will be fun to read. Clearly these restaurants changed Paul's America, so his conclusions are true for him. Given that 95% of Americans have never heard of any of these restaurants except HoJo's, I doubt their impact on many.
5
A huge percentage of Americans have never heard of Les Paul but they certainly know about the electric guitar.
1
Ah yes, Mama Leone's. "Come to Mama"
And then get yourself to an emergency room. Absolutely the most notorious tourist-trap in the history of the city.
And then get yourself to an emergency room. Absolutely the most notorious tourist-trap in the history of the city.
8
Right on!!
1
A generation from now, people will look back at today and identify the restaurants that changed food. They will all be vegan. Young people are abandoning the barbarism of the previous generation. They are giving up cruelty and environmental destruction in favor of thoughtful, ethical eating. The percentage of young people being repelled by the torture of the defenseless is way up. This is the big story. The future is getting traction today.
2
Child's preceded Schrafft's, and somewhat forward in their architecture. Of course, they began coming apart when One founder started introducing vegetarian items onto th menu. Also involved in development of Savoy/Plaza. One of the first employee stock plans.
1
I vote for Stouffer's restaurants in Chicago and Cleveland. As a young woman in Chicago in 1954 to 1963, Stouffer's was the only restaurant that welcomed unescorted women as patrons (in those days women usually were not admitted to a "sit down" restaurant unless they had a male escort). It was a treat to be seated at a formally set table in pleasant surroundings with a charming waitress (usually an Irish girl). The food was good, and I still have a recipe for one of their alcoholic drinks, the Hilty Dilty. Janet W.
11
For me Horn and Hardart’s Automats were the most memorable of all eating establishments! They had a magical quality. First there was the elegant looking, silent, unsmiling lady with the long, bright lacquered fingernails expertly flicking your nickels (later with inflation, quarters!) across the polished oak board to you as she changed your dollar bill. Then there was the search for one of the little square tables and leaving your coat to hold your place. Finally there were the CHOICES in the wall mounted stacks of tiny stainless steel and glass doored compartments! Actually the main course never posed a problem, my choice was the macaroni and cheese in the little dark green and white Hall oval casserole. For dessert there was lemon meringue pie, and milk from the tall stainless dispenser with the lion’s head which dribbled the milk into the glass from the lion’s mouth. I still mourn the closing of the Automats. There is a book about them which has the mac and cheese recipe!
12
Absolutely. I cannot imagine a more iconic or unique restaurant.
katzs deli, without a doubt and perhaps the automat, horn and hardot?
10
absolutely! all of these were staples growing up in nyc.
I think a Jewish deli should definitely be on this list.
4
Since when have Jewish delis ever changed the way America eats? Just try ordering pastrami anywhere outside of New York City… Yuck.
1
Bob's Big Boy with their thick shakes and hamburger plates.....great for dates when I was a teen. Wish they were back!
2
Coming from a restaurant family along the lines of but not exactly like Mamma Leone's (I bet our food was better:-), and also a historian (American women's history, Binghamton Ph.D. '89), I am delighted to hear about this book, already downloaded it last night, and am awaiting a luxurious, gracious, bountiful, delicious meal over which to devour!
2
Remarkably, 9 out of 10. (No Mandarin.) Not sure my experience at Le Pavillon should count. My grandfather took me to lunch there when I was about 7, and told me I could have whatever I wanted. He was wrong. They refused to make me a hot dog or spaghetti, so we left and dined elsewhere.
6
Brigham's. Boston's quintessential tea shoppe for the ladies, with marble topped tables, stainless steel ice cream dishes, good ice cream, and the best jimmies (they tasted like chocolate) short of new millennial artisanal.
Also in Boston--Union Oyster House and the no name. While very different both had s focus on fresh seafood and other local ingredients. While not NY, which I'm sure had more options, I didn't realize how lucky I had it food wise back in the day until I left New England.
Also in Boston--Union Oyster House and the no name. While very different both had s focus on fresh seafood and other local ingredients. While not NY, which I'm sure had more options, I didn't realize how lucky I had it food wise back in the day until I left New England.
7
So true! I've lived in Ohio for 17 years and it's extremely rare to find a restaurant as good as what is found in New England.
1
El Burrito, Fort Collins, Colorado. Mexican food. Best in the U.S.
1
As a youngster growing up in the south in the 70's, I had the opportunity to fall in love with HoJos' Griddled bun hot dogs and a delicious grain mustard they served with them. I still crave them today. They also sold a frozen blueberry pastry that was much like a muffin but shaped like a pop tart. I can't remember their name but both of these things. Fried clams were also a family favorite I recall. Much like the author my father was a psychiatrist and mother a clinical psychologist so we as kids had the unique opportunity to have the ability to travel and dine while young. The Four Seasons, Maxwell's Plum, Quilted Giraffe and Tavern on the Green came later in my development while Mama Leone's was such the treat when I was 8. Who can forget how big the pasta Alfredo was!! I guess all of these places have had a huge impact on my career which began as a doctor but quickly changed gears to becoming a chef. Thanks Mom and Dad...
4
I am surprised that a new yorker didn't include Lombardi's. The 1st pizzeria, established all the way back in the 1880's. Where would American food culture be without pizza? Also, a nod to Nathan's (while not a restaurant exactly) hotdogs are one of the most ubiquitous American food.
8
K-Paul from Paul Prudhomme made Cajun (not Creole) food extremely popular, mainstream and did a good job of making Redfish, formerly a trash fish, almost endangered. They had a great Dirty Martini. The article mentions Chez Panisse, but Wolfgang Puck's Spago also did a lot for popularizing a certain type of California cuisine. One could also add Lombardi's, as it was the first NY pizza parlour, spawning thousands of slice joints around the country.
7
The deli. It cannot be excluded from this list! My money's on The Carnegie Deli, a cultural icon and the best deli selections in Manhattan.
9
Sorry, but it, too, is a quintessential tourist trap.
Howard Johnson's hired Jacques Pepin to create some of their dishes, most memorably the superb chicken croquettes. Search online - folks have been trying to recreate them for years. Rachel Ray has a facsimile on foodnetwork.com.
3
Jacques Pepin - the best celebrity chef ever!
6
Freedman has been sheltered in academia for too long! It's almost like he came up with his list using only microfiche sources. Very much slanted to the classic North East bias ( I grew up in Philly). This article reeks of status quo. Rao feeds right into it. A fluff piece like this really ought to at least challenge some of his assertions. Shake Shack as a contender? Please.
7
Zuppardi's in New Haven (actually West Haven) and not Pepe's (the original on Wooster Street)? Oh, my dear.
6
In case anyone actually wants to eat at Zuppardis, the pizzeria referenced by Mr Freedman, it's in West Haven, not New Haven (and the lines are much shorter also).
1
I would love to read Calvin Trillins take on this book.
15
How about Fred Harvey, and his establishments along the Santa Fe railroad out west, and at some of the older national parks.
6
any woolworth lunch counter south of the mason-dixon line
a menu with plenty to read between the lines
a menu with plenty to read between the lines
4
I would definitely add McDonald's, Burger King and Hot Shoppes along with White Castle. Nathan's should be on the list. More obscure, but amazing, was a large seafood restaurant back in the 60's called Lundy's located in Sheepshead Bay NY. There could be others, like Don's in Livingston NJ, but their deliciousness was limited to the neighborhoods they served.
1
I remember how excited my Dad was to take me, my brother and Mom to see OKLAHOMA on Broadway......A fifty mile road trip from our Branchburg, NJ home. Lo and behold, Mom ordered Alaskan king crab legs - it was a special. The meal was delivered to the table with two empty crab leg shells! That was when I first learned the term "tourist trap"!!!
1
Where?
I understand the thinking about Antoine's in New Orleans but if you had to pick one I think K-Paul's would be the better choice. One could reasonably argue that Paul and Kay really started the foodie revolution in this country with new concepts and flavors, opening the door to Emeril, Mario and so many others.
5
That is a very bi-coastal list. AFAIK, the only restaurant that wasn't located in NYC, the Northeast or California is Antoine's. Barn-blind is what I would call his list.
10
No surprise "artisanal" "small batch" "craft" and "local" echo loudly, with absolutely no objective measures. How about scientific food safety, Chipotle?
Interesting subject of research!
Any list has to be somewhat arbitrary and I too am a fan of Cecilia's Chiang's Mandarin. And I would say the Mandarin was an early (maybe the first) Chinese restaurant to provide an upscale decor with prices to match. It had was in Ghirardelli Square with huge windows looking out at the expansive Bay and the hills of Marin County. (The views are still there but a recent visit to Ghirardelli finds it is now caters to the tastes of tourist; gone are the wonderful, sophisticated shops and eats of past decades.)
However, my recollection of the first SF restaurant to provide an alternative to the Cantonese style foods was Henry Chung's Hunan restaurant. It was a non-assuming, small "hole in the wall" in the financial district. In the late 1960's, adventurous San Franciscans waited in long lines to try a new type of Chinese food.
It's probably not coincidental that the plethora of ever more varied Chinese cuisines offered in SF restaurants occurred with the liberation of immigration laws in the mid-1960's. I'm not just hearing Cantonese on SF streets; there are now lots of Mandarin conversations also.
Any list has to be somewhat arbitrary and I too am a fan of Cecilia's Chiang's Mandarin. And I would say the Mandarin was an early (maybe the first) Chinese restaurant to provide an upscale decor with prices to match. It had was in Ghirardelli Square with huge windows looking out at the expansive Bay and the hills of Marin County. (The views are still there but a recent visit to Ghirardelli finds it is now caters to the tastes of tourist; gone are the wonderful, sophisticated shops and eats of past decades.)
However, my recollection of the first SF restaurant to provide an alternative to the Cantonese style foods was Henry Chung's Hunan restaurant. It was a non-assuming, small "hole in the wall" in the financial district. In the late 1960's, adventurous San Franciscans waited in long lines to try a new type of Chinese food.
It's probably not coincidental that the plethora of ever more varied Chinese cuisines offered in SF restaurants occurred with the liberation of immigration laws in the mid-1960's. I'm not just hearing Cantonese on SF streets; there are now lots of Mandarin conversations also.
1
I believe that the very first restaurateur to cater to travelers was Fred Harvey and his chain of Harvey Houses in the West. The history is extremely interesting and came about as the trains which carried cargo started to allow paying travelers aboard, with no frills at all. Fred Harvey thought that people needed to eat and be comfortable and arranged a deal with the railroad which eventually became Harvey Houses, hotels at train stations catering to business, army during WWI, and tourists. The Harvey Girls were chosen carefully to serve, there were plenty of rules and strict codes of behavior and dress for the girls. It's a wonderful history, there are a few books and a great DVD setting out the story. Finally the Harvey chain lost prominence as cars took over the tourist travel, and planes, so Harvey made way for Hojo. And I was a Hojo Girl, we had rules and uniforms but not even close to Harvey girl girl rules!
21
There is an extensive display in the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, NM on the Fred Harvey Company. Includes a lot on the Harvey girls.
3
I saw that installation, was excellent.
Andre Soltner at Lutece change my dining. The restaurant was brightly colored and his wife mad all feel welcome.
He introduced fresh ingredients with a menu that changed seasonally, something not done at that time. Mr. Soltner is acknowledged to have been the first superstar chef.
He introduced fresh ingredients with a menu that changed seasonally, something not done at that time. Mr. Soltner is acknowledged to have been the first superstar chef.
5
At one time there were 350 Stuckey's restaurants mostly east of the Mississippi. Pecan everything.
HoJo's was considered "expensive', but once in a while on a trip we would stop there. They actually buttered the rolls for their hot dogs - talk about taste innovation and gourmet dining! Some places would even put Velveeta cheese on a hot dog...French Fries? Nobody had a deep fryer at home; many people had their first taste of a French Fry at HoJo's. A generation of Americans learned to cook by copying a recipe discovered at a chain restaurant, including the buffet restaurants throughout the south. Many of the chain restaurants pre-dated interstate highways, and their demise was cause by those same highways. Dad wouldn't exit the highway because we were making such good time en route - 50 mph.
The Automat chain also had "Less Work for Mother" stores where one could buy frozen food to take home. Frozen Food? What's that? Another marvel in a world where the entire freezer compartment of a refrigerator held 3 ice cube trays. Food that you bought, already prepared, was a new concept in the 1950s which lead to multi-billion corporations today.
HoJo's was considered "expensive', but once in a while on a trip we would stop there. They actually buttered the rolls for their hot dogs - talk about taste innovation and gourmet dining! Some places would even put Velveeta cheese on a hot dog...French Fries? Nobody had a deep fryer at home; many people had their first taste of a French Fry at HoJo's. A generation of Americans learned to cook by copying a recipe discovered at a chain restaurant, including the buffet restaurants throughout the south. Many of the chain restaurants pre-dated interstate highways, and their demise was cause by those same highways. Dad wouldn't exit the highway because we were making such good time en route - 50 mph.
The Automat chain also had "Less Work for Mother" stores where one could buy frozen food to take home. Frozen Food? What's that? Another marvel in a world where the entire freezer compartment of a refrigerator held 3 ice cube trays. Food that you bought, already prepared, was a new concept in the 1950s which lead to multi-billion corporations today.
17
In the early 60's, my father was sick and between raising four boys and going to the hospital, my mom didn't always have time to cook for us. On Rt.22 in Springfield, N.J. there was a HoJo's and as break for her and a treat for us, on Tuesday nights she'd drive us from our home in Elizabeth to the restaurant for it's all you could eat steak night and on Friday's, being Catholic, she would take us there for all you could eat fried fish night. Maybe the steak wasn't prime and the flounder fresh caught, but the memories of those trips up Rt.22 to that HoJo's are as good and lasting as any of the meals I've since had in great restaurants around the world.
I might add, upstairs from Scrafft's, was a place called the "colonial Room." It was operated by Schrafft's but it was a rather fancy sit-down restaurant that specialized in classic American fare like prime rib and roast turkey. The wait staff, all women were Irish immigrants and they were always dressed in fancy black and white uniforms. My grandfather would take us there for Sunday dinners. Another special treat when I growing up.
Why no mention of the "Newarker" a restaurant that was a pioneer in Airport restaurants?
I might add, upstairs from Scrafft's, was a place called the "colonial Room." It was operated by Schrafft's but it was a rather fancy sit-down restaurant that specialized in classic American fare like prime rib and roast turkey. The wait staff, all women were Irish immigrants and they were always dressed in fancy black and white uniforms. My grandfather would take us there for Sunday dinners. Another special treat when I growing up.
Why no mention of the "Newarker" a restaurant that was a pioneer in Airport restaurants?
16
Very NY centric list. You forgot about one of the most influential food towns in America: Chicago. One example of many is Charlie Trotters opened in the 1980s (now closed) ushered in a concept that transcended big city fine dining for the rich by creating an accessible foodie experience for urban working professionals that is the norm today in all large cities. This is the restaurant that put eating in the kitchen on the map and opening up restaurants to be part of the dining experience while experimenting with tastes and texture during a period when restaurants had become generic.
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RJS: We were eating in the kitchen at The Bakery in Chicago LONG before Charlie Trotter's.
1
@Chefjune—I didn't say that Charlie Trotters was the first to eat in the kitchen. Read again. And really Charlie Trotters had the kind of following and status that inspired chefs and imitations throughout major cities in the U.S. was more my point.
What!? No mention of the Automat?!
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Absolutely! Horn & Hardart, put in a few nickles, turn a knob, lift the little glass door, get a piece of pie or a sandwich. We will all have our own list, so let me add these two Kosher innovators. Schmulka Bernstein's, the first Kosher Chinese restaurant, and of course, Lou G. Siegel, the ultimate in Kosher dining. It was the only Kosher restaurant that was open during Passover!
1
Absolutely should have been on the list. Horn & Hardart and Chock Full o Nuts revolutionized the quick nosh in this town and the reverberations were felt worldwide.
3
Horn and Hardart! First good coffee, good food from a central commissary at a good price, aggressively no atmosphere...that was itself an atmosphere...and the Automat and the ladies flinging exactly 20 nickels at one grab.
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Schrafft's! My mother took me shopping in the city every Saturday and the best part was lunch at Schrafft's. This was in the heyday of Bonwit Teller, B. Altmans and Henri Bendel. No mall on earth can compare!
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Henri Bendel is still there, along with Bergdorf's and Tiffany's all on the same street a few minute's walk from each other. No mall can ever compare with shopping, window and actual, in a metropolis like NYC.
P.S: Then there's Macy's which is like 10 malls rolled into one and where there are frequent often substantive sales. One can recover in the free cafe like park area in front of the store with street hot dogs, pizza or other nearby fast fare.
P.S: Then there's Macy's which is like 10 malls rolled into one and where there are frequent often substantive sales. One can recover in the free cafe like park area in front of the store with street hot dogs, pizza or other nearby fast fare.
1
nice article about a popular activity we all do. out here in the bay area we are now down to one restaurant that still serves lobster thermador. and that is tadditch in san fran. they still offer no reservations and there is no dress code. the . times are always changing in this field and it makes life so fun.
7
The Taddich Grille recently opened a restaurant here in D.C.
When I lived in the bay area I loved to go to the "Joe's" steakhouses, precursors to the current Outback restaurants. They were all over, parking was free, the Giants were on the TV in the bar, and they served the best spinach ever. I called the Marin Joe's once, long ago, to get the spinach recipe. The chef asked for my east coast number and, satisfied that I was not a competitor, gave me the recipe. I still use it, and everyone loves my (Joe's) spinach.
When I lived in the bay area I loved to go to the "Joe's" steakhouses, precursors to the current Outback restaurants. They were all over, parking was free, the Giants were on the TV in the bar, and they served the best spinach ever. I called the Marin Joe's once, long ago, to get the spinach recipe. The chef asked for my east coast number and, satisfied that I was not a competitor, gave me the recipe. I still use it, and everyone loves my (Joe's) spinach.
1
Still waiting for a different paradigm than the dominating Little House on The Prairie rustic. Nothing has changed since "olden times", and there is no magnificence yet.
I am looking forward for NEW to happen and arrive on The Market. I put my ideas and products into that NEW category. Thought I 'd take this opportunity to make the announcement!! (smile). Something to look forward to, I suppose.
I am looking forward for NEW to happen and arrive on The Market. I put my ideas and products into that NEW category. Thought I 'd take this opportunity to make the announcement!! (smile). Something to look forward to, I suppose.
3
I would nominate The Bakery, owned by Hungarian-American chef Louis Szathmary. Through his continental menu, Chef Louis, as he was affectionately known, taught Chicago and the Midwest that there was more to restaurants than steak and potatoes. Great Chicago chefs, such as Rick Bayless and Jackie Shen, owe a debt of gratitude to Chef Louis.
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I ate my first soufflé at The Bakery! But I believe the game-changing restaurant in the Chicago area for fine dining was Le Francais way out in Wheeling.
On the West Coast, the Nut Tree started in 1921 on the highway between the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe - a popular weekend getaway. It was one of the leaders of Western/California Cuisine and the California lifestyle of fresh local foods, outdoor living and the international influences of the Pacific Rim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_Tree
2
Has Professor Friedman ever made it out of the greater Metro New York City area? His focus is myoptic.
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I greatly appreciate the lengths taken to choose restaurants that are significant culturally and that had long-lasting effects on our current habits. To choose McDonald's is a paint-by-numbers approach I can find in any online listicle. I am delighted to know a historian took on this challenge as he brings a fresh perspective to a topic dominated by food critics and business educators.
14
Glad to see Schrafft's included. I must have eaten there a hundred times, both in New York and Boston, during the 50s and 60s. Almost always with my mother or grandmother, very dedicated shoppers both. My favorite was the club sandwich.
17
My grandparents took me there as well and as I remember it the restaurant was filled with grandparents and their grandchildren; maybe the children's parents had a night out alone!
5
The Four Seasons may have influenced American cuisine, but diners were upper class. McDonalds on the other hand created low-brow food that changed the eating and cultural habits of millions and that number continues to grow as the chain grows in China and other countries. McDonalds concept of fast food influenced many of the chains that followed it. For better or for worse, Ray Kroc single handedly changed eating in America.
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My two additions would include:
Windows on the World: truly elevating fine dining and service. While diners were mesmerized by the view the dining experience included good food, formal service and jackets required for men. Of note when the blackout of 1977 happened the matried' finally allowed male patrons to remove their jackets after an hour of no air conditioning. While other restaurants could boast of views I.e. Jules Verne, Windows on the World was the pinnacle of the genre.
The Quilted Giraffe: while unique to NYC this restaurant truly ushered in the genre of restaurant as entertainment and "setting the scene". Somewhat symbolic of the 1980's exuberance the restaurant was the precursor to today's see and be seen options.
Windows on the World: truly elevating fine dining and service. While diners were mesmerized by the view the dining experience included good food, formal service and jackets required for men. Of note when the blackout of 1977 happened the matried' finally allowed male patrons to remove their jackets after an hour of no air conditioning. While other restaurants could boast of views I.e. Jules Verne, Windows on the World was the pinnacle of the genre.
The Quilted Giraffe: while unique to NYC this restaurant truly ushered in the genre of restaurant as entertainment and "setting the scene". Somewhat symbolic of the 1980's exuberance the restaurant was the precursor to today's see and be seen options.
12
"The Quilted Giraffe: while unique to NYC, ..." Funny as The Quilted Giraffe was originally located in New Paltz, NY.
1
I supect that the Horn and Hardarts automats (see below) qualify as the first "fast food" restaurants in the country. I vividly recall visting one often during the mid 1950's in Manhattan. You had to walk up and put money in a slot to get your prepared food of all kinds, so maybe the later arriving chains simply improved on the concept by adding drive throughs and menus.
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I would think that the Big Boy, which was a franchised tarter-sauced double burger would get a mention. The Big Boy extended from Southern Cal to the East. Not sure if it made it to the East cost, but it seemed to consecrate the union of burger, fries, and cole slaw.
26
It did make it to Massachusetts.
Yes the Big Boy chain with the big iconic sign roadside was on the east coast. We used to pass one on the way to Vermont from NYC and occasionally stopped for one of the saucy double cheeseburgers, back in the 60s. Brings back a welcome smile of the good old days ...
1
It took until my 20's and traveling to the coasts to even see a howard johnson's restaurant. They didn't exist where we lived in the great plains so I have no point of reference.
6
In reply, I can vouch for a Howard Johnson's in Waterloo, IA, in the '60s.
1
I am slightly older than Mr. Freedman..3 years. So my recollection of Howard Johnson's Indian Pudding with vanilla iced cream is clear in my mind. The restaurant's fried clams (while not as succulent as freshly cooked) were a welcome substitute. Wherever my family went (by car) there was always a Howard Johnson's and I always had the same dishes that tasted the same as those nearby home. Magic! I had no idea I was at a cultural oasis. Some years later (and maybe a bit more prosperous) I had lunch by the pool at the Four Seasons. By then I knew the Seagram's Building was already an architectural icon but in no time I was absorbed by my delicious French style meal the likes of which I had never tasted. Interestingly the Four Seasons closed recently (landlord problems) and HoJo's as I knew it is shuttered. I enjoyed them equally and respect their inclusion in the top 10!
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Does anyone else remember Indian pudding at honors? I love it from Durgin Park in Boston. Don't remember it on the mass pike or at Joni's in Brookline 's Coolidge Corner.
1
Durgin Park's Indian pudding was the best, but when I was a kid, you could get Indian Pudding and Grapenut Pudding (if you have to ask, you just don't get it!) at the Deli Counter at the supermarkets in New England. Can you still get them?
1
Somewhere between Delmonico's and Howard Johnson was the Harvey House chain, the first of which appeared in 1875.
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I had the same thought; the Harvey House was the pioneer of standardized menu and quality control. It was for the railroad era what Howard Johnson's was to the auto. Interestingly, the Illinois Tollway originally had Fred Harvey restaurants on their unique "Oasis" rest stops on bridges that spanned the roadway. They were converted to Howard Johnson's after just a few years. Today they are food courts with the usual suspects. See the Judy Garland movie "The Harvey Girls" for a glimpse of the Harvey House legacy.
1
I would add the Hot Shoppes to the list. This was a small chain of family restaurants started by the Marriott family in Washington, D.C., shortly after WWII, before they moved on to operate hotels and resorts. They introduced the Mighty Mo, a double burger with secret sauce, ten years before McDonald's introduced the Big Mac. The food was always freshly prepared, of high quality, and reasonably priced. It's influence as a family restaurant went beyond Washington, D.C. since it became of the "go to" places to eat in Washington by the thousands of school children and adults visiting the nations capital for the
first time. In many ways, the Hot Shoppes chain was the precursor of family restaurants such as Chillis and Applebees. In high school I worked at the Hot Shoppes in Silver Springs, Maryland initially as a dishwasher and later as a car hop. The Orange Freeze took your breath away on a hot summer day.
first time. In many ways, the Hot Shoppes chain was the precursor of family restaurants such as Chillis and Applebees. In high school I worked at the Hot Shoppes in Silver Springs, Maryland initially as a dishwasher and later as a car hop. The Orange Freeze took your breath away on a hot summer day.
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Silver Spring, no "s" on the spring.
3
Ah, the Hot Shoppes...started a little later than HoJo's but a worthy addition to the list. They also had curb service, where "car-hops" brought trays of food to your car and propped them against your car door window sill (explanation for younger readers). In Miami, at least, and I suspect elsewhere, in the '60's the Hot Shoppe was a high school Saturday night hangout for burgers, fries, Cokes, cruisin' and meeting friends. Thanks for the memory.
1
There is little vegetarianism on this list of 10 important restaurants. I would add Moosewood in Ithaca, New York, a vegetarian cooking cooperative who built America's idea of the varieties of vegetarian cuisine. It was vegetarianism that led to more responsive dining choices like cuisine for people with particular dietary sensitivities to things like gluten, nuts, and other ingredients whose absence we now ably cook without.
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I ate there many times during my years at Cornell and tried very hard to like the food, but couldn't. I agree, though, that it deserves mention.
1
I am surprised, even though there are only six comments ahead of mine, that the Automat has not been mentioned. Like Hojo's, it is perhaps an obsolete concept (although I sometimes crave those fried clams), but it was a place w/ from scratch food made for the masses, in a fun and unique atmosphere. Also honorable mention to Nathan's.
104
Actually, the basic concept of the Automat, the first fast-food restaurant, is making a comeback in Europe. I loved the Automate when I was little.
1
I'm 56 and I remember regular road trips with my family from Chicago to Detroit to visit relatives in the late 60s. There was a particular Howard Johnsons on the way, but my mother would never stop because it was "too expensive" and "nothing we needed." I grew up thinking it was exotic and only for the very rich. Finally, when I was a teenager she caved and we stopped. Such a disappointing selection of stale fudge and whatnots. It was my first realization that my mother knew a thing or two.
43
My mother worked for the HoJo's in Cambridge MA while my Dad went to school at MIT. That period (late 40's, early 50's) was the heyday of Howard Johnson's. Even then my mother complained that lack of quality control (some were very good, some were not) would kill HoJo's. I just went to the last one in Lake George. Sadly, still the same problem. McDonalds, Burger King, etc. learned from their mistake.
2
Olive, you've got it so wrong. First of all, it sounds like you didn't even try the table cuisine at Howard Johnson's, so you completely missed the boat. Had you tried it, you would have tasted food prepared from recipes developed by Jacques Pepin, a highly respected French chef, who brought a whole new world of quality to American cuisine. HoJo's was a warm. welcoming,, fun place with interesting dishes and high standards that accommodated both children and adults in a way that few other restaurants anywhere ever have, and it is beloved by millions. It's a pity that you missed out on such a great experience!
HoJo's strawberry ice cream soda was miraculous, America in a glass!
HoJo's strawberry ice cream soda was miraculous, America in a glass!
28 flavors of ice cream way before Baskin Robbins and Ben & Jerry's.
'Nuff said!
'Nuff said!
The Howard Johnson's pictured in the article was on Queens Blvd and was also the largest Howard Johnson's in the country. I believe it is also where Jacques Pepin worked when he arrived in the US from France.
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I'm not sure of the location of Mr. Pepin's employment, but be sure to note that he was in the executive division, not a line cook. After all, (according to his interviews), he turned down Jackie Kennedy for the position of White House Chef because he saw no future in that job.
2
Yes, Pepin wrote about it in his autobiography (which I highly recommend to anyone interested in a good book even if you have not interest in Pepin, french cooking, or food). At that time, Ho Jo's had their own chef-prepared menus and not only fast food.
7
true. we were there sometimes. A touch of New England in a downmarket intersection in Queens.
Delighted to see Mamma Leone's mentioned in the Top Ten. Gene Leone was a delightful man, he and his wife, Mary, had a farm in Central Valley NY, in addition to the restaurant. Gene was a customer of my father's, and May was my confirmation sponsor when I was a child. I recommend his cookbook, Leone's Italian Cookbook for those Times readers looking to experience some excellent Italian dishes. It is worth searching for. Probably won't taste quite as good as Mother Leone's, or Gene's cooking, but your readers will love trying these wonderful recipes.
11
I would say Chipotle is more than deserving of a mention here. While they did not invent fast food by any stretch, they certainly changed the way we eat by using real food made from responsible methods. Without Chipotle there would be no contender, as Mr. Freedman mentioned such as Shake Shack. We are talking about the restaurants that changed how we eat, yes?
36
While the food at Chipotle is good and reasonably priced the way it is served is very unwieldy and unapetizing. Tortilla, meat, rice, salad and toppings including extras like avocado, i.e the entire meal, are ladled out on top of each other on the one plate. This is convenient and profitable for Chipotle but a messy unsatisfying and uncivilized manner of eating for this diner. Chipotle? No way.
4
Chipotle? I'll take my salmonella on the side please.
4
Pretentious poverty food that the corporate methods cannot produce safely.
1
What about McDonalds? The first world wide successful fast food restaurant.
Also, I think White Castle started the first franchise system in 1921. Love those belly tombs...
Also, I think White Castle started the first franchise system in 1921. Love those belly tombs...
63
Tombs?
You may be more accurate here than intended.
You may be more accurate here than intended.
2
Yes definitely McDonald's. It may not be fancy but everyone has an experience with it and no one can beat the fries. This is not a global book but McDonald's should also be considered for their ability to both maintain roughly the same quality across countries and yet have specialty items adapted for each country.
1
Agreed Nyshrubbery!! a Freudian slip on my part...
All jokes aside, I think this list should have been more like Time's person of the year, ie anybody good, bad or ugly that changed the world for good or bad.
All jokes aside, I think this list should have been more like Time's person of the year, ie anybody good, bad or ugly that changed the world for good or bad.
2
Kudos, applause, and a 21-gun salute to Professor Freedman for his latest opus on the history of US cuisine. However, when I read in Mr. Rao's article of a LUNCH of lobster Newburg and brandy-spiked butter on meat (even with no wines mentioned), I cannot help thinking of a nice after-lunch siesta.
Alas, what is left of the US food habits, can be summed up in one word: hamburger.
Alas, what is left of the US food habits, can be summed up in one word: hamburger.
21
Ah, the hamburger: a worthy word and a worthy concept. The hamburger has a long history in the US, and is developing a devoted following abroad as well. The lowly burger has an almost infinite number of variants in toppings, styles and modes of preparation. Articles assessing local burger types are among the most abundant on the Internet. I do not say "alas" at all; I honor the hamburger as a worthy American artifact.
7
Ray Dryden:
Nothing lowly about it; if the beef is good you can't top it, except of course you literally can and do.
Nothing lowly about it; if the beef is good you can't top it, except of course you literally can and do.
1
I guess you never noticed Tejal Rao is not Mr. Rao. A pity you made that assumption. It says a lot about your credibility or lack thereof.
I live in the midwest and have traveled throughout the midwest and west, less so in the south and the coasts, but what I have found is that each state, and even many cities, lay claim to regional specialties that can easily be tried by visiting small, local run, non-chain restaurants and asking the waitstaff what their city or state is known for. If you eat in mainly small, local restaurants, regional differences are much easier to see, especially if you don't limit your exploration to a handful of states.