With the recent slew of restaurant closings, it started to make me think about my childhood memories. When we were growing up we did not take an unlimited number of photos documenting our lives so sometime all we have is our memories (as warped as they can become).
While growing up, we would enjoy La Parma, Jolly Fisherman, Howard Johnson’s, Biscuits and Barbeque and Domenico’s. Each of these places offered a break from my mother’s cooking and a chance for some excitement. Growing up in the suburbs did not offer the excitement that we all craved as a kid.
Who could forget the all you can eat fish fry at Howard Johnson’s. I am sure that if it were still around I would not have the same fond memory of it as I do from my childhood. But back then, the ability to eat as much as I could handle without getting sick was a dream come true. The Italian restaurants of my youth offered a bountiful amount of tasty food (with salads, pastas and meat dishes).
For a special event, we would enjoy the Jolly Fisherman and I loved the bread and crudité baskets. Even going back when I was an adult, it was filling. Granted, the average age of patron of the Jolly Fisherman was between 80 and 90. I always wondered how they kept that average age up. Did they have a waiting list for an old person to join the club when one of their other patrons died??
The thing that troubles me is what will my kids look back fondly on when they are grown up or middle aged. Very few restaurants have the connection that the restaurants had when I was a kid.
The best I could I could come up with is 388 Restaurant and Lounge, Jordan Lobster Farms, Bar Frites and La Bottega. What makes these special?
For 388, when my kids were young, they could order a brownie dessert and then go back to the kitchen and help make it. It was a lot of fun for them and they looked forward to it. I do not know if they still do it but it is a fond memory of mine and my kids.
Jordan Lobster Farms really embraces the outdoor laid back beach shack vibe. It on the inlet so you have the view of the water and it has the old Ferris wheel. My kids love the food and the photo opportunities. I have to imagine they will remember it for years.
The La Bottega and Bar Frites offer my kids a unique dish here and there. Some of the paninis are memorable and the salmon sliders and Bar Frites is the sole reason my daughter wants to go there. Unfortunately, they discontinued the salmon slider so now it has entered my memory of a childhood dish that she can no longer get. A shame it happened so early in her life.
What kind of memories do you have of restaurants that you ate as a kid that you would love for your kids to enjoy!