Maxwell's Plum - closed

Look at that beautiful Tiffany glass. I hope Ivana got it in the divorce. Ass. 

Bad streak of closed ones. From wikipedia:

Maxwell's Plum was a "flamboyant restaurant and singles bar that, more than any place of its kind, symbolized two social revolutions of the 1960s – sex and food", at 1181 First Avenue (64th and 1st Avenue) in Manhattan. Owned by Warner LeRoy, it closed abruptly on July 10, 1988.

...It became a favorite gathering spot and within a few years the theater was closed in 1969 to expand the cafe with a luxury dining room reminiscent of Maxim’s in Paris. Patrons enjoyed Maxwell’s Plum mixed experience of a boulevard café or a second floor majestic restaurant that overlooked the first floor singles' bar....

... It soon served over 1,200 customers a day, including such celebrities as Richard Rodgers, Cary Grant, Bill Blass, Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty, and becoming what The New York Times called "a favorite watering hole for the 'swinging singles' set."

LeRoy closed the Plum in 1988 when he sold the First Avenue building. In January 1989 the furnishings and contents of Maxwell's Plum were auctioned off. At the auction, the Tribeca Grill acquired the Plum’s large island bar.

It is now a couple's spa next to a UPS store. Sigh.

Fresh Framboise Champagne

• 2 oz. fresh raspberries
• 6 oz. chilled champagne
• superfine sugar

Muddle raspberries in a cup. Spoon into chilled tulip champagne glass. Add champagne, add sugar to taste. 

Maude's - evolved

No cool bar wear on ebay, here's a pic of the drink. 

What used to be The Summit Hotel is now a Doubletree. And what used to be Maude's is now The Met.

This makes me sad, because I feel like the chains can and do take something away that was unique and special. Here in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Plaza, there used to be a fun hotel bar that hosted Dueling Pianos and drag queen singalongs. Now it's a bloodless hotel bar.

Maude's entry features a family favorite.

Avalanche

• 1 oz. creme de bananas
• 1/2 oz. white creme de menthe
• Dash amaretto liqueur
• 1 oz half and half
• 1 peeled banana, cut in half

Place all but 1/2 a banana with crushed ice in a blender. Blend to frappe texture. Pour and garnish with other half banana.

Market Street Exchange - closed

Talked about the matchbooks so much, thought I should feature one. 

Oh, you know it's going to be a struggle if the first thing that pops up on a search is a matchbook cover.

Nary a story or a tall tale of great nights and even greater scores.

I can base scant knowledge of the area on the Phi Gamma Nu national convention in 1992, where we were set to go explore and have fun at the revamped Market Street area that was full of shops, bars, and restaurants. Going back to Cleveland in 2000 for the US Figure Skating National Championships, our party stop was in that same area.

What was Market Street Exchange is now a Great Lakes Brewing Company. They distribute their beer regionally.

Cherry Blizzard

• 1 1/2 oz. cherry brandy
• Club soda, chilled
• 1 lemon peel strip

Pour brandy over crushed ice in cocktail glass, and fill with club soda. Twist lemon peel and drop in drink.

Maisonette – closed

Oh, pretty...

“In many business circles, the downfall of a competitor is reason for celebration. Among Cincinnati's top restaurateurs, the demise of Maisonette elicits sighs of regret.”

It’s a sad read, and instead of copy/pasting, here’s the link to the whole story:

RIP Maisonette.

"What's next? I don't know. Maisonette will never be replicated," observes Comisar. "It's a very sad passing. My family was very lucky to be an intricate part of Cincinnati for 70 years."

Kir

• ½ oz. crème de cassis
• 5 oz. Drouhim Soleil Blanc, chilled

Pour each into large wine glass and stir lightly.

Magic Time Machine – open!

Because, Queen

magictimemachine.com/

The Magic Time Machine Restaurant first opened its doors in August of 1973, in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Jim Hasslocher's vision of fine food being served in an energized atmosphere by fun, not stuffy, servers became a reality. Our Addison, Tx. location opened a few years later in 1979. The public has been wowed nightly by our costumed characters and our 'funky nostalgic' buildings, as well as our vast selection of hand-cut steaks, prime rib, and fresh seafood.

So, a theme restaurant dealing in pirates and princesses. With a salad car, and they serve you a loaf of bread! The menu alludes to ancient Greek and the beginning of time as well.

No drink menu online, too bad. Generous dessert menu, and it’s been a while since we rocked an ice cream drink.

Velvet Hammer

• 6 oz. vanilla ice cream
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. white crème de cacao

Put it all in a blender and blend until thick n’ creamy. Serve in brandy snifter.

Maggie McFly’s Saloon – closed

No pic of Maggie's so here's a shot of Santa Barbara

I guess it was a battle of Maggie vs. Joe, and Joe won, sometime around 1985.

Say wha-?

Joe’s Café was down the road from Maggie’s, opening in 1928. Joe’s Café took over Maggie’s location in 1985. Joe’s is considered the oldest restaurant in Santa Barbara; location change be damned.

But back to Maggie’s. A SB group remembers debauchery up and down State Street fondly. In the late ‘70s, an increasingly restless and affluent Los Angeles population began to use nearby Santa Barbara as a weekend hide-out.

LA Times:
All the town was aflutter when the original Joe’s Cafe lost its lease and moved up a block to 536 State St. to the old Maggie McFly’s, which was too much like Marina del Rey to stay in business long in Santa Barbara.

As a midwestern girl, I don’t know what that means.

There is a chain called Maggie McFly’s over in Connecticut, and dare I say no relation.

McFlying Saucer

• ¾ oz. Mexican coffee liqueur
• ¾ oz. amaretto liqueur
• 3 oz. half and half
• Cinnamon

Pour everything but the cinnamon in blender with ½ cup of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour in tulip glass and dust with cinnamon.

Lettuce - closed

Always a hit at the PLAV

The Lettuce restaurant, pub, whatever, does not exist on the internet. The drink, however, does!

Lettuceade

• 1 1/4 oz vodka
• 8 oz orange sherbet
• 1 oz orange juice
• whipped cream
• 1 maraschino cherry

Place all but whipped cream and cherry in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice. Blend until slushy. Pour into a brandy snifter, and top with whipped cream and cherry.

I'm trying to conjure up my salad days when this book was the hit of the party, and I'll tell you, vodka, sherbet, and OJ dumped in a punch bowl with cherries and 7up was a keen substitute for an open bar at many a bridal shower.

Le Central - open!

Pretty!

lecentralbistro.com

Opened in 1974, Le Central has been serving traditional French cuisine for over four decades, boasting the honor of being San Francisco’s most historic French bistro. Conveniently located on the cusp of the bustling financial district and downtown Union Square, Le Central stands out in a rare one-story historic brick building, crowned by a vintage Tabac sign. Offering classic French faire such as Filet Mignon au Poivre, slow-cooked Cassoulet and Roast Chicken Pommes Frites, Le central’s cuisine is comforting yet sumptuous. The exposed brick walls, stained glass features, and imported brass bar invite you to retreat and unwind in its charming, brasserie atmosphere. Le Central is the downtown stop for locals and visitors looking for a classic meal, delicious glass of wine, and a taste of la belle vie.

It's simply been too long since we visited the West Coast. I love San Francisco. And they have the little escargot pan on their main web page. I could die. I'm writing this very hungry for dinner. I'm delighted by the menu, but disturbed that they are still promoting a Valentine's Day menu. I know the coast got hit harder with COVID then we did, I hope this isn't a sign that perhaps they are closed...?

Yelp: temporarily closed. 

Perroquet

• 1 oz. Pernod
• 1/2 oz. creme de menthe

Pour ingredients over ice in an old-fashioned glass and stir well. 

Landmark Tavern - open, since 1868!

thelandmarktavern.com

Yay! It's so nice to know some things live on! From their site: 

In 1868 Patrick Henry Carley opened his Landmark Tavern, an Irish Waterfront Saloon. In those days there was no 12th Avenue, just the shores of the Hudson, on which his Tavern sat. Mr. and Mrs. Carley designed their new saloon to also be a practical home for their children on the second and third floors. This remained as such until prohibition forced them to turn the third floor into a speakeasy. As one of the oldest continually operating establishments in the City today, The Landmark Tavern still retains its classic old New York charm.

Menu prices for New York City don't look that bad, we paid right about that for good Irish pub food 15 years ago in Saint Louis. And they are adapting well to the times, with a strong take out menu featuring corned beef and cabbage, lamb shank, steaks, burgers, and chops. 

Bar menu is up, and unfortunately, neither drink is listed. There's a tea on the menu, so that is the recipe I will lean towards. 

Irish Tea

• 1 1/2 oz. orange cognac brandy
• 4 oz. hot tea (orange pekoe? doesn't say)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• whipped cream
• orange peel

Pour brandy into 8 oz mug. Add tea and sugar, stir. Top with swirl of whipped cream. Twist orange peel above drink then drop. 

Jimmy's Milan - closed, but a good story!

Now I want salad for dinner. 

phillysoriginal.com

Youse guys are gonna get two recipes in this post instead of just one! All that is left of Jimmy's Milan is fond memories... and salad dressing. From their site: 

The original Milan restaurant opened its doors in 1951 at 19th & Chestnut in Philadelphia. They offered many Italian favorites but became famous for their signature Milan Salad. A simple dish with such a devoted following that locals continue to ask for it by name.

From the Inquirer: 

The salad found its groove and its name in the 1950s at Jimmy’s Milan, the erstwhile supper club at 39 S. 19th St., where Smiths is now.

Nearly a quarter-century after Jimmy’s Milan closed, the salad lives on. You can find it, with some modifications and under different names, at random restaurants: both locations of Cotoletta, in Bala Cynwyd and Fitler Square; Bridget’s Steakhouse in Ambler; Teca in West Chester and Newtown Square; Villa di Roma in South Philadelphia; and D’Angelo’s in Rittenhouse Square, where Jimmy’s Milan chef Tony D’Angelo still makes it.

The Milan is unapologetically retro. Think of it as a deconstructed BLT with shrimp.

The Original Milan Salad

• Iceberg lettuce
• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped bacon
• Hard-boiled egg
• Fresh, chilled shrimp
• Jimmy's Milan salad dressing

Toss lettuce and tomatoes in salad dressing, then plate. Garnish with egg and bacon. Circle plate with chilled shrimp. Apparently, doing things in this order is extremely important. 

What drink would go best with a summery salad such as this? How about...

Sunbeam

• 1 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth

Pour Galliano over crushed ice in an old-fashioned glass. Float vermouth on the drink. 

Hasenour's - closed

Sounds like this establishment was an institution, but not particularly missed, as there's very little online from nostalgic foodies. A brief description, from a vanity press book:

"Hasenour's: The History of a Louisville Restaurant Tradition" Featuring 65 Favorite Recipes from the Restaurant is a liberally illustrated nostalgic slice of Louisville life from the inception of the restaurant in 1934 to its closure in 1996, a casualty of changing times and tastes.

There's a link to the famous barbeque sauce.

Pinterest postings are dated, it appears the heyday was the late 50s to early 70s. That is one tasty Derby menu though.

The story says a funeral home is going where Hasenour's used to be. RIP indeed.

Mint Julep

• 6 mint leaves
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 mint sprig

Place leaves in a tall 12 oz. glass. Add simple syrup. Muddle mint leaves. Add 1 oz. bourbon. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Add the rest of the bourbon and stir. Garnish with a sprig.

Houlihan's - open!

You had me at paper umbrella

houlihans.com

Used to be a national chain, but now it's regional with stops through the middle belt up through the midwest. All Michigan restaurants are gone, as well as the one we used to go to in O'Fallon, MO. 

According to Wikipedia, the first Houlihan's opened on April 1, 1972, in Kansas City's Country Club Plaza, and there are now 84 restaurants in 18 states. If you check the homepage, you will notice they claim to have a site on Mars.

A little back story: 

Paul Robinson met Joe Gilbert in 1961. Both restaurant men, they formed the Gilbert-Robinson restaurant firm, and they opened a number of successful restaurants... the restaurant partners decided to create a new casual restaurant. During construction, they couldn't come up with a name for the new restaurant, and people kept referring to it as Tom Houlihan's place... Houlihan's Old Place opened on April 1, 1972.

As a result of the early success of the original Houlihan's Old Place, Gilbert-Robinson quickly embarked on a plan of nationwide expansion. A second location, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, was opened in July 1973. The third location was opened in Atlanta in December 1974, and the fourth location was opened in Des Peres, Missouri in March 1975.

The post goes on to say Houlihan's went through changes in the 2000s to eliminate poor performers and focus on their cream-of-the-crop franchises; the old location in East Grand Rapids must have met this fate. As of 2019, the chain was going through bankruptcy with Landry's Group, of Joe's Crab Shack fame, offering to save the chain from closing. 

Nothing from the restaurant stands out as a signature dish, it melds into one Applebee's/Fridays/Cheddars generic casual place to me. 

Tequila Sunrise

• 1 1/2 oz. tequila
• 3 oz. OJ
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1 lime wedge
• 1 cherry

Pour all but the fruit over crushed ice in a tall glass. Mix well. Garnish with fruit. 

TGI Fridays - open, everywhere

Gorilla Punch is no longer on the menu, I can only guess...

tgifridays.com

When a chain is prevalent, it's hard to remember that once upon a time, this was maybe just a local place just trying to make it. From wikipedia:

Alan Stillman opened the first TGI Fridays restaurant in 1965, in New York. He lived in a neighborhood with... other young, single people on the East Side of Manhattan near the Queensboro Bridge, and hoped that opening a bar would help him meet women. At the time, Stillman's choices for socializing were non-public cocktail parties or "guys' beer-drinking hangout" bars that women usually did not visit; he recalled that "there was no public place for people between, say, twenty-three to thirty-seven years old, to meet." He sought to recreate the comfortable cocktail party atmosphere in public despite having no experience in the restaurant business.

...Stillman purchased a bar he often visited, The Good Tavern at the corner of 63rd Street and First Avenue, and renamed it TGI Fridays after the expression "Thank God it's Friday!" from his years at Bucknell University. The new restaurant, which opened on March 15, 1965, served standard American cuisine, bar food, and alcoholic beverages, but emphasized food quality and preparation... The first location closed in 1994 and is now a British pub called "Baker Street"; the brass rails are still there.

A second TGIF opened in Memphis (the location cited in the book, it has since closed); eight more restaurants quickly followed and Stillman and his investors found themselves with a chain. Then it just exploded to the point any small to mid-sized city has at least one TGIFridays. 

Stillman sold his share of the business in 1975, and settled down, with both a wife and a new restaurant. Smith & Wallensky is a steakhouse that turned into yet another successful franchise he sold in 2005, yet retained the rights to his NYC site. Definitely a restauranteur success story.

As a small girl in a small town, franchises like TGIFridays bypassed places like Jackson. Curious, I looked it up on the location finder: still nothing there. And I currently live 2 miles from one and don't think I've partaken in the baby back ribs or loaded potato skins in ages. 

Let us please raise a very large glass then...

Gorilla Punch

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. blue curacao
• 2 oz. OJ
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 cherry (edit: c'mon, throw some pineapple in there too, you know you want to)

Pour everything but the cheery in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake well. Strain over ice into a large glass, and garnish with a cherry (or all the fruits). 

Fran O'Brien's - closed

The only shred of a souvenir I could find.  

The location that used to be Fran O'Brien's is now City Line Pediatrics.

Diving into the internet to see if I could find the last vestiges of Fran O'Brien's reveals O'Brien Tire and Auto, an O'Brien's Irish Pub ("overpriced and terrible" says one grubhubber) with no Fran in sight.

Ah! but a Main Line news article mentions the beloved Fran in a 2013 article!

For young suburbanites in the late ’70s and early ’80s, City Line Avenue was the most happening part of town.

Pro sports players, local TV and radio celebrities, and regular Joes and Joannes, many from inner-ring suburbs like Drexel Hill, Springfield, and Havertown would party hearty at Bala Cynwyd nightspots Fran O’Brien’s and the Library.

That gang, each now around 60, came from as far as Florida and as near as Newtown Square Tuesday night for a reunion.

After that, the internet takes me to Maryland for Fran O'Brien's Oyster bar, up to Delaware, over to O'Brien's Family Dentistry, and back to Philly for tire service. Not sure if it was a chain (there are that many references to Fran O'Brien) or a coincidence. Alas, all gone. 

Since my dear friend Cara is an O'Brien, I'm choosing the drink I think she's most likely to indulge in. 

Volga Boatman

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1 1/2 oz. apricot liqueur
• 5 oz. lemon juice
• 1 orange slice
• 1 cherry

Pour all but the fruit over crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Pour into a tall 12 oz. glass, and garnish. 

The Forge - open!

I'm in love.

Wow, there's a lot to know about The Forge! From wikipedia:

The Forge is a famous nightclub/restaurant on Arthur Godfrey Road in the city of Miami Beach, Florida. First opened in the 1920s, it was purchased and remodeled in the late 1960s by Alvin Malnik. It was a well-known hangout for both celebrities and organized crime figures.

In 1977, Meyer Lansky's stepson, Richard Schwartz, was charged with the murder of his drinking companion, Craig Teriaca, in the bar at The Forge. The shooting reportedly occurred after the two argued over a $10 bill. Schwartz was killed a few months later in what police assumed to be a revenge killing. A lawsuit by Teriaca's widow against The Forge, alleging that the restaurant had provided inadequate security, ended in a mistrial in 1980.

A serious fire closed the restaurant for three months in 1991. The following year, the restaurant's extensive wine collection was severely damaged in Hurricane Andrew; this led to an extended and well-publicized legal battle between the restaurant and its insurers over the value of the collection, eventually settled in 1997 by a $2.75 million payment.

Al Malnik's son Shareef Malnik now owns and controls The Forge; it remains a well-known location for Miami nightlife. The restaurant closed in 2009 for a year-long renovation and reopened in 2010 with a redesigned interior by Francois Frossard.

And from the Miami New Times in April 2019: 

One of Miami Beach's most venerable establishments is getting a refresh. The Forge will temporarily close for renovations, owner Shareef Malnik announced today... the restaurant is closed as of today and will reopen in the fall, though no exact date has been set.

Hm. The restaurant's website theforge.com is dark, but AllMenus and GrubHub have menus posted of what is available for delivery. Oh sure, let me get $105 worth of caviar to go in a styrofoam container... Trip Advisor too does have recent posts from diners dated March 2020. 

So I pieced enough together to say The Forge did reopen, but due to COVID, is doing very high-end takeout. Let's give it up for a drink order that harkens back to the old times.

Forge Special

• 3/4 oz. blended whiskey
• 3/4 oz. rum
• 1 oz. passion fruit syrup
• 1 oz. lemon juice

Pour all ingredients over 2 cups of crushed ice in the blender. Blend until frothy. Strain into a chilled champagne glass.*

*Edit to add I'd eat this like a slushy. 

Elevation 92 – closed

Let's have some fun

What a cool name. No idea when it disappeared.

What I found: Chef Guy Conley references Elevation 92 as a higher end place in the downtown area, but in the last 20 years, the atmosphere got a bit more casual.

From a New York Times article on what to do in Anchorage in 1979: Elevation 92 is a seafood restaurant on the ground floor of the Third and K Building. Its windows command a view of Cook Inlet and the mountains to the west. Among luncheon choices are Alaskan seafoods, which range from $5.75 to $6.75. Dinners of broiled or poached salmon are $13.25, halibut $12.75, and abalone, $17.50.

The restaurant makes a cameo in the book Dead Man’s Dancer. And again in An Alaskan Woman Writes Again. And in Seduced by Evil.

The place is mentioned in the obituary of a schoolteacher who also worked as a server at the restaurant. He died too young and sounded like the kind of person you wanted to be around.

From the scant pieces I have found on the internet, Elevation 92 deserves better.

Bubble Gum

• 1/2 oz. blackberry brandy
• 3 oz. OJ
• 1 oz. whipping cream
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1 gum ball or jawbreaker [edit: some recipes also include a blow pop]

Pour all but the candy into a cocktail shaker, and shake well. Strain into glass. Drop candy in the drink. 

Harrison's on Peachtree - closed

Hmm, ingredients for a Traffic Light may vary. Pour carefully. 

That was quick: the first story found on the internet told the tale of Harrison's demise, From the Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2003:

The best bar in the heyday of Atlanta as a singles' haven closed, if memory serves, at 2 a.m. Harrison's on Peachtree was so crowded on Friday nights in the 1970s that the furniture was removed for that evening. The tradition was so strong that men and women who met at Harrison's and have since divorced now resume the search at places like the Park Bench in Buckhead.

Business at Harrison's, at Clarence Foster's, and a few other top spots was great and good. It was never awful. But had they been able to stay open until 4 a.m., they would have been different places -- drawing a far different customer.

Harrison's finally was done in by owner Steve Fuller's decision to open a second location in the Galleria and by the brutal crackdown on drunk drivers in the 1980s. Suburban growth at that time fueled neighborhood saloons from which the drive home was shorter and less risky.

Those early success stories didn't prompt calls for longer pouring hours. It was understood that nothing good was going to happen in the wee hours.

So, another victim, like Clarence Foster's, of the Buckhead situation.

Looking up the address on google maps, it's now a place called Elleven45 Lounge.

Traffic Light

• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. creme de menthe
• 1/2 oz. peppermint schnapps
• 1/2 oz. Galliano

Float all ingredients in layers by slowly pouring them in the order listed into a liqueur glass.

The Four Seasons - evolved

We were supposed to go there the week of 9/11 for my birthday. 

Different story for a different day.

fourseasons.com

So there's The Four Seasons restaurant AND the hotel chain. They use the same logo, and their existence appears to be intertwined. 

According to wikipedia, The Four Seasons is known for some milestones in service and hospitality. It coined the term "power lunch," among others: 

The Four Seasons is associated with a number of milestone firsts in the hospitality industry. The Four Seasons is credited with introducing the idea of seasonally-changing menus to America. James Beard is considered the founding father of The Four Seasons restaurant and a principal contributor to the development of its seasonal-food concept. He paired appropriate wines for each season, including offering American wines for the first time. It was the first destination restaurant to print its menus in English. The Four Seasons was also the first restaurant in the US to cook using fresh, wild mushrooms. The restaurant pioneered what later came to be called “New American Cuisine.”

Cotton candy was a specialty.

The clientele was a who's who of New York power brokers and scene makers. 

Art by Rothko, Miro, and Picasso.

So what happened? 

The owner of the Seagram building didn't extend the restaurant's lease, the restaurant closed and moved to a 49th street location. The patrons didn't follow, and the restaurant closed in 2019. 

Yet... this should be defined as evolved. The two existing locations are not at that address, yet both downtown and Manhattan feature decadent menus for a lovely repast. 

It's easy to fall down an expensive rabbit hole while perusing The Four Seasons luxury hotel and resorts website. Not only is it open, but it's also open everywhere, one of the most luxurious hotel chains there is. 

Kudos during the COVID crisis to the NYC location: it is offering free stays to first responders who, due to their service during this pandemic either can't or shouldn't go home. Great luxury for such a great sacrifice. 

This one was a favorite, and I imagine part of that milestone seasonal menu.

The Four Seasons Strawberry Summer Cooler

• 1 1/2 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 cup strawberries
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• 2 oz. OJ
• 1 tsp superfine sugar
• 1 whole strawberry

Place all but the whole strawberry in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large glass, and garnish with a strawberry. 

The Filling Station – open!

fillingstationrestaurant.com/

I’m tired, I’ll let them tell it:

The original Filling Station was located at 6862 Greenville Avenue at Park Lane in Dallas, Texas. The building was an actual gas station built around 1925 and frequented by Bonnie and Clyde. In 1973 it ceased operations and was purchased by Dr. Sam Dorfman Jr. When asked why Dr. Dorfman created The Filling Station. He said, “to meet women”. It was the very first big-screen sports bar in Dallas history. There were five Filling Stations in all, one in Dallas, one in Addison, two in Houston, and one in Austin.

The new owner is Ana Saldana.. When asked why she re-opened The Filling Station, she said, “because I missed it”.

The menu looks like a typical diner, with chili, nachos, deep-fried somethings, burgers and sandwiches, and huge comfort food dinners.

And the drink menu? YES! One of the drinks in the book is still on the menu!

Grease Job

• 1 ¼ oz. vodka
• 1 1/4oz. almond liqueur
• 1 ¼ oz. cherry brandy
• 5 oz. pineapple juice
• 3 oz. OJ
• 1 lime slice
• Sugar
• Splash of grain alcohol

Pour all but lime, sugar, and grain alcohol in a blender. Blend thoroughly. Pour over ice into a large glass. Coat lime slice in sugar and float. Add a splash of alcohol.

Downey’s - closed

Sad state of affairs

Oh dear. Downey’s earned the title worst Irish Pub in America.

It was featured in the first season of “Bar Rescue” on Spike TV back in 2011.

The owner has been sued for back taxes, sued by his employees for violation of wage and overtime laws. Fined for opening the bar back up even though health inspectors shut him down. Fined for hiring, but not paying, illegal immigrants.

Fifty-one health code violations, and the guy re-opened his business anyway.

51!

And of course, in all the stories I found, the owner did not respond for comment.

On yelp, in articles, journals, and more, so many former patrons mourned the demise of a beloved institution, which finally closed its doors in 2015, yet was cited for violating its food service license in 2016, a full year after it had lapsed, by offering delivery. No trace of food or drink appear to exist after May of that year. No facebook posts, and its web domain is up for sale.

The bar itself is still standing, albeit empty. The google maps still is lonely.

Sparkling Jack Apple

• ½ oz. apple liqueur
• 4 to 6 oz. champagne
• 1 apple wedge

Pour apple liqueur into champagne glass, then champagne. Float apple wedge.

Donovan's Copper Bar - closed

Donovan with the bank

I found a series of tales of John Donovan, the colorful owner of DCB going back into the 60s, so it's legend was secure. From the 50th anniversary Vail Tales:

John was a great host and beer was cheap, three 11-ounce beers for a buck. And he’d give a guy a break, like Larry Benway. Benway was fighting with Vail Associates for a pay raise for the ski patrol. He didn’t get it, so John said he’d give them one. “The first drink was free for ski patrollers, blue coats, yellow jackets – anyone who worked on the mountain,” John said. “A lot of them are still around and they used to drink a lot. Thankfully they didn’t quit drinking until they put my kids through college.”

“The day I had to close my bar for one day, that was a terrible day,” Donovan said... The actual offense is lost to winds of history, but Vail’s Powers That Be decided John’s liquor license would be suspended one day. John lobbied for his birthday, Nov. 4, and got it. Turns out that Nov. 4 that year was also Election Day, and in those days bars were closed on Election Day anyway.

They [John and Diana] were married in August 1967. John ran a full page ad in the paper inviting everyone in the county the wedding reception in the brand new Manor Vail. About 1,000 people showed up, some on horseback.

No one in Vail had phones back then, so moms or wives would call Donovan’s looking for someone, and that someone would usually say they weren’t there. But everyone was there on July 20, 1969, when astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong stepped down from the Apollo 11 lunar module and became the first humans to set foot on the moon. “There were no TVs in bars and we’d just gotten TV to the valley. John hurried around to get it hooked up so people could watch the moon landing,” Diana said. The Vail Trail reported, “Even John Donovan and Bob Porter were held speechless.”

Further digging shows John Donovan was still a ski instructor and local business owner in a blog post from 2015. A Vail news release gives three pages of facts on Donovan, including the fact he bought the bar in '66, and it closed in '82 due to the landlord selling the place. 

Colorful man, and one who has served his community well. 

What used to be Donovan's Copper Bar is now Vendetta's, but since they closed him down to open a new place, this is a closed instead of evolved. 

Snowshoe

• 3/4 oz. brandy
• 3/4 oz. white creme de menthe

Pour over ice and stir. 

Dobson's - closed

I couldn't even find a decent picture of this drink, so here's a toasted almond ice cream bar.

What used to be Dobson's is now an Eileen Fisher clothier. Across the street is a park where it appears a street fair is going on in google maps.

There's sadly nothin to go on. A search for Dobson's in New York doesn't give me a passing comment, a matchbook cover, a drinking glass, not even a "I used to get plastered there!" message board post.

What's left in its wake is overpriced knit dresses. This is sad. What can I put here that would be entertaining?

Toasted Almond Bar

• 1 oz. amaretto
• 1 oz. creme de cacao
• 1 oz. whipping cream
• 1 tsp. dark chocolate shavings

Pour all but chocolate shaving in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, strain into glass and garnish with chocolate.

Daisy Buchanan - closed

You could make a Jay Gatsby joke here. 

Sounds like Daisy broke her final heart in November, 2014. From Boston.com:

A sign on the wall of the bar describes Daisy’s as a place “where anything can happen,’’ and that’s especially true if you ever kept the bat on your shoulder for a 3-1 pitch at Fenway or laced up skates at the Garden. Athletes from Bobby Orr to Charles Barkley to Mike Napoli, as well as celebrities like Leslie Nielsen and Ellen Degeneres, have walked the step down from Newbury St. and bellied up to the bar.

There won’t be many more chances. In April, Cimino told the Herald that he’d sold the property at 240A Newbury Street, along with an abutting building at 41 Fairfield Street, for a combined $14.5 million. The bar will remain open through the weekend before shutting down its Newbury St. location for good. Cimino tells Boston.com he plans to reopen the bar in another location, after taking some time off.

Daisy's opened in 1969, and was the place for the hottest names of sport and entertainment. Legend is that Jimmy Buffett wrote “Boat Drinks,’’ the lone hockey song in his catalogue, after a wintery night of debauchery with Sanderson at Daisy’s. “Visitor just scored on the home rink/Everything seems to be wrong …’’

An article from 2016 says Daisy's may make a comeback in its original space, but google maps reveals a CVS pharmacy and an art gallery. 

Daisy Pardi

• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. cognac
• 1/2 oz. OJ

Pour into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. 

Cye's Rivergate - evolved

Ladies who lunch at Cye's, circa 1982

This hunt for info may just be snippets. Above, an ad from the Miami Herald for Cye's.

From Tripadvisor: a poster commented that her husband worked in the same building as the Capital Grille, which took over from Cye's Rivergate, and that he worked there for over 35 years.

Clicking the link, the Capital Grille is open, and took reservations for Mother's Day. Family style dinners for $150, I'm getting hungry.

Etsy and Pinterest revealing the typical things for sale: menus, drink ware, matchbook covers.

Random from the Miami Sun-Sentinel, 1989, says Cye's is the place to go after a game featuring the brand-new Miami Heat. It's for "the sophisticated set, serving up pricey steaks, crab, and seafood." Special late-night menu for basketball fans!

It would appear owner Cye Mandel sold his place between 1989 - 1999, as he also parted with his more famous Coral Gables restaurant, a favorite of former President Richard Nixon.

Digging into page 2 of my google search, and some court papers popped up. Scandals!

And finally, an article on south Florida real estate says Cye's was instrumental in bringing nightlife to the financial district back in the 80s. The building has since evolved to condos, office space, a hotel, and the before mentioned Capital Grille.

Cye's Mustache

• 1/2 oz. creme de noyaux
• 1/2 oz. banana liqueur
• 1/2 oz. whipping cream

Float ingredients in layers in the order listed in a 2 oz pony glass.

Crisis Hopkins - closed

Where'd you go, ensemble cast?

embarcaderocenter.com/dine

Well, there's not enough to go on to say any one of the 50 restaurants at the Embarcadero Center evolved from the ashes of Crisis Hopkins, so let's just gently take a curtain call and say closed. 

And it's too bad - the place was a comedy/improv bar, with music, magic, stand-up, and more. The yelpers gave the place rave reviews, from the performers to the ambiance. The comedy troupe in particular had a loyal following. 

Information on the comedy show from 2010:

Presenting Crisis Hopkins’ latest full-length, original comedy show featuring a unique blend of improv, sketch & video. Following on the heels of last Spring’s innovative and acclaimed One Nation Under Crisis, Crisis Hopkins takes on the themes of the times: job hunting, casual sex, technology, NPR, personal crises, Non-Governmental Organizations & dance therapy. Yes, there will be leotards. Bring your problems, Crisis Hopkins will provide the easy, improvised answers.

Crisis Cocktail

• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. apricot brandy
• 3 oz. champagne
• 3 oz. ginger ale
• 1 orange slice
• 1 cherry

Pour everything into a large wineglass and stir gently. Garnish with orange and cherry. 

The Cricket Club - open!

What luxury looks like

An internet search for The Cricket Club in North Miami get me a lot of real estate condo and apartment listings:

The Cricket Club condos in North Miami is an upscale waterfront condominium complex, steps away from Biscayne Bay and the Biscayne Shores Park. Cricket Club with large balconies, hurricane shutters. The Cricket Club Condo was built in 1975, a 21 story luxury high-rise with total of 217 condominium units. located at: 1800 NE 114 St, Miami, in the San Souci-Keystone Islands sub-market in the city of North Miami, FL.

The Cricket Club Miami building amenities: Bar, Boat Dock, Bbq/Picnic Area, Clubhouse-Clubroom, Community Room, Elevator, Exercise Room, Extra Storage, Heated Pool, Exterior Lighting, Child Play Area, Sauna, Spa/Hot Tub, Tennis.

I'm going to say open but perhaps evolved as well. The bar still exists, but pretty sure it's only available to those that live there. The condo doesn't appear to have a website, which is maddening. Google mapping the actual address from the book takes you to the tennis courts, which is where I imagine the patrons may take their libations.

The Cricket

• 4 oz. chilled white wine
• 1 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. blue curacao
• 1 orange slice

Place all ingredients in wineglass, stir. Garnish with orange slice.

Court Avenue Station - open!

courtavebrew.com

With a web header stating to EAT | DRINK | PARTY, you know you've come to the right place. The charm is in the building, as the brewery moved to its new location in 1996 to be closer to downtown. From their website:

The Saddlery Building was built in 1881 by Mr. J. Rubelman of Muscatine, Iowa, who decided that Des Moines, with its two rivers and 13 railways, would be advantageous to his thriving saddlery company. He was right, and ran a successful saddle, harness, and leather works for almost 20 years.

Since that time, the building has also been home to a shoe maker, rubber company, stove manufacturer, glove company, the Krispy Kone Company and the Kaplan Hat Company (which was also the name of the restaurant once located on the first floor). After the flood of 1993, during which the building housed 19 feet of water, the ground level was left vacant until 1996 when Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company started to move in its brewing equipment.

Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company is dedicated to brewing beers of premium quality and character. All of our beers are handcrafted by our brewers utilizing the traditional methods of our early American ancestors.

Cowcatcher

• 1 oz. cognac
• 1 oz. amaretto

Pour into brandy snifter 3/4 full of crushed ice, stir and serve.

Clyde's - open!

clydes.com/columbia

Same location! Private dining! Menus! Recipes! A pantry!

They say, simply:

Clyde’s of Columbia was our second property in the DC area and the first to shuttle our neighborhood concept outside of Washington, D.C. Set against a lakeside community, our expansion to Columbia was a true and successful test of the Clyde’s reputation.

What I love about perusing their website is one of the things I like so much about Chef Jenna at Amore: they are generous with their knowledge. They have a recipe page devoted to teaching fans how to make their signature dishes - I want to make a crab tower! And for a property so close to the D.C. area, I'm surprised to see how affordable their menu is. 

And that seafood? OMG, lobster, scallops, shrimp or crab? Delicious. 

Adapting with the times we are living in, of course the menu is available to go, and this includes a market pantry to get your recipe provisions. 

Since the pantry includes Virginia strawberries, and we are appropriately in the month of May, I think I know what recipe to feature.

May Punch

• 6 oz. May wine, chilled
• 6 oz., brut champagne
• 1 brandied strawberry (edit: you soak a strawberry in brandy for a half hour)

Pour wine and champagne into big chilled wine glass. Garnish with strawberry. 

The Colorado Mine Company and The Lift - both closed

Creator Nick and the famed Fools' Gold sandwich that killed Elvis - PB&J with bacon

I'm doing a two-fer today since the Colorado Mine Company and The Lift were establishments owned by the Scotts across the street from each other. It appears the lore of a sandwich as well as a place to get plastered while eating a big steak dominates information on the web.

From the Westword newspaper:
“The Colorado Mine Company was one of those places that wasn’t what it seemed. Buck and Cindy Scott — the well-groomed, handsy proprietors — made sure there was always a martini in your hand and appetizers in front of you. Off-duty cops, big-name athletes, some unctuous types you’d never question and journalists alike were all ushered into a back, grotto-like room. Everybody was everyone else’s best friend, although you’d never recognize them during daylight hours. It was the night’s last watering hole. There was always a sense that something dark and untoward could happen at any second. It was the kind of place your mother had warned you about, making it that much more fun to hang out there.”

Wikipedia:

According to Nick Andurlakis, he helped create the sandwich while he was working at the Colorado Mine Company as a chef and suggested the Fool's Gold Loaf to Elvis. Andurlakis said that he personally delivered the sandwiches to Elvis on the famous night.

The sandwich was named to fit the mining motif of the restaurant. At the time of Elvis's famous outing, the Fool's Gold Loaf cost $49.95 (equivalent to $224 in 2019).

The legend of the sandwich has lived on, featured on Chopped and Man v. Food. It's also been the subject of a romantic comedy called The F Word (What If) as well as an entry in Altas Obscura. Interesting to note the Scotts moved to Charlevoix, MI in the 90s.

Information on The Lift appears to be a bit more obscure, with TCMC getting all the King-sized glory. A search for information is misleading, as the name is generic enough in a ski-friendly area to be reference several times and several places, including a hotel bar in a Hilton with a Starbucks. Regardless, we can assume The Lift shuttered at the same time as TCMC.

The TCMC site was bulldozed in 1997 and according to google maps, is now Gamma Construction. And where The Lift should be is instead an unknown, unidentified business sharing a parking lot with a dentist.

The Coming and Going

• 1 1/2 oz. greek brandy
• 4 oz. prune juice

Pour into strong paper cup and stir well.

The Lift Cooler

• 1/4 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. OJ
• 1/2 sweet and sour mix
• 6 oz. red wine (edit: unclear if this is a sweet red or not)
• club soda

Pour triple sec, OJ, and sweet and sour mix over ice in wineglass, stir well. Add red wine and stir. Splash with club soda. 

Clarence Foster's - closed

 what used to be good times is now a highway

RIP good eats

Clarence Foster's was located in a spot known as Buckhead Village, and well, the place had a bit of a rep. From Wikipedia: 

In 1838, Henry Irby purchased 202 1/2 acres surrounding what is now Buckhead Village from Daniel Johnson for $650. Irby subsequently established a general store and tavern at the northwest corner of the Peachtree/Roswell/Paces Ferry intersection. The name "Buckhead" comes from a story that Irby killed a large buck deer and placed the head in a prominent location...

To reverse a downturn in the Village during the 1980s, minimum parking spot requirements for bars were lifted, which quickly led to it becoming the most dense concentration of bars and clubs in the city. These establishments included BAR, World Bar, Lulu's Bait Shack, Mako's, Clarence Foster's, Tongue & Groove, Chaos and John Harvard's Brew House. By 1996, Buckhead Village nightlife was comparable to "Mardi Gras, complete with nightly arrests, puking in the streets and [drunk] college girls."

In the late 1990s illegal cruising on Peachtree Road became rampant, making crime harder to spot and the shortage of police officers more apparent. Violent crime increased, culminating with two murders on Super Bowl Sunday in 2000...

Buckhead Alliance founder Robin Loudermilk claimed that there were at least ten murders during this period related to the nightlife in the Village. Beginning in 2000, residents sought to ameliorate this situation by taking measures to reduce the community's nightlife and re-establish a more residential character. Eventually, most of the Buckhead Village nightlife area was acquired for the Streets of Buckhead multi-use project and many of the former bars and clubs were torn down in 2007.

Damn. That's a lot of excitement if all you wanted was a slice of that cheesecake. 

Egbert

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 raw egg
• 1 tsp. frozen concentrated OJ
• 1 fresh orange, peeled and sectioned
• dash sugar
• dash club soda
• dash lemon juice
• 1 lemon slice

Place all ingredients except lemon slice in blender with ice. Blend well. Pour into tall glass, garnish with lemon. 

Charley O's - closed

The internet has not been kind to Charley O's. Or rather, a history of poor service met with snarky foodies may have done the place in. Don't mess with the yelpers, they will throw singular reviews around like Asian throwing stars.

I've described this place to a friend one time we were in here as "a bad episode of Becker".

Got sucked in by the $5 drinks sign. There was only like 6 drinks on the list and they were all gross fruity selections. I'd rather drink turpentine thank you very much.

If I wanted to pay $17 for a freezer hamburger patty, then I have a better way to do it...

If you want to eat in the Theatre District before a show, there are plenty of places, but avoid this one!

The service was very slow, not friendly, and just unnecessarily rude.

The problem is the quality/value ratio. You pay New York prices for mediocre food.

If I could give this place no stars I would-- based purely on decor and service.

Zomato reviews were a tad friendlier, with faint praise for the iced tea as the "best $11.25 you'll spend in NYC."

Google maps reveals a patch of green space where the 70s location used to be. The restaurant moved closer to the theater district and existed until approximately 2011, since that is when bitching about the place ceased to exist. Checking out the relocation to 8th Ave, what used to be CO's is now The Iron Bar.

Perhaps we need to reflect on happier times, when they were named a B&H 100 Greatest Bar? In my mind, I see Sally Draper circa 1979, in a sequel to Mad Men, the coolest tortured soul, ponying up to the bar aprés disco, and ordering one of these, not giving a shit about the cocaine her friend is doing next to her, as this drink makes her remember Grandpa Gene and their shared love of ice cream.

Emerald Isle Cooler

• 6 oz. vanilla ice cream
• 1 oz. creme de menthe
• 1 oz. Irish whiskey
• club soda

Place ice cream in tall glass, add the boozes. Stir. Fill glass with club soda and stir again.

Charley Magruder's - closed

Sad final photo. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charley-Magruders/258872174314051

Facebook poster says the last hurrah was New Year's Eve, 1995. The place has a solid reputation for live music, and as one poster said, "some of the best years of my life was at Magruders!"

The FB memoir page is a treasure trove of live musical performance, with hair band posts I haven't seen in nearly 30 years. Looks like the page hasn't been updated in quite some time, but the youtube links show national acts like Bonham and Stratus played there.

Bar owner Butch Weaver passed in March, 2018. From his obituary:

Charley Magruder’s, the north Atlanta club he owned from the early 1980s through its demise in 1996, was the spot that attracted a motley procession of familiar faces, from Tommy Shaw of Styx to Lemmy of Motorhead to Butch Patrick (aka Eddie Munster) to members of Metallica — all of whom would swing by when in town for a concert or visit.

Under Weaver’s guidance, Magruder’s earned a reputation as a haven for rockers, and Jesse James Dupree, frontman for the Atlanta-formed Jackyl, a frequent presence on rock radio in the early ‘90s, has plenty of stories to tell.

Dupree’s earlier band, PG-13, regularly played Magruder’s, which he called “THE destination point for great music.”

“Butch was the ‘most interesting man in the world’ in real life,” said Kansas guitarist Rich Williams. “He not only had more friends than anyone I’ve ever met, (but) Butch knew more people who considered him their best friend than anyone I ever met.”

Weaver was a decorated Army veteran who served in Vietnam from 1967-70 as a Huey pilot. The Center Stage gathering is free, but donations to the Vietnam Veterans of America are encouraged.

“For years, Butch wanted to have another Magruder’s reunion,” said Kiely. “We want to do that and remember him.”

They had a concert in his honors instead of a funeral. That is badass. This little history lesson is already one of my favorites, I'm glad to learn about the man instead of a building. 

Jelly Bean

• 1 1/2 oz. Souther Comfort
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. 151-proof rum

Pour Comfort and grenadine over ice in old-fashioned glass. Stir well. Float rum on top.

Casey's Irish Pub - open!

Kwame, the assistant GM

facebook.com/caseysirishpub

Google maps shows the pub and awning intact, but there's paper on the windows and FOR LEASE signs on the building. The internet is saying only temporarily closed, which because of COVID, that is entirely possible. Last yelp! review was January 2020.

Place has a reputation. The Infatuation says:

This place is an all-out shit show. But sometimes that’s just where the night takes you. Casey’s is secretly gigantic, with multiple bars, a huge front patio with ping pong, and an entirely separate room full of games you only see at Dave & Buster’s. This isn’t a place you head downtown specifically to go to, but if you’re crawling your way through the neighborhood, it’s a great spot to grab a cheap drink and experience some strange.

Yelpers say:

Literally the best Irish bar in all of Los Angeles!!

This place was amazing!!!! The best drinks !!

(The Irish Holliday blew my GD MIND !!)

Nice Irish Pub. It's a little different and not quite what I expected but somehow unique and still quaint.

It has a Irish Pub for the college crowd atmosphere to it.

I'm curious about that FOR LEASE sign, so I'm exploring their facebook page. Plenty of activity there! The establishment is still open for business, as in not permanently shuttered, but temporarily closed due to COVID pandemic. Casey's is one of many establishments owned by a group called Pouring With Heart.

Exploring the FB page, the place has personality. And as one reviewer lamented, "the place is so cool, I hate to ruin it by giving it a great review." You do what you gotta. 

Irish Spring

• 1 oz. Irish whiskey
• 3/4 oz. peach brandy
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. sweet and sour mix
• 1 orange slice
• 1 cherry

Pour all ingredients except fruit into chimney glass. Stir and garnish.