Foodie Flashback: October 1975

Wow, amazing how many of those I never heard of and a few that I have and are long gone.

Neat article.

Am I the only one who half-wondered whether the title implied that we'd get a glimpse of our Foodie's school photo? ;)

Cool ind gamegrrl. I just looked at the Blade from the day I was born. I did not know about that feature and plan on browsing some other time periods. Thanks.

The El Grecko on Monroe Street. Man that rings a bell. Any old Toledo natives remember this place?

I like to think I know a thing or two about Toledo restaurants, but I know exactly nothing about Cap't Billy's WhizzBang on Laskey at Mellwood:

Not a chance mom2 ;)

Great post. Not being around back then, I was surprised to learn a few things... like how many steak houses there were around town (every other restaurant, it seems - Chinese was very popular too), how many fine dining restaurants were in the central business district downtown (every hotel had one), and how many restaurants used to feature some kind of live entertainment (organ players, quartets, bands, etc.) Being 1975, several restaurants had discotheques: Smuggler's Inn on S Reynolds, Steak & Ale on Talmadge, and Emerson's on Monroe. Since I'm a fan of music and nightclubs, I dug a little deeper and learned that Emerson's (later En Japanese and Lone Star) was the 18th location of Dimples Discotheque - a chain of discos from the east coast.

There were a lot less national chains in town, except for Big Boy (19 NW Ohio locations!), Bonanza, Denny's, Steak and Ale, Red Lobster, and a few fast food places. There were lots of local chains... White Hut, Kewpee, Chick-Inns, Pizza Inn, etc.

A handful of the old restaurants are still around today... Mancy's, Inky's, Cousino's, Rudy's, Tony Packo's, Uncle John's Pancake House, Shawn's Back Door, Golden Lily.

Oh, and exactly when did dining out go totally casual? Almost every pic and advertisement with people has a man in a suit coat.

Smuggler's Inn on S Reynolds Yeah! The old Smuggler's Inn - that was a great place. We used to go there quite a bit, alternating with a half dozen other places.

Steak & Ale on Talmadge That's where I ended up. I had one final summer when I pulled out all the stops, and along about August I realized that I was the oldest man in the club. I finally quit partying my brains out and changed careers.

...when did dining out go totally casual? Almost every pic and advertisement with people has a man in a suit coat.

I don't know when it went blue jeans casual. I missed it. We always, always wore a suit and tie, and the ladies dressed to the nines. Those women looked like a million dollars in gold bullion, and that's how they got treated too. I miss seeing that kind of thing when I go out. No one dresses the part anymore, no one acts the part. Oh well.

Now get off my lawn, you no-good kids!!!

And, as I remember it, the place was originally called Cap't Billy's Whizz-Bang and Lighter Than Air Fair

Amen Madjack.

Is the Flying Bridge still there? We were out that way recently and saw a sign but not sure that was the name. My folks used to go with my aunt and uncle who had a boat, they loved it, but I'm sure it's changed now. :)

Nana, yea its still there. It's called "The Bitter End" now though. Mostly inhabited by boaters and Reno Beach folks. It's a good place to get drunk, that's about it.

El Grecko was located at Sherbrooke and Monroe St. (Is is now Beirut).

I was never at the original Capt. Billy's, but I did go once when it reopened in the mid 80's. It was only open the second time for a short time; maybe less than a year.

Thanks, Hunky, you hunk! :)

My first 'real' boyfriend and his dad took me to dinner at El Greco's. It was my first grownup-type date. And it was really my first meal in a 'fancy' restaurant. Quite an experience for a young thang.

Remember the big huge drink you could get at Emerson's called Grog? And they gave out pins to those who finished the drink: "I got GROGGED at Emerson's". I used to go there and eat breaded mushrooms with horseradish sauce, then washed 'em down with grog. On my way to work as a third shift computer operator. LOL!

I had a big crush on Ray Peterson, who played guitar and sang at The Coach House.

When I snagged what I thought would be The Best Job In The World (because my dad desperately wanted me to work there) he and my mom met me for dinner at Sveden House Smorgasbord. It was the only time I ever had dinner out with my mom and dad that didn't include my little brothers. A big deal for me.

Mr. Steak on Central was often marginal, at best, but I seem to recall they had awesome teriyaki steak. Now I'm hungry.

My first business lunches ever were at Garden Inn and The Willows. That was back in the day when young women executives will still a rarity. Strange times...

Going "across the river" or "way out Monroe Street" didn't happen often when I was a kid. My biggest adventures came when I'd spend the weekend with my grandma and we would ride city buses all over the place. She took me to Brauer's Delicatessen (so that I was spoiled for GREAT corned beef forever), The Golden Lily downtown (where I was afraid to order anything but chow mein) and tons of other places around what used to be Westgate. Those trips always seemed so exotic!

Finally, there was a seafood restaurant downtown that had a lobster tank in the window. An attorney I knew (long story) set me up on a blind date with his nephew who was a published author (he'd written a book about Dwight Eisenhower) and we had dinner at that restaurant. It was creepy. He was creepy. I'm feeling creepy just thinking about it.

Dyer's. I'm pretty sure the restaurant with the tank in the window was Dyer's.

Dyers? Had a lobster tank.

...dinner at Sveden House Smorgasbord.

Wow. Hadn't thought about that place in decades. Went there with Mom & Dad a number of times.

Link's Cafeteria anyone?

Lum's Hot Dogs.............

Hot Dog Johnnys.