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More Memories of New England Restaurants from the 60s, 70s and 80s

Looking back at some of the restaurants in New England that brought a smile to our face!

Article by Eric H.

The Town Lyne House, Route 1, Lynnfield, MA -- The Town Lyne House, in its white, colonial-style house glory, stood as the last bastion of grace and dignity on a road filled with restaurants that had plastics cows out front,  giant sausage and "Leaning Tower of Pizza" structures outside their respective restaurants, and that hideous 50 ft. orange dinosaur in front of the miniature golf course.   The Town Lyne House was a traditional favorite serving terrific Yankee fare for people ranging in age from 95-120.  But then, something oddly revolutionary happened to the Town Lyne House where you could here some of the worst Karaoke music coming out of the bar. It was just too much having Karaoke in a place that your grandmother loved.  To stick with the colonial theme, the Town Lyne House could have at least had a sense of humor if they were to play Karaoke and perhaps spin some Paul Revere and the Raiders songs.

Aku Aku, Cambridge, MA -- We're not talking about the second version of this legendary Chinese restaurant that was located at Alewife Station in Cambridge. Before that, we enjoyed the Aku Aku, located on Route 2 near the Arlington line.  It was so dark in here, we bumped into walls and had to read the menu about an inch away from our eyes (which eventually we would be doing in our advanced age, anyway). Funny Story:  My Dad and his friends went to the Aku Aku for the lunchtime specials.  He ordered "Number One." His friend said, "Me, too," and got the "Number Two" special.  We loved the hokey, colored lights and manufactured water views inside the restaurant, which provided a pathetic respite to this busy, charmless stretch of Route 2 where a bowling alley and the unfriendly looking Arthur D. Little Building served as the local tourist attractions. We miss the first Aku Aku: the pu pu platter was beyond reproach, and the service was pleasant, unlike some of the nastier waiters that were employed at the second restaurant. Now all that stands at the former Aku Aku Building is a vacant building and parking lot that makes you long for the day of old school Chinese restaurants like this.

Yoken's, Danvers, MA -- We had previousy mentioned the Portsmouth Yoken's, but I actually liked the Danvers one better. The reason: it was closer to our Arlington home. Yoken's had two separate dining rooms, each identical to each other. The manager featured my Mom's art work at the restaurant. The staff was nice to us in a grandmotherly kind of way, and often threw in an extra piece of fried fish and extra scoop of ice cream.  Most importantly, Danvers also had the smiling whale logo sign (see above) -- a warm, innocent, positive mircocosm of another area.  

The Kitchen,  East Lexington, MA -- The best thing about the Kitchen was that it was tucked away in the basement of a brick professional building in Lexington.  How many other restaurants could claim something as unique and enthralling as that?  With a cozy, informal atmosphere and really good air conditioning (unfortunately, sometimes in the winter, too), finely painted wall murals and the feeling of being in the pizza house version of a speakeasy, the Kitchen was not your average quick-serve restaurant.  They never said "15 minutes please" with that patented disinterest so familiar at some sub shops, baked its delicious pizzas with consistency, and overloaded the subs with meats and cheeses on a perfectly done toasted sub roll.  It was a place you could call your own, as, at times, nobody seemed to dine at the Kitchen. The Kitchen gained a nice reputation amongst our elitist crowd (driving mainly Ford Escorts and Dodge Neons at the time), however, as the best restaurant in East Lexington, not to mention one of the only restaurants in East Lexingtion.

The Cottage Crest, Waltham, MA -- What I remember most about the Cottage Crest was walking upstairs to an old-fashioned dining room where I ate very good steak, chicken and seafood dishes food with my parents and people who, mysteriously, had blue hair (today, it's not quite so mysterious). The Cottage Crest was terrific for quite some time serving great home meals away from home, but then slipped and fell into generic, function room food specializing in dried-out chicken.  It's kind of sad when a landmark, household name restaurant like this slips in quality and then closes, as the tradition of going out to eat locally at a friendly place like the Cottage Crest brings back some of the most pleasant dining memories of my childhood.

Peking on the Mystic, Medford, MA -- The family that ran the Peking on the Mystic really went the extra mile to make their customers satisfied.  These kind, unassuming  owners frequently came over to our table, made the effort to get to know us, and were generally grateful for our patronage.  Their low-key, warm personalities made us feel comfortable and the great spare ribs, dumplings and chicken fingers satisfied our demanding but limited, childhood Chinese food requirements. 

Franks' Restaurant- Hartford, CT -- Frank's (picture below) proudly served Continental, Italian and American Cuisine, but it really seemed all Italian. Aside from our juvenile minds being amused at its location on Ayslum St. ("Ha, ha, it must be a crazy street!"), Frank's impressed us with its elegant black booths, pleasantly dim lighting and multi-colored tile ceiling. We had one of the nicest waiters in the world, but he could not pronounce the word "spaghetti." He asked us,"Would you like some 'bizghetti,'" so we had to look to our dad for some translation. My Dad was a multi-linguist, so he was able to help. We had one of the best Italian dinners, to date, and wish Frank's were still open  -- or Hartford, for that matter.

Frank's was really elegant looking, but so friendly and informal. What a shame it closed. I still remember the great spaghetti dinner from when I was eight-years-old. The thing that looks like a cobweb in the top left corner is actually an old piece of 1970 tape used to put this postcard in my 1970 green notebook that my Dad bought for me at Ingall's Stationary store (yes, that's closed, too) in Lexington, MA.

Peking Garden, Lexington, MA -- Peking Garden was a somewhat elegant looking Chinese restaurant with little of the gaudy decor excesses of its competitors. Still, the Peking Gardens had its flaws. it could be a place where a brusque waiter would say "NO SEPARATE CHECKS!" to our polite request. They always had a fabulous luncheon buffet with all the Chinese food bells and whistles, although pork fried rice was frequently missing from the latter day buffets. I once heard a story from many years ago of two cooks flying out of the kitchen's swinging doors and into the dining room -- duking it out in front of mortified customers.  Peking Garden wasn't really this kind of place, however. It actually turned into a popular dining destination for locals who enjoyed the buffet, the diverse and sometimes creative menu , and some often polished and gracious service and hosting. The Peking Garden kind of evolved into something worth going to, and then closed its doors on us, forever.

Our readers reminisce about New England restaurants that are no longer with us:

I'm a life-long Boston area resident from Revere, and now
live in Arlington. I've been to at least half of the restaurants you
mentioned that are now closed, all around the greater Boston area and up the NH seacoast.

I have a few restaurants for your list.

1) Morelli's in East Boston, closed around 1997. It had the best food I've ever had, period. Their Italian food was exceptional. Their steak put steakhouses to shame. My wife and I practically wept when they went out of business. If there is a heaven, this is what they will serve.

2) Antoinetta's in Everett changed owners when the original chef and owner quit to work closer to home in New Hampshire. The food was excellent then, it's ok but not the same under the new owner.

3) Angie's clams, Revere
Greasy (but good) clams and large portions, but I mostly went there for the excellent pizza, cheap beer, and "wide screen tv" a la 1980s. They were one of the first places I can remember to have a Kloss Novabeam projector before the age of large televisions.

4) Weylu's in Saugus
Much better food than nearby Kowloon, but the incredible ornate
fountains with goldfish, woodwork, oriental decor was something to remember.

John G.
Arlington, MA

New England Restaurant Memories from Rich O., North Cambridge, MA:

This list nearly brings tears to my eyes and a rumble deep in my gut. Nicks Beef and Beer (aka "Nick eef and Bee Hose"), The Wusthaus, and Chadwicks hit very close to home. Harvard Square simply lost most of its remaining charm when the Haus, The Tasty, and the Bow closed. At a recent gathering of old friends, we discussed this very topic at length and came up with a few (pardon me if any seem repetitive):

Babo's, Cambridge, MA- I only have vague recollections of this drive-in type take- out place in the Alewife section of Cambridge.  I can only remember going there once and being fascinated by it every time we went to visit my grandmother

Ground Round, Mass. Ave, Cambridge, MA - No, not the one in Fresh Pond but when it was on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge. This was more like a down and dirty version of what Chuckie Cheese is now and really catered to kids better then any place else at the time

Fantasia's, Cambridge, MA- Pretty good in its day and considered kind of upscale for Cambridge. My mom worked there and was her favorite job, ever.

The Kitchen, Lexington - Was a kinder, gentler (though not much) version of Mike's Pizza in Davis Square, Somerville, MA. You walked in, ordered and they yelled your name when it was ready. Good pizza and subs and, of course, that odd Lexington concept of BYOB.

OK, now hard and fast;

Chains-
Ponderosa Steak House
York Steak House

Fast Food-
Long Johns Silvers (came and left Arlington long before I knew it was a chain)
Jack in the Box (Somerville, MA) - Still going strong outside New England
Burger Chef

Random-
The European, Boston, MA
Villa Capri, Somerville, MA
The Venice, Somerville, MA
Dough-C-Doughnuts, Arlington, MA (home of the dancing bakers...though I mostly remember grumpy, old people).
Roast Beef Roundup, Arlington, MA (thankfully, one still exists in Woburn).
Del's Pizza, Everett, MA
 
That's all for now folks.

Rich O

Remembering the Casa Mexico in Cambridge, MA

My favorite mexican restaurant hands down was Casa Mexico in Harvard Square, Cambridge. It had the best Chile Rellenos, Enchilada Verdes, and the reried beans had such character. Not to mention the homemade margaritas. Miss it so!

Anny, Cambridge, MA

Do you have a restaurant that you miss very much? If so, let us know, at Visiting New England.com.