When I read the post about favorite restaurants it made me think about restaurants that have really made a lasting impression on me. And while I know that most are from when I was young and going out to eat was a HUGE deal, I also think they had to be very special to stay in my mental rolodex.
Here's my list:
Turkey Roost - Kawkawlin MI. They served thanksgiving dinner everyday and you could have it in front of you in less than 5 min. The building was pink and I understand they are still there.

Bavarian Inn - Frankenmuth MI. Their specialty was fried chicken dinner served family style. This was always my choice for birthday dinner when I was little.

Leno's Sandwich Shop - Waukegan IL. Some of the best subs I've ever had.

Filippi's Pizza Grotto - San Diego CA. I think they had more than one location so this could have been a local chain. Great crust and good ingrediants.

Beaver St. Brewery - Flagstaff AZ. They do curried mussels that make my mouth water just thinking about it.

Well that is my short list. I'm sure there are more but these stick out.

Which restaurants bring back good memories for you?

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Corona, Ca: the bowling alley. My grandma used to take me there when I was a kid and they had the TO DIE FOR corn fritters. They had homemade hot maple syrup to dip them in....ah, I'm drooling. I haven't had a corn fritter that has ever tasted as good. When I was a teen, they changed hands and started serving "bowling alley food" and the dream ended

Howard Johnson's, Riverside, CA: We used to go there every Friday night for all you could eat clams when I was kid. YUMMY! I could out eat most adults (I would be huge if I ate that way now but as a kid I burned it all off LOL)

Charlie's Chili, Newport Beach, CA: I spent about 8 weeks every summer in Newport growing up. When we didn't feel like cooking, we would walk (30 min or so) to Charlie's Chili right out by the pier. Casual old place but you could come in sandy and get a nice meal. Nothing great but it holds great family memories of better times

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Okay, don't gross out here.. but one of my two favorites is actually White Castle in Louisville, Ky. I didn't like the belly bombers, but the fish sandwiches were good. When I was growing up we lived in St. Peters, Mo, and the rest of the family lived in Louisville. So when we'd go to Louisville my dad would have to stop and get these huge amounts of White Castle hamburgers to take to my Grandparents (they were pretty much homebound).. and we'd all sit around eating our stuff and watching Wheel of Fortune.

The other place that I fondly remember is King Fish in Louisville, Ky. Pretty much the same reason.

Moosejaw in Wisconsin Dells. It is a microbrewery w/ restaraunt and an arcade in the basement. Wonderful pizza and wings and great atmosphere. They have a delivery car with a huge moose on top sprawled over the pt cruiser.Super Funny!

Bubba Gump restaraunt in Maui. In the bathroom stalls they even have pictures of Jenny! Loved the movie and very fond of the restaraunt.

My dad would take me to The Chuck Wagon in Bangor, ME every year when we went Christmas shopping. Just the two of us, and I looked forward to it! Its one of my fondest memories of my dad...

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

I have such fond memories of going there with my family for celebrations when I was a kid. I think it's why I love ice cream so much!

I remember Farrell's. We use to go there with our girl scout troup. I remember some people would get The Pig's Trough. They also sold good candy there. I still have a Farrell's glass mug with the man and lady on it.

i loved going to farrell's! they had the best ice cream. i remember when someone would order this one thing, i dont remember what its called, but they would bang a drum and make noises. When i was little it would scare me to death...lol. I would make sure before we went in that nobody who was with us was gonna order it...lol. they also had good food.

the one place that brings back memories is probably not there anymore. But there was a resutrant called mr. steaks right next to my church growing up. it was in suitland, md. anyways we would always go to eat there with our friends after church on sundays. there was two brothers from another country that owned it. I remember the one brother had went back to Greece (i think was where they were from), to visit, and he contracted something that if he got it when he was in america he would of lived, but he died over there. It was so sad, when i heard about him dying. he was really nice.

steph

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ROFL! That was The Zoo ~ and it used to also scare me when I was little!

When I was a kid we use to go out for dinner/lunch after church. We'd go to Raleigh to a place called Fass Brother's Fish House.
Back then I HATED fish, but my parents loved it. So I would eat only hush puppies dipped in ketchup..yum. I would collect the sprigs of parsley that came on my parents plates. I thought they were little trees.

I remember thinking the fish house was actually a boat.. it kinda looked like one at that age, and I remember asking my dad, how will we find the car when we dock at the next place?? HAHAHA
Man I was a stupid kid! :P

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- Stephen Colbert.

Does anyone remember Nickerson Farms restaurants? They were huge buildings on interstates with red roofs. We always stopped there for breakfast heading out on vacation. As a kid, they seemed gigantic inside.

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ooohhh, we had a farrell's ice cream parlor growing up in schaumburg, il. it was the cat's pajamas...the jr. high girls used to go there and have a blast.

i also remember a country style restaurant (either cracker barrel or something very similar) in grand rapids, mi that had a country store attached with a prize barrel that kids got to choose a little piece of plastic junk or a candy from after finishing their meal. we loved getting that prize soooo much. was a much simpler time back in the 60s does anyone remember this one?

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

i dont like seafood but growing up we would eat the chesapeake bay seafood house. They had really good food there. I would get popcorn shrimp. i think they are all closed now. or i think i heard that.

steph

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Okay, we've been to The Dells the past couple of years and tried to go, but it was too crowded. So, I take it that it is worth the wait? Will definitely try the next time.


Anyone remember Kings? This was in Nebraska, but I think it was a franchise. Their cheese franchise were soo good.

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When I was a kid, we would go out as a family to local restaurants in NJ...The Milmarian, The Pub, Seafood Shanty, and The Pancake House for breakfast. When we'd go down the Jersey shore, we always had one nice dinner that week at Zaberer's in Wildwood. ~Lisa

I love the homemade grape soda at the Moosejaw Restaurant in WI Dells! I've never been anywhere that makes homemade grape soda!

They have really good pizza there.

My favorite memories are at Oregano's in the Phoenix area. They have the best pizza and such a wonderful atmosphere. My husband wants to fly there for his 40th birthday so he can get pizza and a pizzookie!

Shoney's Restaurant- We lived in the Va Beach area and my grandparents would come visit from New Hampshire every year. They loved to visit Shoney's-I am guessing they did not have Shoney's up there. We didn't go to eat much and it was always a treat to go when they came.
There was a pizza place in Norfolk, Va that used to show old Little Rascal's tv shows while you ate your food. We used to go there for our birthdays all the time.

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