Old Restaurants

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
To answer your last two posts, the Family Spaghetti House is clearly the name according to the DOK ad and that's also what I remembered very early on in this conversation. I agree with CarltonsKeeper that Jack's was near 59th. As for google maps, leavethe "1/2" off of the address, they don't do well with fractions.
C. T.

My brain hurts. It will have to come out.

53031/2 S Pennsylvania 73159 Put this address into the link below.

https://maps.google.com/

[FRISKY]

I remember exactly where the spaghetti restaurant was in the early '70s. It was in the SE corner of the building that is now Centro Cristiano Fe Agrada A DIOS Agrada DIOS
5209 S. Pennsylvania Ave Oklahoma City, OK 73119 (405) 686-1889. The church now uses one address for what used to be a very small strip shopping/business center.

As someone else has said; it was in the building just north of the Taco Bell on the west side of Penn. We ate at both restaurants often.

[ctchandler]

Frisky,
Did you see the ad in my (and Prunepicker's) posts? The address was 5303 1/2 South Penn.
C. T.

I remember exactly where the spaghetti restaurant was in the early '70s. It was in the SE corner of the building that is now Centro Cristiano Fe Agrada A DIOS Agrada DIOS
5209 S. Pennsylvania Ave Oklahoma City, OK 73119 (405) 686-1889. The church now uses one address for what used to be a very small strip shopping/business center.

As someone else has said; it was in the building just north of the Taco Bell on the west side of Penn. We ate at both restaurants often.

[boscorama]

The Rustic Inn, 39th & Portland, has been closed for over 20 years, I think. Bummer when it closed.

[FRISKY]

Frisky,
Did you see the ad in my (and Prunepicker's) posts? The address was 5303 1/2 South Penn.
C. T.

There were several separate businesses with different addresses at that location before the church combined them together into a single structure and made it one address.

[ctchandler]

Frisky,
But 5209-5303 spans a city block. I guess I will drive over there one of these days and "scope it out", cuz I'm confused. Haven't heard from you in a while, didn't we meet at Coit's a few years ago?
C. T.

There were several separate businesses with different addresses at that location before the church combined them together into a single structure and made it one address.

[ctchandler]

I drove over there this afternoon and there is no doubt that the smaller building with the side (South) entrance and now shares a parking lot with a larger building (both appear to be part of the same complex/business) was "The Family Spaghetti House". I definitely remember entering from the side, not the front and it still has the side entrance. I envisioned the entrance a little further West but it's been a long time. The size is exactly what I remember. I must be wealthy or nuts (and I'm sure it's the latter) for driving 38 miles roundtrip just to figure this out. Actually, I had other reasons to go to the South side anyway, so I killed several birds with one trip.
C. T.

I just went to google earth and discovered my mistake. I stand by my original statement about side entrance but the building is about 1/2 a block Further South. And it really looks the part with the glass and everything.

[biznesschic1959]

You're exactly right. I was thinking about House of Chan just off of NW
39th Expressway and a block west of N. Penn.

Remember House of Chan. It was the restaurant that we went to when out of town relatives stayed at the Habana Inn.

[biznesschic1959]

Remember it well. I Graduated from Bishop McGuinness HS. That was when you dressed up to eat out.

[biznesschic1959]

Remember that one also. My husband and I rented an apartment across the street when we were first married. I believe there was an old abandoned movie theater in that mall also.

[biznesschic1959]

Ah, those were the places where the average guy took his family to a fancy restaurant once every six month, paid cash, and was treated like royalty. Glens was a gem on NW 10th street, near the fairgrounds, in a neighborhood that was never impressive. Those days are gone forever, basically for the guy and his family, who worked in the meat packing district, when there was one.

[biznesschic1959]

Never could figure out why Der Dutchman moved out of OKC. Nice seafood restaurant.

[biznesschic1959]

I just remembered what I believe was the first Japanese restaurant in OKC (I might be wrong), Tokyo Gardens on 46th and Lincoln. I remember their shrimp tempura, it was excellent.
C. T.

Wow. We remember a time gone by, when Lincoln Blvd connected to Route 66. Those were the days when parents with kids would travel to OKC, to attend Springlake park and the Zoo. They came from Kansas and Arkansas and Texas, stayed on Lincoln Blvd at a reasonably priced hotel, and had their pick of Sussy's Pizza, Tokyo Gardens, Beverly's, Delores, or a great buffet at the Tradewinds hotel. Lincoln Blvd was once Bricktown, with plenty to do, centrally located for Amusement, visiting the Capitol, and downtown OKC.

[ctchandler]

Biznesschic1959,
Now to really test your memory, do you remember the Prow Lounge, it was around in the 60's, and was a bar in the same building as Sussy's. And if you remember Elmer's on Lincoln, I will really be impressed/amazed.
C. T.

Wow. We remember a time gone by, when Lincoln Blvd connected to Route 66. Those were the days when parents with kids would travel to OKC, to attend Springlake park and the Zoo. They came from Kansas and Arkansas and Texas, stayed on Lincoln Blvd at a reasonably priced hotel, and had their pick of Sussy's Pizza, Tokyo Gardens, Beverly's, Delores, or a great buffet at the Tradewinds hotel. Lincoln Blvd was once Bricktown, with plenty to do, centrally located for Amusement, visiting the Capitol, and downtown OKC.

[Prunepicker]

Biznesschic1959,
Now to really test your memory, do you remember the Prow Lounge, it was
around in the 60's, and was a bar in the same building as Sussy's. And if you
remember Elmer's on Lincoln, I will really be impressed/amazed.
C. T.

Do you mean Sussy's when it was on NW 23rd? Jake Samara was the owner
and before it became Sussy's, it was the Tempo club. Jake told me that one
morning he was in the office and heard things being moved around in the
dining room. It was Jack Sussy. He asked Jack what he was doing and Jack
said, "I'm getting things ready for lunch". Jake asked if he had any restaurant
experience and Jack said, "I worked in a deli in New Orleans once." Jake
liked his attitude and Sussy became his front man. Jake had the personality of
a snake. He had the sign changed because Sussy's covered Tempo. Jake also
owned the restaurant on NE 36th. I believe the only restaurant that Sussy
owned was on NE 50th, but I'm not sure if he really owned it or not.

[boscorama]

Wow. We remember a time gone by, when Lincoln Blvd connected to Route 66. Those were the days when parents with kids would travel to OKC, to attend Springlake park and the Zoo. They came from Kansas and Arkansas and Texas, stayed on Lincoln Blvd at a reasonably priced hotel, and had their pick of Sussy's Pizza, Tokyo Gardens, Beverly's, Delores, or a great buffet at the Tradewinds hotel. Lincoln Blvd was once Bricktown, with plenty to do, centrally located for Amusement, visiting the Capitol, and downtown OKC.

Howard Johnson's near the US-66 / Lincoln junction.

[Prunepicker]

... and had their pick of Sussy's Pizza, Tokyo Gardens, Beverly's, Delores, or
a great buffet at the Tradewinds hotel. Lincoln Blvd was once Bricktown,
with plenty to do, centrally located for Amusement, visiting the Capitol, and
downtown OKC.

I remember the Tradewinds! Dad would take me there as a kid and talk to
the Senators. I don't remember Tokyo Gardens. Where was it? Delores'
was on NW 23 just west of Broadway. Right? Didn't it close around 1971?

[Prunepicker]

Does anyone remember Darrell's Drive In? It was located where Big Truck
Tacos is. Good burgers!

[Prunepicker]

There were several separate businesses with different addresses at that
location before the church combined them together into a single structure
and made it one address.

Hey! Is that you? Where have you been?

[Prunepicker]

The Rustic Inn, 39th & Portland, has been closed for over 20 years, I think.
Bummer when it closed.

You are correctomundo! It was one of the few 24 hour restaurants in town.
A place where any respectable drunk could sober up before driving home?

I remember it every time I drive by that location. Now it's a mail box place.

[Prunepicker]

Never could figure out why Der Dutchman moved out of OKC. Nice seafood
restaurant.

I thought their hush puppies alone would keep them in business. C'mon,
everyone ate there for the hush puppies and butter and butter and more
butter. Duh! We'd all order an entree only to provide an excuse to eat 2 or
3 pounds of hush puppies and butter and butter and more butter.

[Prunepicker]

...Glens was a gem on NW 10th street, near the fairgrounds...

Did Glen's own the meat packing place on the corner of NW 10th and N May?
I always thought they did but not sure.

The building had a heifer's head protruding from the front of the store.

[Prunepicker]

I remember exactly where the spaghetti restaurant was in the early '70s. It
was in the SE corner of the building that is now Centro Cristiano Fe Agrada
A DIOS Agrada DIOS

I'm having a hard time remembering where Jack's Steakhouse was. If it
existed then you know where it was.

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
To answer your last two posts, the Family Spaghetti House is clearly the
name according to the DOK ad and that's also what I remembered very early
on in this conversation. I agree with CarltonsKeeper that Jack's was near 59th.
As for google maps, leavethe "1/2" off of the address, they don't do well with
fractions.
C. T.

I believe you 100%. I'm sure that's where the Family spaghetti House was.
Hey I can see the sign.

However, a little bit farther south, I can see Jack's sign. Unless I'm completely
out of my mind, it was the last place in the southern most part of a strip mall.
I'm thinking it was immediately north of Hillcrest Hospital.

Somebody confirm or provide the location of Jack's.

[Prunepicker]

Remember House of Chan. It was the restaurant that we went to when out of
town relatives stayed at the Habana Inn.

I can still taste that warm rye bread. OKC put the House of Chan out of
business when it decided to "improve" the access to 66. What a shame. A
true OKC icon destroyed under the guise of progress.

Puke.

Barf.

Gut wrenching hurl.