When, Where, How Much?
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Written by Gary A. Seidman
SwitchYard Media, Inc. - contact | website
Designed and produced by Kent Harris
Tin Can Rocket, LLC. - contact | website
A production of SwitchYard Media, Inc.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Union Oyster House
UNION OYSTER HOUSE, Boston
This is the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the United States, opened to diners since 1826. The patrons of this establishment are a regular who's who of American history.
It was at the Oyster Bar that Daniel Webster would down a tall tumbler of brandy and water with his oysters every day. And it's here that the Kennedy clan would gather. Today, JFK's favorite booth is memorialized with a plaque.
The menu still reflects much of traditional New England fare. You can start with Boston clam chowder, sample the lobster or the scrod, and of course, there is no shortage of oyster varieties to try.
PRICE: Dinner entrees $20 and up.
HOURS: Opens at 11 am everyday; bar open until midnight.
ADDRESS: 41 Union Street, Boston, MA. 02108.
PHONE: 617 227 2750.
WEBSITE: Union Oyster House.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Philippe The Original
PHILIPPE THE ORIGINAL, Los Angeles
Philippe's was established in 1908 by French immigrant Philippe Mathieu. But it wasn't until 10 years later that the famous "French Dip Sandwich" was invented.
As the story goes, Mathieu was preparing a sandwich for a policeman when he accidently dropped the roll into a roasting pan full of drippings. The next day, the cop was back with some friends asking for the "dripped" sandwich. A tradition was born.
The restaurant was sold in 1927 to Harry, Dave and Frank Martin, whose family still runs Philippe's. Today the restaurant -- with its sawdust floors, long wooden tables and stools -- is a lively and friendly destination for people from all walks of life.
PRICE: The famous French Dip sandwiches start at $5.
HOURS: Everyday 6 am-10 pm.
ADDRESS: 1001 North Alameda St., Los Angeles 90012.
PHONE: 213 628 3781.
WEBSITE: Philippe the Original
Photo Credit: Pikaluk
ARCADE RESTAURANT, Memphis
A Memphis tradition -- and the city's oldest cafe -- The Arcade has occupied the same corner on Main and G.E. Patterson since Speros Zepatos set up shop here in 1919. Now run by Speros's grandchild, The Arcade is an easy hop off the trolley near the river and the National Civil Rights Museum.
With its vintage 50's neon and decor, The Arcade's big draw is its retro breakfast, such as country fried steak -- bring a big appetite. Its cuisine has changed with the times, offering a wide and affordable selection of pizzas, salads, sandwiches and burgers.
Over the years The Arcade has served a slew of celebrities -- most notably, Elvis -- but also Cybill Shepherd, Robert Duvall, Dennis Quaid, Susan Sarandon and Rufus Thomas.
PRICE: The average meal runs about $8 to $10.
HOURS: Sun-Thurs 7am-3pm; Fri-Sat 7am-9pm.
ADDRESS: 40 South Main St., Memphis, TN 38103.
PHONE: 901 526 5757.
WEBSITE: Arcade Restaurant
Photo Credit: Courtesy Columbia Restaurant
COLUMBIA RESTAURANT, Tampa, FL.
During the 100-plus years that the Columbia has graced the cobblestone streets of Tampa's historic Ybor City, everyone from Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe to Aerosmith's Steven Tyler have dined on the restaurant's Spanish-flavored cuisine.
The Columbia began as a corner cafe in 1905, popular with the area's cigar workers who enjoyed the authentic Cuban coffee and Cuban sandwiches. In 1919, founder Casimiro Hernandez Sr. bought the restaurant next door, and his son, Casimiro Jr. continued the expansion. Today, besides the original Ybor City location, the Columbia operates in six other addresses.
The restaurant has a diverse menu of seafood, including Paella and Red Snapper "Alicante," baked in a casserole. But if you are in the mood for Carnes or Pollo, there's plenty to choose from. A signature dish is the Original 1905 Salad with Columbia's famous garlic dressing.
PRICE: Entrees $20 and up.
HOURS: Mon.-Sat. opens at 11 am; Sun. at noon.
ADDRESS: 2117 East 7th Ave., Tampa, Fl. 33605.
PHONE: 813 248 4961.
WEBSITE: Columbia Restaurant
Photo Credit: Courtesy Gluek's
GLUEK'S RESTAURANT & BAR, Minneapolis
The origin's of Gluek´s date back to 1855, when Gottlieb Gluek arrived in Minneapolis from his native Germany and established a brewery that produced a variety of beers. Located in Minneapolis's Warehouse District, Gluek's historic building was originally designed 1902 to look like a Bavarian beer hall with elaborate vaulted ceilings.
Over the years, the business thrived -- with a brief interruption during Prohibition. During the 1970s, Gluek's was a working man's bar. And then, in 1989, tragedy struck. A massive fire gutted the building and closed it down. Less than a year later Gluek's was restored to its original grandeur, complete with stained glass and detailed woodwork.
Today, Gluek's has live music, big mugs of many, many beers, and diverse menu with specialties like Walleye Fingers and sausage samplers.
PRICE: $8 and up.
HOURS: Mon-Tue 11am-12am, Wed-Fri 11am-2am, Sat 12pm-2am.
ADDRESS: 16 N. Sixth St., Minneapolis, MN 55403.
PHONE: 612 338 6621.
WEBSITE: Gluek's Restaurant
Photo Credit: Courtesy Antoine's
ANTOINE'S, New Orleans
This is the country's oldest family-run restaurant, established back in 1840 by a young Frenchman named Antoine Alciatore and guided by his descendants ever since.
Besides being a New Orleans institution in a city known for its fine dining, Antoine's kitchen is where numerous signature dishes -- including Oysters Rockefeller -- were invented.
Having survived the Civil War, The Great Depression and Hurricane Katrina, today Antoine's features a 25,000 bottle "wine alley" (cellars are not practical in the Big Easy), and 14 dining rooms. But it's the classic French-Creole cuisine that draws the crowds, particularly favorites such as Potage alligator au sherry, a seasoned sherry, wine-laced, alligator bisque.
PRICE: Dinner entrees $25 and up.
HOURS: Open Mon., Thurs-Sat 5:30-9:30 pm; Lunch Saturday and brunch Sunday.
ADDRESS: 713 Rue Saint Louis, New Orleans, La. 70130.
PHONE: 504 581 4422.
WEBSITE: Antoine's
Photo Credit: Courtesy Fraunces Tavern
FRAUNCES TAVERN, New York
Located in its original building, blocks from Wall St. in New York's financial district, the Tavern's history parallels the nation's. It was at Fraunces in pre-Revolutionary War days that the Sons of Liberty met. And it was the Long Room on Dec. 4, 1783 -- nine days after the last British troops left America -- that Gen. George Washington bid farewell to his officers.
After the war, offices of the new Continental Congress were housed here while the tavern continued to operate. Today, Fraunces is a museum and restaurant serving a diverse menu.
One little side note: In 1775 the Tavern sustained damaged when a British cannon ball came barreling through roof. Two hundred years later in 1975, a bomb set by a Puerto Rican nationalist group went off in the building.
PRICE: Dinner entree $16 and up.
HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 am-9:30 pm; Sat. 11 am-9:30 pm.
ADDRESS: 54 Pearl St., New York, 10004 (Wall Street area).
PHONE: 212 968 1776.
WEBSITE: Fraunce's Tavern
Photo Credit: Courtesy Tadich Grill
TADICH GRILL, San Francisco
In a city fond of fine dining and trendy eateries, the Tadich Grill is an anomoly. Not only is it fast approaching its 160th birthday -- open since 1849 -- but it hasn't lost a step. More than 600 customers show up daily for Tadich's classically prepared seafood, stews or day-of-the-week menu. (Thursday is corned beef and cabbage.) And often there is a line (no reservations accepted).
The grill dates back to Gold Rush days, when a Croation immigrant set up shop to sell coffee to merchants and sailors. The establishment changed hands several times, and then John Tadich took it over in the late 1800s. In 1928, the Buich family bought the place and has run it ever since.
Stepping through the doors brings a wave of nostalgia. The grill has a clubby atmosphere with dark wood, brassy features, private booths, and waiters in crisp white jackets -- many of whom have worked here for decades.
PRICE: Entrees are $14 and up, with average at about $19.
HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 11 am-9:30 pm, Sat. 11:30-9:30.
ADDRESS: 240 California Street, San Francisco 94111.
PHONE: 415 391 1849.
WEBSITE: No Website.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Savoy Grill
SAVOY GRILL, Kansas City
Booth No. 4 at the Savoy Grill is known as the "president's booth." Warren Harding, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan all dined there.
The Savoy is Kansas City's oldest restaurant. It opened its doors in 1903 on the corner of Ninth and Central streets as an exclusive men's club with high beamed ceilings and an enormous carved bar. Before long the men-only policy was scrapped, and the restaurant became a destination for music and dancing late into the night.
Back then, the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, W.C. Fields, Sara Bernhardt, and John D. Rockefeller would sample delicacies such as prairie chicken and buffalo steaks. Today, a diverse menu of seafood and steaks can be enjoyed in a turn-of-the-century setting adorned with imported marble, brass fixtures and stained glass.
PRICE: Dinner entrees $25 and up.
HOURS: Opens at 7 am for breakfast.
ADDRESS: 219 West 9th, Kansas City, MO. 64105.
PHONE: 816 842 3890.
WEBSITE: Savoy Grill
Photo Credit: Courtesy Musso and Frank
MUSSO AND FRANK GRILL, Hollywood
When Musso's first opened, World War I had just ended, Prohibition was the law and avocado groves lined Hollywood Blvd. It wasn't long before the motion picture industry elbowed out the orchards and the dimly lit mahogany booths and red leather banquettes of Musso and Frank attracted the famous and the literary.
In its heyday, stars like Chaplin and Bogart, and literary lions like Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner would sidle up to the bar for one of Musso's classic martinis.
Nowadays, A-listers still drop by for the noir-ish ambiance and retro menu that includes lamb fricasse, creamed minced chicken and a wide selection of steaks, chops and grilled liver.
PRICE: Entrees are generally $27 and up.
HOURS: Open Tues.-Sat. 11 am-11 pm.
ADDRESS: 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA.
PHONE: 323 467 7788.
WEBSITE: No Website.