When you’re a bachelor who doesn’t cook, you’re going to spend a lot of time eating in restaurants. And I have. Over 40 years of it, in practically every diner in Madison.
Remember some of the ones everyone used to go to, that are now long gone? Like the Fiesta Restaurant, which for those of you too young to remember or who moved here from the outer reaches, was right where the new dog-cat-horse accessory business now sits in the 100 block of East Main, on the south side. They served above-average, typical Midwestern cuisine, including a great pork chop dinner (why do so few restaurants serve pork chops?), and of course their specialty, fried chicken. This was in the days before “fried chicken” in restaurants meant chicken breasts, period. At the Fiesta you could get the whole bird, a piece at a time, if you wanted it. In the days when there were still some mainline businesses downtown, it was a gathering place for local merchants for their morning and afternoon coffee breaks, around the “round table.” On Friday nights, when the downtown was still busy into the early 1970s, it was hard to get a table or booth in there. Standing room only.
Dinner is served
Then there was the Central Hotel dining room, not to be confused with the tavern located at Mulberry and Second now. Great cafeteria! At noontime it was a busy place, again with many merchants lined up to go through the line and get their lunch. Before the high school was moved to the hilltop, you saw teenagers eating in there quite often, too — because the old high school had no cafeteria.
The third one I remember that came along later, but that we got to feeling would always be there, was the Steer Restaurant, on Clifty Drive where the Mexican restaurant was in recent years. Sorry, I can’t think of the name of the Mexican restaurant — but I know it was in Spanish. The food was good in the Steer — sort of similar to that of the Fiesta — but what I remember best was the waitresses. Now, be advised I was much younger then! Ah, yes, the waitresses for years wore uniforms with short skirts (no — not THAT short; we’re not talking micro-mini here. But short.) With some of them, it was a treat just watching them walk around — and bend over to pour customers more coffee. With others — well, they had wonderful personalities.
What about some of the restaurants that are still with us, still dishing out that nourishment? Well, here’s a quick rundown — strictly my own opinion:
— Bistro One, 100 block of East Main. Yes, that’s my favorite restaurant. The owner, Nick Izamis, is a good friend of mine, but it’s not just for that reason. You’ll get true gourmet food at Nick’s place, prepared and arranged with the flair of an artist, and receive professional, friendly, attentive service from a well-trained staff of servers. If you want a really special meal, go to Nick’s. — Key West Shrimp House. Beautiful decor with an attractive river view, reliably good menu (albeit one that hasn’t changed very much for years), and as at Nick’s, professional, attentive servers. Scott Koerner is a great host, too.
— Cafe Camille, 100 block of East Main. The food is good, the service is a little inconsistent; a hostess or host would be a great addition. But a good place to eat, nevertheless.
— Frisch’s and Bob Evans, both on the hilltop (when I think of one, I always think of the other, for some reason). Their food is uniformly good; Frisch’s is a little more reasonably priced, and the place is slightly better organized. But Bob Evans has nothing to be ashamed of. Their food has improved tremendously in the last couple of years.
— Hinkle’s, 100 block of West Main. Our favorite hamburger joint seemingly has been there forever (75 years this year). People complain about this and that when they refer to it — but they keep going there. Great biscuits and gravy, real fried chicken dinners on special sometimes (more than just breasts, in other words). A friend of mine moved here after living with his wife and three kids in Logansport for several years. When his teenaged kids’ friends would come to Madison to visit them, the first place they always wanted to go was Hinkle’s.
Bon appetit!
Old Corporal <corporalko@yahoo.com>
Dinner, – Saturday, December 06, 2008 at 21:47:07 (EST)
