Restaurant history of the Upper West Side

[Fat Guy]

Those of you who live on the UWS or find yourselves there often: maybe you could start getting into the habit of wandering into any restaurant or bar that looks really old and asking for a founding date. We must have dozens of members who live within a couple of minutes of the Emerald Inn, for example. Not to mention all of our members with phones -- but that's pretty ambitious.

[Mulcahy]

I called the Emerald Inn.

The woman who answered the phone said they had been open for 40 years.

I asked, "since 1964?"

She answered, "maybe longer than that."

[Fat Guy]

As a fellow Fordham Law alumnus, I salute your effort.

[rozrapp]

What about all the Chinese restaurants on the UWS, especially in the 90s? Weren't a bunch of those around in the 1970s and earlier?

Shun Lee West, on W. 65th St., has been around since at least the late 60's/early 70's because I remember having dinner there with my husband back then before seeing a performance at Lincoln Center.

Another restaurant in that vicinity that dates back to at least that same time period, and where we also had a pre-Lincoln Center dinner in the early 70's, is La Boite en Bois, the teensy (they didn't name it a "box" for no reason) French bistro, on W. 68th St.

[wesza]

I'm enjoying this topic. I can almost visualize some of the meals I enjoyed thru the years.

My secret place to impress dates with my sophistication after a inexpensive Chinese meal was alway "Dessert and Coffee" at the "Éclair".

I enjoyed what my compatriot, "George Lang" had done to bring back to life, "Café des Artistes".

When I was setting up the Kitchens and Menus for Warner LeRoy after he had acquired the , "Tavern on the Green", I was awed by the Fantastic Theatrical Decorations he had managed to put together. But to me nothing impressive then the "Tiffany Glass" that was used at "Maxwell's Pub", wonder what happened to that. His Menus, and applications were always done very well.

"Zum Zum's" originated by Restaurant Associates in the Pam Am Building together with the "Trattoria" and "Charley Browns".

There were many Chinese Restaurants on the WS that had been open since the 1930's that still exist in various reincarnations, curious if there are still any old fashioned "NYC Cantonese Places" still doing business.

The "Olcott Hotel", was owned by the "Slutsky Family" that owned the "Nevele Country Club" and "Hanover Stables".

I'm pretty sure that the first modern "Kosher Night Club" was also at a Hotel [Westover?] on 72nd Street across the street from "Mr J's Sacred Cow".

Somebody recently told me that there aren't any more of the "Traditional WS Bakeries", still doing business. Hope that's not true.

There was a interesting "Hungarian Restaurant on the upper westside that made terrific. Sour Cherry Soup and was very reasonable, a favorite of Colombia students for years, is it still in business?

Irwin

[Pan]

The Green Tree. A favorite of my family in the 70s. They made good goulash with nokedli, too, though all their vegetable sides were made from frozen vegetables. Out of business for a long time.

I enjoyed Eclair for a long time. At a certain point, I understand that Cake Masters "stole" their pastry chef. Eclair deteriorated and Cake Masters had a renaissance. Sadly, both are gone. My local Cake Masters branch was near 100 St. on Broadway, and I still remember that when I was little, they gave me a free rainbow cookie (my favorite) with every purchase by my mother.

Speaking of bakeries, remember Barton's on Broadway, which used to be between 96th and 97th before they levelled everything to make way for those Columbia condos? I used to like their chocolates so much. Then, last fall, I got some from a shop on the Upper East Side. Seems like they weren't as good as I thought back then.

On the corner of 96th and Broadway, there used to be a coffee-and-donut house called Ye Olde Shoppe, I think. I didn't frequent it, but my nursery-school girlfriend (with whom I'm still in touch) used to have breakfast there before elementary school every day, she told me recently.

[Stone]

Announcing a new leader in the competition:

Barney Greengrass, 1908.

Long ago I dated a woman whose grandmother lived on 86th around the corner from Barney Greengrass. We weren't allowed to eat there because Barney didn't close the restaurant on the day of his wife's funeral. So I've never been.

[innocente]

Mention of "Martin"s" on Bway around 60th brings back memories. When I used to fly in from Canada every month to go to the Met throughout the 70s and 80s, I was on a budget and always got cheap, basic food at Martin's (meatloaf, chicken etc).

Don't forget the Cafeteria at the West Side YMCA across from Lincoln Centre. I used to stay at the Y on my Met visits and ate at the Cafeteria when even Martin's was over my budget. The Cafeteria served walk-ins as well as Y denizens (still does). Now, since the Y has been there forever, I assume that the Cafeteria has been there serving since the--what?? early 1900's. That must make this eaterie amongst the longest standing in the neighbourhood.

L.

[MHesse]

La Fortuna - the coffee and pastry shop seems likes it's been around a long time; I'll ask them the next time I visit.

Lenge isn't a record setter, but it's been on 69th and Columbus at least since 1981.

Maybe almost as long for Isabella's?

Papardella, in the 70s has been around a long time too.

[Pan]

Lenge isn't a record setter, but it's been on 69th and Columbus at least since 1981.

Longer than that. They and Rikyu have been around since the early 70s at least, if I remember correctly.

[Suzanne F]

And what of the Hungarian Pastry Shop, up by Columbia? Forever, it seems to me.

Okay, please help me out on this: in the 1960s (probably before and after) there was a French restaurant in the high 60s, much like those in the theater district (real French waitresses, etc). That was where I first had the real thing. But I can't for the life of me remember its name. Help?

[Pan]

And what of the Hungarian Pastry Shop, up by Columbia? Forever, it seems to me.

Not quite. It was started as a sideline to the Green Tree, from what I recall, probably in the late 70s, and eventually took over the whole space.

[mikeyrad]

Anyone remember West Side Storey (95th and Columbus, or was it Amsterdam)? Had glass tiles in front, owned by a guy named Jerry, had great brunch.

[SarahD]

Suzanne, I remember going to that French restaurant with my high school French class. The first time I had crepes. And I remember that the waitresses wore those regional costumes with the elaborate lace head-dresses.

Other fond UWS memories: Empire Schezchwan has been around in some form as long as I can remember, and we moved into the 'hood in '76. What about that Greek restaurant on one of the sides streets up by Columbia, Symposium?, I think that's been there forever. I also remember going to the Abbey Pub for burgers when I was wee.

I remember a great 'hippy' restaurant on 107th and B'way called The Good Earth. On my mom's limited student budget, brown rice, broccoli and cheese sauce made me a happy camper many a night before we hit the dollar double feature at the Olympia. OH MAN, I MISS THE OLYMPIA DINER!

[bloviatrix]

Anyone remember West Side Storey (95th and Columbus, or was it Amsterdam)? Had glass tiles in front, owned by a guy named Jerry, had great brunch.

It was on the SW corner of 95th and Columbus (I lived on the NW corner for 2 years). It's been gone for at least 9 years, probably more. It's now a gym.

[MHesse]

Other fond UWS memories: Empire Schezchwan has been around in some form as long as I can remember, and we moved into the 'hood in '76. What about that Greek restaurant on one of the sides streets up by Columbia, Symposium?, I think that's been there forever. I also remember going to the Abbey Pub for burgers when I was wee.

Empire Szechuan still exists, but does Japanese sushi in addition now.

Symposium has been around since at least 1973, my first visit. It was memorable, as I locked myself out of the car in a torrential rainstorm. Fortunately the 64 Rambler had those little triangular vent windows, so it wasn't too expensive to replace after smashing it!

[Pan]

Other fond UWS memories:  Empire Schezchwan has been around in some form as long as I can remember, and we moved into the 'hood in '76.  What about that Greek restaurant on one of the sides streets up by Columbia, Symposium?, I think that's been there forever.  I also remember going to the Abbey Pub for burgers when I was wee.

Empire Szechuan still exists, but does Japanese sushi in addition now.

Yeah, and it's sucked for years, but when it was new, I and my family used to like it for a few years. Hunan Balcony opened around the same time, was once acceptable, but was never as good as Empire Szechuan once was, and has also sucked for a really long time.

[kjohn]

There was a interesting "Hungarian Restaurant on the upper westside that made terrific. Sour Cherry Soup and was very reasonable, a favorite of Colombia students for years, is it still in business?

The Hungarian Restaurant was two doors down from the Hungarian Pastry Shop. That Sour Cherry Soup was my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the restaurant seems to have closed sometime in the late 80s. There is a place on the Upper East called Mocca (I think) that serves a pretty nice Cherry Soup, if you are looking for some.

[bloviatrix]

West End Gate, up by Columbia has been around since the 50s although it's not nearly as divey as it once was. If I remember my history correctly, Kerouac, Ginsberg and others from the Beat Generation hung out there.

Edited September 5, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[Pan]

There is a place on the Upper East called Mocca (I think) that serves a pretty nice Cherry Soup, if you are looking for some.

←

Yes, Mocca, and here's their menupages.com page.

[mikeyrad]

Empire Szechuan was where I first had cold noodles in seseme sauce back around 1980. The best cold noodles I ever had were sold by a street vendor who had a cart on the NW corner of 62nd and Broadway at about the same time -- maybe '81 or '82. I used to call him "noodle man". I think his family owned the chocolate shop at the corner of 62nd and Amsterdam. Noodle man and the chocolate shop are long, long gone, and as Pan mentioned, Empire sucks. Nothing stays the same.

[wesza]

Another first on UWS as I remember was that two , "Cuban Style Chinese" Restaurants opened at locations that had been previously operated as "Luncheonette's" [any of these still around].

It seemed that they were doing pretty good business, even serving some "Cuban Sandwiches" and the dishes were reminiscent of those offered in, "Havana".

They did not serve "Cuban Coffee" but I used to enjoy them for their attempts at "Fusion Cuisine" not as a style, but because that what they served. Some of the dishes were "Spicy" and others had a "Latin Flavor" that was interesting and different then the "NYC" Cantonese Restaurants all over the UWS. They were the first "Chinese" anything places that regularly served Beans that I was aware of in the States. It wasn't until I lived in Hong Kong that I became accustomed to having Beans at many Chines Restaurants, especially those that featured "Roasted Items".

Irwin

[docsconz]

Some other memories:

Sidewalkers -- the crab place on 72nd between Columbus and CPW, I think where Sambuca is now

What about all the Chinese restaurants on the UWS, especially in the 90s? Weren't a bunch of those around in the 1970s and earlier?

←

Sidewalkers was a favorite place of my wife and I back in the mid-80's. One could get pretty decent Maryland style crabs there.

The mid-80's werre also a haven for szechuan restaurants in the upper 90's. we used to frequent Empire Szechuan up around 96th St. when I was in Medical school at Columbia. The Museum Cafe was another favorite along with caramba!, although that was down around 72nd or so. We probably did most of our dining on the upper Wast side then.

[docsconz]

Victor's Cafe was on the corner of 71 St. and Columbus. I was taken out there for my birthday when I was, I don't know, 9 maybe? That would make it 1974.

Victor's was just prominently mentioned in the new issue of Steingarden 's Table, which features Cuban cuisine, in particular, the Cuban sandwich. I have some fond memories of that and Chinese Cuban restaurants from Morningside heights in the mid-80's. That is probably too far north to qualify for this thread, however.

[docsconz]

Suzanne, I remember going to that French restaurant with my high school French class.  The first time I had crepes.  And I remember that the waitresses wore those regional costumes with the elaborate lace head-dresses.

I doubt this was the place, but I cut my independent dining chops along with my high school buddies at La Crepe near Lincoln Center in the mid-70's. It was a revelation to us at the time. Ah, the simple things in life.