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Message
TulaneLSU's Top 10 department store restaurants
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:20 pm
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:20 pm
Dear Friends,
Department store dining is perhaps the most civilized character in the course of capitalist commercialism. In the midst of the bustle of crowded malls, the hidden restaurants serve as a retreat and quiet oasis. In religious architectural terms, they are the chapels of the malls. Few restaurants are able to rival the propriety of service or the winsomeness of decor. How can one feel more pampered than to be fitted for a Brioni suit with matching deerskin shoes and ambulate just a few feet to a table with a hand caligraphied place card and view overlooking one of the world’s great shopping districts?
Ascending to a world of luxury on an escalator or in a marble and brass-lined elevator and landing in what feels like a secretive meeting club is reminiscent of the exclusivity of entering a place like the Boston or Bienville Club. But unlike those unsavory clubs, these restaurants have true class and elegance. The interiors are fresh and bright. These restaurants do not restrict entrance to those who are the descendants of mostly unsavory and despicable people who happened to be wealthy. All are welcome to partake in the beauty of fine lunch dining at a remarkably reasonable price.
As the world is awakening to news that Neiman Marcus is filing for bankruptcy, it is high time to discuss the place of department store restaurants in the American dining landscape. Physical department stores are potentially on their way out, hastened by this virus and the fears that surround it. At the very least, we should remember some of these fine restaurants.
TulaneLSU's Top 10 department store restaurants:
10. Potpourri, D.H. Holmes / Dillard’s, Metairie
I never had the pleasure of shopping in the Canal Street D.H. Holmes. My only experience with the Canal Street location comes from 1988. It was the third Christmas of my life. Mother tells me it was the second Saturday of that December. Holmes was having a special morning at its restaurant, Potpourri, with Santa and the kids. I have the vaguest of memories of that morning. I do not remember eating. I do remember a bright white Santa Claus giving me a gift and remarking on my hair to Mother, something to the effect of “he looks like Goldilocks.” It is funny what we do and do not remember from the first three or four years of our lives.
The Potpourri restaurant survived at the Lakeside location after Dillard’s purchased Holmes in 1989. We rarely made the trip out here. On two occasions in the early 1990s, I remember eating on the second floor restaurant. It was dim and empty, perhaps some cheap jazz music was piped in from the overhead. Even as a child I knew the atmosphere was depressing. When I entered my first nursing home some years later, it immediately brought me back in time to Potpourri. I vaguely remember it was cafeteria style dining. I also remember they gave me crayons and something to color. I refused to play their childish games.
The food I do not remember. Most likely it was terrible. The restaurant mercifully was closed in 2004. If it had made it just one more year, and its loss attributed to Katrina, iit would be far more fondly remembered. As it is, I only include it in this list because it was my first department store dining experience and it is New Orleans. Perhaps it will jog some of your memories of New Orleans department store eating and you will share them with us.
9. L’Avenue, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, New York
I ate here last summer, shortly after it opened. The food was remarkably good, but while in New York, I prefer eating pizza. Its interior is clean, sharp, almost simplistic, lacking traditional elements one might expect in a store attached to Sak’s. It is supposedly modeled after a French restaurant, but the French influence is muted. I got the seabass, which tasted delightful, but was a completely American dish, with perhaps a fragrance to hint at Rome.
8. The Blue Box Cafe, Tiffany’s, New York
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an American tradition no person should do without experiencing once. I have experienced it three times, the first many years ago on Rodeo Drive. It did not leave a lasting impression on me. But two summers ago, I tried Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe.
The interior is stunning, perhaps, depending on your opinion on the color blue, beautifully or dreadfully so. The traditional Tiffany turquoise shocks you into a new reality. The walls are lined with amazonite. From top to bottom, this restaurant is a lesson in branding. I had lunch with a salad and sandwich, both of which were composed of the finest materials.
7. Sophie’s, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Chicago
Chicago does not do many things well. Not weather, not pizza, not racial integration. But there are three things it does do well: movies, public transportation, and department store restaurants. Chicago, in fact, is the home of one of the first department store restaurants, which you will read about if you continue this list. Department store dining origins are in this city, which may be the city’s greatest or only contribution to the civilized world.
The Magnificent Mile is today a shell of what it once was. Twenty years ago it was truly a classy place. The shopping started on the river at the Wrigley Building with the Oppenheimer Gallery, where Mother purchased my first Havell edition Audubon. It is gone. Northward was Eddie Bauer, which is where I liked to get my school clothing. Twenty years ago, before the company fell apart following the Spiegel bankruptcy, Eddie Bauer sold some of the finest quality casual school wear available. I still use my middle school bag, purchased there a quarter century ago. When the company became a glorified K-Mart, its time on the Magnificent Mile was numbered, and now it too is gone. In their places are cheap stores like Walgreens, Under Armour, and The Men’s Wearhouse.
Named for Sophie Gimbel, Sak’s fashion president many years ago, Sophie’s is another casualty. There were plans before the pandemic, though, to close Sophie’s and replace it with Althea. I know the word Althea from my Greek lessons, a word meaning “healing.” In my fifth grade mythology lessons, I remember the character Althaea. The story goes that when her son was born, the fates told her that he would only live as long as a piece of firewood in the hearth existed. She quickly took from the fireplace the wood and hid it under the palace. Years later her grown son began a familial killing spree. Althaea knew that he had to be stopped. She threw that wood into a burning fire. Her son died instantly. Her heart filled with grief and she killed herself. Not exactly the name I would give a restaurant, but most chefs are not very educated in Greek mythology and are happy to take a name that sounds trendy or interesting.
Seated above the Magnificent Mile in Sophie’s, for me was a rare treat. I only ate here twice, but enjoyed both times. One time we had a window seat, which afforded a resplendent view of the northern section of Michigan Avenue. It may be the best view from above of the Water Tower and the Palmolive Building. The view is superior to that of Mariposa, although the food is not nearly as good.
6. Stella 34, Macy’s, New York
I tossed and turned last night debating if I should include this restaurant in this list. There is nothing classic about the restaurant. There is no old world feeling. No feel of connection with one’s grandparents. No white gloved service. No one monitoring the tables with a waiter's crumb scraper in hand. It is not a real department store restaurant.
Department store dining is perhaps the most civilized character in the course of capitalist commercialism. In the midst of the bustle of crowded malls, the hidden restaurants serve as a retreat and quiet oasis. In religious architectural terms, they are the chapels of the malls. Few restaurants are able to rival the propriety of service or the winsomeness of decor. How can one feel more pampered than to be fitted for a Brioni suit with matching deerskin shoes and ambulate just a few feet to a table with a hand caligraphied place card and view overlooking one of the world’s great shopping districts?
Ascending to a world of luxury on an escalator or in a marble and brass-lined elevator and landing in what feels like a secretive meeting club is reminiscent of the exclusivity of entering a place like the Boston or Bienville Club. But unlike those unsavory clubs, these restaurants have true class and elegance. The interiors are fresh and bright. These restaurants do not restrict entrance to those who are the descendants of mostly unsavory and despicable people who happened to be wealthy. All are welcome to partake in the beauty of fine lunch dining at a remarkably reasonable price.
As the world is awakening to news that Neiman Marcus is filing for bankruptcy, it is high time to discuss the place of department store restaurants in the American dining landscape. Physical department stores are potentially on their way out, hastened by this virus and the fears that surround it. At the very least, we should remember some of these fine restaurants.
TulaneLSU's Top 10 department store restaurants:
10. Potpourri, D.H. Holmes / Dillard’s, Metairie
I never had the pleasure of shopping in the Canal Street D.H. Holmes. My only experience with the Canal Street location comes from 1988. It was the third Christmas of my life. Mother tells me it was the second Saturday of that December. Holmes was having a special morning at its restaurant, Potpourri, with Santa and the kids. I have the vaguest of memories of that morning. I do not remember eating. I do remember a bright white Santa Claus giving me a gift and remarking on my hair to Mother, something to the effect of “he looks like Goldilocks.” It is funny what we do and do not remember from the first three or four years of our lives.
The Potpourri restaurant survived at the Lakeside location after Dillard’s purchased Holmes in 1989. We rarely made the trip out here. On two occasions in the early 1990s, I remember eating on the second floor restaurant. It was dim and empty, perhaps some cheap jazz music was piped in from the overhead. Even as a child I knew the atmosphere was depressing. When I entered my first nursing home some years later, it immediately brought me back in time to Potpourri. I vaguely remember it was cafeteria style dining. I also remember they gave me crayons and something to color. I refused to play their childish games.
The food I do not remember. Most likely it was terrible. The restaurant mercifully was closed in 2004. If it had made it just one more year, and its loss attributed to Katrina, iit would be far more fondly remembered. As it is, I only include it in this list because it was my first department store dining experience and it is New Orleans. Perhaps it will jog some of your memories of New Orleans department store eating and you will share them with us.
9. L’Avenue, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, New York
I ate here last summer, shortly after it opened. The food was remarkably good, but while in New York, I prefer eating pizza. Its interior is clean, sharp, almost simplistic, lacking traditional elements one might expect in a store attached to Sak’s. It is supposedly modeled after a French restaurant, but the French influence is muted. I got the seabass, which tasted delightful, but was a completely American dish, with perhaps a fragrance to hint at Rome.
8. The Blue Box Cafe, Tiffany’s, New York
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an American tradition no person should do without experiencing once. I have experienced it three times, the first many years ago on Rodeo Drive. It did not leave a lasting impression on me. But two summers ago, I tried Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe.
The interior is stunning, perhaps, depending on your opinion on the color blue, beautifully or dreadfully so. The traditional Tiffany turquoise shocks you into a new reality. The walls are lined with amazonite. From top to bottom, this restaurant is a lesson in branding. I had lunch with a salad and sandwich, both of which were composed of the finest materials.
7. Sophie’s, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Chicago
Chicago does not do many things well. Not weather, not pizza, not racial integration. But there are three things it does do well: movies, public transportation, and department store restaurants. Chicago, in fact, is the home of one of the first department store restaurants, which you will read about if you continue this list. Department store dining origins are in this city, which may be the city’s greatest or only contribution to the civilized world.
The Magnificent Mile is today a shell of what it once was. Twenty years ago it was truly a classy place. The shopping started on the river at the Wrigley Building with the Oppenheimer Gallery, where Mother purchased my first Havell edition Audubon. It is gone. Northward was Eddie Bauer, which is where I liked to get my school clothing. Twenty years ago, before the company fell apart following the Spiegel bankruptcy, Eddie Bauer sold some of the finest quality casual school wear available. I still use my middle school bag, purchased there a quarter century ago. When the company became a glorified K-Mart, its time on the Magnificent Mile was numbered, and now it too is gone. In their places are cheap stores like Walgreens, Under Armour, and The Men’s Wearhouse.
Named for Sophie Gimbel, Sak’s fashion president many years ago, Sophie’s is another casualty. There were plans before the pandemic, though, to close Sophie’s and replace it with Althea. I know the word Althea from my Greek lessons, a word meaning “healing.” In my fifth grade mythology lessons, I remember the character Althaea. The story goes that when her son was born, the fates told her that he would only live as long as a piece of firewood in the hearth existed. She quickly took from the fireplace the wood and hid it under the palace. Years later her grown son began a familial killing spree. Althaea knew that he had to be stopped. She threw that wood into a burning fire. Her son died instantly. Her heart filled with grief and she killed herself. Not exactly the name I would give a restaurant, but most chefs are not very educated in Greek mythology and are happy to take a name that sounds trendy or interesting.
Seated above the Magnificent Mile in Sophie’s, for me was a rare treat. I only ate here twice, but enjoyed both times. One time we had a window seat, which afforded a resplendent view of the northern section of Michigan Avenue. It may be the best view from above of the Water Tower and the Palmolive Building. The view is superior to that of Mariposa, although the food is not nearly as good.
6. Stella 34, Macy’s, New York
I tossed and turned last night debating if I should include this restaurant in this list. There is nothing classic about the restaurant. There is no old world feeling. No feel of connection with one’s grandparents. No white gloved service. No one monitoring the tables with a waiter's crumb scraper in hand. It is not a real department store restaurant.
3
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:20 pm to TulaneLSU
But the food. Wow, the food is incredible. The handmade squid ink pasta is the best pasta I have eaten anywhere that is not named Impastato’s. That dish alone calmed my discontent. Last night, I fell asleep with thoughts of that pasta.
5. Fred’s, Barney’s, New York
This inclusion is for what Fred’s used to be. Since its founder, Mark Strausman, was fired and forced to leave the restaurant after criticizing the management at Barney’s in 2019, there is no reason to return to Fred’s. In its heyday in the early 2000s, it served, bar none, the best food of any restaurants in this category.
The interior was nothing too fancy and the view was less than great if you got a rare window seat. But the food was the rave. I always got the salmon, which stood out above every salmon dish I have ever before or since tried. Now that it is not what it was, I recommend getting pizza at the original Patsy’s on First Avenue way up in Spanish Harlem.
4. The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus, Dallas
The founder of Neiman Marcus, Herbert Marcus, was given two investing options: buy Coca Cola or build a department store in Dallas. He banked on class, elegance, and the finer things and built the first Neiman Marcus in Dallas in 1907. America and the world ended up choosing cheap and sweet.
The Zodiac was added in 1957 and it immediately became, as Grandfather said, “The absolute pinnacle of Dallas dining. It disrupts everything else I say about Dallas.” He did not particularly enjoy Dallas, although his business required that he make frequent trips there.
In the late 1990s, Mother made it an annual tradition to take me to Neiman’s three weeks before Christmas to go on an elaborate shopping spree for others. With time, I realized that these trips were Mother’s way of teaching me that being outrageously extravagant in gift giving is life. The trips were whirlwinds. We would leave MSY very early in the morning on a direct flight that usually lasted about two hours. On one such flight, the airline overbooked first class and I was introduced to coach seating. It was a revelation to see, as people are saying now, “the absolute state.” Revelation can be painful, but through the pain, pathways of new knowledge are open. It was that experience that several years later opened the door to my Greyhound Bus travels throughout America. I may write on those experiences in a future letter.
We would spend the mornings shopping in the clothes departments. Lunch was a two hour tour de force of grace, grandeur, and gentility. After lunch, we divulged our homely traits in the home and beauty sections before heading home. They were always perfect days, never corrupted by having to spend the night in a place like Dallas.
3. The Walnut Room, Marshall Field’s/Macy’s, Chicago
Marshall Field’s Walnut Room is the birthplace of department store dining, at least according to Chicagoans I know. It is a false claim, as New York was first, but you have to humor Chicagoans. Many of you may remember Marshall Field’s as the site of that disgusting scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Clark begins his adulterous lusting of Mary in the lingerie section.
Named for its magnificent walnut wood panelling, this mainstay has fed the genteel of Chicago since 1905 (MF’s first tea room was actually opened in 1890). True to its date, there are several Edwardian elements, including the plush burgundy carpet, but none more impressive than a nearly two story tall marble fountain that serves as the restaurant’s centerpiece.
Christmas of 2002 was one of my most favorite Christmases. It was my senior year of high school and Mother celebrated with a weekend trip to Chicago. It was a marvelous time. There had been a light snow and it was not that cold. Mother was saddened that The Drake was closed for a multi-year renovation, so her second choice was The Palmer House. I was not impressed by the rooms, but the lobby was splendid.
Anyway, at Marshall Field’s the marble fountain is replaced at Christmas time with an enormous tree that towers 50 feet. When people here ridiculed me for switching to an artificial tree, I reminded them that MF’s has used an artificial tree for half a century. When I first saw the Walnut Room tree, it inspired me to become a better tree decorator.
Our waiter told me that the house tradition was Mrs. Hering’s chicken pot pie. As a strong believer in the wisdom and beauty of tradition, I accepted his recommendation. It was substantive and reasonably good, like most Chicago food offerings, but nothing fabulous. The Frango mint chocolate frozen pie was similar in quality. Nonetheless, the experience in toto was unparalleled. The old world environment, the lovely music, the exceptional service, and the decorated tree make this one of my favorites.
2. Fortnum and Mason, London
Some will argue this does not belong in this listing, as Fortnum and Mason is more a luxury grocery store. I argue, however, that its setup, history, and distinct departments on multiple floors make it the ultimate food department store. If you have never visited, it is well worth a trip.
Fortnum and Mason has many restaurants. Honestly, I do not remember exactly in which restaurant we dined, but it was as civilized a dining experience as one could imagine. I distinctly remember LINK ]Handel's Water Music Suite 2 in D major lovingly filling the room while our white-gloved staff tended to our every need.
Our server suggested the Welsh Rarebit, a classic consortium of bread, cheese, and tomatoes. The silver-plated utensils, fine china, velvet upholstered vintage French armchairs, delicious tea, and accoutrements suitable for royalty bring this experience near the very top.
1. Mariposa, Neiman Marcus, Chicago
Forget what the Girl and Goat posse and Alinea astronauts say; Mariposa was the best restaurant in Chicago. To sit at a window table at Mariposa overlooking the water treatment facility for the Water Tower, which is now a very poor tourist center with bland art, was to sit at the seat of distinction for the whole city, greater than that of Chez Quis or The Signature Room.
The meal started with cirrus-like popovers served with the most delightful of strawberry butter. Waiters either loved me for my eccentricity or hated me for my high maintenance, but I regularly got my popover plate refilled ten times per meal. The best part of my meal was always that chicken broth, which also was complimentary, calling for repeated refills. I have never had a better broth, and I regret never getting a soup on the menu that had that broth as its base. Everything else, including the $250 cc cookies, was lagniappe. Prices were reasonable and nationally famous models walked around the restaurant showing off dresses, purses and the like, if you're into that kind of thing.
One time one of the models sat at our table to display to Mother a tennis bracelet. Mother is convinced the woman was hitting on me, as she smiled while introducing herself to me. At the end of a thirty minute conversation about faith and modeling, she asked for my phone number. At the time, I did not have a cell phone, so I gave her the home number. As far as I know, she never called.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
5. Fred’s, Barney’s, New York
This inclusion is for what Fred’s used to be. Since its founder, Mark Strausman, was fired and forced to leave the restaurant after criticizing the management at Barney’s in 2019, there is no reason to return to Fred’s. In its heyday in the early 2000s, it served, bar none, the best food of any restaurants in this category.
The interior was nothing too fancy and the view was less than great if you got a rare window seat. But the food was the rave. I always got the salmon, which stood out above every salmon dish I have ever before or since tried. Now that it is not what it was, I recommend getting pizza at the original Patsy’s on First Avenue way up in Spanish Harlem.
4. The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus, Dallas
The founder of Neiman Marcus, Herbert Marcus, was given two investing options: buy Coca Cola or build a department store in Dallas. He banked on class, elegance, and the finer things and built the first Neiman Marcus in Dallas in 1907. America and the world ended up choosing cheap and sweet.
The Zodiac was added in 1957 and it immediately became, as Grandfather said, “The absolute pinnacle of Dallas dining. It disrupts everything else I say about Dallas.” He did not particularly enjoy Dallas, although his business required that he make frequent trips there.
In the late 1990s, Mother made it an annual tradition to take me to Neiman’s three weeks before Christmas to go on an elaborate shopping spree for others. With time, I realized that these trips were Mother’s way of teaching me that being outrageously extravagant in gift giving is life. The trips were whirlwinds. We would leave MSY very early in the morning on a direct flight that usually lasted about two hours. On one such flight, the airline overbooked first class and I was introduced to coach seating. It was a revelation to see, as people are saying now, “the absolute state.” Revelation can be painful, but through the pain, pathways of new knowledge are open. It was that experience that several years later opened the door to my Greyhound Bus travels throughout America. I may write on those experiences in a future letter.
We would spend the mornings shopping in the clothes departments. Lunch was a two hour tour de force of grace, grandeur, and gentility. After lunch, we divulged our homely traits in the home and beauty sections before heading home. They were always perfect days, never corrupted by having to spend the night in a place like Dallas.
3. The Walnut Room, Marshall Field’s/Macy’s, Chicago
Marshall Field’s Walnut Room is the birthplace of department store dining, at least according to Chicagoans I know. It is a false claim, as New York was first, but you have to humor Chicagoans. Many of you may remember Marshall Field’s as the site of that disgusting scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Clark begins his adulterous lusting of Mary in the lingerie section.
Named for its magnificent walnut wood panelling, this mainstay has fed the genteel of Chicago since 1905 (MF’s first tea room was actually opened in 1890). True to its date, there are several Edwardian elements, including the plush burgundy carpet, but none more impressive than a nearly two story tall marble fountain that serves as the restaurant’s centerpiece.
Christmas of 2002 was one of my most favorite Christmases. It was my senior year of high school and Mother celebrated with a weekend trip to Chicago. It was a marvelous time. There had been a light snow and it was not that cold. Mother was saddened that The Drake was closed for a multi-year renovation, so her second choice was The Palmer House. I was not impressed by the rooms, but the lobby was splendid.
Anyway, at Marshall Field’s the marble fountain is replaced at Christmas time with an enormous tree that towers 50 feet. When people here ridiculed me for switching to an artificial tree, I reminded them that MF’s has used an artificial tree for half a century. When I first saw the Walnut Room tree, it inspired me to become a better tree decorator.
Our waiter told me that the house tradition was Mrs. Hering’s chicken pot pie. As a strong believer in the wisdom and beauty of tradition, I accepted his recommendation. It was substantive and reasonably good, like most Chicago food offerings, but nothing fabulous. The Frango mint chocolate frozen pie was similar in quality. Nonetheless, the experience in toto was unparalleled. The old world environment, the lovely music, the exceptional service, and the decorated tree make this one of my favorites.
2. Fortnum and Mason, London
Some will argue this does not belong in this listing, as Fortnum and Mason is more a luxury grocery store. I argue, however, that its setup, history, and distinct departments on multiple floors make it the ultimate food department store. If you have never visited, it is well worth a trip.
Fortnum and Mason has many restaurants. Honestly, I do not remember exactly in which restaurant we dined, but it was as civilized a dining experience as one could imagine. I distinctly remember LINK ]Handel's Water Music Suite 2 in D major lovingly filling the room while our white-gloved staff tended to our every need.
Our server suggested the Welsh Rarebit, a classic consortium of bread, cheese, and tomatoes. The silver-plated utensils, fine china, velvet upholstered vintage French armchairs, delicious tea, and accoutrements suitable for royalty bring this experience near the very top.
1. Mariposa, Neiman Marcus, Chicago
Forget what the Girl and Goat posse and Alinea astronauts say; Mariposa was the best restaurant in Chicago. To sit at a window table at Mariposa overlooking the water treatment facility for the Water Tower, which is now a very poor tourist center with bland art, was to sit at the seat of distinction for the whole city, greater than that of Chez Quis or The Signature Room.
The meal started with cirrus-like popovers served with the most delightful of strawberry butter. Waiters either loved me for my eccentricity or hated me for my high maintenance, but I regularly got my popover plate refilled ten times per meal. The best part of my meal was always that chicken broth, which also was complimentary, calling for repeated refills. I have never had a better broth, and I regret never getting a soup on the menu that had that broth as its base. Everything else, including the $250 cc cookies, was lagniappe. Prices were reasonable and nationally famous models walked around the restaurant showing off dresses, purses and the like, if you're into that kind of thing.
One time one of the models sat at our table to display to Mother a tennis bracelet. Mother is convinced the woman was hitting on me, as she smiled while introducing herself to me. At the end of a thirty minute conversation about faith and modeling, she asked for my phone number. At the time, I did not have a cell phone, so I gave her the home number. As far as I know, she never called.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
This post was edited on 4/21/20 at 12:36 pm
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:28 pm to TulaneLSU
Department store dining reminds me of all day shopping with my mother and late grandmother. Even if it wasn’t for a full lunch, both of those ladies could be persuaded to at least have a fountain coke and/or a chocolate sundae as the afternoon progressed.
The old Dillards Lakeside Potpourri Restaurant was a dark, depressing space....but the chicken salad was tasty.
I fell like this is a good place to mention the candy counter at the old Maison Blanche on Canal. Heavenly hash, pralines, toffee....was my favorite part of the shopping trips, by far.
The old Dillards Lakeside Potpourri Restaurant was a dark, depressing space....but the chicken salad was tasty.
I fell like this is a good place to mention the candy counter at the old Maison Blanche on Canal. Heavenly hash, pralines, toffee....was my favorite part of the shopping trips, by far.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:35 pm to hungryone
GOATS
This post was edited on 4/21/20 at 1:01 pm
Posted on 4/21/20 at 1:38 pm to TulaneLSU
You must never have been to Japan. You want to talk about good food, their department stores have got it.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 1:51 pm to BottomlandBrew
French Department stores, too: the food halls at Galeries Lafayette and Grand Epicerie/Bon Marche in Paris are pretty wonderful. Equally cool but in a very different aesthetic is the German store Manufactum,....very nice bakery/deli in the Munich location.
Also, the food hall at Harrods is very nice when not completely mobbed with ridiculous tourists.
Also, the food hall at Harrods is very nice when not completely mobbed with ridiculous tourists.
This post was edited on 4/21/20 at 1:52 pm
Posted on 4/21/20 at 2:24 pm to TulaneLSU
Krauss' on Canal St. The store’s renowned lunch counter, Eddie’s at Krauss, served Eddie Baquet’s authentic New Orleans cuisine. In the mid 90s, we would hit it up for Monday's All you could eat Red Beans & Rice and Fried Chicken. Delicious!
Posted on 4/21/20 at 2:49 pm to TulaneLSU
quote:
It was that experience that several years later opened the door to my Greyhound Bus travels throughout America. I may write on those experiences in a future letter.
I would like to read this
Posted on 4/21/20 at 3:03 pm to TulaneLSU
No Ikea? 
Dem meatballs doe
Dem meatballs doe
This post was edited on 4/21/20 at 3:04 pm
Posted on 4/21/20 at 3:03 pm to hungryone
quote:
I fell like this is a good place to mention the candy counter at the old Maison Blanche on Canal. Heavenly hash, pralines, toffee....was my favorite part of the shopping trips, by far.
Man I remember the candy counter too but it was at the MB on BR Main St. I got dragged around on Saturday shopping sprees a lot with my mom and sis b/c my dad worked most Saturdays. The dining, the candy and occasional trip to the toy section were something to look to forward to what was often times a miserable experience.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 4:12 pm to TulaneLSU
All this and no mention of the K-Mart cafeteria?
They had "departments" and shite too man.
Oh and I know you've got some weird hard on for Mobile and all but why no mention of the Gayfers Copper Kettle? That place was all class.
They had "departments" and shite too man.
Oh and I know you've got some weird hard on for Mobile and all but why no mention of the Gayfers Copper Kettle? That place was all class.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 4:39 pm to TulaneLSU
In the early to mid 90s I loved the Cellar restaurant at the Macy's in the mall next to the Superdome. Two old ladies made great versions of New Orleans classics from scatch. Could feed two off a bowl of their chicken andouille gumbo and a salad.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 4:44 pm to TulaneLSU
The fact that you don’t have Muller’s Dept Store lunch counter in Lake Charles disqualifies the whole list. Their grilled cheese sandwiches were a staple of my youth and the definition of ambrosia.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 4:46 pm to TulaneLSU
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being Bezos, how rich is your family?
Posted on 4/21/20 at 5:30 pm to Pandy Fackler
I have never heard of such a place. My Mobile knowledge is paltry, quite a boastful thing to say, I know, but that is true.
I remember when KMarts food court had the Metro’s only open Little Caesar’s for a time. I was never a fan of the pretzels or Icees.
Yours,
TulaneLSU
I remember when KMarts food court had the Metro’s only open Little Caesar’s for a time. I was never a fan of the pretzels or Icees.
Yours,
TulaneLSU
Posted on 4/21/20 at 5:39 pm to TulaneLSU
quote:
I have never heard of such a place. My Mobile knowledge is paltry, quite a boastful thing to say, I know, but that is true.
Gayfers was Alabama's answer to DH Holmes. An upscale department store. The Copper Kettle was their in store cafeteria. My Nanny (Grand MaMa) would take me there for lunch when shopping. It was delightful. Their salad bar had the best house made croutons, I've never found their equal.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 9:27 pm to TulaneLSU
Potpourri at Lakeside was the place where Marcello used to discuss things with politicians in the 70's. Carlos' meals were of a higher quality than the fare offered to the rest of the population
Posted on 4/22/20 at 10:38 am to hungryone
Jackson’s first Ruth’s Chris was located in McRae’s at the Metrocenter Mall
ETA: this is where Tico Hoffman got his start and ultimately opened his own restaurant, Tico’s
ETA: this is where Tico Hoffman got his start and ultimately opened his own restaurant, Tico’s
This post was edited on 4/22/20 at 10:40 am
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