Old Restaurants

Dining has changed over the years and in my view for the better, for the most part. The variety of food and concentration on flavor palettes, combined with more ethnic foods has made dining out much better than it was fifty years ago. The only exceptions I see is the loss of some of the styles of cooking which are not chic, but were great. When they disappear, they are gone for good, because no one opens new ones. Example? Jewish Delicatessen. There's less than 5 less in NYC. The loss of giant corned beef sandwiches, knishes, latkes, kugel is sad. Cantonese Chinese food has become slop. Chow Mein, Lo Mein, roast pork, real egg rolls, all pretty much gone and replaced with salty, bland chains. Red sauce Italian. Real chicken Parm; Stuffed shells; manicotti, meatballs. All pretty much gone.

We wanted to go out to eat Monday, which used to be tough, but now, due to Covid is almost impossible. Scrolling through closed on Mondays notices on the website, I found a place I had last been to 40 years ago: Carbone's. Originally opened in 1933 and handed to the kids 30 years later. Went on the market for sale, restaurant and land and no one wants to buy it and the owners cannot give it up. Hostess is 90. The food? Classic red sauce italian 1960. The iceberg lettuce salad I never liked...unchanged. The decor....unchanged from 1957. The red sauce? I'd drink it as a milkshake. The stuffed shells? 3x better than my favorite restaurant and go to place. Wife declared her chicken parm the best evah in her life. Even the potato skins were better because there was no grease. Bottle of wine $22. Going back saturday after the breedeers cup. Hopkinton MA, rt 85.

We wnet for the nostalgia. Will go back for the food. 88 years, so you know its good, but wow, better than good Monday. Where are your old restaurants?