Restaurant Time Tunnel

Lobster Box

2010-08-04T21:10:00.007-04:00

The Lobster Box Restaurant is featured in Volume 5 of The Ford Times Cookbook, 1968. Here is a drawing based on the painting by Harvey Kidder. The book's entry says that The Lobster Box is in a century-old mansion and is the oldest landmark on City Island, New York, on Long Island Sound. It claims they serve lobster 21 ways, and includes a recipe for Lobster Newburg.

These photographs, taken July 2010, confirm that the Lobster Box is still open every day at 34 City Island Avenue, Bronx, New York. City Island is an actual island, full of fascinating restaurants, and is reachable by automobile bridge. It feels remote and of a different time, yet is only minutes from the city—at least on those rare occasions when there is no traffic.

Wentworth-by-the-Sea

2010-07-09T21:52:00.005-04:00

This is our staff artist's reproduction of the William Barss painting of Wentworth-by-the-Sea from the 1955 edition of The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places. The historic resort hotel was built in 1874 in New Castle, New Hampshire, near Portsmouth. The description in the cookbook boasts a salt-water swimming pool. The recipe is for New Hampshire Fruit Cookies. The hotel was closed in 1982 and nearly demolished. It was saved, however, renovated, and reopened in 2003. The photographs here are from 2009.

Frenchy's Restaurant

2010-07-05T19:59:00.005-04:00

This is a repro-duction drawn by one of our staff artists, inspired by the painting of Frenchy's Restaurant by C. L. Peterson in the Ford Times Cookbook, Volume 5, published in 1968.

The recipe listed in the cookbook is for "Braised Calves' Sweetbreads in Wine Sauce."

Frenchy's Restaurant, Milwaukee

2008-07-14T20:49:00.003-04:00

From Ford Times Cookbook, Volume 5, a listing for Frenchy's, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 1901 East North Avenue, describes a rather swank French and American restaurant, reservations required, owned by Paul LaPointe. It says they serve game in season. The illustration shows formally dressed diners in a dark paneled interior with red glass chandeliers. The waitresses are wearing French maid uniforms, short skirts, with big white bows on the back.

Now at that location is Beans & Barley, one of Milwaukee's most popular eating spots and meeting place. There is also a deli and natural foods grocery. Reservations are not necessary, maybe not even possible, but at peak breakfast, lunch, and dinner times expect to wait. I'm not sure what year Frenchy's closed and Beans & Barley opened, or if there was something different there in-between, but at one point early in B & B's history a fire almost completely destroyed the building. When it was rebuilt it bore little resemblance to the old structure. It's now modern, open, and airy, and quite comfortable as a dining spot. Diners and wait staff dress casually, and you're not likely to see a French maid uniform except on Halloween.