Allen Park restaurants of long ago

[Downriviera]

I think it might have been International.....can't remember the rest, just that it had International in the name. I'll ask around.

[PlymouthRes]

The place your are referring to was actually IN the parking lot, on the extreme north end, just shy of the Bell building. Downriviera is correct, as the name of that structure was The International Tavern, and I do not believe that it was open for very long before closing and becoming a boarded up waste of space.

It has been that way because the people that own it have always thought it was worth more than it really is, so no one has bothered to even approach with an offer. I kind of remember a figure closer to three mil when times were good. No one bit at all.

[reebie28]

Wow! Thanks!
My husband was thinking it was The Nugget, a friend was saying The Salad Bowl....I'm surprised I haven't been able to find any info on it at all no pics or anything...But thanks for the correct name

[Downriviera]

The Nugget was on Southfield near Roosevelt, its now Tim's Coney Island.

[1KielsonDrive]

Downriviera, you called it : The New York Sub Shop. At the intersection of Allen, Ecorse and Roosevelt. Thank you. I was waiting for someone to mention it. It basically looked like a Telway, Carter's or Bray's Hamburger joint. It was my favorite restaurant in Allen park, hands down, for one main reason. Mr. [[Vincent) DiCarlo, affectionately known as Mr. D, would make you any number of dishes that weren't on the menu, if you were a regular. He made the best alio e olio anywhere in Detroit. He'd make stuff up, and he or his staff, Terri, her mom and brother, would call to tell you he had something special cooking. He was a loveable character. Mr. DiCarlo had previously owned larger, more elaborate, sit down dining, restaurants, at other locations. One was out on Warren in the west suburbs and I believe it's still there under the DiCarlo's name. He was well over 80 years old when New York Sub Shop closed. I always believed he worked at his age because he loved cooking and didn't want to sit around. I'd met his wife and family. They had a beautiful home in West Dearborn. I don't think he needed the money.

[1KielsonDrive]

Downriviera, you're close. International was in the name. It started in the late 70's. The guy who owned it was my customer, and I was his. He ran a catering business out of the place [[which was supposedly the real money-maker). He called it the International because [[I was there only a few times) he offered food from around the world. I'm not sure, but I think I remember it as a a buffet. As far as I recall, it never re-opened. He got lot's of hype when he opened. It was the hot place downriver for a nano-sec. I'd love it if someone came up with the owner's and the restaurant's name. Jams is the most likely to know. He hails from that area. I won't make any comments about Jams crawling home from these joints.[[Yikes, did I say that?)

[1KielsonDrive]

Tullio's sold recently. Maybe in the last year or so. It was listed on a broker's website for a long time.

[1KielsonDrive]

Ciungan's was on Southfield Road near the tracks, almost to West Jefferson. If you walked up the hill, through Ciungan's parking lot, to the railroad tracks, there was a building that hugged the tracks. It may still be there. That's the building Heintz Prechter acquired when first in the US. He installed his first sunroofs there - by hand. Some of my friends were among Heintz's first customers. I watched him install their custom sunroofs. Prechter then moved to Lincoln Park, Southgate, Riverview, Los Angeles and beyond, eventually meeting his demise at his own hands.

[1KielsonDrive]

Mike and Sylvia's was excellent. They divorced and it became Sylvia's. She and her son ran it and later he took over. He was a very large kid, becoming larger and larger as time passed. Last time I saw him was maybe 8 - 10 years ago. Nice guy and good host. We recognized each other, though I hadn't been in for many years. You guys got me thinking of downriver. I'm gonna have to stop in to some of these joints, like Manual's Taco Hut. Whoever spoke of Manual, did you mean Manual who is about in his late 50's or early 60's? Or did you mean a Manual who owned it previous to the move to the new building across Ecorse Road?

[1KielsonDrive]

Mary Dierdorf was the owner of Peppina's. You couldn't miss her. She was always sitting at the counter greeting people. Her maiden name was ......... I'm forgetting. But she WAS Italian. She always claimed to be related to Dan Dierdorf of Michigan, St. Louis Cardinal, Monday Night Football fame. Her home was on Outer Drive across from St. Mary Magdallen's and was a beautiful, but typical, Italian decorated, suburban, home. Her husband was a doctor, I can't remember what type. They had a love of stones and gems, resulting in the various showcases and rooms at the restaurant - the Amethyst Room. I have pictures of the Amethyst Room. My girlfriend worked for Mary in the 70's. I had a friend who worked for her and he also worked at the Rhino, living upstairs. She was always trying to fix me up with a business. She also knew Mr. DiCarlo from the New York Sub Shop, so we had that in common. Mary loved visiting with her customers. Even if she didn't clearly remember names, she always came over to say 'hello'. Ever the old time restaurant owner, much like Joey Nykiel [[Joey's Stables), Eli Ciungan[[Ciungan's Seafood), Pete Sams[[The Rouge Hotel), Bill and Bev Eastman[[Eastman's Gaslight), etc. Peppina's was the class of downriver.

[1KielsonDrive]

Jordangirl, I remember Peppina's as a drive-in. I also remember the original McDonald's on Dix and the original White Castle. There was another burger joint on Dix right next to the radio towers [[now Meijer's) that was called - Burger Chef? Does that ring a bell? That's where the Rouge guys met up with the Lincoln Park girls. Did anyone hang at the Daly Burger on Dix at Outer Drive?

[1KielsonDrive]

Gannon, that was you who mentioned Manual. See my post #59. I knew one of the Manuals.

[1KielsonDrive]

I might have a couple of LP restaurant photos here. Let's see...... I actually took these for the Jordangirls [[especially the California ones) but never posted them.

[1KielsonDrive]

Another one for the Jordangirls......Carter's in Ecorse. I think its called the Grand Port now. Did we have some fun and crazy times here? And another, The Pier 500 in Wyandotte.

[reddog289]

Clementes and Calders, It's almost time for Pizza and Egg Nog.

[PlymouthRes]

Best pizza downriver, hands down.................Vito's!

[NoHeartAnthony]

Peppina's... sorry.

[FredGarvin]

Definitely Peppinas.

[1KielsonDrive]

Yeah, I'd go with Peppina's. Vito's was very good quite a few years ago, but in recent years has fallen off. A couple of weeks ago I was at friend's home right up the block from Vito's. We took a vote, Vito's or Mickey's. It was Mickey's unanimously.

[PlymouthRes]

As I remember, Mary's last name was Riley, not Dierdorf, unless the lady that ran the kitchen was a different Mary than owned the place. I worked with her son Mike at Zukins in the mid to late 70's.

I also remember the whole place being a showcase for amnethysts. They had a ton of them and geodes everywhere, with special showcases for the really outstanding ones.

No need to apologize on the opinions of the best pizza here, as we all had our favorite places! I didn't have much experience with Peppinas pizza, either, so I'll defer to your "better culinary judgement" that they were the best. I just remember that the pizzas that I had at Vito's were superior to anything I had from any other pizzeria at the time, and their pizza left a lasting impression on me.

Never had Mickey's, so it wasn't even on the radar.

In regard to Sylvias, the guy you refer to [[Sylvia's son) is Greg K.. I used to run into him all the time when I worked the door at Simons down the street. Although he lived a number of years of an unhealthy lifestyle, he has recently had bariatric surgery [[he is on a radio plug, too.) and has lost about 150 lbs! He looks better than ever and seems to be generally happier than I have ever known him to be.

1KielsonDrive-

You remember Heintz's old shop, huh? You must be older than Methusala! I remember going there with my uncle all the time and seeing Heintz, shirtsleeves rolled up and hacking away at some roof top! When he first came to the states, he and my uncle did a bunch of prototype work there and at Carron and Co. for the Ghia Corp.. Heintz was perhaps one of the best craftsmen [[re:coachbuilders) that I had ever met, a man totally devoted to his quest to make a name for himself in this world. Too bad that mental illness got the better of him in the end, as his contributions to the development of sunroofs/vehicles in general were substantial.

[Downriviera]

La Riviera on Allen Road made a great pizza back in the day. They used to have a small carry out counter in the back with its own entrance door where you would walk in to pick up your pizza. Then they moved the pizza operation to a store next door. When that closed it became Korenda hair salon.

[Downriviera]

In an earlier post I mentioned that the pizza at Pia's on Ecorse in Taylor wasn't as good as it used to be. Well, I just had one last week and it was really good, so I stand corrected.

[PlymouthRes]

DR-

Mom and dad were friends with Tuillio, and about the best I can remember of La Riveria was their prime rib, to die for! Never had their pizza, though........

[MizMotown]

I don't quite remember the restaurants in the area but my father used to own the Allen Park Motor Lodge back in the early 70's. I spent my kindergarten at Arno Elementary [[which to just recently I found out the name was Arno and not Arnold which I always thought it was.) My father ended up trading that motel for a house in Southfield. [[I got used to moving alot...)

My breakfast, lunch, dinner was usually eaten in the restaurant of the motor lodge.

[Jordangirl2]

1KD thanks for the LP pics brought back many memories! Jordangirl3 lived on the same street as Burger Chef. My hubby and I went to Tullios almost every Friday nite to eat, greet & meet with friends, long ago. Thanks again for the pics.