Restaurants We Miss [NJ]

With all the recent talk about the closings of Dish and Lincroft Inn, I figured I would ressurrect this thread. Currently working on a Casey Jones (Long Branch) edition of my blog’s “Restaurants We Miss” column. For now, anyone remember the Don Quixote Inn?


2292848790_388ef422b4_b

I may have eaten my first steak here. How incredibly rare is it for a restaurant to offer a steak on the children’s menu? The Don Quixote Inn did. Maybe this was their way of trying to introduce younger diners to “adult” meals, I don’t know. There were chicken fingers and maybe a mini pizza as well, but I always went for the steak. It was probably only four or five ounces, but to my young eyes, seemed massive. I do not recall much else about the Don Quixote by way of food, though I can remember exactly what the dining room looked like, and that some of the servers could border on ornery. Readers of this blog know how I have a love for restaurants stuck in time. The places that remain unchanged as the decades pass. For some, like Portuguese Manor, it works and thrives. For others, it’s nothing but a death knell—the reminder that all things must come to an end.

The last time we ate here would have been right before they closed, around 2001. I would have been 10. Don Quixote was already dated by then. The items on the menu which come to mind, the decor of the rooms, the way the servers were dressed, and how things were done. All out of style, if you cared about that sort of thing. There was no basket of rolls and butter, but there was a ball of cheddar cheese and plate of crackers. Hell, that was probably passe by the 1980’s.

From what I can tell, they opened up in 1964. Like Keyport’s similarly defunct landmark restaurant Ye Cottage Inn (which was taken during Hurricane Sandy), the Don Quixote seemed to be a popular spot for banquets and luncheons—these probably carried the business in their near 50 years of operation. During that span, not much changed. They did not move with the times, and finally, ran out of it altogether. The famous Windmill which served as the entrance was a welcome beacon to diners and passersby. You could not miss it. The structure was famous in its own right. People who did not even know what the restaurant was called still referenced, “Oh yeah, that place with the windmill”.

Location, the economy, and the demographics of your customers factor a lot into how even a restaurant with quality food can still close. Their crowd was generally an older one. Perhaps the Don Quixote never quite tapped into the coming generation enough to sustain themselves for another decade. I do not mean this facetiously or in mean spirits when I say this restaurant may have died with some of their customers.

Things finally came to an end in 2001. While it seems the building was used for events over the next few years, the restaurant itself was out of business. I still remember riding by after they closed, looking out for the windmill. In 2007, that local landmark too bit the dust, being demolished with a daycare center built in its place. It’s a shame restaurants like this are so few and far-between.

Taken from my blog here.

Speaking of places I really miss, Steak & Ale is officially rubble. Demolished late last week.

It will be making for…Dunkin’ Donuts and an Auto Zone. Thank God. We have none of those around…

It took like 10 years to get a friggin dunkin and autozone. Geez

Lol. Greg do you remember the pumpernickel bread at steak and ale? Wow…I miss that! If some place got bread and butter right, it was that chain.

I had a “bread thread” but it didn’t get much love on here. Maybe you can bring it back to life with some of your wonderful pics

Yes! Of course I remember the bread! For a place that closed when I was 16, I have vivid memories. The bread and soft butter was excellent. That was early into my steak eating days. The garlic butter sirloin was to die for. They even had cinnamon ice cream, which to date, I have never seen elsewhere.

I loved everything about the place. The meals, the atmosphere, the layout and design (there were like four separate dining areas and alcoves, some totally private, some up on a platform. I remember how dark it was inside, almost medieval. They also had one of the best salad bars I’ve ever seen. Cute bar and lounge, but after NJ killed smoking, that area died with it. I did a full write-up of this place a while ago. It was a love affair.

Anyway, where is the bread thread? I’m sure I can come up with a few contributions. :slight_smile:

That was definitely a cool place! The salad bar was actually decent too. Check the bread thread out…

1 Like

Add to the list La’ Catena 22 in Bridgewater…wow. When I used to live in Edison this was one of the best fine dining Italian restaurants around, outside of La Fontana in New Brunswick. They had one hell of a run, at least 30 years…the last time I was there though the writing was on the wall. This and Cia Bella around the corner were two of my favorite places in that area. RIP La Catena 22.

Was wishing for What’s Your Beef again last Sunday but settled a very good steak at Raven and The Peach - see my post on their thread for details.

1 Like

The Fanwood Chippery even though there is a new version trying to recapture the original. I spent many a meal at The Chippery on my way to visit my Uncle. The fish, steak fries, malt vinegar, slaw…good times.

1 Like

Jolly Trolley Bar & Grill, Westfield was a fun time. Years of meeting up with family and friends. Ate more bar burgers there than I can count.

1 Like

Hinck’s in Red Bank.

1 Like

Really miss the old Chippery. Is there any connection between the Fanwood place and the new Chippery, which is in three locations? After the Fanwood Chippery closed, I made do with Cod Almighty, but then it closed too. :disappointed:

Restaurant David Drake in Rahway.

2 Likes

The Fanwood location was quick to mention the batter recipe was passed to them from The Chippery but it didn’t seem like it to me.

David Drake was my favorite NJ restaurant

3 Likes

Last time I looked, Drake was the chef at Rudolph’s Steakhouse in Bernardsville.

Junior - Speaking of Edison, do you remember the Captain’s Wheel?

The Captains Wheel if I remember correctly was on the South side of 1 about a mile or so from Green Street in Iselin, am I right? (now the site of a strip mall) The staples on 1 and Green St. used to be a restaurant too, I forget the name but I think it had a nautical theme too.

The Staples used to be the Greenwood Manor if I recall correctly. Also there was another place on Route 1 and Ford Ave. called Captain G’s.

Yes, you are correct. These were all a bit “before my time”…I think you are correct the Greenwod Manor was the Staples location and the location I was explaining to you was Capt. G’s not the Captains Wheel, so the answer to your question is yes I remember it but by name alone.

From 1986-1991 I worked at 2000 Park Ave in South Plainfield NJ (name is location) it used to be the old Jacques Restaurant. It was owned by a Greek family whom I became very close with and after we would close we would often head over to the Greenwood Manor for “last call” (often staying with the owners till well past closing) , then from there we would head to The Galaxy Diner on St. George Ave. (who also had a liquor license)…even though I was under age (until - 1991) I would get served with them at the Greenwood, Galaxy and The Pines Manor. Those were the big Greek-owned spots of the time.

Wow…you have opened up a flood gate of memories.

2 Likes