Department Store Restaurant / Tea Room Recipes

[michaelman2]

I know in every city there was a department store that we all grew up with. In my childhood these were almost magical places where you could go and literally spend the day. Rich's was the Atlanta version, Sakowitz was the Houston version. These are now memories and in other cities, there was LS Ayres, Hudson's, Marshall Fields, Burdines, Davison's, B.Altman,Bulloch's, I Magnin... I could go on and on...

I bet there are some members here that have fond memories of these institutions....I remember this recipe and have others from other places if interested.

Anyone else have a favorite to share?

Sakowitz Sky Terrace Shrimp Salad Remoulade

The late, great Sakowitz store located in downtown Houston before the downtown renaissance, had a marvelous restaurant called the “Sky Terrace.” To go there was a special treat as a child – a reward for spending the day shopping with mother. – Shrimp Salad Remoulade. There were two sizes – the large, which was served nested in the outer 10 or so leaves of a head of iceberg lettuce, and the small, which was piled on an avocado half arranged on a bed of lettuce.
To Serve 4 to 6.
Remoulade Sauce:
2 green onions, finely chopped, including green tops
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped, cooked spinach
¾ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons each: Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard
and freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ teaspoon anchovy paste
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
¾ teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle chilies
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Salad:

2 pounds small (70-90 count) shrimp, boiled, peeled and deveined
½ cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Salt to taste
Green leaf lettuce leaves
4 to 6 avocado halves, peeled, seeds removed
Tomato wedges and minced flat-leaf parsley as garnish
Prepare the Remoulade Sauce the day before serving to allow the flavors time to meld together. Combine all ingredients in work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To complete the salad: In a medium-sized bowl combine shrimp, celery, mayonnaise, eggs, lemon juice and salt to taste. Stir in the Remoulade Sauce. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, place lettuce leaves on individual serving plates and nest an avocado half in the center. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop a portion of the salad over the top of the avocado. Garnish plate with tomato wedges and scatter minced parsley over the salad.

 

[Derrek17]

I miss Rich's.....At least the Pink Pig is around at Christmas!
Does anybody remember riding the Pink Pig back to the toy department in Rich's? I had a awesome childhood! I miss the Cellar bakery at Davison's aka Macy's !

 

[appnut]

Jim, you obviously have "inside information" regarding that recipe. My grandmother used to love taking my sisters there for lunch and shopping when they were little girls (early 1950s). To my grandmother's horros, my oldest sister (according to folklore) wanted a PB&J sandwitch and that's all she'd eat. I think they had to send out for the sandwitch to serve to her. My dad used to refer to the store as Bag Of Brains store.

 

[sudsmaster]

I remember once we went out to a good chinese restaurant in Manhattan and my brother wouldn't eat anything but a bacon lettuce tomato sandwich. Somehow he got it and was happy. But it was the 50's and I suppose most chinese restaurants were prepared to cater to barbarian tastes. For the life of me though I can't remember what I ate. Maybe the same as him.

 

[dalangdon]

Council Bluffs had department stores (Beno's, The People's Store, and The Joe Smith Store) but none of them were classy enough to have a restaurant.

But Omaha had Brandeis and Kilpatrick's, and they both had restaurants. Brandeis (the larger of the two) had several, from a lunch counter in the basement to the Tea Room on the main floor. It also had a ballroom on the top floor where, in my parent's day, they had dances on Sunday afternoon (yes, they were called Tea Dances. My, how times have changed)

And I won't go down the road of the "tea room" ;-)

Kilpatrick's - arguably the classiest store in town, since it had designer clothes - had a restaurant called something like the Char-mont, or Shalimar or something like that. My grandmother used to take me there, but I don't remember much of it (the downtown Kilpatrick's closed in 1971) Their first suburban store had a place called The Cimmaron Room, and the Westroads store didn't have a restaurant when it opened.

Seattle had Frederick & Nelson and The Bon Marche. Frederick's (a subsidary of Marshal Field's) had a Tea Room, a grille, and a basement lunch counter in their downtown store, and The Rhododendron room at Bellevue Square. The Bon had The Cascade Room downtown, and The Legend Room at Northgate Mall. The Frederick's restaurants stayed around until the store closed in 1992, and The Bon Marche closed their locations about ten years ago.

There might have been other restaurants at their other locations, but I don't remember them. There's only so much useless trivia I can retain.

 

[maytagbear]

O'Neil's Georgian Room and Georgian Room West

in Akron, Ohio.

Oh, how I loved the chicken-walnut salad, and the apple muffins.

Georgian Room was downtown, Georgian Room West was at Summit Mall.

Since then, some recipes I have encountered have come close, but not close enough.

Such were the wonderful days of the true department store. From books to blankets--haircuts to to punch bowls--and always a lovely lunch.

O'Neil's> May Co> Kaufmann's> Macy's.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[laundromat]

In Baltimore,there was Hochschild Kohn and Company,Hutzlers,Stewarts and The Hecht company(owned by May Company)downtown on Howard St.My grandmother(Mado)would take us(my brother,my sister and me)downtown every wednesday to shop.if we were "good",she tell us to "follow the red line"in Hechts which went throughout the entire store and wound up at the "Red Circle Cafe'"shaped like a red spiral circle right in the middle of the cafe".She liked their Maryland crab soup,I liked their tuna salad sandwich.My brother and sister liked their grilled cheese or cheeseburger.Just across from the cafe' was their appliance department and "toyland".I'd somehow wind up in the appliance department and admire the FRIGIDAIRE appliances as well as their own"Duracrest"line of appliances.First,in 1976,Stewarts closed their doors forever.Not long after that,hutzler's burned to the ground,never to return.Then Hochschild's became Value City and Hecht's shut down its downtown store.Many a fond memorie I have of that era.one night,my mom took me to see"the real"Santa Claus at Hoschild's.as we proceded to the line there in front of my unbelieving,excited eyes sat a Wolverine Rite-Hite pink FRIGIDAIRE toy washer,refrigerator,sink and electric range.I said in a bold,lowd voice,"santa!!this is just what i dreamed of geting!!a Frigidaire Three Ring agitator washer!!!!but I'd like the sink,stove and "frerigitator"too to share with my sister,Leslie!Please bring it to 1806 Wilhelm Avenue zone number 6.Our chinbaly don't realy work but our dog,Bitsie will let us know when you get there!"My mom was so embarrased but truly,there wasn't a dry eye in the store.It was all mom could do to drag me away from those prescious toys!I truly miss her more than anybody will ever know.Santa made it but FRIGIDAIRE didn't.Instead I got a "Varoom!"bike from Matell toys.It wasn't until 1984 I actualy found that beautiful set of toys at an antique dealership in Towson,Md.for $50!!!The washer acxtualy worked and had the 3 ring agitator that went up and down and the tub would spin pretty fast too.I lost them in B'more during my illness in '92.But not the fon mmemories of finaly having them.

 

[bigbubbacain]

OH MY GOD! MichaelMan2!

I've got an extensive history in Houston. I remember Sky Terrace as a little boy. Sakowitz was absolutely amazing! I'm so sorry they're gone! Even the downtown location was converted into a parking garage. I noticed your name in your profile. Are you one of Bobby & Laura's cousins, or maybe a nephew?

As for department store favorites, mine has always been "Oyster Artichoke Soup" from D.H. Holmes in downtown New Orleans. Long gone, the place is now a Ritz Carlton. Still trying to decide if that's a good thing or not....

Anyway, here's the recipe:

* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 bunches green onions, chopped
* 3 ribs celery, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, pressed
* 1-3/4 pounds fresh cut artichoke hearts, or
o 3 9-oz. packages frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and quartered
o 2 (14 oz) cans artichoke hearts, washed, drained, and quartered (save canned hearts as a last resort)
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 to 1-1/2 quarts homemade chicken stock
* Cayenne to taste
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
* 1 quart oysters, drained and chopped (reserve liquor)
* 1/3 cup sherry
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1 cup milk

In a heavy 4-quart pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the green onion, celery, and garlic and saute' until soft. Add the artichokes. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to coat the vegetables well, but do not let the flour brown. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly. Add the cayenne, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 hour. Add the oysters, oyster liquor, and sherry and simmer for 10 minutes. Do not allow the soup to boil. Stir in the cream and milk. Cool and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Before serving, heat the soup slowly over low heat. Serves 8 bowls or 16 cups.

 

[michaelman2]

John ( BigBubba ), Yes, they are relatives however, Lynn Wyatt is not my mom...I get that everytime someone sees my name. She is great and fun, but not mom. Yes Sakowitz was a great store as were many of the old beloved stores that were steeped in tradition. So yeah Bob (Appnut), I had little inside info there. Sky Terrace was of course the name of the tearoom/restaurant and not only was the food great the service was personable and nice as well.

Derrek(Derrek17) I miss Rich's too. The Rich family was very community oriented and anyone who lived in Atlanta knew of Rich's. Their tearoom was called the Magnolia Room and I have several of their great recipes (one follows). Last year I went to our Mayor and council with an idea to create for our city, an event that had the same feel as the Rich's Christmas event. We invited choirs from area churches and schools. Had them sing in a "singing tree" (instead of singing on the bridges that crossed Forsyth Street. Lit a 40' Tree and we purchased a trackless train , Morrow's Lil General (our version of the Pink Pig). Had over 5000 show up and I just got through with the planning meeting last night for this year.....can not wait!

Now for the recipe......

This Salad (yea-yus..in the south anything congealed is/was considered a salad) was served with a Chicken Salad and makes a great lunchoen.

Rich’s Frozen Fruit Salad:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can sliced peaches, well-drained
1/2 cup maraschino cherry halves, well-drained
1 (30-ounce) can fruit cocktail, well-drained
1 (6 1/2-ounce) can crushed pineapple, well-drained
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup whipping cream
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese. Add confectioners' sugar and blend in mayonnaise and vanilla extract. Fold in peaches, cherries, fruit cocktail, pineapple and marshmallows. Whip cream and gently fold into fruit mixture. Add food coloring, if desired. Ladle into paper muffin liners. Freeze immediately for about 3 hours. Defrost 15 minutes before serving. Do not allow to soften. Remove muffin liners before serving.

 

[oldhouseman]

Derrek, Michael,

Do either of you have the recipe for the Carrot Cake from Rich's bakery? They had a great German Chocolate cake too (my favorite).

 

[karmann]

I grew up outside of Nashville, so the big stores were Cain-Sloan and Harvey's. I lived in Palm Beach, Florida for a while. When my husband and I were first married, we didn't eat out often, but if we had $10 to spend, we'd go eat at the restaurant in Burdines dept. store. We could walk there and make an evening of it. I can't remember the name, but it had "green" in it. Maybe the Greenhouse or something like that. I also liked the restaurant that was in the Lord & Taylor store.

Neiman-Marcus in Fort Worth still has a restaurant called The Zodiac. They make pop-overs that are to die for! No need to order anything else, just bring me a plate of pop-overs and some butter!

 

[michaelman2]

Greg,
I do not remember the carrot cake at Rich's. If it was half as good as the coconut cake and caramel cake then it was GOOD! I have the coconut cake, filling and icing recipe if you like it. You know it was printed in the Atl Journal several years ago and it was apparently one of the most requested items in the history of the recipe finder section. I am going to post the recipe soon.....

 

[michaelman2]

Karmann,
The popovers at Neiman Marcus are GREAT,...I have that recipe if you like....not hard to do at all....I can not for the life of me remember what Burdine's tearoom was named....

 

[drewz]

Laundromat,

Funny how you forget things, you made me get the warm fuzzies!
My B-more memories close to yours, "Baltimores own Hochschild Kohn!" Mother worked at Stewart's as a buyer, Aunt worked at Hutzler's downtown and then transferred to the New Towson store where we got to eat as a treat in the lovely "Valley View Room".

I found that toy washer you spoke of in my attic brand new in the box dated April 1961. There were a couple parts missing but found them on ebay and now is totally complete.

 

[gmpayne]

Was a tradition at Chirstmas time to go downtown and look at the Chistmas widows at L.S. Ayers then go to the Tea Room for lunch. They had the best Chicken Velvet Soup.

Chicken Velvet Soup

This recipe was a standard at the L.S Ayers Tea Room at the L.S.Ayres Department store opened for business in 1907. Enjoy!!
6 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 cu. milk
3 cu. chicken broth
dash pepper
6 Tbs. flour
1/2 cu. light cream
1 cu. finely chopped cooked chicken

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Blend in flour, then stir in milk, light cream and chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes just a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in finely chopped cooked chicken and a dash of pepper. Return soup to just a boil and serve immediately.

Serves about 5
This recipe was a standard at the L.S Ayers Tea Room at the L.S.Ayres Department store opened for business in 1907. Enjoy!!

 

[michaelman2]

Gary, Apparantly this was a very popular and well loved dish. Another member sent me this as well. I loved L.S. Ayres and thought that the quaility of the merchandise was great and the employees of that company had been with the stores for years.
Another sad story regarding their demise.

I never had the pleasure of the cafe, but your recipe sounds great... I think I smell a chicken about to be boiled!

 

[veg-o-matic]

Hutzler's Cheese Bread

Oh, how I miss the Valley View Room! The Hutzler's Towson building is still there, though it now houses a number of stores.
Here is their recipe for cheese bread:

Hutzler's Cheese Bread
Yield: Makes 4 loaves

Ingredients:
1 package yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
9 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
13 1/2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups milk

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Combine 9 1/2 cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 cup sugar and 13 1/2 ounces grated cheese. Melt butter and margarine, add to milk, then combine all ingredients. Knead, let rise 2 hours. Divide into 4 parts. Place in four greased 4-inch-by-8-inch loaf pans and let rise. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

veg

 

[danemodsandy]

One From Davison's:

I have never been able to recall the name of this dish, but it was one I had back in the '60s at Atlanta's Davison's, years before it became Macy's. I have always been able to duplicate dishes I've eaten out, so after a couple of times having it at Davison's, I went home and started turning it out myself. It is so good that straight guys will propose marriage to get it - not that I'm into that!:

STUFFED BLUE CHEESE BURGER

1 pound lean ground beef, formed into eight THIN patties
1 package crumbled blue cheese
1 pint heavy cream
2 TB Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Top four of the patties with equal portions of blue cheese. Place the other four patties on top of them; press the edges together well to seal.

Grill, broil, or pan-broil the patties until done. While they are cooking, heat the cream to the boil in a saucepan, whisk in the mustard. Boil until lightly thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve this sauce over the patties.

What you get is an incredible blend of beef, melted blue cheese, and a sharp, savoury sauce. Very simple, very easy, and very addictive.

 

[michaelman2]

OMG Sandy...that burger sounds fantastic <quickly copied and pasted to my little note book>.....yum!