Schrafts Restaurants

Does any one remember Schrafts in NYC? I;m trying to find a recipe for their Cheese Bread (made the best toast!)

I still long for their orange-milk sherbet.

I remember Schrafft's. I think they also had their own brand of ice cream to take home, and I somehow remember hard candy straws, mint with chocolate inside. Schraffts was the kind of place you would go with your maiden aunt (remember that term?) or your grandmother.

Schrafft's. Ah, apple scallop, served by the nice ladies in black and white uniforms. Heaven.

Didn't they also sell boxed chocolates (like Whitman's Sampler or Loft's in the pre Godiva days)?

I once heard that Schraftt's original location (or factory maybe) was at 186 Winthrop Street in Winthrop Mass. It is now has residential apartments. It is a 3 story brick 'commercial like' building uncharacteristic for the area. I could never get confirmation of that; is anyone else familiar with it?

quote:

Originally posted by MacTAC

Didn't they also sell boxed chocolates (like Whitman's Sampler or Loft's in the pre Godiva days)?

I think they sold their own brand. Of course, nothing in those pre-superpremium import days measured up to Barricini's, especially the green marzipan and chocolate acorns.

jtarnows--
There is a site: “Uncle Phaedrus, Consulting Detective + Finder of Lost Recipes.”
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/
Give him a try. He has helped me in the past.

Yes, I remember Schraffts. I also remember groaning big time when it was announced that we would end a day of NY shopping with dinner there.
Once I was placated by my mother who said, “ We’ll go to the Men’s Grill. Women must be accompanied by a man in order to get in.”
I was about twelve but in the eyes of Schraffts – I WAS A MAN!--(Now this was way before women’s lib. but maybe womankind was getting the last laugh.)
I remember liking the appointments in that down stairs den. There was lots of dark wood, red leather cushioned chairs, pictures of foxhunts etc. They even had a bar.
The rest of the “men” were younger than me. One very young man kept crying throughout his dinner. I guess he didn’t like the place either.
The food was the usual Schraffts – skimpy portions but large deserts. To whom were they catering?

I had my first creme de menthe parfait there.

quote:

Originally posted by BarbaraCt

I had my first creme de menthe parfait there.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I forgot all about creme de menthe parfaits,
I bet it's been over 30 years since I have had one! Boy, I used to love them!

Once in a while I'll mix up a creme d'menthe , brandy, and heavy cream - is that something like a parfait?

And I remember eating chicken ala king at Schraffts - a very sophisticated meal for my young palate. seems to me the place was around Times Square on Broadway or 7th...

Some of you might want to take a look at the revived thread, NYC in the 40s etc. I think Schraffts is mentioned there.

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by jtarnows

Does any one remember Schrafts in NYC? I;m trying to find a recipe for their Cheese Bread (made the best toast!)

Schrafft's Cheese Bread

1/4 cup warm water

2 packages active dry yeast (2 scant tablespoons)

1 3/4 cups milk, at room temperature

5 to 51/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

Vegetable oil (for the bowl)

Mix the water and yeast, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, flour, sugar, salt, butter and 11/2 cups of the cheese. Mix at slow speed until the ingredients are combined.

Using a dough hook, mix for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is well-developed. The dough will be softer than usual for a bread dough, but it should not feel sticky. If necessary, add more flour.

Remove the dough from the bowl. Add a tiny bit of oil to the bowl. Return the ball of dough to the bowl and turn to coat it lightly with oil. Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk. This will take 30 to 60 minutes.

Punch the dough down. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and knead the cheese in only enough to incorporate it. Do not knead the dough too much while doing this.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a loaf and place in 2 greased loaf pans, each about 8- by 5- by 3-inches. Cover the pans with a clean dish towel and let the loaves rise again, this time until well above the rim of the pans, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the tops of the loaves with water. Place in the oven. For optimum crust, place a pan of water under the loaf pans, and after the loaf pans are in place on the shelf above, put a heated brick or piece of metal in the water to create steam. Bake with steam for about 15 minutes; then remove the pan of water and place a piece of foil in a tent shape over each loaf. Bake for an additional 35 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned and the bottoms, when the breads are removed from their pans, make a hollow thump when tapped.

Remove the loaves from the pans immediately and let them cool thoroughly, either on a rack or by leaning the loaves against a bowl or backsplash.

To store the bread, wrap tightly in foil. Makes 2 loaves.

Seafarer John, as I remember, the creme de menthe parfait was just vanilla ice cream with creme de menthe poured over it, and a little whipped cream. Not very fancy by today's standards.

quote:

Originally posted by BarbaraCt

Seafarer John, as I remember, the creme de menthe parfait was just vanilla ice cream with creme de menthe poured over it, and a little whipped cream. Not very fancy by today's standards.

Yes, You are right! But by the standards of a 12 year old boy like I was in 1963. This was very very fancy!!

Actually, we do just that sometomes - a dish of vanilla ice cream with green creme d'menth poured over it - does wonders for cheap ice cream.

Did they really let little children ingest all that alcohol in those days? Bless them if they did, a little soporific is good for the little ones - and the sanity of their parents.

Cheers, John

Originally posted by seafarer john

Actually, we do just that sometomes - a dish of vanilla ice cream with green creme d'menth poured over it - does wonders for cheap ice cream.

Did they really let little children ingest all that alcohol in those days? Bless them if they did, a little soporific is good for the little ones - and the sanity of their parents.

Cheers, John
[/quot

Non-alcoholic Green Creme D'mente, My little brother got it, everytime We went to Dairy Queen.

Was Schrafts a chain? Was there more than one in Manhatan? Either way, could someone please give me the location of the dinner(s)?

Thank you.

Are you kidding..Schraft's Coffee Ice Cream...Blue, white and red container

quote:

Originally posted by Ghostofreason

Was Schrafts a chain? Was there more than one in Manhatan? Either way, could someone please give me the location of the dinner(s)?

Thank you.

This article talks about the Schrafft’s chain, and includes a link to a book written about the chain:
http://www.foodistcolony.com/Post.aspx?id=2147&category=Link
The last of them closed about three decades ago.

Several of O. Henry's stories that were set in NYC make mention of Schrafft's.

Brad

quote:

Originally posted by David_NYC

quote:

Originally posted by Ghostofreason

Was Schrafts a chain? Was there more than one in Manhatan? Either way, could someone please give me the location of the dinner(s)?

Thank you.

This article talks about the Schrafft’s chain, and includes a link to a book written about the chain:
http://www.foodistcolony.com/Post.aspx?id=2147&category=Link
The last of them closed about three decades ago.

Thank you very much. Does anyone know where there might have been a Schrafts in Midtown Manhattan? I'm trying to find information on my great-grandmother, who worked at one in that area.

In its peak, there were something like 50 locations, but they were phased out in the late 70's & replaced by tacky chains such as TGI Fridays. Schrafts catered the meals at Geigy in Ardsley, NY when I worked there one summer in the late 60's. Always looked forward to lunchtime. It was always a treat - not one's typical cafeteria..

Oh yeah, I remember Schrafft's quite well. I loved their sundae's and ice cream sodas. And, we always took a box of their chocolates to some ones house as a dinner gift.

Ghostofreason,

There were quite a few in Midtown Manhattan. In fact, the pictures in the link I gave you were all photographed in Midtown Manhattan. From a geneology perspective, remember that a lot of the Schraft's staff did not live nearby but took the subway or bus into midtown. You probably will need to visit the main New York Public Library (42nd and 5th) if you want to peruse old business and telephone directories.

Yes, I remember Schraffts. They also made chocolates - quite the gift to give someone: a box of Schraffts.

This seems in the genre of Patricia Murphy's, Chock full o' nuts, Horn and Hardhart and the Brass Rail. (remember that one?)

When I grew up my father was an accountant for Longchamps chain. Yum! I just did a google and came up with this:

http://www.newyorkfirst.com/gifts/9071.html

(Maybe that's worth its own thread, but I'm feeling too lazy now to start one..)

Please note I am resurrecting a two-year old post.
 

Ghostofreason

[id=quote size=1 font="arial, helvetica"]quote: Originally posted by David_NYC

[id=quote size=1 font="arial, helvetica"]quote: Originally posted by Ghostofreason

Was Schrafts a chain? Was there more than one in Manhatan? Either way, could someone please give me the location of the dinner(s)?

Thank you.

This article talks about the Schrafft’s chain, and includes a link to a book written about the chain:
http://www.foodistcolony.com/Post.aspx?id=2147&category=Link
The last of them closed about three decades ago.

Thank you very much. Does anyone know where there might have been a Schrafts in Midtown Manhattan? I'm trying to find information on my great-grandmother, who worked at one in that area.

I just came across a brochure distributed by the Frank G. Schattuck Company handed out about 1965. It includes a list of all NYC Metro area restaurants (now all defunct). The brochure also listed restaurants and motor inns from Massachusetts to Florida. Anyway, the NYC area list is as follows:
 
33 Schraftt's Restaurants in the New York area look forward to serving you.
 
Manhattan
48 Broad St
80 Pine St
46 Park Place
281 Broadway
61 Fifth Ave
62 W. 23rd Street
462 Park Ave
393 Seventh Ave
15 W 34th St
1381 Broadway
5 E. 37th St
148 E 43rd St
1496 Broadway
556 Fifth Ave
382 Madison Ave
750 Third Ave
1237 Ave of the Americas (6th Avenue)
21 W. 51 St
464 Madison Ave
201 E. 57th St
220 W. 57th St
625 Madison Ave
990 Madison Ave
155 E. 79th St
1221 Madison Ave
2285 Broadway
 
Bronx
33 E. Fordham Rd
 
Brooklyn
912 Flatbush Ave
386 Fulton St
 
Westchester
193 Main St. White Plains
566 Main St. New Rochelle
Route 22, Eastchester (680 White Plains Rd)
 
Newark, NJ
679 Broad St

I remember eating in a Schrafft's in the Boston area in the 70s, which was basically at  the end of their existence.  I think I ate at one near Rockefeller Plaza in NYC around that time as well.

There's still a giant Schrafft's sign on a building in Sullivan Square in Massachusetts.

Vaguely recall the restaurants, however, Schrafts catered the lunches (prepared on site) when I worked at Geigy in Ardsley, NY one summer.  Definately a daily treat.

Never ate at one, but I recall they did make chocolates.

To David_NYC: Unbelievable!!! Your information is fantastic. I can't thank you enough. This is a wonderful resource for my genealogical research. You posted this a year-and-a-half ago. Funny, I didn't come back to this site until now. Anyway, thank you again!!