Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (Adjudicator)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:46:57 GMT

Joby's Seafood Restaurant. 1971 in Panama City, FL. Coincidentally, this was the first year I encountered a "resin/tar" baked potato in another location in PC.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (chewingthefat)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:20:49 GMT

fishtaco

chewingthefat

The first was probably The Shamrock Restaurant on Rt. 15 near Thurmont, as long as I can remember they have had one, limited but good, they have their own garden during the summer. The best was Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian Restaurant, Chain, in Beverly Hills, huge selections. That said, the one in Palm Desert, closed last year.

Fogo De Chao, where you can OD on meat!

Absolutely!

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (Root-Beer Man)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:24:44 GMT

Not sure where the first one I ever saw was, but I spent many a night restocking the one at Sir Walter Raleigh on Rt. 1 in Alexandria, VA when I was in high school. It was pretty good and I still use some of their recipes for salad dressings. Folks really seemed to like it, even though they came for the steaks and lobster.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (phatphil)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:25:51 GMT

era 1970's Mister Rickeys in skokie illinois, now owner of lettuce entertain you restaurants

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (fishtaco)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:07:21 GMT

chewingthefat

The first was probably The Shamrock Restaurant on Rt. 15 near Thurmont, as long as I can remember they have had one, limited but good, they have their own garden during the summer. The best was Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian Restaurant, Chain, in Beverly Hills, huge selections. That said, the one in Palm Desert, closed last year.

Fogo De Chao, where you can OD on meat!

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (ces1948)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:07:25 GMT

Not to change the subject but a couple of people mentioned Ruby Tuesday's salad bar. We went a couple of weeks ago and they have substantially cut down on the available items, changed the name to "garden" bar or something similar and now include it for no extra charge as a side item on most meals. It still ok but not what is was.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (CCinNJ)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:03:40 GMT

Beefsteak Charlie's on Staten Island. However...it was the most dimly lit restaurant so seeing it was difficult.

Either Gino's had a salad bar in the 70s...or my Father was very fond of the toppings bar.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (bartl)

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:46:36 GMT

There were a series of restaurants chains in New York, of which Steak & Brew was one, variously called things like Beef & Brew, Steak & Brew, B.O.S.S., and, well those are the only ones I remember (except for one, which will come up). They were all pretty much the same restaurant, and they all had salad bars. The story at the time was (and I have not seen it confirmed or denied) was that they had corporate owners, who would pocket the money brought in instead of paying their bills, go bankrupt, then the human owners would form a new corporation, buy up the old restaurants, and form identical ones with the same name. Essentially, when they became Beefsteak Charlie's, they kind of stayed in business for a couple of decades.

Bart

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (NAAMikey)

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:22:24 GMT

I believe the first salad bar I ever at at was in a place called "The Bum Steer" in Baldwin Place, NY. Thier salad dressings were from a local farm and they had all kinds of bread, including my fave, raisin pumpernickel!

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (chewingthefat)

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:08:30 GMT

The first was probably The Shamrock Restaurant on Rt. 15 near Thurmont, as long as I can remember they have had one, limited but good, they have their own garden during the summer. The best was Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian Restaurant, Chain, in Beverly Hills, huge selections. That said, the one in Palm Desert, closed last year.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (Large Man)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:42:11 GMT

In the 70's, Jerry's 76 Truckstop, Manning SC. My dad liked to eat where the truckers ate so the salad bar was a bonus. This place actually had good food! Great fried chicken but it was cooked to order so you had to wait, something a ten year old found difficult at times.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (ces1948)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:03:42 GMT

Gosh I wish I could remember for sure. I know I was amazed at the choices. Possibly Steak and Ale but more likely Bonanza or some place like that.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (sk bob)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:44:10 GMT

thanks for reminding me about Beefsteak Charlies, David_NYC.
the first was either at Beefsteak Charlies in Farmington, CT or Chucks Steakhouse in Rocky Hill,CT in the mid '70's. good bread at Chucks also.
I liked Rheingold, Schaefer, & PBR. drank plenty of all of them back then.
I hated Ballentine, Schlitz,& Shmidts.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (cavandre)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:57:29 GMT

David_NYC

For me, it was a Beefsteak Charlie's on Long Island back around 1974. I think they also offered either a pitcher or unlimited "beer, wine, or sangria", as the TV commercials proclaimed. The beer was one of the budget brands like Rheingold or Shaefer or Ballantine or PBR on draft.

There was a time (late '60's-early '70's) when all four of those brands made a pretty good beer.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (mbrookes)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:01:13 GMT

First one I saw was a Shoney's in Clarksdale, MS. I saw a mouse run up under it and never went back. I still don't like standing close to one. Yes, I am rodent phobic.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (mar52)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:18 GMT

The salad bar was where I first learned of three bean salad.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (BelleReve)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:13:38 GMT

It was a steak place in 1979 that I can't even remember the name, other than it had the name sizzler or sizzlin' in it. I was amazed at the variety of items offered which included halved avocados. Soup and some hot items came later.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (fattybomatty)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:35:47 GMT

I think my first salad bar experience was an old steakhouse called O'Connor's in Watchung, NJ. Salad bar was huge with big hunks of cheese at the end for you to slice off a few pieces and a variety of breads as well.

I only miss that place because of its great salad bar :-(

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (Michael Hoffman)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:22:35 GMT

Chuck's Steak House, Boston Post Road, Orange, Connecticut -- 1964.

I still won't go near a salad bar.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (lleechef)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:53:02 GMT

Red Bull Inn on Merchant St. in Ambridge, PA around 1970. I could have cared less about the steaks, the salad bar was that good. And the bleu cheese dressing had HUGE hunks of cheese in it. The restaurant is long gone but not forgotten!

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (David_NYC)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:47:16 GMT

For me, it was a Beefsteak Charlie's on Long Island back around 1974. I think they also offered either a pitcher or unlimited "beer, wine, or sangria", as the TV commercials proclaimed. The beer was one of the budget brands like Rheingold or Shaefer or Ballantine or PBR on draft.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (pnwchef)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:20:21 GMT

The first place I thought of was Steak & Brew also, you ordered the steak and then got up for the salad bar and fresh hot bread at the end of the line. The one I went to was in Fairfield Ct in the early 70's........pnwc

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (cavandre)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:12:46 GMT

carlton pierre

I believe 1973z just before Thanksgiving in NYC at a wonderful small chjain of places back then called Steak & Brew. I think the gimmick was if you bought a steak you got a pitcher of beer for free. Something like that. But, the steaks were good, the beer was cold and they had a salad bar as well.

That's where I first saw one...by the way, it wasn't just "a" pitcher; they kept refilling it.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (carlton pierre)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:51:03 GMT

I believe 1973z just before Thanksgiving in NYC at a wonderful small chjain of places back then called Steak & Brew. I think the gimmick was if you bought a steak you got a pitcher of beer for free. Something like that. But, the steaks were good, the beer was cold and they had a salad bar as well.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (ann peeples)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:34:44 GMT

There was a chain of retaurants in the Milwaukee area called Captains Steak Joynt. The salad bar was such a wonderful discovery that I dont think I ever had a steak there, just the salad bar and on occasion, french onion soup with it. I remember their homemade croutons, and like Jim said, unlimited bacon bits!
I agree with Paul, Ruby Tuesdays has the best, freshest salad bar.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (DawnT)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:30:46 GMT

I think it was towards the end of the 70's that my parents started checking out restaurants that used to serve the condo row dwellers up in the north end of the county. They found a place that served an early bird soup to nuts prime rib special on friday nights. I wasn't married at the time, so it would have had to been b4 the summer of '78. I think the place was called Ghallager's. Nothing fancy, just a simple cold table with salad and some vegetable toppings with a couple of dressings.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (mar52)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:12:13 GMT

Scotch and Sirloin at the corner of Pico and Sepulveda.

Late sixties or early seventies.

Great steak, a lobster tail and a baked potato after walking through the salad bar.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (ChrisOC)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:49:43 GMT

The first one I remember was at a restaurant in the Plymouth Meeting Mall in Montgomery County PA, in the late 60's or early 70's. I cannot remember the name of the place, but the salad bar was great, lots of good bread as well. Then salad bar fever took over and even Mickey D had a salad bar. Roy Roger's had a good one as did Wendy's with their super bar.

Re:Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (Sundancer7)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:26:58 GMT

My first was Ruby Tuesday's and to this day, they still have a great salad bar.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Where & when was the first salad bar you ever saw? Same ?'s for the best ever. (MetroplexJim)

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:22:15 GMT

And here I'm not talking about "buffets" or "smorgasbords"...

When was the first time you walked into a "regular" restaurant and saw a salad bar?

My first was in 1971 at That Steak Place in Charlottesville, VA. Couldn't get enough of the bacon bits!

The best was in the 1980's at Pistone's Italian Inn, at "Seven Corners" in Arlington/Falls Church, VA. In addition to all the salads they offered a wide variety of cold cuts, charcuterie, smoked seafood, breads, and cheeses. They are still in business but their present salad bar is only a shadow of its former glorious self.