Talk about the local eats scene since 1990 ...

[Robin Garr]

This is sort of akin to Carla's "what do you miss" conversation only different. To help give me backup on an article, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about the changes we've seen on the local food and drink scene since 1990, which is 20 years ago this year.

On the one hand, we already had a good flying start on our modern scene at that point. The Bristol had been in business for almost 15 years, Jack Fry's, Metro and others almost that long. Lilly's was well established, and the Seelbach oakroom had been restored and was making its mark for fine dining.

So it's not really reasonable to say that we've come from noplace to someplace. We were already someplace. (Actually, now that I think about it, I left the CJ at the start of 1990, so everything I had covered in my years as the newspapers' food critic had happened already by then. But there have been changes too.

Old-timers, or anyone who's been around long enough to observe the last 20 years or a good chunk of it: Talk to us about how you think the scene has changed since then.

[Robin Garr]

very few ethnic options when i arrived here 18 yrs. ago. now a great explosion of a variety of different ethnic cuisine. also lots more creativity in food options and drinks.

Absolutely true on the ethnic front. Talk to me about "lots more creativity," though. Can you be specific? When I think about places like Lilly's and 610 and Deitrich's, just to name a few, the cutting-edge places of the '80s were already pretty creative. Maybe you find it more widespread?

Well I was not eating well in restaurants in the early nineties, it maybe began in the mid nineties with places like Little Bit of Seoul, The Grape Leaf, Kim's Asian Grill, City Cafe, Lynne's Paradise, that Greek place on Barrett and the one on Eastern, etc... but all of these places were economical. While Lilly's, Jack Fry's and the like were pouring out great menus for their genre, the product available to them and taste awareness surely have come a long way. What were the great dishes put out by them 20 years ago? I'm curious about that aspect, not just the names of places, but the popular ingredients of the time. Not long ago, balsamic, capers, field greens, and sun-dried tomatoes were considered exotic. So were a lot of types of fish - tuna, halibut, mussels... The Bristol was considered semi-fine and they had a swordfish special that my mom thought was very high end at the time. There are many tales to tell here.

Also breads have had a big impact. Super crusty french, whole grains, flats, fresh fried tortilla chips, stuffed pastries... Am I wrong here? I know these were uncommon in the general mkt.

Fresh mushrooms on pizza. I may be wrong, but I recall lots of slimy canned mushrooms on pizza 20 yrs ago - not so much today.

Really cool topic, Robin. I didn't realize as much when I first read it, but then my wheels started rowing.

The places we ate when I was a kid were pretty darn decent. Not as much ethnic, but good none the less. Luau Room,"the flaming drinks, and po-po platter, The Embassy supper club, "hand engraved matches with your name at the table. the old Casa when it was family, southern Italian. Old Stone Inn, Bauers, ...good old southern cooking. King Fish, when it was a rickety shack on river road. The wonderful PorQueno were Jack Frys is. I lived above Jack Frys when Jack was still alive and came down to wash dishes. Our underage drinking in the closed rooms at Cunninghams, Roppels Catering, where we made everything from scratch, and I mean everything. Stouffers Top of the Tower, The original Bristol, where we made the skillet fries in a cast iron skillet, and all the soups from scratch, Captain Quarters, our chef with the pink Cadillac and wonderful steaks, all the steak Diane and Caeser Salads I cooked tableside. ... the list goes on and on. In hindsight there were quite a few interesting places. I can think of quite a few more and will add more later. PS sorry about the spelling. Bill, Shady Lane

My Bad, I totally misread the "since 1990" Please delete my post. Thats what I get for watching B-Ball while posting. Duh.

No Bill - that was awesome. I wanted to be you while reading about you.

[Robin Garr]

My Bad, I totally misread the "since 1990" Please delete my post. Thats what I get for watching B-Ball while posting. Duh.

Never mind, Bill, I loved your reminiscence. No harm, no foul, but please let me leave it in, just because it's such fun to remember those old days.

Also breads have had a big impact. Super crusty french, whole grains, flats, fresh fried tortilla chips, stuffed pastries... Am I wrong here? I know these were uncommon in the general mkt.

There are a lot of par-baked, frozen breads out there now that didn't exist 15-20 years ago. La Brea Bakery was a leader in making this kind of product available to everyone. The quality has improved greatly as well. Is it as good as making your own fresh? Maybe not; But now any restaurant can have "good' bread without the expense of having a baker on staff to clean up behind. In my experience, bakers are generally messy and their stuff gets everywhere.

I pretty much missed the biggest chunk of the 90's dining scene here as I was living in New England and Arizona. The last place I worked at here was the BBC in St.Matthews right after it first opened in late 91 or 92. Working there had a big impact on my career. It's where I first got exposed to scratch cooking for the first time. The first chef there, Mike Carpenter had been working at Gordon Biersch in San Fransisco prior to coming back here. He didn't last very long as he was having his way with most of the female service staff. However, it was the first place I can ever remember having to bring your own knives, wear chef whites and seeing a proper kitchen brigade. I was also exposed to Sullivan students for the first time as well, as several of them worked there.

I pretty much missed the biggest chunk of the 90's dining scene here as I was living in New England and Arizona. The last place I worked at here was the BBC in St.Matthews right after it first opened in late 91 or 92. Working there had a big impact on my career. It's where I first got exposed to scratch cooking for the first time. The first chef there, Mike Carpenter had been working at Gordon Biersch in San Fransisco prior to coming back here. He didn't last very long as he was having his way with most of the female service staff. However, it was the first place I can ever remember having to bring your own knives, wear chef whites and seeing a proper kitchen brigade. I was also exposed to Sullivan students for the first time as well, as several of them worked there.

BBC opened in November 1993. The original Chef was Paul Adkins, a high school friend of Pat Hagan's and mine and of Gordon Biersch fame. The place did swarm with Sullivan grunts, er, students, a pastry chef, Gail Shackelford Crowder - who still practices her craft and an in-house meat cutter, Bill something?

In 1990 I was 13 and living in Shively. It goes without saying how lacking that area is still today although strides are being made.

However I grew up on Chen's on Dixie as my introduction to Asian cuisine. My mother told me that Mr Chen sat in amazement that I would even touch any of the food when I was only 3 years old.

Around that time I think my only other non-chain exposure was to Jessie's family restaurant, Tumbleweed (At that time), Chico's (which actually may have closed in the south end by 1990) and Mama Grisanti's.

It's hard for me to truly appreciate the growth of cuisine in this town as my own culinary discovery was going on at the same time.

The places we ate when I was a kid were pretty darn decent. Not as much ethnic, but good none the less. Luau Room,"the flaming drinks, and po-po platter, The Embassy supper club, "hand engraved matches with your name at the table. the old Casa when it was family, southern Italian. Old Stone Inn, Bauers, ...good old southern cooking. King Fish, when it was a rickety shack on river road. The wonderful PorQueno were Jack Frys is. I lived above Jack Frys when Jack was still alive and came down to wash dishes. Our underage drinking in the closed rooms at Cunninghams, Roppels Catering, where we made everything from scratch, and I mean everything. Stouffers Top of the Tower, The original Bristol, where we made the skillet fries in a cast iron skillet, and all the soups from scratch, Captain Quarters, our chef with the pink Cadillac and wonderful steaks, all the steak Diane and Caeser Salads I cooked tableside. ... the list goes on and on. In hindsight there were quite a few interesting places. I can think of quite a few more and will add more later. PS sorry about the spelling. Bill, Shady Lane

We remember many of the same places. I'll tack on Victoria Station, The Chili Bowl, Green Dragon (Highlands) .

Looking back 20 years obvioiusly the influx of ethnic food has been the single biggest change that I see. We didn't have a single Indian restaurant in this town in 1990. We had one sushi place. El Caporral style Mexican was available but Chi Chi's was still popular. Cuban, Middle Eastern, or Ethiopian food wasn't even on the radar here 20 years ago.

What's amazing also is the number of good long-term surviving institutions - Le Relais, Jack Fry's (mentioned), Captains Quarters, Del Friscos, Uptown Cafe, Vincenzo's, and so forth.

Over the last 5 years or so the scene seems to have exploded...and we are the lucky beneficiaries.