Does anyone remember Simmons?

Help from the old timers. As I remember the first of the 1970 new wave restaurants in Louisville was Simmons owned by the Bycks and located on First Street one or two blocks south of Broadway. It was in a "shotgun house" and featured a daily menu change. Didn't last long. Any one still alive that remembers this place?

I don't remember Simmons. Was it in that house that eventually became The Old House then later The New Orleans House?

I don't remember Simmons. Was it in that house that eventually became The Old House then later The New Orleans House?

No, now I see The Old House was on South Fifth.
Never mind.

[Robin Garr]

This one didn't gain much traction, Bob ... I worked with a member of the Byck's family during the early '80s, but don't recall him ever mentioning it. Simmons is only a very faint echo in my memory in the same general era when the Bristol on Bardstown and Formerly/Formally Myra's were catching a lot of the attention. La Cuisinere might have been in that same time period, too, and Por Que No, and Casa Grisanti's surprising shift from family Italian and pizza to a fancy joint where the prices made you suck in your breath. Sorry I don't have a better recollection, but I'm pretty sure I never ate at Simmons.

Por Que No --- What a great spot that was! Best enchiladas and cheese corn crisps EVER. I would still rather go there than to the restaurant now at that location (Jack Fry's).

Tim Barnes, my wife and I had dinner there in the late Sixties. As I recall management was proud of this attempt to introduce Louisville to gourmet dining as witnessed by their menu prices. Salt and pepper were absent from the table as all dishes were seasoned properly. They kept a log on customers behavior. The chef/manager introduced himself. He was a be speckled mustachioed red head whose last name was McDonald. Our meal was so delicious that we never returned. That's all I can recollect.

[Robin Garr]

Tim Barnes, my wife and I had dinner there in the late Sixties.

Thanks for the recollection, Terry! Tim Barnes, now there is a blast from the past ... I'm glad you introduced him into this Old Tyme discussion. (Do I remember correctly that Tim and Bim Deitrich worked together on the reincarnation of Myra's? I know Timothy's came along a lot later.

Anyway, late '60s? Wow! I didn't realize Simmons was quite that early, but that explains why I don't really remember it. I hadn't become a foodie yet at that point, but I did love mom and dad taking us for McDonald's fries! And pizza ...

Tim was one of four owners at Langtrys. Bim and Doug Gossman and someone I never met, maybe a Bensinger, who someone said had disappeared. When we thought Bim was heading to Lexington, I left. That was the end of 1981, I believe. Several items including the California Club salad are still on the Bristol menu. Francise went on to the Bristol and left just a few years ago. Susan is still at the Hurstbourne Bristol. Jerry Paris of Party Mart was a bartender. Vicki, another server, was part of the drinking liberally group at BBC. Haven't been there in a while.

Tim was one of four owners at Langtrys. Bim and Doug Gossman and someone I never met, maybe a Bensinger, who someone said had disappeared. When we thought Bim was heading to Lexington, I left. That was the end of 1981, I believe. Several items including the California Club salad are still on the Bristol menu. Francise went on to the Bristol and left just a few years ago. Susan is still at the Hurstbourne Bristol. Jerry Paris of Party Mart was a bartender. Vicki, another server, was part of the drinking liberally group at BBC. Haven't been there in a while.

Did I hear that Tim passed away a few years back? The other Langtrys partner was indeed John Bensinger. He dropped out of sight for a while but later returned to Louisville briefly. Jerry Rogers was bar manager. I was a manager and event planner for a while. It was a beautiful restaurant.

[Robin Garr]

Langtrys.

Another great one of that era! I remember a lot of really good wine tasting events there, back in the day when that wasn't so common.

Did I hear that Tim passed away a few years back?

Yes, Tim passed about 10 years ago, maybe longer. He was a dear friend of our family and such a gentleman. I have great memories of one of his other restaurants, J. Timothy's, that was in the space where Buck's is now. On Sundays when it was closed, we would go down for a friends/family dinner in the kitchen. My sister and I were allowed to play in the bar (it was the '70s..), which consisted of making the most grenadine-filled Shirley Temples you can imagine! Soda guns were a blast.