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Terri Beam

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Re: Who remembers Mario's Pizza?

by Terri Beam » Tue Aug 21, 2018 1:40 pm

I remember the Mario's in Bardstown, since I grew up not far away in Bloomfield.

I think that location was most famous for its buffet. It was huge (for the time). My memory is a bit vague, but I believe that they did extend their buffet menu away from Italian somewhere along the way. We went there pretty frequently.
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Steve Shade

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Re: Who remembers Mario's Pizza?

by Steve Shade » Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:08 pm

Robin Garr wrote:
Steve Shade wrote:I am...... :

Hey! I am almost as aged as you are ... but I thought the original Jack Fry's bar closed in the '50s?


Jack closed the place in 1972 and Por Que No took the venue over lasting about 10 years. After closing Susan Seiller took it over.
I didn't know the exact dates but I found an article by Kevin Gibson that had the above information. In the 40s & 50s and probably before the alley behind Frys was a very busy place on Sunday. (No legal sales in Ky then). When I was about 7+ I walked with my grandmother down the alley on Sunday a few times.
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Gerry O

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Re: Who remembers Mario's Pizza?

by Gerry O » Wed Apr 22, 2020 12:46 pm

I remember them well! Lots of memories...

My favorite at the time and perhaps of all time. Until I saw the old ad, just now, I did not realize they offered a Sicilian crust. I would have still got their regular crust, which was thin, my preference. The toppings had a distinct flavor that separated it from other pizzas, just like it's easy to tell Papa John from Pizza Hut from Domino's.

In 8th grade (1969), I was on a junior bowling league at the Rose Bowl off Goldsmith Lane. (Sometimes I was late because Space Ghost was on TV during the 30 min. before bowling start time.) Somehow, I won a free large pizza from Mario's. My sister lived on Richland Ave. in Hikes Point, just two blocks from a Mario's. One Saturday morning, I rode my bicycle from Strathmoor Blvd to her house. We got a 16" with everything; she had two pieces and I had the rest. I was only 120 lb. but could put it away. This was my first Mario's pizza.

In high school (early 70s), I learned of a Mario's near the old Vogue theater in St. Mathews. A friend from grade school worked there, so I got special treatment. ;) Another friend & I had to go there at least once a week, or we would have died.

Sometime later, a Mario's opened more near my home, across from the Showcase Cinemas (now Costco). I believe the Mario's was at the corner of Meadow Dr., where a Taco Bell stood for many years. I think it's now Mi Sueno. Shortly after high school, an old friend & I reunited and began playing golf on Saturday with a cooler full of beer and not much to eat, all day. At the time, Mario's regularly put a 2:1 coupon in the newspaper. We would always go to this particular Mario's after golf, and generally finish two large deluxe pizzas! He could eat, too! Once, while seated at the table waiting for our pizzas, he started talking about his heart palpitations. He said, "Sometimes my heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest!" Well, since I was famished and perhaps even a little woozy, it got to me: I fainted and fell backward right out of the chair. I was ok, just embarrassed.

Around 1980, I met a former manager of the Mario's on Westport Rd. He told me that they got supplies from an outlet named Papa Gino's, which was located on Bardstown Rd. just south of the Douglas Loop. Since he still had his connections, he took me there and asked them to sell me some frozen pizza shells (made by Pepperidge Farm) and the Italian sausage that Mario's used. I recall getting 20 crusts and 5 lb. of sausage, which lasted quite a while. Mario's made its own sauce, for which my friend gave me the recipe. It was simple: tomato puree thinned with a little water, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and sweet basil and maybe some oregano.

I move from Louisville around the time Mario's closed the stores. I'm back now; I wish they were still around.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Who remembers Mario's Pizza?

by Robin Garr » Wed Apr 22, 2020 2:51 pm

Great memories, Gerry! Thanks for sharing them, and welcome to our forum!
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