Diners, Dives, and the Woolworth's Lunch Counter

[CraigC]

I remember the Woolworths in downtown Miami. Also Burdines had a great bakery.

Craig

 

[Kayelle]

What a wonderful read Kathleen. Thanks so much for a great thread!!

I too have great memories of Woolworth's lunch counter!! My favorite was their pastry apple dumplings covered with vanilla custard sauce. They only made them on Wed. so a bunch of us from high school would walk all the way to downtown in our detested Catholic school uniforms to chow down on these delectable treats. I'd always have a lime phosphate with mine..remember those? The apple dumplings were just out of this world good, and I was so happy to see a recipe for what I remembered at the link you left Kathleen. I can't wait to make them!!

OLD FASHIONED APPLE DUMPLINGS

Pastry for 2 (10 inch) pie shells

6 med. firm cooking apples
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (1/4 stick) butter

2 c. water
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. (1/4 stick) butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. ground mace (optional)
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
Cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pie dough to form a rectangle, 14x22 inches. Cut into 6
uniform squares. Core the apples, but leave them whole. Pour the
lemon juice into a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the
granulated sugar and cinnamon. Roll each apple first in lemon juice,
then in sugar and place each on top of dough square. Fill each apple
cavity with approximately 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 teaspoon
butter. Pull the pastry squares up over the apples and crimp the
edges tightly; you will have pretty round pastry balls. Place in an
oiled 9x13x2 inch pan. Bake for 1 hour or until apples are tender.
While apples bake, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan
set over high heat. Bring to boil and cook rapidly for 1 minute. After
the dumplings have baked for 30 minutes, pour the sauce over top of the
dumplings and bake 30 minutes longer, basting occasionally.
Serve hot with the cream.
_____________
Custard Sauce

11/2 c milk
2 tsp cornstarch
1 T sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla extract

In a heavy 1- to 11/2-quart saucepan, combine 1/4 c of the milk and the
cornstarch, and stir with a whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Add the remaining 11/4 c of milk and the sugar, and cook over moderate
heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. In a
small bowl break up the egg yolk with a fork and stir in 2 or 3
tablespoons of the sauce. Then whisk the mixture back into the remaining
sauce. Bring to a boil again and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard sauce is served
hot with such desserts as blackberry or cherry-and-apple pie, apple
dumplings or jam sponge. Makes about 11/2 cups sauce.
__________

 

[babetoo]

pattie melt at dennys thirty years ago. their tuna melt was excellent also. i worked at a soda fountain as a teen. inside the local drug store made chocolate malts my fav. those things at fast food places in no way measure up to those.

 

[NoraC]

... . ...there was a place in Manhatten that was like a cafeteria, where you would put your money in the slot and open the little glass door to retrieve your food... I can't for the life off me remember the name of the place, but as kids we thought that was great fun...

The Automat. Great fun!

 

[chopper]

pattie melt at dennys thirty years ago. their tuna melt was excellent also. i worked at a soda fountain as a teen. inside the local drug store made chocolate malts my fav. those things at fast food places in no way measure up to those.

If we were closer, we would have to go to Denny's for a patty melt! I used to go there about 30 years ago too with friends after working all night. Good memories!

 

[Kathleen]

Kathleen, I do believe ours was called Woolworths five and dime... It was in Long Beach N.Y. about 40 years ago, not there anymore... I remember it having a lunch counter to one side of the store... I wonder if it's the same Woolworths everyone else is talking about... I do remember ham salad, burgers, and grilled cheese sandwiches...

YES PF that's it, Horn and Hardarts... Loved to go there and put my money in the machine... We would go after seeing a broadway show, or seeing the Rockettes Christmas show... Oh the memories...

I'm sure it is the same, Mimi. I just found it interesting that my aunt worked at a store that was actually called "Five and Dime" when it was located diagonally from Woolworths, the original five and dime! Oh, and I would have LOVED to have seen the Rockettes. What a wonderful memory.

If we were closer, we would have to go to Denny's for a patty melt! I used to go there about 30 years ago too with friends after working all night. Good memories!

chopper, I love patty melts so you and Babe cannot go without me! Denny's was good....but...Waffle House served them with fabulous hash browns.

Kayelle, let us know how that turns out when you make the apple dumplings! I don't think I ever had one at Woolworths....I probably never got past the pies, cakes and banana splits! Detested school uniforms? You know there is an entire fan group of those these days. Did you shorten them by rolling the waistband? My mother did... or so she says.

 

[LAJ]

I remember the Automats at Sanders restaurants in Detroit. They were fun, as a child.

 

[LAJ]

Denny's used to serve excellant tuna melts. I worked there years ago and I think the key was the sourdough bread.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Tuna Melts...yum...I think the secret is garlic butter.

 

[LAJ]

I remember Burdines bakery. It was great!

 

[LAJ]

Lums dogs were very good. In Michigan, the old Lums are now pizza places.

 

[taxlady]

Woolworth's made the best lemonade.

 

[Janet H]

Slightly off topic - love at the five and dime.... lunch counter dates, another time honored tradition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwevqcForgM

 

[Kathleen]

Woolsworth Ham Salad?

Those this thread was ages ago, I promised others that I would post the pictures of the ham salad sandwich when I pulled it from the camera. Potato chips and dill pickle slices rounded out the plate. How I yearned for a basic diner dish!

 

[LPBeier]

Yep, looks just like how I made 'em!

 

[Snip 13]

I've said before that I'm nostalgic for things that are no longer around. Today, I was thinking of the old diners that are long gone, a few drive-in places, and the Woolworth Lunch Counter.

In doing a search for recipes from a few places from my younger years, I happened across a lot of history that had not been on my radar when I was very small: They ranged from food trends to social-injustice. For me, I have very fond memories of several drive-ins, a couple of diners, and lunch with my grandmother at Woolworths!

In my search, I found the recipe for Woolworth's ham salad and had to make it. I remember the ham salad having small diced mini-cubes of ham, so I made sure that mine did as well. (Mother said the cubes were larger, so I suppose she will be recreating her own memory, but my cubes were small. ) It came out nostalgia-worthy. I will say that I added less salt than memory recalls, but Frank does not like a lot of salt.

What was missing was potato chips on the side and a banana split that I popped a balloon to determine what I would pay. The site has other Woolworth recipes, so I may have to re-live the Frito pie.

What recipes have you found or recreated from your memory?

~Kathleen

Woolworths in SA only got lunch counters about 2 yrs back. One thing they stopped making by us that I really miss is duck liver pate with orange jelly on top. Tried making it but the taste doesn't come close
At the moment my favourite woolies meal is Spinach and Feta cannelloni and there creme brulee

 

[LPBeier]

Snip, we haven't had Woolworth's here for more than 20 years! I worked in one when I was in Regina and one of my "duties" was making this sandwich!

Wow, your menu seems much more sophisticated than ours ever was!

 

[Snip 13]

Snip, we haven't had Woolworth's here for more than 20 years! I worked in one when I was in Regina and one of my "duties" was making this sandwich!

Wow, your menu seems much more sophisticated than ours ever was!

No Woolies I would be lost without my monthly Woolworths fix! They have so many American and British foods and loads more! They are the rich housewifes go to when having dinner parties..lol! I treat my family and myself once or twice a month with spoils from there. Can't afford to buy all my groceries there, way too expensive. I do buy most of my fresh fruit and veg by them, the quality is close to home grown and buy my meat in bulk at the supermarket suppliers to make up the difference Luckily a friend of mine owns her own catering company and lets me buy meat with her at wholesale prices.
There Mac 'n Cheese is made with 4 cheeses and I'm sure it beats your Blue Kraft boxes..lol!
If you come to SA you should try some of the goodies!

 

[Kathleen]

Yep, looks just like how I made 'em!

YAY! It was a bit different than I remember, but I suspect it was the type of ham that I used.

Woolworths in SA only got lunch counters about 2 yrs back. One thing they stopped making by us that I really miss is duck liver pate with orange jelly on top. Tried making it but the taste doesn't come close
At the moment my favourite woolies meal is Spinach and Feta cannelloni and there creme brulee

That is a pretty swanky Woolworth! Our Woolworths is long gone. While there, it was a five and dime store: costume jewelry, low cost products. It's part of some terrific childhood memories.

 

[Snip 13]

YAY! It was a bit different than I remember, but I suspect it was the type of ham that I used.



That is a pretty swanky Woolworth! Our Woolworths is long gone. While there, it was a five and dime store: costume jewelry, low cost products. It's part of some terrific childhood memories.

We have many Woolworths Stores, one in every mall and some in the middle of nowhere, we even have Woolworths food sections at our filling stations..lol!
Just comes to show how behind we are, we get things when other countries lose interest in them..lol! They are well known here and sell only the best quality foods, lucky us I guess. On the flip side, we have to watch programs that are 2-3 yrs old on DSTV and repeats all the time!