Eateries past: January 2012 Archives
Reader Judy Gallegos writes with a question:
"Hey David -- love your site! I grew up in Glendora in the 70s, and now live in the Midwest, so your site is a nice cure for homesickness.
"Wonder if you or your readers might remember the name of a train-themed restaurant in Claremont/Pomona in the 70s. I believe it eventually became a Victoria Station, but was called something else before that (not Carneys...).
"It was off the 10 Freeway and Indian Hill, I think, and consisted of a steam engine, a caboose, and a few cars. My sister and I have been trying to remember the name and we're stumped.
"Thanks for your help and keep up the good work!!"
I've heard vague whispers about this restaurant, said to have been located at Indian Hill and San Jose, but didn't have a name to attach. By coincidence, I was just accepted as a member of the Facebook page Growing Up in Montclair, Calif. (tingle!) (even though I didn't grow up in Montclair) and Tim Corvin just posted a photo there of the Railroader, locating it on Indian Hill in Claremont.
Must be the same place. I borrowed the photo for this blog post.
But that's all I know. Can anyone tell us more about The Railroader?
Mateys, the only Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppe in the Inland Valley has pulled up the plank. Montclair's location, 9379 Central Ave., closed Dec. 31.
"The property that includes the restaurant is currently in escrow," reports Steve Lustro, Montclair's community development director.
Arrrrrr.
The Montclair location opened in 1978, according to building records. I ate there once, maybe twice, but have been to other Long John Silver's -- named for the pirate in "Treasure Island" -- in my time. Founded in Kentucky in 1969, they may have been more common in the Midwest, where I'm from, than out here.
According to Wikipedia: "Earlier restaurants were known for their Cape Cod-style buildings, blue roofs, small steeples, and nautically-themed decorations such as seats made to look like nautical flags. Most early restaurants also featured separate entrance and exit doors, a corridor-like waiting line area, food heaters that were transparent so customers could see the food waiting to be served, and a bell by the exit which customers could 'ring if we did it well.' Many of these buildings had dock-like walkways lined with pilings and thick ropes that wrapped around the building exterior."
According to the chain's store locator, the only remaining Silver's in the Inland Empire are San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands and Victorville. To the west, you'd have to drive to Norwalk.
The pirate craze seems to have passed the pirate eatery by. Someone at headquarters should walk the plank over this.
Anyone have any memories of this location, or others?
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
E-mail David here or read columns here.
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