"Where in North America?" --- Section III

[CalOldBlue]

Open almost 100 years, this restaurant closed in the last few years.

What is it, where is it, and what unique item(s) does it specialize in?


Photo: Don Casey

Logo over the door has been 'magic brushed' out.

Oh yeah: not in the West.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm going to bet it is was an Italian restaurant -- but I dunno where...

[glc]

Is that snow or sand?

[Mark Sedenquist]

George, it looks like snow and salt on the walkway.

The architecture doesn't look enduring enough to have been there for 100 years.

We may need some more hints?

M

[CalOldBlue]

OK, this may be a little obscure.

It's in the Chicago area, but not Illinois.

It is NOT an Italian restaurant.

It rambles on for 15,000 square feet, so the view here may not be the original part of the building.

It used to be on the main roads, but with the coming of the interstates mixed with an otherwise poor location and a casino being built nearby it lost so much business it finally closed in late 2007.

It had one (or two) rather unique signature dishes (which generally fall into the seafood category, broadly stated). Linda loves it for the first, I was OK with the second but couldn't bring myself to order #1.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Still looking for one in Illinois -- I found one in Omaha that had been there for ~ 100 years, had some specialty dishes including the "Cucurene" - a double-crusted meat and cheese pastry - and the restaurant here called Canigilia's was effectively shut down by a nearby casino....

Back to Illinois....

In Chicago is the very up-scale Zed-451 -- but it's in Chicago and still thriving and it has way more 15,000 square feet....

I stumped for now...

[CalOldBlue]

...but not Illinois.

Note the "not". There's only one area that can be considered in the Chicago area but NOT Illinois.

Did I mention Linda was born in Hammond Indiana?

This place is maybe 200 yards away from the junction of three US highways, and on the other side maybe 200 yards away from an Amtrak station.

Ah! Did some reseach. The original building burned in 1945 (including an allegedly famed liquor collection), and was rebuilt. That's why it looks new.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Howza about Vogel's Restaurant in Whiting, Indiana and the specialty was Frogs Legs & Perch?

Maybe not -- this closed in 1997...

It does seem to fit (some of) the rest of your clues though...

Hold the presses... they also specialized in perch and frog-legs and they closed in 2007!

What about
Phil Smidt Restaurant -
1205 Calumet Ave
Whiting, IN 46394

Mark

[CalOldBlue]

Read the article. The answer lies therein.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I read article -- And realized it must be the Phil Smidt Restaurant -

Good clues, in retrospect....!