38 replies to this topic

[Recchia]

Frankie811, on Jul 19 2005, 07:05 AM, said:

Hmmmmmmmm   Your probably too young to remember the Ground Round, where they had fresh peanuts you could throw on the floor. There use to be one on North Main St in Providence where Gregg's is now, and one in Johnston. I think the one in Pawtucket at the Comfort Inn is still open. My friend use to excuse himself from the table, double back through the restaurant and sneak up behind me and throw a basket of peanut shells on my head. Otherwise he would just slam a basket of shells on the floor. I believe we screwed 3 times from there without paying the bill.    I'll try it at Joe's on Thursday 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

  There is a groundround near my school...never been though I'll have to try it.  They always seem to be in as part of hotels....

[Frankie811]

Recchia, on Jul 19 2005, 07:58 AM, said:

  There is a groundround near my school...never been though I'll have to try it.  They always seem to be in as part of hotels....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, your in Albany, right?

[Recchia]

Frankie811, on Jul 19 2005, 08:18 AM, said:

Oh, your in Albany, right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep, September til December

[Liamlunchtray]

Recchia, on Jul 19 2005, 06:58 AM, said:

  There is a groundround near my school...never been though I'll have to try it.  They always seem to be in as part of hotels....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The reason for this is that the Ground Round is essentially all thats left of the Howard Johnson's restaurant chain. It was another concept they launched and a lot of them were in converted HJ locations. At the moment there are only a couple Howard Johnsons still in existance. I still love the one in Times Square. Its like walking back in time.

Liam

[Cotuit]

Liamlunchtray, on Jul 19 2005, 10:24 AM, said:

I still love the one in Times Square. Its like walking back in time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, you better walk far back in time, it's gone.

link link

here's a cool pic of it

[Garris]

Cotuit, on Jul 19 2005, 08:28 AM, said:

Well, you better walk far back in time, it's gone.

link link

here's a cool pic of it

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup.  The New York Times had a fantastic retrospective article on that branch when it closed in Times Sq a couple of years ago.  If you're interested Liam, check out the NYT archive and buy the article.  They're fairly cheap (a few bucks...).

- Garris

[Liamlunchtray]

Garris, on Jul 19 2005, 10:04 AM, said:

Yup.  The New York Times had a fantastic retrospective article on that branch when it closed in Times Sq a couple of years ago.  If you're interested Liam, check out the NYT archive and buy the article.  They're fairly cheap (a few bucks...).

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From those links it looks like it just closed last week. So sad! I loved that place. When I was a kid in woonsocket we would always goto the HoJo's in Park Square, which later become "Pub Dennis" and was then torn down to make room for a McDonalds. In highschool we would hang out latenights at the HoJos in Warwick on Jefferson Blvd, which is now a Bickfords. I find it strange that the HoJos brand was allowed to just fade away like that.

Liam

[megad]

No no no

It;s where the restaurant "Sleeping With the Fishes" used to be

[Lova]

Ground Round used to have character: black and white comedy projected on the wall (3 stooges, Charlie Chaplin...), endless popcorn, sundaes that came in little baseball hard hats, fun house mirrors.... A few years ago I visited the one in Pawtucket and it sucked. It was a just a weak TGI, if that's possible.

HoJos in Middlestown was a great place to sober up after a hard night at 3's.

[Frankie811]

I went to Cactus Grille in Providence on Friday and had a decent meal. The service was VERY friendly and the food was ok. For an appertizer I had a wild mushroom, onion and cheese something or other which was excellent. The main course was Mexican Shrimp Scampi which was very spicey! YIKES!!!!!!!  The chadonney (Estrella) was excellent. Fast friendly service. Good parking!

[smcbride11]

Frankie811, on Aug 2 2005, 02:25 PM, said:

The service was VERY friendly and the food was ok.

Yeah, Cactus Grille is alright and I will agree that the service is great.

El Pez Dorado (Dominican, not Mexican - but still very good) on Broad St. is great - it's down by the post office, south of Thurbers.

Also, if you're slightly adventurous, any of the "mobile restaurants" on Broad St Thurs-Sat nights are good for greasy, quick takeout that's got some character (so was El Fogon before it burned - anyone know if they plan on reopening?)

There's a few other places in Elmwood that are always packed, but I've never been to - notably Ana's Catering at Prairie and Broad - I make no promises, but the neighbors are always there, so that means something.

[dgreco]

megad, on Jul 19 2005, 04:20 PM, said:

No no no

It;s where the restaurant "Sleeping With the Fishes" used to be

yea it is orange, i think its called el tapatio, or something like that.  I went there once and it was pretty gross, so I wouldn't recomend it for anyone.

[megad]

dgreco, on Jun 16 2006, 09:03 PM, said:

yea it is orange, i think its called el tapatio, or something like that.  I went there once and it was pretty gross, so I wouldn't recomend it for anyone.

ya, el tapatio... ive been there a few times.  it sucks

[dgreco]

megad, on Jun 16 2006, 11:08 PM, said:

ya, el tapatio... ive been there a few times.  it sucks

thats the thing, sometimes you don't look at the outside and say, well this building is gross and orange the food must suck, but it does.   I feel that everything that goes in that location is never stays.

[mental757]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Que Pasa (formerly Mr. Taco) on Providence Street in WW - just up from the Royal Mills project.   awesome Mexican food and my personal favorite for years.  Tito's Cantina isn't bad either.

[bloodyrocker]

these days its all about the TACO TRUK or Taqueria Pacifica at the AS220.

Run by the same folks and hella good!

[Frankie811]

mental757, on Jun 19 2006, 04:45 PM, said:

I can't believe no one has mentioned Que Pasa (formerly Mr. Taco) on Providence Street in WW - just up from the Royal Mills project.

I believe it was mentioned last year when we were discussing Mexican food.

[mental757]

Frankie811, on Jun 19 2006, 06:56 PM, said:

I believe it was mentioned last year when we were discussing Mexican food.

Oh yea - was too excited thinking about going to Que Pasa to read through the entire thread...

[mr2448]

dgreco, on Jun 17 2006, 06:00 AM, said:

thats the thing, sometimes you don't look at the outside and say, well this building is gross and orange the food must suck, but it does.   I feel that everything that goes in that location is never stays.

Challengers, Zip Code, etc. have all been there. It is a good corner though. Harriets across the street has a great beakfast. And the Ameican Legion Post on the other corner has a great Italian Restaurant in it. You almost need to know someone to get in.

Mark