REVISITING THE PARK | It’s all about the food

Madison Park has always maintained thriving food and bar businesses. In the years prior to 1980, the libations were limited to beer and wine; food offerings were the odd bar bite. 

The first to procure hard liquor was Peter’s in the Park in the early ‘80s, on the corner of Madison Street and McGilvra Boulevard, where Turner’s Texaco station stood, followed by Manca’s, then Starbucks.

There were mixed emotions about hard booze being served. Some were thrilled the Park would now have a top-notch restaurant, but others worried the conduct of clientele would change for the worse after consumption of a few double martinis adorned with happy olives. 

Not to fear, as Peter’s and Manca’s were very successful, thanks to renowned chef Jodie Benson. My personal favorites were the brie-stuffed steak, the Canlis salad and nougat dessert. 

Cheaper eats

Food quality has definitely changed throughout the years — no longer is there a 35-cent steak sandwich made in a toaster oven in the taverns. Even that jar of pickled pig’s feet that used to adorn the end of the bar is long gone. 

Nothing impressed a first date like holding the pig’s foot with both hands, chewing on it like a Neanderthal, while trying to make an impression with conversation and smiling at the same time. 

White pistachio nuts coated with a thick layer of salt nourished all of us at one time or another. The bar owners loved that the thirst they caused could be quenched by cold beer —lots of cold beer! Warmed cashews, pepperoni sticks, polish sausage in a jar all made for the thirsties.

A popular bar treat was a hard-boiled egg, peeled and eaten in small bites, taken with several drops of Tabasco, salt and pepper. 

When I tended bar at the Attic, I made a sign breaking down the cost of the 10-cent egg: 

Hen food: 3 cents 

Wear-and-tear on chicken: 2 cents

Rooster dating services: 5 cents 

Dice games like Ship, Captain and Crew, 13 Aces and S.O.L. were popular. A common expression in those days was “Roll ya for it!” 

On any given rainy day, with music coming from the big Wurlitzer, 13 Aces was the game of choice. The first person threw six dice; if there was an ace, it was removed, or if none, pass. This game was best with 12-plus people at the bar; the last person throwing an ace bought the bar a round for $3. 

A great friend, Gene Geiger, just home from the Korean War, came in one day, so we bought him a few brews. Gene desired an egg so he declared, “Roll ya for it!” and rolled dice for a good many eggs, drinking a beer for each. 

He came in the next day, sat at the bar and declared, “Beer! No eggs!” Apparently, he had a first date the night before at the Sunset drive-in in Eastgate. Yes, the movie was great, the date was super, but he had to excuse himself and walk to the restroom several times, laughing and thinking he was “going to have to kill that Lehman!” Rolaids were like candy for the relief that night. 

The food of my youth

In the late ‘40s, on Elliott Avenue, just north of where Pier 79 is, were rows of small houses. One had been converted into the Seafood Café. 

Some of the best items on its menu were deep-fried scallops, golden French fries and homemade apple pie for dessert. The scallops had a flavor and texture unlike any seafood I’d ever had. Sitting on the front porch with others, we waited our turn and then were served in the front room family-style. 

Quite a few restaurants offered liver and onions, as well as a hot roast beef sandwich dinner, with white bread, pot roast and mashed potatoes on the side, all smothered with gravy.

The Cottage Café on 15th Avenue and Madison Street served a hamburger steak with hash browns and salad. A few years later, it added Chateaubriand for two to the menu for $15. We could see the presentation from the cocktail lounge and proceeded to salivate. 

The Big Little Steak House was another restaurant that served a whole steak dinner with coffee for $1.35 in the early ‘50s. It was common to have two or three people stand behind, waiting to enjoy a good meal before a night of drinking. The phrase, “Are you done yet?” was widely used. 

The very first establishment to say, “When you go through the salad bar, we’ll put your steak on” was on Eastlake Avenue in 1953. Three elderly ladies ran the small steak house. It was a similar refrain in Black Angus chain years later.

During my Army stint in Fort Ord, Calif., near Carmel, we were offered an array of seafood, like salmon and trout, at the PX. Pan-fried oysters were the best, but not everyone was fond of the taste, so only a few of us were lucky recipients. 

Scuba diving in the early ‘50s led my buddies and me to large clusters of oysters, which were devoured minutes out of the Puget Sound and, of course, accompanied by cold beers. 

Happy hour

A great many restaurants seem to come and go quickly before we had a chance to try all the menu items. To keep personal costs down, happy hours are the best.

The 25-cent schooner is a distant memory: six pillow-head brews for a mere $1.50, with a paper cupful of cashews for 25 cents. How about one martini and an hors d’oeuvre for $20 now? 

It’s nice to know our neighborhood is keeping up as an entertainment destination, in addition to being a phenomenal place to live.

RICHARD CARL LEHMAN is a longtime Madison Park resident. To comment on this column, write to MPTimes@nwlink.com.