Restaurants I Miss...Part Three

I'm back, with more of the restaurants that I once frequented, but have sadly gone away and remain only in my memories.  Now, however, we're straying out of Winchester, Indiana.

Miller's Cafeteria, Richmond, Ind. --  Similar to MCL Cafeteria, this restaurant also had a store in Connersville, Indiana, and were famous for their distinctive milk stores that were all over Muncie and Richmond.

For the main course, you had a choice of roast beef au jus, fried chicken, or meatloaf.  You also had a decent amount of sides and desserts to choose from, and you paid by the item you got.

I'd always get the roast beef au jus, dressing, green beans, and sometimes mashed potatoes and gravy, because sometimes gravy is just a blessing.  I'd also get a roll, a slice of cherry or peach pie, and a soft drink.

The seating was comparable to that of the Courtesy Café in Winchester, but sturdier and nowhere near as cramped.

What strikes me about this place was how clean it was.  Cleanliness should always be a hallmark of a restaurant, but Miller's took it to heights that other restaurants didn't reach.  The workers not only made good food, but they kept the place spotless.  It didn't even look worn, and the Courtesy, sad to say, looked worn (the quality of the food overrode that deficiency, easily, though.)

It was one of Dad's favorite restaurants, and thinking about it makes me realize how much I miss him, still.

Dandy's, Richmond, Ind. -- A drive-in restaurant located on what was U.S. 35 when it went through Richmond's west side, this place was a seasonal restaurant that closed through the winter months.  They had unbelievable jumbo tenderloin sandwiches, or so it seemed to a thirteen-year-old boy.

Speaking of my Dad, we went to Richmond one day to get our van worked on at the dealership.  While they worked on it, one of the workers dropped us off at Miller's, where we had a very good breakfast.  Since that was more than forty years ago, I cannot remember what I had, but it almost certainly involved bacon and toast, because back then, I didn't care for breakfast sausage.  I know that I also had orange juice, because I believed at the time that eating breakfast out meant that you also drank orange juice.

Then we walked through downtown Richmond and spent a long while in a bookstore, before finally walking back towards the dealership.  When we finally reached Dandy's, it was lunchtime.

I had the tenderloin, French fries and a Coke.  I could eat them any way, but my usual way was with mustard, pickles and onions.  So it was this day.  Of course, if there was any ketchup leftover from the fries, the sandwich would be dipped in it as well.

It has been said that hunger is the best seasoning, and it must be true, because that meal was delicious.  That long walk from Richmond's downtown had to contribute to that, however.

After lunch, we walked on to the dealership, picked up our van, and went home.  Another thing that stands out about all of this is that, as a thirteen-year-old, I never really thought about the money Dad spent that day.

Of course, being in my fifties, I know all about that, but it doesn't diminish my memories.

More to come later.

Peace be unto you.