Old Restaurants

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
No, the one on Lincoln and 36th.
C. T.

Do you mean Sussy's when it was on NW 23rd?

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
Tokyo Gardens was where Jack's (Sussy) was for a few years, Lincoln and about 47th. It's an Italian restaurant now. Yes, Delores was on 23rd and the last time I ate there was around 1978. I ate my first and last prime rib there. I'm sure it was good, I just didn't care for it and I still don't. If you offered to take me for prime rib I would turn you down.
C. T.

I remember the Tradewinds! Dad would take me there as a kid and talk to
the Senators. I don't remember Tokyo Gardens. Where was it? Delores'
was on NW 23 just west of Broadway. Right? Didn't it close around 1971?

[Jim Kyle]

Tokyo Gardens was where Jack's (Sussy) was for a few years, Lincoln and about 47th. It's an Italian restaurant now.

Are you talking about the same place that Jack Sussman went to prison for setting on fire after he and Jake either had a falling out (public story) or had him, alone, take the fall for (reporter's suspicions)? If so, that's where my best man took me and my bride to dinner after our wedding in February, 1958 -- and embarassed both of us horribly by having Jack announce the event over the P.A. system!

After Sussy got out of prison, he returned to the restaurant business. I remember one of his (bearing his name) near the corner of SW 29 and May in the early 60s, and the last time I ever saw him he was holding court at Nomad, on N May a bit north of NW 70 or so. I always thought that Jake was still behind the scenes pulling his strings... And Prunie is totally correct about Jake's personality! However it fit perfectly for the man who ran the Jamboree and Derby clubs.

[Prunepicker]

Are you talking about the same place that Jack Sussman went to prison for
setting on fire after he and Jake either had a falling out (public story) or had
him, alone, take the fall for (reporter's suspicions)?

If I remember he set the place on fire two years in a row. I'm thinking it
was in the late 60's. Maybe 67 and 68 or 68 & 69. I'm not sure. I just
remember it.

After Sussy got out of prison, he returned to the restaurant business. I
remember one of his (bearing his name) near the corner of SW 29 and
May in the early 60s, and the last time I ever saw him he was holding
court at Nomad, on N May a bit north of NW 70 or so. I always thought
that Jake was still behind the scenes pulling his strings...

I don't remember the place on SW 29th and May. Those were my
stompin' grounds. Where was it supposed to have been? I just don't
see it.

And Prunie is totally correct about Jake's personality! However it fit perfectly
for the man who ran the Jamboree and Derby clubs.

Jake wasn't a very likable person if you were doing business with him.
The other Samara Brothers took care of him. Cesar and Carroll had the
same personality. You were going to get bit.

[Jim Kyle]

I don't remember the place on SW 29th and May. Those were my
stompin' grounds. Where was it supposed to have been? I just don't
see it.

It was an A-frame standalone building just east of May on the north side of SW 29; I think it was originally built as a Beverley's that didn't last long at all. I think it was Sussy's first effort after getting out of prison, and didn't last very long. He personally vetted customers coming in and if he didn't like their looks, told them to get out. He particularly didn't want long-haired hippies cluttering up his premises!

I think the building is still there but no longer a restaurant. I don't get down that way very much any more, though.

[ljbab728]

I think the building is still there but no longer a restaurant. I don't get down that way very much any more, though.

It's still there and is currently a pawn shop.

[ctchandler]

Jim,
That would be the place. I believe it was called "Jack's" or something catchy(?) like that. I worked in that area (4401 N. Lincoln, 4545 N. Lincoln, and 4900 N. Santa Fe) for quite a few years so I was fairly familiar with the restaurants there. I sure don't remember the S. W. 29th and May location. I still enjoy the Nomad II pizza and have enjoyed their other items in the past. By the way, Tokyo Gardens was open from about April, 1969 till sometime after September, 1975.
C. T.

Are you talking about the same place that Jack Sussman went to prison for setting on fire after he and Jake either had a falling out (public story) or had him, alone, take the fall for (reporter's suspicions)? If so, that's where my best man took me and my bride to dinner after our wedding in February, 1958 -- and embarassed both of us horribly by having Jack announce the event over the P.A. system!

After Sussy got out of prison, he returned to the restaurant business. I remember one of his (bearing his name) near the corner of SW 29 and May in the early 60s, and the last time I ever saw him he was holding court at Nomad, on N May a bit north of NW 70 or so. I always thought that Jake was still behind the scenes pulling his strings... And Prunie is totally correct about Jake's personality! However it fit perfectly for the man who ran the Jamboree and Derby clubs.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
It burned in November, 1966, and I think summer of 1967. Also, I have stumbled onto another Sussy restaurant that I remember vaguely, but I never ate there, it was Tally Ho's at May and Hefner.

If I remember he set the place on fire two years in a row. I'm thinking it
was in the late 60's. Maybe 67 and 68 or 68 & 69. I'm not sure. I just
remember it.

[ctchandler]

I thought I would include a couple of DOK articles/ads about Jack Sussy's Italian Restaurant.
C. T.

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
It burned in November, 1966, and I think summer of 1967. Also, I have
stumbled onto another Sussy restaurant that I remember vaguely, but I never
ate there, it was Tally Ho's at May and Hefner.

Did Sussy have anything to do with the Nomad on N. May?

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
I think he did, shortly before he died. Also, there was a place on the North side of Reno, just East of Meridian called Sullivan's (I think) that advertised Sussy's pizza and I always wondered if he was involved in that restaurant or if they just had the Sussy recipes.
C. T.

Did Sussy have anything to do with the Nomad on N. May?

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
I think he did, shortly before he died. Also, there was a place on the North
side of Reno, just East of Meridian called Sullivan's (I think) that advertised
Sussy's pizza and I always wondered if he was involved in that restaurant or
if they just had the Sussy recipes.
C. T.

I believe Sullivan's was a big corporate type restaurant.

[Prunepicker]

I just found this!I didn't realize there were so many Sussy's restaurants
including one on S Robinson.

[Prunepicker]

This is a the grand opening on February 6, 1949. For some reason the
archive wouldn't open.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
My family went to the one on South Robinson quite a few times before we moved to Northeast OKC.
C. T.

[MWCGuy]

Does anybody remember when many Sonic's changed over to for a short time to Star's?

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
My family went to the one on South Robinson quite a few times before we
moved to Northeast OKC.
C. T.

I don't remember it. We ate at El Charrito which was a few blocks south in
the Palacidos apartments. At least once a month. Jorge (hor-hey), everyone
called him George, was the Maitre D'. I last saw him at La Fiesta on N May
around 1999. I thought he looked like Danny Thomas.

Odd that I ate at Shipman's on @ 15th and S Robinson and El Charrito on
30th and S Robinson but I don't remember Sussy's being in the area.

[Prunepicker]

Does anybody remember when many Sonic's changed over to for a short
time to Star's?

This sounds familiar but I can't put a finger on it. I'm going to guess it was
in the 80's.

[Jim Kyle]

Odd that I ate at Shipman's on @ 15th and S Robinson and El Charrito on
30th and S Robinson but I don't remember Sussy's being in the area.

Not at all amazing to me. The SW 23 and Robinson location was just a hole in the wall, on the northeast corner of the intersection, and had almost no traffic that I ever saw. I stopped in a few times during my police-reporter days, and every time I was there I saw only Jake behind the cash register, and few if any customers. I sort of felt that it was actually a front for some other activity -- but in those days I was quite cynical, especially about the near-underworld of OKC...

[Prunepicker]

Not at all amazing to me. The SW 23 and Robinson location was just a hole in
the wall, on the northeast corner of the intersection, and had almost no traffic
that I ever saw. I stopped in a few times during my police-reporter days, and
every time I was there I saw only Jake behind the cash register, and few if
any customers. I sort of felt that it was actually a front for some other
activity -- but in those days I was quite cynical, especially about the
near-underworld of OKC...

Jake behind the register of a dive? Were you ever afraid of getting snake bit?

I don't know how true this is but I heard though a grapevine that Jake had
about 100 taverns, aka dives, in OKC. You'd know better than I since
you're a little bit older than me and I respect your objectivity.

Jake told me the place just west of the Capitol was originally his Tempo
Club. The Oklahoman archives say otherwise. I do have a check he wrote
to me, @ 1998, that had Sussy's and the Kings Club imprinted on it. That
was the NE 36 Location.

I'm not sure which restaurants Sussman really owned, having personally
been somewhat involved with Jake, but I think the Samara's owned
everything except the building at 2300 N Lincoln, and I'm not so sure
about that.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
There was no "El Charrito" (they were all El Chico's by then) and I believe Shipman's was closed too when Jake had the place on South Robinson. It was somewhere around the mid 70's. I believe when he closed that he opened his last place in the Paseo called The Spaghetti Factory. I did a quick search and he opened The Spaghetti Factory in December, 1978.
C. T.

I don't remember it. We ate at El Charrito which was a few blocks south in
the Palacidos apartments. At least once a month. Jorge (hor-hey), everyone
called him George, was the Maitre D'. I last saw him at La Fiesta on N May
around 1999. I thought he looked like Danny Thomas.

Odd that I ate at Shipman's on @ 15th and S Robinson and El Charrito on
30th and S Robinson but I don't remember Sussy's being in the area.

[RadicalModerate]

I KNEW there was once a Sussy's out there on NE 23rd . . . and now I feel validated. =)
(we used to drive by it, when I was a kid visiting down here, and I always noticed the portable sign parked out in front).

Does anyone remember a "Cajun" restaurant that I seem to recall was in some sort of small shopping mall?
I know that is awfully vague, but the food there was very good. It was the first place that I ever enjoyed "Blackened" fish.
This would have been back in the late 70's or early 80's.

Oh! And the place I'm thinking of didn't have a door to the outside of the shopping center.
It was an interior restaurant, inside of the shopping center.

[RadicalModerate]

Does anybody remember when many Sonic's changed over to for a short time to Star's?

No . . . I don't. Yet I do recall when The All-American Diner, out in Jones, changed/morphed/evolved into a Sonic . . . =)

[RadicalModerate]

So . . . Here's one that just popped into my mind, when thinking about Fine Old Restaurants: The Keller in the Kastle (over there, south of 10th and MacArthur). We ate there a few times and, although it was a bit "spendy", everything was invariably flawless. Where else could you get a smoked trout appetizer with a wonderful horseradish sauce to set the tone for what was to follow? And, in addition to being in a building/house that defined "unique", the entire grounds--or setting--of the place was nearly miraculous in its ambiance. Especially considering all that was just outside the perimeter of the establishment. (I was particularly fond of the Jaegerschnitzel. =)

[ctchandler]

RM,
We ate there once, but we were spoiled by Old Germany. The food was fine, just not my favorite German place. And of course, living in Northeast OKC, it was easier (not closer) to get to Old Germany.
C. T.

So . . . Here's one that just popped into my mind, when thinking about Fine Old Restaurants: The Keller in the Kastle (over there, south of 10th and MacArthur). We ate there a few times and, although it was a bit "spendy", everything was invariably flawless. Where else could you get a smoked trout appetizer with a wonderful horseradish sauce to set the tone for what was to follow? And, in addition to being in a building/house that defined "unique", the entire grounds--or setting--of the place was nearly miraculous in its ambiance. Especially considering all that was just outside the perimeter of the establishment. (I was particularly fond of the Jaegerschnitzel. =)