Baltimore’s Gone But Not Forgotten Restaurants

When longtime residents of Baltimore reminisce, they think about the things they grew up with. They think about friends, family, jobs, the schools they attended, the home town sports teams, that first date and what they love about Baltimore. When they think about food, they inevitably think about their favorite restaurants that they grew up with. It seems everyone has a favorite restaurant or two that defines real Baltimore food to them. A lot of these old restaurants are gone, but certainly not forgotten. I can’t cover all of them here, but I’ll mention a few…

Haussner’s Restaurant was opened by William Henry Haussner in 1926 and became one of Baltimore’s most famous landmarks over the next 73 years. In addition to its home-style German/continental cuisine, the restaurant housed a large collection of fine art, which decorated the walls, and a huge ball of string made by the staff that delighted customers. The art had been acquired over the years by William Henry Haussner’s wife, Frances Wilke Haussner, who bought their first painting in 1939, “Venetian Flower Vendor,” by Eugene de Blaas. Over the next 73 years, they acquired over 100 pieces, including highly important works by 19th century European and American  masters.

Also famous for their deserts, especially their strawberry pie; their menu seemed as big as a novel and seemed to take forever to read. William Haussner was a stickler when it came to service: rolls were not to be called “buns,” single diners were always seated immediately, even if there was a line, and every meal was to be plated with a parsley garnish. This one-of-a-kind Baltimore favorite is sorely missed.

Connolly’s was known as the Baltimore seafood restaurant. Thomas Connolly founded the restaurant at Pier 5 in 1925 and made weekly trips to Crisfield and St. Michaels for fresh oysters and watermelons aboard his William J. Brennan, the last oyster boat to be docked in the Inner Harbor until the late 1950s. It was a favorite hangout for the mayor and a lot of Baltimore City police. William Donald Schaefer dined there with his mother every Sunday night and every Tuesday he enjoyed “ham and cabbage night.”

Connolly’s was a pure Baltimore no-frills restaurant that served great seafood, a lot of it fried, in a nautical setting and waitresses with “Hi Hon” service making it a comfortable place to visit.

Miller Brothers opened on Fayette Street in 1913 and was known as “the place to eat.” It was also a favorite meeting place for the Round Table; a luncheon club for Democratic politicians and their friends. This large restaurant could seat 450 diners on its first floor. In honor of the collapse of independent Austria to the Nazis in 1938, chef Paul Pantzer wore a black toque while creating the restaurant’s signature whale steak and turtle soup. Another customer favorite was elk, and a crowd would always gather when the restaurant would display a freshly killed one before butchering it.

The Chesapeake, located in a converted block of 4 rowhouses, was considered one of the best restaurants in Baltimore. Established in 1935, it was known for its excellent food–especially its seafood Newburg. It became so popular that it was impossible to get a table on a Saturday night without a reservation–under the motto, “Cut your steak with a fork, else tear up your check and walk out.” Legend has it that in 1936 owner Sidney Friedman rode the train from Chicago to Baltimore carrying a charcoal broiler on his lap, beginning the city’s first taste of tender, grilled steak.

According to a 1994 Sun article by Gil Sandler, The Chesapeake also introduced Charm City to Caesar salad, as well as featuring lobster seven days a week, live jazz, a unique ambience and, of course, the popular coconut snowball dessert. As described by Philip Friedman, who bought the restaurant from brother Sidney in 1976, it was “two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream drowned in a fudge sauce and then smothered with fresh- I mean fresh- coconut!” After the Friedmans sold out in 1986, other owners tried to revive The Chesapeake. But it closed for good in 1987.

Hutzler’s Colonial Tea Room was located in Hutzler’s Department Store and was a favorite dining destination for shoppers. Fran has great memories eating there as a child when she and her mother and grandmother would take the bus downtown to shop. She loved their toasted cheese bread. I got a photocopy of their cheese bread recipe a few years ago and a photocopy of their old menu from the Maryland Historical Society. It’s hilarious. Here’s a small sampling of some of their salads and prices:

Belvedere– Diced Pineapple, Banana and figs; served on Lettuce Leaves with Whipped Cream and garnished with Nuts and Maraschino Cherries  .50

Dainty– Diced Marshmallows, Pineapple and Orange, served on Lettuce Leaves with Whipped Cream and garnished with whole Marshmallows and Maraschino Cherries  .55

Carroll House– Red Beets, Cucumbers, Ham and Tongue, cut in dice, served with Mayonnaise seasoned with Horseradish, and garnished with Hard boiled Egg and Capers  .55

California– Pineapple Ring surrounded by Prunes stuffed with Cream Cheese; served on Lettuce with Mayonnaise or Whipped Cream  .60

Colonial– Grapes stuffed with Cream Cheese on Lettuce; served with French Dressing  .50

You get the idea. Some of the drinks offered were: Iced Chocolate, Malted Milk, Iced Loganberry Juice, Orangeade, Buttermilk, and Gunther’s Beer.

The Brass Elephant was Fran’s mother’s favorite restaurant. Everyone I know misses it. It was a historic, artistic and architectural showpiece. Exquisite food, flawless service, romance and art surrounded those who dined there. Baltimore Magazine once voted the Brass Elephant ‘the best place in Baltimore to wear a slinky black dress.’

The above is just a sprinkling of Baltimore’s old restaurants. Let us know what your favorite gone but not forgotten Baltimore favorite was by leaving a comment below.

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