No date on this post card, I’m guessing late 1960’s? The caption on the back reads:
- KNOTTY PINE INN
3067 Dougall Rd., Windsor, Ontario, Canada
On Hwy. 3B, One Mile to Hwy. 401
European Cuisine and Service – Fine Wines and
Cocktails – Formal and Informal Dining Rooms.
Open 11 A.M. to 1 A.M.
– Excellent Wedding and Banquet Facilities –
– For 20 to 200 Persons –
Telephone 969-4810 – Area 519
The ad above is from the 1958 Phone Book.
Anyone remember this place? Did this become the Other Place?
This became TBQ’s Other Place
Which is now the location of a WFCU and a Remax office, correct?
I loved the Knotty Pine! The food and the atmosphere were amazing. I was so disappointed when it changed. The original rom of the Other Place was the old restaurant but then it sprawled into a gigantic food factory. Mind you The Other Place was pretty good. Spent many a Sunday brunch and one memorable New Year’s Eve there but I still missed the Knotty Pine. And now even that’s gone. The same people (TBQ) had the restaurant in the Holiday Inn Select on Huron Line at Malden for awhile at least but it was never the same as the Other Place.
I had no idea this was anything but TBQ’s The Other Place. Very Interesting! Does anyone remember when it changed over from the Knotty Pine?
I think it must have changed over in the very late 60’s/very early 70’s. They had another location in Cambridge Ontario and that location lasted a little longer, probably until the early 80’s. I remember people raving about it.
i don’t recall ever eating there but i remember my mother mentioning the KNOTTY PINE
I remember going to the one in Cambridge on Fountain street. It had that staircase that went down from the front entrance to a huge loft dining area. The parking lot was next to the river. It was always busy. I don’t think there was a better restaurant in Waterloo region. I wonder why they went under?? They had the best ambiance and location. Now the Cambridge one is called the Pines. http://www.pines.ca/index.html The only place that even came close to it imo was the Old Mill? restaurant with the stone facade next to the Grand River and that dam with the small falls in Elora. I never went to the Knotty Pine in Windsor, but it looks like it’d be right up there up in popularity like the one in Cambridge. Boy, does that bring back memories…
Ok, this may be a dumb question but the phone #… I know yo 9-4810 meant 969-4810, but how did you dial it? Sorry I started using the phone in the 1970’s.
Ever notice the letters on the keys? 2 – ABC, 3 – DEF….not that hard to figure out.
Ok Richie…not that dumb, I do understand the 2- ABC …. Just didn’t know if you could dial directly that’s all.
It’s a valid question. I’m sure at one time the calls had to be initiated by an operator, ie. you asked for “Yorktown 49810”. We have some phone nerds on the forum who can probably go over that.
I remember it being the Knotty Pine for a few years after I moved to Windsor in 1970. There was an old style drive-in AW next to it. I thought it closed because there was some scandal involving drugs and people in its kitchen although that may have just been a South WIndsor urban legend.
A trip to the Knotty Pine was was reserved for extremely special occasions. Was the first place I ever ate Caesar Salad. Remember it like it was last week, although it was probably 45 years ago.
The Knotty Pine was there well before the A&W was built. In the 50’s, it was a narrow restaurant, panelled in Knotty Pine, with a wooden screen door. I seem to recall that there was a counter on the right hand side, and booths and tables on the left. Your basic diner. It grew, as the neighbourhood grew. But it seems to me that before Woolco was built across Dougall, and before the A&P was built at the corner of Grand Marais and Dougall, there wasn’t much there, other than the motels across the road.
Off topic, when the A&P on Dougal opened in 1958, there was a small stip of stores where the xpressway ramps are. I think one was a produce store (fruit & vegtables) owned by the Zakour family, and a resturant I think was called Ashtons, long time ago to remember.
back to the phone. It was direct dial, no operator. If memory serves me, the WHitehall, CLearwater and YOrktown exchanges came in the early 50s. It’s old but not so old that operators helped.
Informative commend found elsewhere on IM, credit to RobS:
“The history of the telephone exchanges is indeed very interesting. CL (25) for lines served out of the Goyeau C.O. YO (96) for lines served out of the Avondale C.O. WH (94) for lines served out of the Francois St. C.O. SE (73) for lines served out of the Tecumseh C.O. It’s interesting that these conventions still hold true for the older phone exchanges (969-xxxx, 966-xxxx phone numbers being served from the Avondale C.O. 944-xxxx, 948-xxxx phone numbers being served out of the Francois C.O. etc).
The 2 letter exchange acronym of course no longer works for newer phone numbers. ’97? could be a 972 number in South Windsor (Avondale), a 977 or 971 number downtown (Goyeau), a 974 number in East Windsor (Francois), or a 978 number in LaSalle.”
re – http://internationalmetropolis.com/?p=5552
richard: Bud Zakoor did have a fruit and vegetable store at the end of the strip. he then moved further down Grand Marais, to the plaza at Longfellow. Ashton’s had a lunch counter in the front of its motel. Leo Gordner’s drug store was in that strip, as was a hardware store.
I think at the north end of the restaurant, before the addition with the half moon windows was built, there was an outdoor garden area for summer season dining. A & W was sold in the early 70s and I think TBQ’s Other Place bought the Knotty Pine and built the addition over the garden area and part of the A & W property. Does anyone remember the Knotty Pine’s garden area?
Tbqs purchased the knotty pine in 1972 and the chef was Emilio Salamone.Emilio stayed and worked for TBQs until he retired in November of 1995. I worked in the kitchen at the other place from 1985 becoming the chef in 1995 until it closed in 2000.I met my wife there who was a waitress in the rib room we’ve been married 25 years.
Yes, I remember The Other Place – had no idea it was a restaurant before. I think I ate there once – for my great grandfathers birthday. As a child I thought it was very posh and LOVED the bookcase door that lead to the kitchens (Next to the fireplace pictured) In this image note the brick building w/the semi-circle windows seems like it was later attached two a small two story structure – like the still located next to Arcata Pizza.
Went there when I was a child in the 60s. Think their thing was chichen.
proposed to my wife at the Knotty Pine in 1972,Tunnel bar ba que was just buying it( Mr Rocovits ) and had our wedding reception there January 27 1973 it was now the Other Place great times still remeber the ice scuptures at the food tables
Worked as an apprentice chef from ’78 till ’81. Emilio Salamone was chef. George Botko was sous chef. Thom Racovitas owned it. We were still using some leftover Knotty Pine plates in ’78. The food was the best tasting of any future restaurant I ever worked at. My wife won’t let me order roast prime rib when we go out to eat, as I’ve never found a restaurant capable of equalling, let alone surpassing it in deliciousness. Same with the Sole Emiliano, the teriyaki stuffed chicken breast, Botko’s smoked polish sausage. How I wish I could travel back in time with my friends and family for one more grand meal. I’d then beable to proclaim, there, that’s how it’s supposed to taste.
Brad,
I couldn’t agree with you more! The food and atmosphere was like no other. We celebrated many special occasions at the Rib Room and I still have all the match books to prove it. Do you remember that they would emboss the match book covers with a gold filigree with the special occasion you were celebrating.
Since you were an apprentice chef….is there any chance you might have the recipe for the “Rib Room Salad Dressing”? The salad carts were an enjoyable experience in themselves!!!
Happy Holidays and I look forward to your response!