King’s Tropical Inn

King’s Tropical Inn stood at 5935 Washington Blvd in the 1920s and 1930s. It was known for its chicken dinners but, as you can see on this promotional postcard, they also served squab. The squab was a dish that I regularly came across when researching menus of the era so eventually, I looked it up. Ugh! No wonder we don’t see it much anymore. Squab is the meat from young domestic pigeon and is widely described as tasting like dark chicken

Mike Lyman's Grill - Los Angeles, California

Mike Lyman's Grill (there were two locations, in Hollywood and Downtown, and Lyman also ran the Flight Deck restaurant at what was then the Los Angeles Municipal Airport), but a menu from the place, also dating from 1935, proves an astonishing document. To begin with, some 25 varieties of fish and shellfish were offered, including Coos Bay, Blue Point and Olympia oysters, English sole, striped bass, Catalina sand dabs, imported Irish salt mackerel and a dish called fried barracuda Maitre d'Hotel. 

UPDATE: Turns out I own a Mike Lyman's ashtray!

Mittino's Shangri-La - circa 1940

Located at 6600 Watson Road at Chippewa, St Louis Missouri

Bernstein's Fish Grotto - San Francisco, California

Opened by Maurice Bernstein in 1907, Bernstein's Fish Grotto was known worldwide for its unique entrance, a ship's bow jutting into the sidewalk. The ship was a faithful reproduction of Christopher Columbus's Nina. Inside the restaurant, the marine theme continued. Bernstein's had seven colorful dining rooms: the Fisherman's Cave, the Pilot Room, the Sun Deck, the Main Salon, the Cabin Nooks, the Upper Deck, and the Porthole Counter.

Dining in Manhattan (circa1948)

A couple of linen postcards touting their establishments (and owner's faces) in NYC.

 On the back: 

"Your visit to New York is not complete until you dine at the beautiful Toffenetti Restaurant.

Dempsey's was located on Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets.

On the back: 

"May I Play Host and Say "Hello" To You in My Restaurant Where Food and Friendliness are Knockouts". 

Riviera Restaurant - San Francisco

A colorful 1930's linen of the "Distinctively Continental" Rivera Restaurant
in San Francisco.

Picnic of the Bear and the Nymph

I'm rarely at a loss for  words, but I can't figure this one out!

At Your Beck and Call!

Harry Watson Hackney was born in New Jersey and opened his first restaurant on the Boardwalk in 1912. Destined for greatness, Hackney's had enough business to remain open year-round by the later 1920s. Pretty remarkable for what was once a seasonal destination. It was known as America's Largest Sea Food Restaurant, taking up an entire city block. With a seating capacity of 3,200, Hackney's was once the star of the New Jersey surf!