Perhaps in hope of nudging Spring awake, I've recently begun sifting, sorting and scrapping the contents of the assorted accumulated partitions and containers chock full of yesterday that clutter my apartment and mind. Funny what one can find in the hidden recesses of trunks and cellars, attics and memory.
This seventies-era menu from Westfield's famous and much-missed So's Chinese-American restaurant brought thoughts of growing up in Westfield. When Sunday meant the inevitable line of hungry folks snaking out the door of the popular restaurant up Elm Street.
Back when Burger Town (sure, the meat was questionable...but for seventeen cents a burger...) occupied the northwest corner of Orange and Elm and the Donut Shop on the opposite corner was still the Donut Shop. On the way to school, it was daily magic to walk through the warm, heaven-flavored donut steam pumping out of the the wall vent into the cold air of a Westfield winter morning. It was a treat to stop for a donut and hot cocoa. Sometimes there would be change left for penny candy at Rasta's store, which always smelled so good of cigars and tobacco. If one was flush with funds - say fifty cents, or so - a balsa-wood airplane or a Tales from the Crypt comic book or the latest Mad magazine could be had there as well. And empty cigar boxes galore - free for the asking - great for organizing desks and crayons and saving baseball cards and storing things like...well, this menu from simpler days...
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
My family still talks about how amazing the food was at So's!!
ReplyDeleteWe would love to get our hands on those recipes. Do you know if they ever opened up another restaurant anywhere???
We would like to know the same. No restaurants fried rice can compare to theirs. Their food was amazing. Any info on recipe's would be appreciated, or if they have another restaurant anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for years to find any info on their restaurant or recipes but have had no luck. I've had fried rice from many different cities from New York, Chicago Florida etc, but can't find any to compare to theirs. I wish I could find a restaurant with the same type of rice. Any info?
ReplyDeletehow cool.
ReplyDeleteI just ordered Chinese food for dinner, thought about So's, and decided to look it up. I wasn't expecting to find anything, but this was kind of cool. I remember eating at So's a bunch of times when I was little (and my aunt worked there as a waitress for a while). I was too young to really remember the food, but I remember eating chicken chow mein there and I can still taste the egg-washed almond cookies they gave out.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I don't know anything about the owners. My aunt passed away several years ago, and if I remember correctly, she left long before they closed.
Our family would drive all the way up from Granby Connecticut. I was maybe 5 or 6 years old and I still talk about the food to this day. I think there was a change in staff were the main cook left for another restaurant. And ever since that point I believe their quality was never the same.
ReplyDelete