DINERS SAVOR 28-YEAR-OLD RESTAURANT TO FINAL MORSEL.Byline: Phil Davis
Ginny McKinney served her first hot pizza at Barone's on the day it opened 28 years ago. She was still there serving up tasty Italian dishes These dishes are representative of Italian cuisine. Dishes and recipes Antipasti
She still has the first Barone's menu from opening night Oct. 15, 1970. Back then, a steak dinner cost $6.95. ``I could tell very quickly I was going to be here awhile,'' McKinney said. ``They've been very good to me.'' And she to them. Several loyal customers said they are willing to make the drive to the original Barone's in Sherman Oaks, which will remain open, only because McKinney will be there. True to form, McKinney wouldn't stop working to reminisce rem·i·nisce intr.v. rem·i·nisced, rem·i·nisc·ing, rem·i·nisc·es To recollect and tell of past experiences or events. [Back-formation from reminiscence. on Sunday. ``Business comes first,'' she said. ``People got attached to our service here,'' said Terry Schneider, assistant manager and one of about 25 Barone's employees at Toluca Lake who won't have jobs today. ``Ginny's the type of waitress that doesn't exist anymore. Most waitresses are young women, starving starve v. starved, starv·ing, starves v.intr. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. Informal To be hungry. 3. To suffer from deprivation. actors. We have servers here who have made it a career. They put their kids through college working here.'' Barone's Toluca Lake lease expired, and the property owner wants to demolish de·mol·ish tr.v. de·mol·ished, de·mol·ish·ing, de·mol·ish·es 1. To tear down completely; raze. 2. To do away with completely; put an end to. 3. the unusual European-style building and build a larger restaurant for a chain featuring chicken. Restaurant owner restaurant owner n → dueño/a or propietario/a de un restaurante Tony Arpaia said poor health and the daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task of relocating influenced him to close the Toluca Lake restaurant and focus on the original Sherman Oaks Barone's, which has been in business since 1945. Customers who crave the cool, dark atmosphere and the characteristic rectangular pizzas flocked to the Toluca Lake restaurant for a last meal there Sunday. They shared stories of meeting loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl by the fireplace and playing rowdy games of Jeopardy at the bar. ``Oh God, we used to have so much fun here,'' said Patricia Budz-Comandini, who met her husband, Pete, at the restaurant. ``I'm going to miss it terribly. My husband's gone, and now this is, too.'' Hank and Mickey Malanowski guessed that they ate at the restaurant more than 2,000 times in the past 20 years. They came for steak and eggs when the restaurant opened for the last time, and they planned to return for dinner. ``It's a sad, sad day. It's another landmark coming down,'' Mickey Malanowski said. CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO On Barone's last day in Toluca Lake, waitress Ginny McKinney shows a 1970 menu from her first day at the restaurant. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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