Not that it matters to the folks on mahoningvalley.info, but after 100 years downtown, The Youngstown Club is closing its doors for good, and that is a major blow for those who enjoy fine dining at its very best. This restaurant is without any exception the most beautiful restaurant in the valley, and their meals and service have always been world class, but then I guess that most folks here prefer the slop dished out at the at the slop shop eateries than do dine in a quality dining room.
Photos inside the Youngstown Club
Towntalk....up until 2 years ago....I had never heard of this place......
Since you needed to be a someone from "high society"....I guess my invitation to join got lost in the mail all these years....
:) My friend, you would be welcomed with open arms and joyful heart to be a member. :)
Well, they're closing....guess I'll head to 7-11 for a hot dog and Slurpie....
It's a sad day for Youngstown ... the food there was super fantastic ... the atmosphere was fantastic ... and memberships were not as expensive as many would think. It's just that the club had a reputation for being only for the wealthy, and unfortunately they didn't do the sort of publicity that would encourage professionals such as yourself to join until the last few years via the internet.
What happens to their cheese?
tt one must never forget it was for rich white anglo saxon protestants sect that held to their beliefs that the immigrants are inferior to thier livelihood. signs were adorned at the door Negros, Irish and Italians need not applied. i celebrated many occasions at the yc but i left there needing a shower to wash off all the bigotry that the yc dished out to my ancestors that came from the ole country. sad its going but i am not going to miss it and what thier wasp members stood for as thier mission statement.
Times and people change ... When I was little, my Grandmother had no use for Italians, but when my Father (a volunteer fireman) was hurt while fighting a fire the neighborhood ladies came in to help my Mother care for Dad right to till the time he died. That experience changed my Grandmother, and from that point on, she and the neighborhood ladies became great friends, and they looked after her like she was family.
The big deal with her was the fact that they were Catholic.
One year after my Mother remarried Grandmother came for a visit, and Mother, knowing how Grandmother felt about Catholics was going to arrange for her to be taken to church by a neighbor who was Methodist, but Grandmother knew that Mother was the church organist at our church, (Sacred Heart) and she wanted to hear mother play, so they took her to our church, and afterwards, our pastor Msgr. Martin took her for a tour of the church, and while she never converted, a lot of the myths she had been taught were dispelled, and for the rest of her visit she went to our church.
One of the things that impressed her was the fact that Mother would play some of the Protestant hymns Grandmother loved with the full concent of our Pastor.
Yup, the 47 percent of us never got an invite.....Really surprised Mitt didn't eat lunch there this year....and that Paul Ryan didn't wash dished there either....
QuoteYup, the 47 percent of us never got an invite.....Really surprised Mitt didn't eat lunch there this year....and that Paul Ryan didn't wash dished there either....
A downtown restaurant needs to appeal to a large customer base that actually has money to spend.
Would a restaurant want five wealthy customers who each spend $50 per meal or would the restaurant want 200 customers who spend $10 per meal?
i am besides myself on this issue. one side says i am glad this type of club is gone from our mists. the other side thinks ponders the closing affects many of my frds that work there and they are members there too that are children from immgriants that once this club found inferior. who tried thier damnest to keep this historical club afloat. i would like to see someone buy this club and open it up a restaurant/banquet center. tt your story canbe one of our stories during our lifetimes. tt is true people do change for the better after a personal tradegy. most of time.
I never heard of this club until I saw the headline this morning.
How did it last this long?
The same way as the Mahoning Country Club, but judging by what a number of folks have posted about it, they'd also look their noses down at the Country Club even though its open to everyone and has its own fine dining restaurant. As early as the 1940's the MCC has had a number of events that were open to the general public such as concerts and dances, and any group can book events there.
It's a shame that there is so much reverse snobbery around today. You would think that in this day of age that attitudes would have improved.
tt it is not about being a snob. it is about respect. the immgrigants 's children did not want to support people who would run them out town after they used them for cheap labor, burned crosses in thier yds because of skin color or had a christian or jewish name. the ole italian expression "you can spit up in the air, it will eventually come down".
Towntalk....the business "moguls" formed the club...it was for their high society. It was for them. That I have no problem with.
It had the reputation it was for the wealthy because it was for the wealthy.
Now the wealthy don't want to put the money into it to keep it going. So be it.
I realize that for the descendants that it's hard to forget, but here's some consolation. most of the members of the Youngstown are "new money", and the descendants of the old money families have little more than the family name to live on.
Dennis, 95% of the families that founded the Youngstown Club no longer live here, and all that is left are family members who are at best Middle Class. What's left are a handfull of new money folks.
Towntalk, I find it funny that "rich moguls" never shed a tear when they close factories or a business for lack of money...
But I'm supposed to shead a tear when the "rich moguls" have to close their private club for lack of money....
OK, I'll cry...boo-hoo.....
No one is expecting anyone to shed a single tear for anyone. Hecks pups, I really could care less at this point just as I could care less if any other eatery, especially downtown and the west side closes for good and all.
I do though care that 20 people will lose their jobs.
My support goes to North Side eateries and grocery stores ... I do most of my shopping in Liberty exclusively and wouldn't drop so much as a single penny in any Boardman store, and could care less about businesses in any other part of town.
Each time I shop at the Belmont Giant Eagle, the folks there treat me wonderfully as do the folks at the Union Square Save-A-Lot so why should I shop at any other store.
Sure, I have tastes like a millionare so I support the Youngstown Symphony, enjoy whipping up fancy meals, enjoy good music, have a library of great books but I'm under no illusions about my station in life, and I certainly do not begrudge those who are better off than I am.
I'm no millionare, I don't drive car (I don't drive period), and I don't have fancy duds so when people I do business with treat me as good as if I did have all these fancy things, that counts for something.
I am forever thankful for the lessions that my parents instilled in me both in my love for reading good books, enjoying great music, and treating all people regardless of their station in life the way that I want to be treated, because it has paid off in the way I'm treated.
The Youngstown Club had three locations in the downtown over the past 100 years. The club was always located on the upper floors to each building......looking down on everyone else.
Successful restaurants of today are located at street level.
tt i do for bad that my frds will lose thier jobs that was on driving force for me to promote yc. you are right about the new money and member. i would had felt comfortable of they new oil pts of recent members instead of prune faces and tight arses turn of the century members.
Oh, come on Jay give me a break, where a restaurant is located is important but not the only factor ... the quality of its food and service are the ONLY factors of any consequence ... apparently you don't watch The Food Network channel or you would know that I'm right.
Folks around Youngstown today are satisfied with run of the mill mom and pop diners and national chain grease factories, and for them any first class restaurant is "for snobs only".
Why should anyone patronize for example any of the sandwich shops in town when at half the price they can whip up the very same sandwich in their kitchen at half the price, and make them to their own taste?
If I'm going out to dine the factors I look for are the quality of the food and service. Does that restaurant feature foods that I can't make at home? That is another key factor.
There isn't a restaurant downtown that meets these criteria 100%.
Where for example can I get Fresh Oysters on Ice at any of the downtown restaurants. This is a very simple dish that the chef can prepare in five minutes or less, just fresh raw oysters on a bed of ice and a side of dipping sauce, yet it is as expensive as good beef steak.
As for beef dinners, in this order I look for: 1. Filet Mignon, 2. Porterhouse steak, or 3. New York Strip Steak, along with the side dishes that go witrh them.
The Food Network's Guy Fieri recently opened a new restaurant in New York City. A New York Times restaurant critic gave the restaurant the worst review ever.
An unfortunate fact about downtown Youngstown
If you're not located on West Federal Street, your restaurant has three strikes against it.
Come on my friend, again give me a break, you are citing one chef one restaurant, and not even in our area. By the way, another Food Channel Iron Chef had a couple of restaurants in Cleveland that are award winning five star restaurants. His name is Michael Simon. If he were to take over the Youngstown Club and run it as a regular restaurant, I guarintee you that it would be a success.
I can agree that the days of private club restaurants in cities like Youngstown are long past, but folks still crave top shelf restaurants here they can enjoy fine dining at a price that is consistent with our economy.
Is such a restaurant possable in downtown Youngstown? Now that is quite another question, and I have doubts on that score.
Without question, absent proper promotion, you're right, yet don't forget that in Cleveland, a section of former industrial land was turned into a thriving entertainment district. It's all in the promotion and publicity.
I can recall the day when restaurants regulairly ran commercials on the local radio stations, and ads in The Vindicator.
You can't open up a restaurant anywhere without proper promotion in the media.
Our favorite restaurant downtown is Cafe Cimmentos, and the only evening that we have ever seen that place busy was after the Clinton rally in October. We actually prefer that it isn't busy because our board of directors holds our meetings there over dinner and don't want all the extra noise. I think we would have probably moved to the Youngstown Club instead but didn't even think of it as an option.
The old days of executives from the surrounding office towers meeting up for cocktails after the close of business are over in Youngstown. We used to be a city where several large corporations had their offices, but that is now gone. About the only restaurants that thrive in downtown now are those that cater to the young population, and even the youngest, most artist and leftist friendly restaurant in downtown couldn't pay their bills.
Couldn't agree with you more Rick. When I go out to dine I want to enjoy my meal in peace, and that means in a restaurant that is not full of college students that treat the establishment as a college dorm, and the sound of music that is aimed at the young crowd.
I'm no snob ... but at 73 the kind of atmosphere that is in most of the downtown restaurants is a turnoff, which explains somewhat why older folks that have the money to spend do not frequent these places, and dine at the better restaurants in the suburbs.
tt i do agree with your selection of chefs. ms does have string of restaurant successes under his belt. sound of ideas a cl radio/tele show interviewed him about his new restaurant adventure. he is a class act. i like roberto's rest due to its food and soft it music. if i want loud drunken patrons dancing and singing to today's music(if you call it music and dancing. i am sounding like my parents) then off to niteclubs. i guess there is never pleasing answer to fine dining. i would like to see a push to have one dollars yrly membeships for yc
When I lived and worked in Pittsburgh I lived a block away from a really great restaurant. It was on the small side, but their meals were ala some of the finest restaurants in New York, and yet their meals were quite reasonable. When my boss came to town for an look around I told him about the restaurant and afterhe finished checking the books, he treated us to a meal on the house at that restaurant, and was quite impressed both by the quality of the meals and the price,
While others were ordering steaks, I ordered the Oyster bowl, and when it came, my co-workers laughed until our boss told them that I ordered the best meal on the menu. Oysters on Ice and I tell you that there were more Oysters than there was in the size of the steaks that they were eating, and since our boss was picking up the tab, I offered to share the oysters with our boss.
Each Sunday, I would have my dinner there.
i would like to find a nice rest on sunday aka roberto's or the one you liked in pittsburgh.
Try the Golden Hunan on Belmont Ave. The meals there are great and at reasonable prices. Great reviews on this restaurant.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/334/1343090/restaurant/Golden-Hunan-Restaurant-Youngstown (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/334/1343090/restaurant/Golden-Hunan-Restaurant-Youngstown)
tt t y for the tidbit.
Let the group know what you think when you dine there my friend. :)
Question for all:
When you are taking your family out to dine for other than a sandwich and salad, which is the restaurant that you frequent most and what are the dishes you order most often? (Fast food restaurants don't count.) Give us some idea about the restaurant, its menu and service.
Salvatores in Austintown or Howland. They serve little slices of pizza instead of a basket of bread which is amazingly good. After gorging on the pizza bread I only eat half of whatever pasta entree I order, the rest beomes lunch the next day.
Niccolini's has a wonderful house salad and semolina bread and olive oil. After the bread and salad the entree is always a letdown!
The new Alberini's in Boardman is very good.
The food at Cafe Cimmentos isn't very good, their sauce isn't cooked enough, but the quiet atmosphere is conducive to dinner meetings.
The mexican restaurant in the old Perkins on Belmont is another favorite. I always either get chimichangas or fajitas. Another good one is el Jalepeno in the former Hooters in Niles. They are the fastest restaurant I've ever been it.
We recently added Ruby Tuesday to our "do not dine" list. Who serves a cheeseburger on whole wheat bread??? YUCK! V2 is also on that list. Way too freaking loud in there. Turn off the music already!
Quote from: Towntalk on November 17, 2012, 11:12:03 PM
Let the group know what you think when you dine there my friend. :)
i had dined there several times in the past and i never had a bad meal. i thought they were closed on sundays. i am happy that you told me they are open on sundays.
crickets on midlothian blvd-delicious am food
blvd tavern on southern blvd and lucius ave-italtan food, i order thier antipasta salads, fish on fri, and mon thier home-made ravolis
all above rest have delicious food and reasonable price
QuoteAn unfortunate fact about downtown Youngstown
If you're not located on West Federal Street, your restaurant has three strikes against it.
Anthony's on the River
B&O Restaurant
The Hub
Cedars Cafe
The Old Precinct
Saigon Star
I thought the B&O Restaurant closed due to illegal activity by some of the owners?
IMO, the Hub closed due to a decline in the quality of their food.
I've been told that Saigon Star didn't have very good food. I've also talked to people who said they liked it, but the consistent absence of customers would indicate they were in the minority.
ws mentioned places that i had brk, lunch or dinner. i never had bad dining exps but some of the rest. had slow service in which gave my fam an frds longer time to solialize.
iwasthere, they are closed on Sunday.
Jay, if that is the case that only restaurants located on West Federal street succeed, why is it that there is a rather consistent turnover in restaurants in the food court in the old Phar-Mor building?
Have you ever dined at Ovation, in the Deyor complex?