Federal Cafe in Hartford closing????

[87Xfer]

Loriens yep !! One of the 2 dance clubs I asked about. Thx

Loriens...forgot about that place. Used to be a great place to make female friends.

One song comes to mind from that joint...

 

[Deepster]

Were any of those places open this century?

I would say most of those were in their prime somewhere like 1989 to 1995?

Civic Pub had a line down the street every Thur-Fri-Sat. And yes, Polly Estas was the dance club next to where Coaches was.

 

[HooperScooper]

Yes it was. I designed the Brickyard and the Standing Stone. Actually gave it it's name, referencing the megolithic stones erected throughout the UK. Loved that place. The Grant brothers were awesome, paid me in cash, big wads of it. View attachment 59007

I hope you deposited that cash quickly!

I didn't think it was the Grant brothers that started the Brickyard. Did you deal with Jim and Bill at all?

 

[alexd]

From 1995....lots of old time Union Place bars mentioned throughout this article....

Hartford, Connecticut Breaking News, Sports & Entertainment - Hartford Courant

Hartford Courant: Your source for Connecticut breaking news, UConn sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic

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[Bezzz]

I hope you deposited that cash quickly!

I didn't think it was the Grant brothers that started the Brickyard. Did you deal with Jim and Bill at all?

Yes, four partners. Jim, Bill, Mike and Tony.

 

[beerfan]

I just took a stroll through downtown. There were more people and restaurants open than usual. A band was actually playing on the Old State House Lawn as part of the farmer's market. I got a nice piece of homemade pie.

The Federal of course was not open but nothing about it being closed, the bar still looked stocked.

The street is blocked off in front of the Russian Lady and there are tables set up in the street. The Russel which used to be on Pratt moved to where Bear's was.

Next to Bears and where the Brickyard was on Allyn Street are now new apartments. There are lots of new apartments downtown, if they can fill them who knows, life could come back.

 

[87Xfer]

What the heck was the name of the sort of landmark restaurant near the Civic Center, with a bunch of different levels? It may have been a brewery after the restaurant I'm thinking of. It was a go-to dinner date spot before concerts etc...

 

[formerlurker]

What the heck was the name of the sort of landmark restaurant near the Civic Center, with a bunch of different levels? It may have been a brewery after the restaurant I'm thinking of. It was a go-to dinner date spot before concerts etc...

Russian Lady?

 

[Deepster]

What the heck was the name of the sort of landmark restaurant near the Civic Center, with a bunch of different levels? It may have been a brewery after the restaurant I'm thinking of. It was a go-to dinner date spot before concerts etc...

Brown Thompson (or BT's). It became (and still is) City Steam. Cool building for sure.

 

[87Xfer]

Brown Thompson (or BT's). It became (and still is) City Steam. Cool building for sure.

Yep, that's it. Little surprised City Steam is still surviving. I was never a huge fan of their beer.

 

[HCCForever]

Yep, that's it. Little surprised City Steam is still surviving. I was never a huge fan of their beer.

The Nurse is what I drink there. Nothing special but my favorite beer of City Steam.

 

[mauconnfan]

The Nurse is what I drink there. Nothing special but my favorite beer of City Steam.

Dirty one at that

 

[jimva]

Anyone remember the Club Car? Had many crazy nights upstairs there back in the mid-late 80’s

 

[HooperScooper]

Yes, four partners. Jim, Bill, Mike and Tony.

Jim and Bill went to UConn. I was friends with Mike also, but that was since kindergarten. Mike went to Stonehill. His father disappeared right before his college graduation.

 

[HCCForever]

Dirty one at that

I actually typed in "N-a-u-g-h-t-y Nurse" without hyphens but first word was removed.

 

[HCCForever]

Anyone remember the Club Car? Had many crazy nights upstairs there back in the mid-late 80’s

I do but that place changed names a lot. Club Car and Great Train Robbery are two that I remember going to. I was an IT consultant at Connecticut Mutual which was just up the hill. A fellow consultant and I were babysitting jobs on a Saturday so we decided to have a few drinks at the Club Car. When we went back to work, the security guard gave us a hard time since we weren't employees so we almost could not get back to work. This was well before logging in remotely. It would have been tough explaining that to our manager. But good times at the Club Car. I had a lot of crazy nights in the 80's.

 

[8893]

I actually typed in "N-a-u-g-h-t-y Nurse" without hyphens but first word was removed.

Yeah I tried to post that word the other day and noticed that the filter grabs it. Strange.

 

[Kolumbo]

Brown Thompson (or BT's). It became (and still is) City Steam. Cool building for sure.

Then there was BT II over by Westfarms Mall which later became Great American Cafe I believe, which was torn down and replaced by Red Robin. Brown Thomson, no p.

 

[BigEastCT]

mad dawgs saloon where u could get a 40oz!

 

[mauconnfan]

Then there was BT II over by Westfarms Mall which later became Great American Cafe I believe, which was torn down and replaced by Red Robin. Brown Thomson, no p.

View attachment 59062

Yep Great American Cafe was three levels open very cool layout. There was a GAC in Glastonbury also in a shopping plaza, very fun.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

What the heck was the name of the sort of landmark restaurant near the Civic Center, with a bunch of different levels? It may have been a brewery after the restaurant I'm thinking of. It was a go-to dinner date spot before concerts etc...

Russian Lady. Sports bar level 1, dance club level 2, level 3 Russian roulette

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Then there was BT II over by Westfarms Mall which later became Great American Cafe I believe, which was torn down and replaced by Red Robin. Brown Thomson, no p.

View attachment 59062

I got married at the Society Room on Pratt St and the photographer made us take a picture in front of this plaque!

 

[Improviser]

Anyone remember DeLisa's in Hartford? Or, the other places listed below?

I took some of my dates to DeLisa's. Had great entertainment and Pete was quite a singer. Rock music and some nice Italian music.

Pete died in 2012, and the below information comes from his obituary:

Pete DeLisa, the owner, also owned other clubs like In the early 60s, with his brothers, he opened DeLisa's in Hartford which is remembered as the premier entertainment nightclub of its day.

In the disco heyday of the 70s, Peter opened the very popular General Store Cafe in Canton. In the 80s and 90s he had an incredibly successful run at The Stonewell Restaurant in Farmington, performing with the very talented vocalist, Carol Wilusz.

When I lived in the Hartford area in the early 1970's there was also the White Street Tavern and a place at the end of Park Street, but I cannot recall its name.

 

[Improviser]

Oh yeah, I forgot to name JB Steakhouse or some name close to it, in downtown Hartford where U of Hartford waiters from Hartt School of Music would sing. More of a restaurant but still a bar as I can remember.

 

[Kolumbo]

Anyone remember DeLisa's in Hartford? Or, the other places listed below?

I took some of my dates to DeLisa's. Had great entertainment and Pete was quite a singer. Rock music and some nice Italian music.

Pete died in 2012, and the below information comes from his obituary:

Pete DeLisa, the owner, also owned other clubs like In the early 60s, with his brothers, he opened DeLisa's in Hartford which is remembered as the premier entertainment nightclub of its day.

In the disco heyday of the 70s, Peter opened the very popular General Store Cafe in Canton. In the 80s and 90s he had an incredibly successful run at The Stonewell Restaurant in Farmington, performing with the very talented vocalist, Carol Wilusz.

When I lived in the Hartford area in the early 1970's there was also the White Street Tavern and a place at the end of Park Street, but I cannot recall its name.

The Stonewell was a Beafsteak Charlie's prior to that, all the beer wine and sangria you could drink. It was empty for a long time and is now Five Corners Bistro.

Unique American Eatery with Seasonal Menu & Brunch | Local Beers & Craft Cocktails | Five Corners Bistro & Craft Bar

Enjoy brunch at our unique American eatery with seasonal menu. 24 local beers on tap, 16 wines on tap, and craft cocktails made with house-made syrups and infusions. Try our Gin & Tonic flights with over 80 gins to choose from. Come experience the best of American cuisine!

fivecornersbistro.com