You must have been around downtown Raleigh for a while if the reddish neon "RESTAURANT" sign atop the entrance to soon-to-be-shuttered Joe's Place brings to mind the place that was there before Joe Sciolino and his mother decided to open their own place to share her home cooking.
Upchurch's was the name — a low-key, down-home eatery with the same booths along Dawson Street that are familiar to Joe's patrons. What I recall most vividly is the elixir they poured when you ordered tea — classic, dark, sweet iced tea that was perfect in every respect.
The news that Joe's is closing set me to thinking about other downtown lunch spots that have bitten the dust, so I put together the following list. (My time frame is since '81, when I began working for The N&O.) If my memory has played any tricks on me, please set things straight. Any notable "places" that I've overlooked?
1) The aforementioned Upchurch's. Its wraparound neon sign at the corner of Martin and Dawson is a treasure.
2) Belk's Capital Room: Possibly the best cafeteria in history. Top floor of the old Hudson Belk store on Fayetteville Street (Mall). It was sort of a general mess hall for downtown workers and visitors; over time, you'd see everyone. Excellent food, reasonable prices, comfortable with cloth table settings and serious silverware. Whither Maurice and Jimmy?
3) Hardee's: 200 block of Fayetteville Street, next to Briggs Hardware. Downscale to the max; assembly point for homeless folks. Tunnel to Salisbury Street back entrance was creepy and foul-smelling.
4) Wendy's: 100 block of Fayetteville, next to Olivia Rainey Library building. Upstairs was a pleasant venue to scarf your burger/chili/baked potato.
5) The Abacus: Chinese cafeteria-style place where Caffe Luna is now, corner of Hargett and Blount. Migrated from previous location on the mall. Food ranged from mediocre to far worse. As good as Caffe Luna is, it must have been a struggle to overcome the vibes in that space.
6) Chinese cafeteria-style place, corner of Martin and Salisbury: closed about a year ago. Forgettable name that I've already forgotten. Pretty good sesame chicken, beef and broccoli. Other stuff that would fill you up.
7) Fast Break: Hole-in-the-wall joint kitty-corner to #6. Just a counter with maybe 10 seats. Popular with courthouse crowd; sandwiches and some stir-fry choices. Closed last summer because of scheduled demolition of office building in which it was embedded.
8) Yancey's: Ambitious New Orleans-themed place on ground floor of rehabbed Belk building; closed a few months ago. I wanted to like it, but in 4-5 lunch visits didn't find the food up to par considering the price.
9) Est Est Est: Italian place, corner of Hargett and Salisbury. Decent food, but service was so slow it wasn't practical for a workday lunch.
10) Italian counter-style place, ground floor of Professional Building (corner of Hargett and McDowell). Short-lived; early '90s? Order eggplant parmigiana and they'd give you about 5 pounds of it. Stuff yourself, then fall asleep at your desk.
11) Cuban place, Hargett Street across from Wachovia high rise: Successor to a soup and sandwich joint (Soupernatural?). OK the couple of times I went there, although you got the sense that they were sort of making it up as they went along.
12) Poole's: The original Poole's, on lower McDowell Street, was a wonderful throwback to a Fifties-style, country cooking luncheonette. Fresh veggies in season. Pork chops, barbecued beef, streak o' lean. Sit at the counter with its multiple curves or at the booths/tables in back. Endless refills of tea. Very satisfying, although not for cholesterol-watchers.
13) The Upstairs: Southern-style deli in the 100 block of S. Wilmington Street, next to the old Heilig-Levine furniture store. Unique. Climb the creaky stairs, be greeted by effervescent hostess Nell Joslin Styron, find a seat not already claimed by the regulars. Let Nell give you the rundown on the day's dessert specials and share some gossip. Great sandwiches and the famous beef bowl.
We've focused our attention on places no longer with us, which means no discussion of those downtown restaurants that have managed to outlast the competition or find a successful niche. Fortunately, there are quite a few, and their numbers seem to be growing. Those of us who work downtown wish them the best — we count on them for our mid-day sustenance!
