Greenland Grill

The Greenland Grill was located on South Blvd near the intersection of Park Ave in the Dilworth neighborhood. It opened in 1920 (then called the Greenland Cafe) and would run through the 1960's. 

Unfortunately, other than the above menu from the late-50's, little information exists on the Greenland Grill. 

Please leave comments or email me if you have any information on this eatery.

San Remo

Two ads from 1975

1978 menu

San Remo has been going strong since its opening in 1973. Located in the front of the Darby Acres Shopping Center on the Eastside of Charlotte, San Remo has always been an area favorite. It features a full menu (24 hours, seven days a week) that runs the gamut of Italian to Greek to classic Americana diner-fare. In addition to the standard menu, San Remo offers an extensive list of daily specials and several homemade desserts.

Other than a modest renovation about 10 years ago, little has changed at San Remo. It's patrons range from families enjoying a meal out to a varied late-night crowd looking for an after-club snack.

Gert's Lil' Diner

Gert's Lil' Diner opened in 1984 on Beatties Ford Rd in a small trailer on the side of the road. It was owned by Gertrude Randson and was open for breakfast and lunch only. It was a two-person operation with Gert doing all of the cooking and one waitress doing all of the serving.

Walking into Gert's was like stepping back in time. The interior featured green Leatherette booths. green and yellow Formica table tops, and quilted chrome on the wall in front of the kitchen--all the makings of a 1950's diner. Gert's featured some of the best home-cooking soul food in the area. The menu usually featured five meats and eight vegetables, along with several homemade desserts. Items such as smothered chicken, steamed cabbage, collard greens, pigs feet, and okra with tomatoes were among the standard offerings. Gert's also had the best cornbread in the city. 

Gert's would close in 1995. Gert retired at that point, but soon returned to work at the short-lived Cotton Street Diner on South Blvd. There she was in charge of all baked goods (including her famous biscuits and peach cobbler).

Meadowview Steak House **HALL OF FAME EATERY**

1969 ad

The Meadowview Steak House opened in 1964 on Hwy 74 (Independence Blvd) in the town of Matthews. At the time, the restaurant was about 5 miles east of Charlotte in a rural area of the county. The restaurant was owned by George and Denise Athans and later was run by their son, Tom. When the Meadowview opened, it joined an ever- growing list of 1960's high-end steakhouses that were opening across the Charlotte area.

Little changed over the 40 year life of the Meadowview. The dining room was formal, but simple. Chandeliers and table lamps offered dim lighting. Servers wore crisp white shirts, burgundy bow ties, and black vests. The interior featured gold-buttoned booths and cream wall coverings with framed landscape paintings. The food was always the star attraction. Ruffled chips served with onion dip were always brought to each table at the start of each meal. Of all of the many steak options, the ribeye steak was the Meadowview's claim to fame. Always popular was the unique in-house seasoning applied to all steaks--"a la Grecque" was a mixture of garlic, oregano, and special Greek spices. In addition to the extensive menu of steaks, chops, seafood, and kabobs, the homemade desserts were legendary. The Chocolate Fantasy (Denise's own creation) topped an Oreo crust with chocolate-Amaretto-Grand Marnier-Kahlua-cream cheese layers. 

The Meadowview would close in the Fall of 2004. While the area surrounding the restaurant was continually growing and changing (even to the extent of the Meadowview moving to a new building next-door in 1991 to allow for the widening of Hwy 74), the Meadowview next lost its charm or uniqueness that allowed it to flourish for so many decades.