Tasty Toledo
My parents are originally from Toledo, so we’ve had ample opportunities to visit Toledo and become accustomed to many of the food joints frequented by my parents during their childhood. My Grandfather passed away just a few weeks ago, and since he made it to 96 years old, and was independent for 95 of those years, his funeral was more a celebration of his life than a mourning of his death. But being in Toledo, possibly for the last time with the extended family, I was reminded me of the many culinary institutions to which I’ve become attached.
At the top of the list, of course is Rudy’s Hot Dogs, which serves the world’s greatest chili-dogs, bar none. Rudy’s is the one place where I have NEVER failed to eat during a visit to Toledo. My standard gig when visiting my grandparents was to stop over for a day or two at the end of a business trip. I’d fly in to Detroit, pick up a bag of Rudy’s for the three of us, get a six pack of Labatt’s, and make my appearance. Grandpa & Grandma, and me, really enjoyed that. As a memorial to them both, we made a family sojourn to Rudy’s after Grandpa’s funeral, and enjoyed our memories.
Next has to be Uncle John’s, a local pancake house that also serves a mean all-you-can-eat fish fry at certain unpredictable times. When they have the fish, it’s killer. We’ve also had many a family breakfast at John’s and a stack of cakes can hold its own!
My Mom’s childhood favorite is Red Wells, famous for its roast beef. Mom recalls eating at Red Wells with her Dad, who would kibbitz with Red while eating. A lot of years later, the food is still terrific.
There are a handful of restaurants in the area that have all-you-can-eat Walleye when it’s in season. I don’t remember any of these places, but my grandparents always seemed to know how to find the friendly little diners that would load up your plate with fish for under four bucks. I miss that.
Let’s not forget White Castle’s, another venerable favorite where I used to regularly stop. I remember Grandpa deciding he needed some Sliders as a late night snack, and off we’d go. Not so much in recent years, but I have fond memories.
Of course, there’s Dairy Queen, which has a place on my Toledo list since Grandpa would walk with us kids and Jaegar, his Weimerauner dog, down to the local DQ and get each of us an ice cream cone, including Jaegar. That dog LOVED those cones, and it created quite a stir at the Dairy Queen besides!
And no mention of Toledo food is complete without mention of the hundreds of bologna and American cheese sandwiches my Grandma would make for me. It’s all I ever wanted, and she was happy to oblige. I pretty much can’t stand those sandwiches now, but sure did love Grandma’s.
I guess no discussion of food in Toledo is complete without a mention of Tony Packo’s, the Hungarian sausage eatery that Klinger, from MASH, used to remember so fondly. I’ve never been there – I’m incapable of turning down Rudy’s as the alternative!
Finally, there are Grandma’s infamous Lamb Burgers, which my Dad insists Grandma tricked him in to eating by misrepresenting them as beef. Grandma would get spun up when this topic would come up, typically after quite a few beers, and denied that story to her last day. As of a few weeks ago, Dad is still sticking to his version.
– Chris