Recollections about a legendary eatery
Circa 1966
The flimsy screen door slammed shut every time a patron walked into this restaurant, more accurately luncheonette, in an alley behind the Red Lion Inn on Main Street in Stockbridge,MA.
During a quiet spell, Alice, pushing back the brown hair from her brow, emerged to greet, survey the customers perched on the 8 counter stools and in four small wood booths, opine on a special of the day, and retreat to the kitchen.
By the time i cleaned the plate of every morsel, regular customers would have entered to say hello, chat about news of the day, order food or all of the above.
The war in Vietnam was heating up faster then the soup in the kitchen. Opinions in this small town in the Berkshires were divided. And on the menu.
Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Masacree" song became a staple on WBCN that Charles Laquidara played every Thanksgiving morning. The day never passes without being aired on radio somewhere in the country.
Anthem, perfectly modulated tone poem, audio theater, it will be played as long as turkey is served every Thanksgiving.
As a fourth grade teacher at the John Pierce School in Brookline, MA, i found Alice's after renting an apartment overlooking a sprawling meadow and the Berkshire Hills in the distance. in short order, i found Nejaime's Market on Elm Street and a tavern across the street with two pool tables in a side room. Spent many an evening improving my skills, meeting friendly locals and scarfing down food from the kitchen.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockbridge,_Massachusetts
Related links
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/28/opinion/thanksgiving-alices-restaurant-consumerism/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/22/lifestyle/alice-brock-alices-restaurant-has-died-arlo-guthrie/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-alices-restaurant-180967276/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Brock
Two other favorite destinations
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/archives/couple-sets-out-to-revive-elm-street-market-in-stockbridge/article_5c8f02df-f18e-512d-9f51-6763a5d234e2.html..when it was a 2-room destination, bar/restaurant on one side and two well-used pool tables in the other
Excellent work Paulito!!
Posted by: David Connor | December 11, 2024 at 08:55 PM