I used to shoot up the Branford Hill from my Morris Cove neighborhood all the time for eats when I first got my driver's license. At 16, that hill was far enough from my house to be considered a "road trip," and it was an absolute foodie mecca!
The Rib House Sure, the legendary rib - and nacho! - joint is still open (it's just moved a few blocks over, to the old Faustini's in EH), but I'll forever remember it as what "kicked off the Hill." My old man was a bartender there on occasion, every belly up at the bar a character and, as I might have mentioned, the nachos are insane.
Hardee's I know, I know - it's a fast food joint. But I loooove Hardee's and still feel its absence on the Hill. But, I mean, now it's finally back to being a restaurant, and a Five Guys no less. Things could be worse.
Golden Dragon Man oh man, this was my crash course in Chinese food, and it was bangin'. When my mother would suggest not making dinner and us getting Golden Dragon instead my sister Julie and I couldn't contain our enthusiasm. Meat on a stick? Those boneless ribs? I'm in. Later it would be where I'd have my first Scorpion Bowl and my world would never be the same.
Ground Round I remember it all so vividly. The fun-house mirrors upon walking in, the old movies in constant rotation, the bottomless popcorn - this was my generation's Chuck E. Cheese! But with booze. And epic burgers.
The Farm Shop This was quite possibly my favorite restaurant EVER. The Texas toast French toast on Sunday mornings made for some of my happiest HS memories, with my HS girlfriend on my arm and a whole Sunday - nay, world - just waiting on us. Evidently I'm not alone either: https://bit.ly/2IOtEmG