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ffm The Daily Tar HeelAugust 28, 19899, rn LjnJ hree Framklliim) stores have withstood test of tame, By CHRIS CHALFANT Staff Writer The more stores on Franklin Street change, the more they stay the same. Stores on Franklin Street change, come and go; however, Sutton's Drug Store, Jeffs Campus Confectionary and Huggins Hardware are three businesses on Franklin Street that have stayed the same for almost 60 years. Sutton's Drug Store sits on the main biock of East Franklin Street. It is a combination drug store and lunch counter and is one such long-lived place, said John Woodard, the store's owner and manager. "Sutton's has been here since 1923," Woodard said. "James Sutton built it then and died around 1956, and then his wife kept it for 10 years." , Woodard bought the drug store in 1977. ' "When I bought it, I had to keep it the same way," he said. "That was part of the deal. "They (the previous owners) said they'd run me out of town if I changed it." Woodard said the store hasn't changed because Chapel Hill alumni and residents want to keep it the way they remember it. "We have people come in that have been coming in for 50 years," Woo dard said. "We're the only full serv ice, old-fashioned drug store and soda fountain around. "We're full-service because our customers are able to go in and get what they want with our help without having to do it themselves." "When someone comes in with a prescription, I take it and help them without giving it to a clerk," added Woodard, who graduated from UNC and has a degree in pharmacy. "Most of our business revolves around the students of the university and people working there strictly within the walking distance because they are the ones who find it easier to get to us because of the lack of parking.spaces." According to Woodard, many stu dents prefer Sutton's to a regular drug store because Sutton's will set up charge accounts where the bills are sent home to the parents. "We try to be their (students') hometown drug store away from home," he said. As far as the food goes, Woodard said the soda fountain, old-fashioned lemonade and milkshakes are the big gest drawing points to go with the hamburger and fries. At the lunch counter, which is lo cated at the back of the store and has old-time swivel chairs, customers can get cold fountain drinks andor meals. Egg breakfasts, hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, barbecue and cold sand wiches are a few of the favorites. In addition to Sutton's, another Franklin Street oldtimer is Jeffs Cam pus Confectionary. Jeff's has been around since 1927, according to its manager, Jim Mousmoules. "We're the oldest business in Chapel Hill that's been owned by one fam ily," he said. Although Mousmoules said they were mainly in the magazine and news paper business, he said Jeffs also of fers cold Coca-Cola, beer, sandwiches and cigarettes. "We sell over a hundred thousand fountain drinks a year," he said. "It's the good carbonation, the old system." A lot of the customers are regulars who work on Franklin Street or who run errands there, he said. After serving a lady a cold Coke and ringing up the price on the old time register without her having to say a word, Mousmoules said he "knew what she wanted even before she opened up the door." Mousmoules said that it's the same way they've always remembered it not a thing has changed, not even the name. "Jeff was my mother's brother and he died in 1956, but you know what would happen if I changed the name? No one would come because that's what they're buying," he said. "You don't change something that's success ful." Farther down Franklin Street is Huggins Hardware, which has been there for almost 50 years, said Glenn Carver, its manager for 10 years. "We sell almost everything you need for your dorm room," he said. At Huggins, a customer can buy brooms, sewing equipment, toilet ar ticles, book cases, nuts and bolts, kitchen equipment, plants, picture hangers, paint and other general hard- ware. "We have all the stuff that you for got to bring to school, and it's cheaper to buy it here than to go home and get it," Carver said. "We also have bunk ing kits, and we make extra sets of keys with our keymaker, which is very busy each fall." Although Huggins hasn't changed what it's always sold, it has added a few extras, such as costume rentals three years ago. "Halloween is like Mardi Gras for Chapel Hill," he said. Huggins and Special Occasions, a company from Durham that sets up shop in the hardware store, lets the See STORES, page 1 5 hi - t . ? r ti it ; -' x 4 iV I S H - x $ - ' IS 5' ? ft. - - ' 5 - o i ' r I I i " - - 1 - , - - s I . I .- , i V J: f - - :' i 1 DTHDavid Lauterbom Take us to your leader! No, Chapel Hill was not recently invaded by aliens from the planet Many students show their support for the football (and basketball) Coors. Rather, these three gentlemen are merely enjoying the teams by dressing up in outrageous Carolina blue-and-white outfits festivities of a football Saturday sometime during the 1 988 season, for games. UNC Coyimtry CByb: Visit 18 wate g Ihoies By DAVE GLENN Editor At one point in time, before the the day the drinking age was changed to 21 and a sad, sad day that was there was more alcohol consumed in Chapel Hill (per capita) than in any other town, city, village or mu nicipality in the nation. Or so the rumor goes. And, hey, there's a pretty good school here, too. Really, though, there is no truth to the rumor that Milwaukee and St. Louis are fighting over the rights to Chapel Hill as a sister city. Or that Anheuser-Busch has a beer pipeline plan in the works already. Or that the first mayor of Chapel Hill won on the unforgettable "A chicken in ev ery pot, a keg in every backyard" platform. But there is no ignoring the fact that, in this lovely, placid-village on the hill, there are enough bars to make one wonder how they find room for anything else. It would be an injustice to just run off the names and addresses of these reputable establishments, so grab a set ofclubs and jump aboard for a nice, friendly, interesting and, well, unique round of Golf Chapel Hill style. Bar Golf is an interesting phenome non. It has no official Hall of Fame," though there are many eager and well qualified candidates. There are basic rules, but you can choose to forget them at any time. Of course, you may just forget them without trying, but that's a different matter altogether. All it takes is a few bucks, a few friends with a few more bucks, and, of course, a sincere love for the game. Ready for your first round? Start with a few basic rules. Yes, they are unnecessary, but you're in college now, and you're supposed to be responsible, structured and goal-oriented. No cad dies, though you may decide to pick one up along the way. No clubs, though you may need one to fend off the furry creatures that will be flying around your head somewhere on the 18th fair way. And no balls, because, well, somebody could really get hurt. Hole 1, Par 5, 565 yards, Spring Garden -This hole will require your best drive of the evening. You see, it's located at 1 1 1 E. Main St. in Carrboro, so you may want to use your best 1977 VW bus driver to hit the middle of the fairway. More importantly, this bar has the best selection of beers in the area. You name it, they have it. It's a par five (five gulps to a beer), and the first hole by design, because you deserve See BAR GOLF, page 20 u By MADDIE BAUMANN Staff Writer OK, so you've had a few forkfuls of cafeteria food at Lenoir Hall, and you already find your tongue flapping in the wind and your taste buds adrift, awaiting some culinary wind to fill their sails. . You need some real food. ;. Well, have no fear. There are alter natives to cafeteria cuisine. First, the fast food joints. Just as every dogs has his fleas, every town has McDonald's and it's ilk. Along Franklin Street, you'll find McDonald's and Hardee's on the west end toward Carrboro, and Burger King and Taco Bell on the main strip. Carrboro has Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, just to make the list complete. Now, on to finer fare. Would you like some breakfast? First stop: Ye Olde Waffle Shop on Franklin. Despite its doughy biscuits and bitter coffee, this small, narrow restaurant with counter seating and tables is a Chapel Hill institution. On weekends, you'll stand in line. Another Chapel Hill favorite is Preadmen's on Rosemary Street. It has a roomy dining room and plenty of parking. Try the thick blueberry pan cakes, blueberry crumbcake a mile high or creamy cheese omelets, which come with home fries or grits and biscuits or toast (try the sunflower toast). Breadmen's also serves a great lunch and dinner. The Continental Cafe on Hender son Street serves a good, inexpensive breakfast. You can sit in a booth, tilt your head back and look at the 20 or so panels depicting scenes from Greek mythology on the vaulted ceiling. Ask for their mozzarela cheese omelet. Bruegger's Bagel Bakery serves fine, chewy bagels for those in a New York state of mind sesame, pum pernickel, whole wheat, cinammon raisin, onion, garlic, salt and plain. Try one with honey-walnut cream cheese, and take home a cheap bagful of their day-old bagels for your microwave or toaster. They also serve big bagel sand wiches and two soups daily. Carolina Coffee Shop has a quiet, elegant and expensive breakfast. You'll feel like a real gentleman or lady while you dine on one of their asparagus HliDD iretayrainit caim salisfy aifl tastes omelets and sip espresso. "Put a little South in your mouth" is the motto of Dip's Country Kitchen, which is next to Tijuana Fat's on Rose mary Street. Dip's serves authentic Southern food at fairly reasonable prices. Fried chicken, vegetable frit ters, chicken and dumplings and even chitlins are on the menu. The Looking Glass Cafe is a fine little gern, tucked away in the back of University Square. It's light and airy inside, with large windows, hanging plants and ceiling fans. The Cafe's selections range from vegetable and spinach-cheese sandwiches to hamburg ers and corned-beef sandwiches. Spanky's and Four Corners, both across from the University on Fran klin Street, offer a wide assortment of sandwiches and entrees, and you can have a drink while you wait. Spanky's is the place to take your parents when they come to visit (or have them take you), especially for Sunday brunch. At Colonel Chutney's on Rosemary Street, you can sit inside or at a table in their courtyard. Try the tandoori chicken one-half of a chicken, mari nated in lime and garlic, and then grilled. Crook's Corner, on Franklin Street at the Carrboro line, is a former barbe cue hut that went upscale. It now is only open for dinner, and specializes in nouveau Southern cuisine such as the delicious sauteed shrimp over cheese grits (no kidding). The roof outside is decorated with a freakish assortment of animals made out of drift wood. North Carolina is famed for having the best barbecue in the United States, but there isn't any place in downtown Chapel Hill to get it. Allen and Son's, five miles down Airport Road, serves a tangy and tasty plate of pig, if you don't mind the drive. For the vegetarians, and those in sympathy with them, Pyewacket Res taurant and Bar is the place to go. Pyewacket is very popular and has gourmet-type food, with especially good seafood. Inside, it's spacious and relaxing, but pricey. Onward to other nationalities. Magdalena's on West Franklin has the best Mexican food around and emphasizes healthful ingredients. A selection of vegetable side dishes and scrumptious soups rounds out filling menu choices such as tostadas, enchi ladas, excellent taco salads and other lesser-known Mexican specialties. Be prepared to drink a lot to cool your tongue if you eat the combread stud ded with jalapeno peppers that comes with the sometimes spicy soup choices or the salsa that comes with the chips. Also serving fine Mexican food are Papagayo's, in the NCNB Plaza across from campus, and Tijuana Fat's on Rosemary Street. The Flying Burrito on Airport Road serves fine, less ex pensive, Mexican fare. The Golden Dragon and Four-Five-Six are practically next door to each other on Franklin and serve you guessed it Chinese food. Both serve cafeteria-style and nearly identical fare. The consensus is that Golden Dragon's food is tastier, but Four-Five-Six gives larger portions. Pizza anyone? Well, when you're in the mood, the Italian Pizzeria on West Franklin, Pepper's on East Franklin, Tony's in University Mall and Mariakakis Res taurant on U.S. 15-501 are all top- notch. Tony's and Italian Pizzeria both serve New York-style pizza, and Pepper's is renowned for its spicy sauce. Mariakakis also has Greek specialties, along with the tasty and garlicky Ara bic bread, which is basically a pizza without the sauce. Not good to order on a date unless you share it, but defi- See RESTAURANTS, page 10 Tie Rait:' A Chape H traditiomi From staff reports It's a tradition. It's a UNC tradition. It's a Chapel Hill tradition. It's the Rams Head Rathskeller, more commonly referred to as "The Rat." The Rat, a restaurant with a dark, earthy atmosphere, opens at a heavy wooden door in Amber Alley off Franklin Street. The restaurant is as much a part of Chapel Hill as the Old Well or Silent Sam. "We've been here since 1948," said manager Charles Smith, who's been there for nine years. "We're part of the history of Chapel Hill and tradition. "I've got waiters here who've been here for 20 years," he said. "I've got one waiter who's been here for 40 years. On the average, people are here for 20 to 25 years." The Rat has a special relation ship with the community, Smith said. "It's just a unique place to work with different clientele," he said. "We also do a lot of repeat business, and that allows you to build a personal relationship with all your custom ers. "During lunches, I'd say that it's 75 percent residents and 25 percent students and then at night, it's 75 percent students? and 25 percent other." Since 1948, people have been coming to the Rat to leave their ini tials in the solid wooden picnic-type tables, see "their" waiter and to sink their teeth into The Rat's specialty, the "Double Gambler," a tender, siz zling steak served on a skillet at 500 degrees. "We give quick service, and it's a unique restaurant," Smith said. "Our best sellers are the spaghetti, the Gam bler and the lasagna by far." With its famous Carolina blue bordered paper menu, The Rat also offers a patron anything from a bowl of soup to a double roast beef din ner, ranging in price from $2.75 to $8.75. Ribs and barbeque chicken are also popular items. The Rat's iced tea is a delightful thirst quencher, and each table gets its own pitcher, so waiting for a refill is never a con cern. The most expensive item on the menu is an around-the-world pizza at $ 15.75, containing hamburger, sau sage, onions and several other top pings. "This is not just any pizza, though," Smith said. 'This is the same pizza served when The Rat first in troduced pizza to the people of North Carolina." Although Smith admitted there has been some question as to whether The Rat did serve pizza first, he said, "As far as we know, it was first, but if anyone knows another restaurant that served pizza earlier, let us know, and we will gladly concede." An impressive group of people have visited The Rat, including Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, James Wor thy and Michael Jordan. "It's the regulars, though, who carve grafitti all over the tables and walls," Smith said. "There's not a nook or cranny where a knife or a See RAT, page 17 A s - -4 if v 4 A DTHFile photo A cook prepares the Rat's world-famous lasagna v i - ' m " n"t wi t .j.ntjL f
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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