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Decatur dining in the 1970's

Decatur dining in the 1970's
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  • Decatur dining in the 1970's

    Post #1 - January 17th, 2009, 7:41 am
    Post #1 - January 17th, 2009, 7:41 am Post #1 - January 17th, 2009, 7:41 am
    Does anybody remember Stevie's Latin Village in the Orlando Hotel in the '70's? Or Miller's grocery store,both located in Decatur, Illinois?
  • Post #2 - January 17th, 2009, 8:09 am
    Post #2 - January 17th, 2009, 8:09 am Post #2 - January 17th, 2009, 8:09 am
    I've lived in Decatur since 1985 and these places were both gone before I arrived here. The Orlando Hotel has been a residential facility for the elderly since the early '80's, I believe. Any other Decatur-ites on the board that could help?

    Dante's in the old Levee district (the hoary lore is that the Levee was the "go-to" place for mobsters on the lam from Chicago) is another one I hear a lot about from longtime natives. The stories describe a hotbed of dry-aged beef, martinis and dangerous liaisons!

    Davooda
    Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
    -- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010
  • Post #3 - January 17th, 2009, 8:44 am
    Post #3 - January 17th, 2009, 8:44 am Post #3 - January 17th, 2009, 8:44 am
    My father was the "Stevie" of Stevie's Latin Village in Decatur in the early 70's. I lived in the Orlando Hotel for a year or so during that time and became friends with the son of the owner of Miller's Grocery Store in Decatur. Just wondered what happened to him. His family was wonderful....
  • Post #4 - January 17th, 2009, 12:49 pm
    Post #4 - January 17th, 2009, 12:49 pm Post #4 - January 17th, 2009, 12:49 pm
    Gina - I'll ask around. Still lots of folks in town who may have known the Millers...

    Davooda
    Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
    -- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010
  • Post #5 - January 17th, 2009, 1:13 pm
    Post #5 - January 17th, 2009, 1:13 pm Post #5 - January 17th, 2009, 1:13 pm
    Thanks very much....
  • Post #6 - January 20th, 2009, 4:22 pm
    Post #6 - January 20th, 2009, 4:22 pm Post #6 - January 20th, 2009, 4:22 pm
    Hello again Gina - I talked to sever friends who are lifelong Decatur residents and they all remember Stevie's Latin Village but not in the Orlando Hotel. To their recollection it was in "The Levee" district near the Wabash Railroad Depot/Station and occupied the building that later became "Dante's Italian Village." The Decatur Hotel was located directly across the street, they say.

    Anyway, I am sorry to say no one remembers Miller's Grocery. I am told there was a grocery store in every neighborhood until the days when Eisner/Jewel, Eagle and Kroger moved into town and expanded - putting everyone else out of business. Nowadays, we're down to Kroger, Cub Foods, Aldi and Sav-a-Lot.

    I am sorry I couldn't find out more for you.

    Davooda
    Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
    -- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010
  • Post #7 - January 20th, 2009, 6:42 pm
    Post #7 - January 20th, 2009, 6:42 pm Post #7 - January 20th, 2009, 6:42 pm
    What was the name of the excellent steakhouse that was in a little town about 10 miles SE of Decatur. I used to call on ADM and Illinois Power and they always wanted to go there for dinner.
  • Post #8 - January 20th, 2009, 7:09 pm
    Post #8 - January 20th, 2009, 7:09 pm Post #8 - January 20th, 2009, 7:09 pm
    My own question got me racking my brain. It was Stoney's in Dalton City.
  • Post #9 - January 21st, 2009, 7:12 am
    Post #9 - January 21st, 2009, 7:12 am Post #9 - January 21st, 2009, 7:12 am
    You're correct - Dave Brown folded his tent there several years back, though. He had an excellent wine cellar - definitely before his time in central Illinois. Stoney's - in its most recent incarnation - is back in business as a steakhouse again. I don't know the new owners.

    Porter's (downtown on Merchant Street) is probably the closest nowadays in terms of menu, but most of the better places in Decatur offer a couple steaks on the menu.

    We still don't have a Thai place, though :cry:

    Davooda
    Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
    -- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010
  • Post #10 - January 24th, 2009, 10:07 am
    Post #10 - January 24th, 2009, 10:07 am Post #10 - January 24th, 2009, 10:07 am
    Hi Davooda:
    The old Decatur-ites are correct. My dad owned the first Stevie's Latin Village which turned into Dante's, but he went back to Decatur years later and took over the restaurant in the Orlando Hotel and turned that into a "Stevie's Latin Village" as well. He was only there for a couple of years before moving to Florida, where he passed away some years ago. Thanks for checking this out for me. I appreciate your efforts. Have a great weekend!

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