Archived Topics

Iron Horse

Posted By: William Brainard <wbrainard@juno.com>
Date: Sunday, 24 February 2002, at 6:52 a.m.

Does anyone remember this restaurant? Believe it was in the Hotel Nathan Hale. When did it go out of business? When did the Hale Hotel go by the wayside? It was a dorm when I was at Eastern in the 1970s. 

Posted By: Shemp
Date: Sunday, 24 February 2002, at 8:37 p.m.

In Response To: Iron Horse (William Brainard)

Mr. Brainard:

The Iron Horse in the Nathan Hale Hotel was one of Willimantic's top local places to eat. We went there for their famous roast beef dinners. The IH served classic American food like steaks, chops roast chicken, and apple pie and bread pudding for desserts.

A Mr. Edward Drew was the manager there for many years through the 1950s. There was a French chef named Hugo, and his wife, Marianne was a waitress who was a very sweet lady. My pop used to enjoy going there for the Rotary Club lunches at the Hale each Tuesday at noon.

To dam bad it's closed now. Has been since the late 1970s I believe.

Hey -- why doesn't that Calchera guy from Eastconn go and put his school in there??.... and he would not even have to wreck The Capitol.

Shemp 

Posted By: rd <lancva@crosslink.net>
Date: Monday, 25 February 2002, at 2:13 p.m.

In Response To: Iron Horse (William Brainard)

It was an excellent restaurant. On Friday nights they had a first-class seafood buffet and on Sat nights they offered a steamship roast beef buffet and I believe each was about $5 per person. I remember going there once or twice with my parents. At my age at the time I was happier with a good hamburger or grinder!!