Johnoff's Rose Bowl was a restaurant and place for dancing and entertainment in Saint Louis, Missouri. My dad remembers this place fondly. His childhood friend Al Albrecht (not sure if I spelled that correctly, the phonetic pronunciation "all-brick") was the grandson of the owner, a Bulgarian immigrant who went by the name "Johnoff." His mother was Vivien Albrecht, a tough Bulgarian woman who raised Al on her own after Al's father deserted the family many years prior. Johnoff and his daughter Vivien ran the restaurant which started out in 1938 according to legal documents.
1940's Saint Louis was an exciting time and the restaurant had many patrons including wise guys such as Costello a well known mobster.
My father remembers hanging out as a kid with friend Al at the restaurant. At night, there was dancing and singing and gambling at tables with body guards, like a scene out of the movie "Goodfellas."
The restaurant no longer exists but photos of those times are sure to surface and I welcome anyone with memories of this place to contribute.
My dad, William B. Reichert played the piano there. He said he "day" started in the restaurant, then moved up to the dance floor, and then down to the bar?
ReplyDeleteI have a menu somewhere and I believe it was $2.95 for a sumptuous dinner.
I have a photo of my grandfather and great uncle standing in front of the restaurant right after WW II.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to find this little gem post:) This restaurant belonged to my Grandfather as well (Viv's brother, Boris). There are still some of those yellow chairs in our family, to this day (with many layers of paint!). I have a small coffee mug that were used in the restaurant to hide the color of the bourbon during prohibition. I am working to start a little business of custom, hand painted signs and wondered if I should call it the Rose Bowl since I am having a hard time with the name, and found this while googling!
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