THAT INCOMPARABLE "CONEY ISLAND CAFE!"

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CLOVIS REMEMBERED!
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First thing I remember, on moving to Clovis in the spring of 1938, was that big, tall "Hotel Clovis." It was the tallest building I had ever seen, and was said to be, at the time, the tallest between Dallas and San Francisco. It was then only about six or seven years old.

The SECOND THING I remember is that fantastic smell permeating Main Street between Second and Grand. It was emanating from a small cafe on the west side of Main, just south of the Janeway Drug and several doors north of the Mesa Theater. It was the smell of onions (and surely green bell peppers) cooking on a grill in the window of the Coney Island Cafe and mesmerizing everyone around. One can smell it even now, almost.

I realize it now... looking back and all, they were ADVERTISING, pure and simple! Not to worry, they knew what they were doing! The grill being at the window, and covered with simmering wieners, onions, bell peppers, warming buns, and a big pan of chili…… it tended to get people's attention. Especially hungry little boys!  They would put their noses up against the window, as if to smell more of that smell through the glass, and watch...and drool. I know!

Ask any Clovis old-timer who is still around those parts now, about our beloved home town, and usually one of the first things they will mention is the old Coney Island Cafe.

In those days, before Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, and all the chains, people didn't eat out as much. There weren't that many restaurants then and certainly not as much money. One day after work, circa 1939, my dad decided to splurge and take the family out. We went down to the Coney Island, parked nose-in, as it was before parallel parking, and Dad went in. He came out with this big sack full of coneys (hot dogs), with a kind of orange greasy stain on the sack where one or two of our coneys, liberally filled with chili, were already soaking though the brown paper sack.

We drove out 10th Street to Hillcrest Park, went over to the well-kept sunken flower garden, and there somewhere we sat down with a jug of tea, potato chips, and ate that sack of hot dogs. Then we went over to the ZOO and looked at all the animals.  "Biggie entertainment" you're thinking. Well, don't knock it! There was, in those days, no TV, no twittering, no tweeting, no texting, no FacePlace, no emailing, no computer games, no Denver Post funnies until Saturday, and Fibber McGee and Molly didn't come on until 7:30 p.m. We didn't even have a $5.95 a month telephone! Entertainment was scarce.

So, the family had a very good time that afternoon or I wouldn't remember it 72 years later. Those hot dogs, one doesn't forget!

One of my dear and loved CHS classmates (now gone), and I used to correspond a lot. Often he would allude to that little cafe and marvel at how they could put out such a good product: wiener, mustard, onions, chili, bun, all for 15 cents. Regarding special coneys like sauerkraut or other type dogs, I can't remember. Actually, whatever other food they may have sold, if any, I don't remember that either.

Our excellent guest writer, R.S. really has Coney Island down. Here is what he says: "No matter how hot it was in Clovis during the summer, nothing held us back from going to a movie at the Mesa Theater on a Saturday and then stopping back by the Coney Island for one of Gus's originals.

Or during school season...galloping down Main Street from Junior High to the Coney Island (about fourteen blocks one way), scarfing down a couple of 15 cent coneys and a "Big Orange," and then arriving back at school just as the bell was ringing at one o'clock. If my memory serves me, there weren't a lot of fat people in our class!" (Wow, is R.S. after my job!?)

If some entrepreneur would go in there south of Janeway Drug (or its successor) and open a modern-day "CONEY ISLAND CAFE," for old time's sake, dozens of folks still around from that day and time...would go there regularly to eat! One stipulation: The grill must be at the front.....IN THE WINDOW!

(Writer's Warning:   So far, everyone who has read this has rushed out to get a hot dog!)

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BY MIL, & R.S.
5/20/12
(Dedicated to classmate J.W., who loved Coney Island Cafe.)