It was hard to top a night out at Tops Restaurant in Galt

Back in the '50s and '60s, Peter's, Diana's and Tops were our favourite downtown spots.

Everyone I knew back then frequented these restaurants. 

Mindy's Diner was across from the fire hall on Dickson Street before it was purchased and renamed Peter's Restaurant.

It was a very popular spot to have breakfast, lunch or supper, all served from a home-style menu.

Owner Jim Peter built up a large following and needed more space so he moved it to a Water Street North location until the mid '60s when he sold the restaurant to George Annis.

It soon got a new look and a new name, becoming Tops Restaurant Steakhouse & Tavern.

It was our happy place, a spot to have a fun night out with friends while listening to the latest tunes on the table jukebox and sharing gravy-topped fries and a soda fountain cherry Coke. We'd often be there before and after the movies or the YWCA Saturday night dances.

A lot of teenagers got their first hospitality jobs as wait staff or, like myself, as a part-time dishwasher, at these restaurants.

Tops was easily the most popular. It was later sold to the three Kannelis brothers who owned and operated the restaurant until 1985, when fire broke out and destroyed the building.

Mike Kannelis also opened Golf’s Steak House on Lancaster Street in Bridgeport. Nick Kannelis went to Talbotville and opened the Wayside Dining Lounge until he sold it and retired. The other brother had a restaurant called the Derby in Preston, across from the Queens Hotel. I remember it as a favourite for breakfast.

Today, these families still have siblings, grandchildren and cousins operating Waterloo region eateries.

As Hespeler Road became the city's Golden Mile, downtown lost many family restaurant businesses.

The trend was hot sandwiches for lunch and dinner fare. We all enjoyed hot beef, turkey, hamburger or liver and onions served with mashed potatoes and smothered in bone stock gravy.

I loved the corn beef Reuben, or the chef's meat cheese and marinara sauce baked lasagna with caesar salad.

One of my favourites was the French onion soup that was perfectly prepared consistently in all these eateries. 

Here is a simple recipe to make this culinary favourite.

Cheesy baked French onion soup

Nothing warms the soul like a piping hot baked bowl of onion soup.

I use some good beef stock and lots of sweet onions.

3 large sweet onions peeled

⅓ cup unsalted butter

½ teaspoon brown sugar optional

8 cups beef broth 64 oz

⅓ cup dry white wine

3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dry

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry optional

1 baguette

3 cups gruyere cheese

6 tablespoons fresh parmesan cheese

Instructions

Slice onions a quarter-inch thick. Saute onions, stirring occasionally, over low heat in melted butter (with sugar if using) until golden, about 30-45 minutes.

Add beef broth, wine, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, Worcestershire, dry sherry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf and thyme (if fresh) and discard.

Meanwhile, slice bread and brush with olive oil. Broil 2 minutes per side or until golden. 

Ladle soup into ceramic bowls. Add 2 slices of bread to each bowl. Divide cheeses over bowls and broil until golden and bubbly.

Notes

Choose sweet Vidalia, Walla Walla onions or yellow onions for this recipe. Sweeter varieties of onions may not need the sugar.

Onions will reduce down to a small amount but you'll need a large pan or dutch oven to begin.

Cook the onions very slowly, this step should take 30-40 minutes at a low temperature. This is where the flavor comes from.

For white wine choose a chardonnay, Pinot Gris, or Sauvignon Blanc. You can leave the wine out but it is recommended for the best flavor.

Leftover chunks of dry bread will work well as the bread in this recipe too.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet, this makes them easier to transfer in and out of the oven.

French onion soup freezes beautifully for fast preparation when needed. 

Chef Wayne Conrad Serbu writes monthly for CambridgeToday. The former executive chef also shares recipes and memories from his more than five decades in the hospitality industry on his blog, the kitchenman.