Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 13, 2024 ~ Malden Musings ~ A Menu of Memories: The Highland Café’s Timeless Taste of Malden By Peter Levine T he world we knew... Here we have (yet another) tribute to Malden’s iconic Highland Café and its indomitable General Manager (and much more) Dave Angelo. Through the marvels of modern technology, I am revisiting the delight I felt upon receiving a dogeared copy of an old Highland Café menu. Yes, here I am being a bit overly schmaltzy/ nostalgic, but if you knew the (old) Highland, you know the feeling of which I speak and will Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 kindly forgive the maudlin ramblings of former patrons in the September of their years... Little known fact department: Wyc Grousbeck sealed the deal for the purchase of the Boston Celtics back in 2002 at a booth at the Highland Café. But I digress... There’s a little piece of Malden that can never be erased, even by time. It’s woven into the fabric of old Edgeworth, where the air carried the sweet scent of Pearl Street Bakery’s bread, mingling with the hum of Tricca’s jukebox, the aroma of steak tips and roasted potatoes on the grill at Brandano’s and the crackling warmth of an oven baking the one and only Highland Café pizza. It’s a place that doesn’t live in history books, but in the hearts and minds of everyone who ever slid into one of those red vinyl booths or sat at the old bar with a cold Gansett and a heaping plate of veal cutlet parm. The Highland Café menu that I possess, somewhat torn and frayed, but still holding strong after all these years, is more than just a relic. It’s a time capsule, packed with stories – stories of who we were and what we loved. It’s a snapshot of a simpler time when the drinking age was 18 (a golden age for many!) and the Mass. meals tax was a sweet 5%, leaving just enough for an extra Vodka Collins at the bar. Back when a sirloin steak dinner could set you back $4, and you didn’t have to rob a bank for a fried clam dinner at $2.50. But it wasn’t just about the food – it was also the people. And the Highland had the kind of people you didn’t forget (mostly because you were probably related to one or two or most). Imagine this: the soft summer night air slipping through the Vintage framed Highland Café menu door, carrying with it the chatter of old-timers and strangers alike sitting at the bar, possibly running numbers, most likely talking nonsense, eating, drinking, swapping stories like old friends did, even if they’d never even met before. There was magic in the way it all seemed to come together. That was Malden in the 1960s (and beyond). That was the Highland. The ladies who made sure your coffee (and cocktails) never ran out – Anna Puleo, Donna Pitts, Lucy Lally, Jeannie Lamphier, Dianne Wishoski, Annette Magistro, Peggy Gennetti and Mary Cole (to name but a few) – weren’t just servers; they were MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 16 — Vinyl Siding — Carpentry Work — Decks — Roofing — Free Estimates — Replacement Windows — Fully Licensed — Fully Insured
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