Throwback Thursday: Do You Remember...

ENFIELD, CT — In this weekly series, Enfield Patch remembers a business or landmark that is no longer in town through publication of old advertisements from some 1960s-1990s Enfield and Fermi high school yearbooks and early-1960s to mid-1980s telephone directories and newspapers.

Today we look into the not-so-distant past, as we feature an ad from the 2001 Fermi yearbook for Samantha's Restaurant, located at 1658 King Street.

Thanks to Patch reader Steve Repetto, a review of the restaurant from late 2000 was discovered in the Hartford Courant archives, describing Samantha's menu as "leans heavily on the grill, not surprising given co-owner Rick Sampson's background with Houlihan Restaurant Group, the owners of J. Gilbert's Wood Fire Steaks, Houlihan's and Charley's Place. Mesquite-grilled Black Angus steaks get star billing here. The aged beef is delicious and affordably priced."

The reviewer, Bill Daley, added, "I admire a chef who dares to season. Too many restaurant kitchens hold back on flavor, I think, preferring to offer "safe'' if boring fare rather than risk offense with something different or full-bodied. Sampson brings this confident approach to a number of dishes."

Samantha's opened at the Route 5 location after the closure of the Windrose Restaurant, which had been the first establishment in Enfield to regularly feature karaoke.

Restaurants have been in business in that area, known as King's Corner, for many decades, dating back to Sue's Luncheonette in the 1950s. It currently is home to the Yarde Tavern.

Enfield Patch invites readers to share their memories in the comments section below.

Do you have a photo or an old ad from a former Enfield business? Email it to tim.jensen@patch.com and we'll feature it in an upcoming column.