MCCARTHY'S CAFE

McCarthy's Cafe was a fancy nightclub in town, as can be seen by pictures at the Minnesota Historical Society.  It was a nice restaurant, with cushy booths and a sophisticated atmosphere. It was a place to go on special occasions.

Ads and directories variously listed the address of the restaurant at 5600 and 5601 Wayzata Blvd.  Today, odd numbered buildings are on the south/St. Louis Park side of Wayzata Blvd. and even numbers are on the north/Golden Valley side.  But before I-394 was built, there was some St. Louis Park property on the north side of Wayzata Blvd., and this included McCarthy's.  With the advent of I-394, the building was sacrificed and thousands of cars drive over the spot every day.

They say the place got started in 1943 when the always-tuxedoed gangster Tommy Banks wanted a bar built on Highway 12, and set Keith McCarthy, who had no experience with a restaurant, up as a front, since Tommy could never get a liquor license. McCarthy, who grew up at 5809 Goodrich in the Park, was a pilot for Northwest Airlines, but the airline found it unseemly for one of its pilots to be in the bar business, so McCarthy became a full-time restaurateur.  His obituary said that he also founded the Golden Flame Restaurant in Salt Lake City.  He moved to Woodside, California in the early 1950s. There McCarthy ran an insurance agency until he retired in 1985.  He died in 2002 at age 87. 

Tommy Banks, "the man who can put over anything," according to USA Confidential, didn't have a lot of time to enjoy his new place, since he was residing in Leavenworth.  The correspondence sent from that Institution to McCarthy indicated that something was up and that Tommy called the shots.  Among his five bars was the notorious Blue Goose on Mille Lacs Lake, where Kid Cann was known to go fishing.

An ad from 1944 is chock full of interesting enticements:

"Good Food Our Specialty"
The Suburbanite's Rendezvous!
McCarthy's Cafe solves the problem of "Where to Go."  Its restful and beautiful atmosphere is yours to enjoy and an evening dinner is a delightful cure for that "let down feeling." 
TWIN CITIES DREAM SPOT. 
Frank Rerat, Chef; Ted Culbertson, Manager.

Ted Culbertson had been a partner/manager before he established Culbertson's in 1946. A later manager was Jerry Murphy, from Duluth.

In March 1946, excavation began for an addition that quadrupled the size of the restaurant.  The new dining room opened in December 1947.  The new stone exterior gave the building an Old English appearance.  Landscaping was done by Morten Arneson..  The design won an award from "architects of the country who recently voted it the country's outstanding suburban restaurant, architectuarily" according to the July 11, 1947 edition of the Dispatch.

In 1952, Highway 12 was widened and McCarthy's placed on a service road; in 1953, the road was scheduled to be redesigned, and a signal was installed at the intersection.

Officers in 1956, each holding 110 shares, were Jerimiah Murphy, Rita Banks, and H.H. Clark. Jerry Murphy, a Marine in World War II, was manager for a very long time. 

A 1960 restaurant review describes a picture window that overlooks a brilliantly-lighted rock garden and waterfall.  That year the restaurant was redecorated in the Italian Renaissance style.  In the central dining room, Bill Bockman played the organ ("light and sprightly") in a "draperied alcove." 

A 1962 ad for McCarthy's - "At Town's Edge" - ad promised "Fast, Efficient Service to Club, Office, or Home."  John Ralles was the Liquor Store Manager.

The restaurant became Eddie Webster's-West sometime after 1972.

In January 1980 it reopened as Sweet Caroline’s, complete with Tater Bar and Disco. The board of the company that owned Sweet Caroline’s included Eddie Webster.


Phone book ad, 1952-56




 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.