The Continental at 20: Memories

Sept. 7, 1995, marked the opening of The Continental, the diner-turned-martini bar that transformed not only Old City but the Center City dining scene.

It formed the basis of Stephen Starr's Starr Restaurant Organization, whose 31 restaurants in five states employ more than 3,400 people and generate upwards of $200 million a year.

Here's a look back.

The Continental, especially in the early days, was a true destination. Its 48 seats were hard to come by, and a doorman was necessary to keep the crowds in check. The clientele was a true mix: wannabe Rat Packers, movers and shakers, celebs, sports people, entertainers, the curious. A lot of chefs stopped to groove on the comfort food. Gorgeous women abounded, both behind the bar and seated in the booths. With the passage of time - and the tripling of seating - the lines have subsided.

The main room is largely unchanged from 1995. The speared olive lights still hang over the booths in the window. The cocktail shakers still rattle behind the concrete bar, a novelty at the time. A martini back then was $5. It's now $11.

By the way, you may recall the Continental's signature cocktail called the Buzz Aldrin - a mixture of Tang, peach vodka, and Triple Sec in a Tang-rimmed martini glass. You also may notice that it has not been on the menu for a while. Supposedly, it was removed at the request of the astronaut, who learned of it during a visit to Philadelphia.

Several dishes are still on the menu after 20 years, including the beer-battered shrimp and calamari.

When you say "The Continental" to Philadelphians, here are a few things they say:

'A SHOCK OF ELECTRICITY'

"It was like a shock of electricity for the development of Old City and led the way for the restaurant revolution down there," said Ed Rendell, Philadelphia's mayor at the time. "That and the Arden [Theater] moving there were the two biggest things to happen there during my administration."

'A LITTLE SPOT'

"Maurice Cheeks took me there after my first NBA draft in charge of the Sixers in June 1997," said Billy King, now general manager of the Brooklyn Nets. "I asked him where we could get a drink and he said, 'I know a little spot.' "

STAR HANGOUT

"I was eating there a week after the release of Independence Day, and who do I see but Bill Pullman, who played the president," said Fox29 sports anchor Howard Eskin. "I'm kind of star struck. I went up to him and said, 'I hate to bother you, but what are you doing here'? He said, 'My aunt died. She lived in Oreland.' " Eskin also has the distinction of seeing his car towed from out front; he had a doorman borrow Billy King's limo to drive down to the impound lot to rescue it.

CHEF HANGOUT

After competing on the series Worst Cooks in America, in which she was runner-up, South Philadelphia chef Jenny Cross met show co-host Beau MacMillan there on a busy Saturday. "He had the whole bar reserved for us and his posse. Waiting for me was the martini with the Lucky Strike [cigarette] and Beau was like, 'I had a feeling you'd like that.' Then the executive chef presented me with a tuna tartare and exclaimed, 'I made this because of your final challenge! You should've won!'

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT

"Sex in the City was all the rage and Cosmos were the hot drink because of the show," said Sara Mancuso Dym, who wrote for The Inquirer then. "We all felt so cool going to the Continental, ordering our cosmos, the signature salad and fries. As reporters on a budget, we still felt pretty chic."

MEET-UPS

"I was meeting my girlfriend at the time for dinner," said Old City ad man David Neff. "It was the beginning of the end of our relationship. She was waiting for me in the back room. I saw this beautiful redheaded woman in the front bar area, whom I had meet the previous evening at another restaurant opening where she gave me her business card, which I lost. We spoke briefly and learned that we share the same birthday. I asked her who she was with and she explained to me that her girlfriend was waiting in the line to get in, which was halfway down the block on Second Street. I respectfully requested that Kevin, the doorman, allow her girlfriend to go right in ahead of everyone in the line. I impressed the redhead, Jenine. I explained to her that I lost the card that she gave me the preceding night. She then gave me another card, but this time she wrote down her cell number on the card and handed it to me and said, "Call me tomorrow or don't call me at all." Of course I called the next day and left a message, "Call me back today, or don't call me back at all." That redhead is now my wife of 10 years and we have been together for 18 years."

Director Joe Rey shot this whimsical, commercial-like video at the Continental about eight years ago while in town working on a project.