Tale of a Route 20 Eatery: From Barbecue to French Cuisine

Many of us are familiar with Chez Francois, the popular French restaurant in Vermilion known all over Northern Ohio for its fine food.

But did you know that for a time in the 1950s and 60s, there was a French restaurant out in the country on U. S. 20 west of Elyria?

I didn’t either. But leave it to longtime blog contributor Dennis Thompson to make the discovery, and share his research with me so the story can be told here.

Dennis made his discovery while researching and identifying old photographs on the Vintage Aerials website. Interestingly, the French restaurant had humble roots as a barbecue.

Here’s the photo.

“It’s a little drive in with a big history,” noted Dennis. "French born chef Albert Mazarelle constructed this in 1954, and opened as the Green Gables Bar-B-Q. 

"He had been chef at numerous restaurants around the world, most recently the Elyria Country Club. The original restaurant would have been just the peaked roof main building. Within two years he had added the side dining room.”

Here’s an article from the January 5th, 1956 edition of the Chronicle-Telegram announcing the completion of the new dining room. It provides a nice biography of Albert Mazarelle that includes his extensive experience as an executive chef.

And here’s a Feb. 3, 1956 newspaper ad.

Feb. 3, 1956 ad

But let’s get back to Dennis and the story.

"The Green Gables was no ordinary drive in,” Dennis noted. "In addition to the "World's Best Bar-B-Q," Albert featured French cuisine such as French onion soup and duck livers flamed in sherry. 

January 31, 1958 ad

"By the early 1960s, he had renamed it Albert's Restaurant Francais and offered full course French dinners on three days by reservation only.”

Nov. 1, 1963 ad

"The tiny dining room could seat 22 people. He still had regular fare, but never offered hot dogs – and hamburgers were only for children.”

Dennis wasn’t kidding about Mazarelle’s attitude towards hamburgers and hot dogs. Check out this great article written by E. C. Witham  from the Chronicle-Telegram of July 31, 1965 in which Mazarelle is quoted as saying, “Zey say, ‘amburGER – and I say, POOF! – you wan’ a ‘amburGER, you go to truck stop!"

With an attitude like that towards humble fare, I wondered who Mazarelle's main customers would have been. But Dennis observed, "He delivered to the Oberlin area and much of his clientele was from the college, plus businessmen and executives from Lorain and Elyria.”

Mazarelle passed away in 1969. 

But new businesses would continue the legacy of good food and good times at that location.

As Dennis noted, "His wife, Agnes, sold the property to Frank Bolf in 1970, who changed the name to the Polar Freeze. In 1973 he applied for a liquor license and it became a tavern by the same name.

"By the 1980s it was Mary's Tavern. I can't find how long Mary's stayed in business and cannot find any business listed after it either.

"The building is still there, with a wide front addition that shields the original buildings, at 43961 Oberlin - Elyria Rd.”

Thanks as usual to Dennis for sharing his research.