The St. Paul Hilton was located at 11 E. Kellogg Ave. in St. Paul.  Some of the restaurants were:

• Top of the Hilton
• The Parlour
• The Carousel Lounge
• Don the Beachcomber
• Outrigger

 

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TOP OF THE HILTON

This was a fancy place with a revolving restaurant revealing a spectacular view of the city.  People danced, at least in 1970.

 

 

 

 

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THE PARLOUR

Joe Haupt found this postcard of an opulent – maybe too opulent – little restaurant inside the Hilton that few people on Facebook remembered.  It was apparently in business from the early 1970s until about 1976.

The back of the card reads:

A little bit of old St. Paul… with a beautiful view of new St. Paul.  Latest addition to the world of Hilton.  Distinctive gourmet cuisine in a gracious and intimate atmosphere.

Two very different perspectives from Facebookers:

The Parlour restaurant was a small area at the Top of the Hilton. It had all its own special Pewter dishes and fancy glassware.  They tried to be French cuisine with mixed success.  What a pain in the ass for dishwashers!

But this:

My wife and I dined there a couple of times in the early ’70s. You walked across the revolving restaurant and entered the opulent room housing the Parlour. The service and food was absolutely terrific. I was especially impressed when, after finishing our dinners, the waiter stopped by and presented an extensive bagged tea selection for the ladies and a cigar humidor for the gents. What a wonderful experience it was.

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CAROUSEL LOUNGE

1969:  Billy Wallace Quartet

 

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DON THE BEACHCOMBER  (late September/early October 1966)

Although Don the Beachcomber (born Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, who legally changed his name to “Donn Beach,”) was instrumental in opening the Waikiki Room at the Nicollet Hotel in 1952, he opened his own franchise in St. Paul in 1966.

 

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I regret to say that I do not know where the following photos came from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OUTRIGGER