Stroll down (anniversary) lane

Reader Alex Coffin shares his clever 38-year anniversary deal with his wife: They decided each year they would go somewhere new and top-notch (or of sentimental value, as in the Open Kitchen, which he says was "THE 'date place' when I was in college." Now, looking back at "what once were VERY successful restaurants when we went there, I was struck with how many no longer exist ... How fleeting was success."

How many of the defunct (Charlotte ones are marked with an asterisk) do you remember?

(Note: Coffin moved to Charlotte in '76, so I've begun his list then. And this year's 38th-year dinner will be on a Baltic cruise.)

1977 Peking Palace*
1978 The Epicurean*
1979 Nakato
1980 The LampLighter*
1981 The Open Kitchen
1982 Eli's*
1983 Piper (Salisbury)
1984 Lizzie's*
1985 Hemingway's*
1986 Georgio's*
1987 Kabuto
1988 Pompano's*
1989 The Thistle*
1990 Chelsea's Café*
1991 Si*
1992 Thai House
1993 Miss Lucy's (Salisbury)
1994 Cajun Queen
1995 South City Grill*
1996 Patou*
1997 Vincent's*
1998 Campania*
1999 Hidden Garden* (Matthews)
2000 P.F. Chang's
2001 Trattoria Da Mimmo (Venice!)
2002 The Meeting House*
2003 Upstream
2004 Volare*
2005 Carpe Diem
2006 Santé (Matthews)
2007 Olde Hanza (Tallin, Estonia!)
2008 Zebra