About 20 years ago, Mr. Yagjian changed its name to Mount Vernon Stable and Saloon and its menu to baby back ribs, fried onion loafs, black bean soup and Tex-Mex dishes. He also brought in a decor that mixed Egyptian artifacts, posters and plaster angels. His business took off and became one of the most popular along Charles Street.
"The ribs here are superb," said a 1992 Sun review. "Bathed in a deliciously balanced sauce, they're fall-off-the-bone tender and consistently good visit after visit. It's the food that keeps the customers coming."
The restaurant established a niche with theater- and concert-goers, as well as with customers who had a Friday night cocktail nearby and wanted to finish the night with a meal.
"It was home to lawyers, drag queens, theater folk, musicians - everybody," said his daughter, Crista Rebecca Yagjian of Guilford, Vt. "His life's work was to provide a kind of dining experience that made people feel like they were entering a family living room rather than a restaurant."
Mr. Yagjian, who quit smoking more than 10 years ago after suffering a heart attack, featured fancy ashtrays, such as a triangular chartreuse model at his bar that sat beneath the main dining room.
In her assessment of his restaurant, Sun food critic Elizabeth Large said, "But it's the bar food par excellence, a dizzying selection of munchies."
In recent years, Mr. Yagjian seated customers at lunchtime.
"He talked sports - he was an avid sports lover of all Boston's teams - and told stories, perhaps somewhat inflated. He treated everyone like family," his daughter said.
Mr. Yagjian also had a weekend home in Princess Anne.
In addition to his wife and daughter, survivors include a son, David Sarkis Yagjian of Towson; a sister, Carole Lee Yagjian of Towson; and a grandson. His marriage to Donna McKusick ended in divorce.
Services are private.
