|
McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley On May 19, Don and I ventured to McAllen, Texas. This was our time in the city, at the southern end of the state. Mexican The historic hotel and restaurant, just 5 minutes from the Mexican border, was the reason for our visit. Since 1918 The 103 year old mission/Spanish revival-style building looked pretty good! The towering palms were neatly trimmed. That was a nice surprise since most of the palms we'd seen on our 5 hour drive, looked dead. The February 2021 Texas Freeze did a number on palms throughout the state. The Hotel in 1950 I guess a hotel named Casa de Palmas, should try to keep their palms healthy. This is how an Harry Borgman depicted the hotel, 71 years ago. This is the image in our 1950 cookbook, put out by Ford Motors. Once again, our old book lured us to a destination! Renovated Lobby Much of the hotel had been renovated during 2020, while pandemic healthcare workers took over some of the hotel. The Satillo-tiled floors and swirling staircase, had a retro feel. The furnishings and fixtures were all fresh and modern. It was hard to imagine Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn staying here in 1952, during filming of Viva Zapata. It was even harder to picture this lobby filled with families, taking shelter from the 1919 hurricane. The Bar I'm not sure what the bar looked like, 100 years ago in the 1920's. That's when tourists and traveling salesmen came by train. You can tell this photo is from the 2020's, since the bartender is wearing a face mask. Drinks First After checking into our room, Don and I headed in search of a good Happy Hour. In mid May 2021, we were just getting back to inside dining. We weren't quite ready for gabbing with strangers at a bar. We ordered 2 glasses of wine and headed to a lovely porch. There were a few to choose from. This was our view! The Spanish Room Later in the evening, we headed for the Spanish Room Restaurant. This is not how the restaurant looked. I found this old photo on the internet. After Renovations I took this photo in the late afternoon. I wanted to take a capture some of the new decor, without disturbing diners. Later I didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone. There was only one other couple. Like us, they were seated in a cozy booth, out of sight. Our waiter Oscar, was attentive and gracious. He apologized when our food was a little slow coming out. He brought us two complimentary salads! Dinner is Served! We were perfectly content with the pace. The wine and bread stick rolls kept me happy until our meal came. Chef's Ravioli of the Day I went for a the ravioli of the day. It was stuffed with Osso Bucco and topped with mushrooms and a rich, thick sauce. It was worth the wait! Catch of the Day Don went for the catch of the day. His grilled salmon came with fingerling potatoes and fresh zucchini & squash. Don hardly wanted to share, but I stole a bite. Chef Avi Chef Avi stopped by our booth and we raved about our meal. I decided it was time to dig out the cookbook. "Have you seen one of these books before?" I asked. He looked surprised as he studied the recipe. He pulled out his phone to record the image. Its always extra fun, when we get to share the old cookbook with the chef! Oscar and Turkey Mornay Recipe Oscar came over to check on things. We were both wearing masks when I got up to pose with him. Then we had that funny exchange. that's becoming common, these days. "Oh, I'm vaccinated, too. We can pull our masks down." Oscar had been a gracious and serious server. This silly book paved the way for a fun conversation. It was heart warming to hear his stories of getting through the pandemic. He talked about his joy at seeing the hotel coming back to life. He was excited to know that families were planning weddings and quinceaneras again. Night Time We had such a lovely and quiet meal. It made me a little sad to see that there weren't more people dining. We wandered a little after dinner and imagined how busy this hotel might become in a few months.
I hope so. This iconic hotel and restaurant has worked hard to reopen!
0 Comments
Gonzales, Texas On a pretty morning in May, Don and I found ourselves in the town of Gonzales. This curious town has a pretty courthouse and an enormous flag with a canon. The "Come and Take It" words were supposedly spoken by the residents of Gonzales in 1893, when the Mexican army demanded the town return the canon they'd given to the community. It's a feisty little quote. Feisty Little Business We ended up having breakfast at a cute little place right the old square. Come & Crepe It is sort of a fitting name for a cafe in this tough little town. This business was also pretty bold and feisty, since they opened in November 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic. That takes courage. Sweet Old Building The cafe was housed in a building that goes way back. I don't believe this old brick structure, is quite as old as the Texas Revolution, but it was built in the 1800's. I love eating in old buildings! Cozy and Clean The building was old, but the atmosphere felt fresh and new. The business was only 6 months old, when we visited. In the Window Don and I took a seat at a high table in the window. Twinkly lights kept us from nodding off, before we got our big cups of coffee. Alex and Our Crepes The owner Alex, looked like he'd been making crepes a lot longer than a half year. He was pleasant and chatty while he whirled my crepe around on the "crepe cooker" or whatever you call that little thing. Don's Prestige Crepe Don loves a little salmon, at any time of day. He went for the Prestige, which had smoked salmon, cream cheese, spinach, creamy dill sauce and capers. He let me sneak a bite and it was a fun savory choice. Come & Take It Crepe I figured since I was in Gonzales, I should choose the "Come and Take It" crepe. Ordinarily, I would not choose chicken and bbq sauce at breakfast time. But I am a When in Rome sort of person. Mine was incredibly yummy with bacon, mozzarella and creamy dill, as well. If only we'd had room for a sweet crepe for dessert! Next time! Wall in the Back Before heading out, Don and I took a good look at the brick wall towards the back. There was a nice assortment of historic photos and images of Gonzales. Alex saw that we were intrigued. He came over to point out a photo showing horses with old cars and a 3-story bank in the background. He pointed us in the right direction and we had a fun time walking off our breakfast. We spotted the beautiful bank on the corner and snapped a pic before heading out of town.
What a nice visit to Gonzales. A friendly cafe with big city flavors and small town prices! Port Aransas, TX Hotel Don and I drove from Houston to Port Aransas to check out this 100+ year old hotel. After more than a year of isolating, we were more than ready to let the adventures begin. We booked a night at the inn and made dinner reservations. Tuesday in May There was lots of parking room when we arrived on a weekday in spring. There was lots of space for parking horses, back in the day. This hotel history goes back to 1886. Dining History It was our iconic 1950 cookbook, that actually lured us to the hotel. Page 181. Tarpon Inn's Sea-Food Cocktail Sauce recipe! As always, I packed the book for the trip and looked forward to pulling it out as a converstaion piece, at dinner. Check In After being the first to park in front, we headed up the steps to the lobby. Samantha greeted us from behind the desk. She wore a face mask, but she couldn't hide her enthusiasm for the hotel's history. She pointed out the mounted fish, behind her on the wall. The tarpon's name was Fred, I believe. Tarpon Scales Then she pointed to the wall that held over 7,000 signed, fish scales. I asked if she knew which was oldest and she pointed to a guy named Roy, in 1892! President Roosevelt On another wall, Samantha showed us photos of FDR, when he came to Port Aransas in 1937. He didn't stay at the inn, but he did a lot of tarpon fishing and handed over a signed scale, from his catch. 77 pounds! In the Courtyard We headed through the lobby and peeked out at the courtyard. The pale green cottage looked very inviting, with a large outside deck. Roosevelts I'm not sure where meals were served at Tarpon Inn 50 or more years ago. About 5 years ago, this sweet building was enlarged and opened as Roosevelt's. The structure was part of the original complex and survived the 1919 hurricane. We could have sat out on the deck for a while, but there were some mighty (hurricane style) winds picking up during our stay. The umbrellas did not go up. Dinner at 7:30 We were told that reservations might be a good idea. Roosevelt's is popular with the locals. Don and I arrived for our reservations and were surprised that there was not a face mask in sight, on a guest or an employee. That felt a little odd on May 18, 2021. Don and I were both vaccinated and not really worried. But this was our first indoor dining experience since March 2020. Cheers to Dining Again! The host seated us at a table right below a giant tarpon. I was pretty pleased with that! We toasted to the fun of eating inside at a restaurant after 15 months! Then we started off with Oysters Rockefeller! Fish and More Don went for the Citrus Grilled Mahi Mahi. His glazed fish was served over Savoyard potatoes and served with lobster cream sauce. His asparagus was fresh and healthy... his cheesy, seasoned potatoes were not. I loved them. My Chicken & Shrimp Involtini was mouthwatering! I'll just quote the old menu... "chicken breast filled with baby spinach, jumbo shrimp and dredged in panko served over orzo Florentine, finished with jumbo lump crab and citrus beurre blanc" and the seasonal veggie happened to be brussels sprouts. Wow! Cookbook Time I had a feeling the old cookbook was not going to impress our waiter. He was young and new to the job and busy. I waited until we were almost finished eating and the dining rush was over. I pulled out the book and showed him the recipe page. "Oh no. We don't served cocktail sauce." I was tempted to say, "That's not the point." Instead, I found some other waiters who might be interested. Before long there were surprised faces and cell phones snapping photos of 70 year old recipe. "What! Where did you get this book?" It was not a cookbook fail at all! Meeting the Owner We lucked out, because the owner of Tarpon Inn happened to be dining at a table in the corner. One of the waiters tipped him off and he introduced himself. I told Lee Roy Haskins how much we were enjoying our stay and our meal. Then I asked if he could guess how we ended up coming to Tarpon Inn. When I showed him then book he gave the proper response and laughed over the yellow book with the mostly bland recipes. We ended up talking for nearly a half hour. 50th Adventure? We have 4 of these Ford books and we've used them like treasure maps. The recipe pages have guided us to at least 50 different restaurants. We laughed with Lee Roy over the vintage book, but then he put the book on the table. Then it was time for swapping a few stories. We talked about our favorite iconic old hotels in Texas. Lee Roy talked about his work with oil and gas and drilling all over the world. He talked about how owning the hotel and restaurant was a labor of love. "You don't make money off of something like this." We asked about famous guests and heard a funny story about Tommy Lee Jones... who was not very nice, when he dined at Roosevelt's.
We left feeling full and happy. Our first inside dining adventure, after the the pandemic started! It was a satisfying one. Small Town Texas Today, I'm remembering a little feast from four years ago. We were passing through the small Hill Country town of Chappell Hill and spotted the Lazy Mule. I liked the Mule X-ing sign. Don and I were traveling with our son. Scott and I stepped inside to see if the saloon served food. We met Larry. At least I think his name was Larry. He was actually sweeping the floor when we first entered. Larry told us he could heat up some pizza for us, but mostly the place was for drinking. It was a saloon, after all. We passed on the pizza and had a good time chatting. 3-Legged Dogs Scott and I noticed a curious sign on the wall. We had just passed a dog on the porch. That poor little pup only had 3 legs, I believe. Nice to know he was welcome inside. Looking Around Randy told us to feel free to look around. I admired the raccoon with his Mardi Gras beads and his jar of peanut butter. I also noticed a list on the wall, with names of all the businesses that had been inside this funny little building. The first on the list was Zientek Grocery. Pretty funny, since some of my husbands relatives spelled his family name that way! I wish I could remember better, the story that Randy told us about the building being moved. "There were people inside drinking. They just rolled it on down the road." I'm not sure if that was a tall tale. Moving Ourselves to a New Location With hopes of something besides frozen pizza, we headed off down the road. There's not a whole lot in the rural unincorporatated community of Chappell Hill. But we did find a cafe/meat market. And the business had been around since 1939! I love a cafe with history. Cozy Seating I'm always game for sitting at a counter, but that's harder with 3. We passed up the cute red stools and headed for a table with a red & white checkered, vinyl cloth. During blue bonnet season, I believe this place gets some tourist traffic. But it was just us and a few locals on this afternoon. Food I can only make a guess about what we ate, by looking at these photos from my computer. I do remember thinking the hamburger, wrapped in red and white paper, was pretty classic. I went for the baked potato and Scott had good old chicken fingers, fries and gravy. He must have shared a chicken finger with me. Surely my potato didn't come with that. ? As I recall, the food was tasty and the atmosphere was very small town comfy. Shopping When we finished, we paid up and took a visit to the adjoining market. I'm pretty sure that Dziekuje was the name of the family that owned the biz... or once did. I wonder if the "Sweet Treat" rack was from 1939. There were some mighty fine sweet Honey Buns and Donuts for sale, but we didn't buy. We didn't buy any potatoes or onions, either. I would have bought that wonderful wooden holder, if I could have. I loved the old photo of the original shop. I'll be they still get lots of cowboy hats at the cafe. And I wonder if they had Dr. Pepper on the menu?
This is a super lame write-up, but it is July 19, 2020 and I am not going on dining adventures during the pandemic. My biggest adventure today involved finding these old photos on my computer! Sad News Yesterday I learned from my son, that Shady Grove is closing. This isn't the first sad news of closures. Barton Springs Road Shady Grove has always been a favorite. Since there are a million unusual, one-of-a-kind restaurants in Austin, that says a lot. The business has been sitting on Barton Springs Road for nearly 3 decades. The neon sign and stone building make it look like it's closer to 80 years old. With the towering trees, it reminds me of a roadside cafe on old Route 66. 2016 The outdoor dining grounds were already filling up. Summertime Feel The old metal chairs, towering trees and grass, always made me feel like I was stepping back into the summers of my childhood. Patio We found a spot on the patio, where umbrellas and trees kept diners cool. Food Choices We studied the menus, with options like Queso Catfish, Truckstop Meatloaf and Hippie Sandwich. Heidi and I ordered margaritas and toasted to our little get-together. Were they watermelon flavored? I don't remember, but they were delicious. Evening The colored lights at the outdoor bar, came on first. We were too early for any musical performances. Live music used to attract a lot of guests to Shady Grove. Food I'm pretty sure these were the Airstream Chili Cheese Fries. I remember Heidi said we had to get them, because they were the best. Trees and Fresh Air Looking at these 4-year-old photos makes me extra sad, to know they must close. With restaurants beginning to reopen this May, it seems they could have managed somehow. We're told that patio dining will be the safest, of all restaurant dining. It's hard to imagine how different it would feel, to dine under those trees... at spaced-apart tables, looking around at mask-wearing guests. Howdy I'll miss the patio and I'll miss the Airstream bathrooms. I loved the idea of "powdering my nose" in a trailer. I loved the door with howdy written above. I wonder what will become of these trailers and the neon sign and the stone building. I'm really feeling frustrated that I never made it inside to see what the interior dining area looked like!
Shady Grove... Relaxed Dining! I will miss this place! |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
November 2023
Categories
All
|