The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!



Diverse Dining List

Whistle Stop Cafe in Decataur, TX

6/13/2017

0 Comments

 

Appealing Signs
​
How could Don and I resist this little stone cafe? The neon window signs announced   "chili" and "Apple Pie"
​and the big red cafe sign had the best name! 
Picture
 
A Cafe and More
​

​Don and I were headed on Highway 81, towards Colorado. We were actually keeping our eyes peeled for a "petrified gas station" that we'd read about.
Picture
I was eager to see the old wooden station that had been covered with a mosaic of petrified wood, years ago. It was a nice surprise to find a cluster of roadside buildings, beside the petrified Texaco station.

Lunchtime
​
Picture
The cafe was crowded with locals at 11:45 on a Monday.  We waited a few minutes before a table opened.

Decor
​
Picture
Picture
Once seated, I peeked at the menu, but spent a little more time peeking at the decor surrounding our table. Ruffly curtains and framed photos... and quite a nifty clock collection!

The People
​
Picture
Picture
Don and I stood out in the crowd.  We were the only ones who bothered to look at the menu. One server welcomed her granddaughter and teased her son.  A man in a cowboy hat leaned over and talked to another table. I sort of felt like we'd crashed a private party.

​Daily Special
​
It seemed like one of us should go for the daily special, so I got the chicken fried chicken, with salad, beans, mashed taters and salad.  The salad was oddly shredded.
Picture
The beans were sort of tasty with ham.  The potatoes were bland and the chicken...well? We'd been talking a lot about petrified wood.  Maybe that's why the only word that came to my mind when I took a bite, was the word, petrified. I'm not usually so negative. But Don's tunafish sandwich was good!

The Memorable Part
​
Picture
Picture
I was sad the food hadn't been better.  I was disappointed that we hadn't been able to chat with any of the staff for more cafe history.  (It opened in 1927. That's all I learned) But I will never forget the wonderful petrified gas station and Motor Camp that stood nearby.  What a hoot!
0 Comments

Tujague's in New Orleans

6/5/2017

0 Comments

 

Good Food & Good Neon!
​
​
A retro, neon sign is enough to lure me to a restaurant.
 
Picture
Picture
But the Tujague's history  is much more impressive than the sign!

​
Since 1856
​
Picture
It's hard to believe this sweet old thing sitting on the corner, was already 100 years old on the day I was born! 

In 1963
​
​
This is how an artist depicted the restaurant in 1963. The retro image shows Tujague's at a time when tourists were beginning to flock.
Picture
100 years earlier, farmers, butchers and other workmen from the French Market across the street, were the only customers.

Cookbook
​
​
Luckily I had this fine Ford Motor Company Cookbook with me, when we dined on May 18.
Picture
Picture
How else would I have known, the restaurant specialty was Boiled Beef!

​
Family Gathering in May
​
​
We gathered outside Tujague's a couple weeks ago, to begin a celebratory weekend.
Picture
Picture
Our son's law school graduation gave us lots to celebrate, but we'd already been celebrating for 3 years. Nola is a great place to visit and we've come often, to celebrate anything we can think of!

In the Back
​
​
Our group was seated in the backroom, beside a brick wall. It was a festive gathering of 2 families, so we were glad for the less formal atmosphere.



Picture
There was a very stern presence in the room, however.  She stared at us from a frame on the wall, beside a huge collection of tiny liquor bottles.

​
​For Starts
​

I showed my vintage cookbook to our waiter, but he was a little too young to be impressed.  Luckily, they did serve the specialty from the book.
Picture
Picture
The menu's entree title, Boiled Brisket of Beef with Creole Horseradish Sauce, sounded much better than the book's name, Boiled Beef. The appetizer portion had a good zing with the sauce.   The Creole Turtle soup was a yummy start as well.

Smiles and Bread
​
Picture
You can see beneath the smiles, there's and empty soup bowl. That's a good sign. The fact that there are still loaves of fresh bread only means I was holding back. I could have eaten all the yummy bread myself!  

The Famous Stand Up Bar
​
​
A few framed photos of Tujague's old cypress bar, made me curious. My 10 pm photo shows only ghosts at the bar.  
Picture
Picture
The antique print, did make me wonder about all the men who drank beer or Sazeracs in the past 161 years. What kinds of deals were made?  What were the jokes they told? 

Foot on the Railing
​
​
I wonder who was the first woman to put her foot on the brass foot rail? I put my foot down in a most noncommittal way.
Picture
Picture
The men in the photo look like they're staring at a woman (much braver than me) who dared to put her foot on the rail. 

Brave With My Cookbook
​
​
Since it's 2017, I figured I was allowed to talk to the only 2 men in the bar, especially since I had my cookbook on hand.  Our waiter may not have cared about the curious book, but William, the bartender was quite impressed.  
Picture
He flagged down the manager who took a picture of me holding the book open to the recipe.  He said he was eager to show the chef, who unfortunately had just left.

​
​Sharing the Book

Picture
There was one gentleman at the end of the bar, who was curious enough to take a peek at the book before I hurried back to the table. He seemed a bit amused by the book's simple recipe.
​
​Dinner is Served

Picture
I didn't bother our waiter with picture taking, but I snapped a pic of the rest of the group, ready to dig in.

​
​Main Course
​

My Vegetarian Gnocchi was creamy and rich and delicious.
Picture
Picture
I could only eat half. Don's Speckled Trout Almandine was a healthier and even yummier choice.

Relaxed
​
​
By the time a few bread puddings were devoured, the group was fairly relaxed.
Picture
Maybe those Grasshoppers or Whiskey Punches added to the relaxed state.  Those are 2 of the drinks made famous at Tujague's Bar, many years ago.

Heading Out
​
​
Our party was last to depart.  The front room was getting prepped for the next day's lunch. As we passed through the empty bar, we noticed the throne-like Crown Royal chair.
Picture
Picture
Scott tried it out, sitting beneath photos of Tujague's previous owner, Steven Latter. Evidently Mr. Latter also enjoyed that throne, back in the day. It was a good and proper way to end the evening!
0 Comments
    Picture
       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

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    000 The Beginning!
    00 BBQ
    00 Cookbook Adventures
    00 Drive Ins
    00 Drive Ins Diners Cafes
    00 Houston Area
    00 Saloons & Taverns
    00 Tiki Time
    0 Alabama
    0 Arizona
    0 Arkansas
    0 California
    0 Colorado
    0 Florida
    0 Georgia
    0 Idaho
    0 Illinois
    0 Iowa
    0 Louisiana
    0 Michigan
    0 Mississippi
    0 Missouri
    0 Montana
    0 Nevada
    0 New Mexico
    0 New York
    0 North Carolina
    0 Oklahoma
    0 Oregon
    0 South Carolina
    0 South Dakota
    0 Tennessee
    0 Texas
    0 Utah
    0 Vermont
    0 Virginia
    0 Washington
    0 Washington D.C.
    0 Wyoming
    1 In Belize
    1 In Canada
    1 In Chile
    1 In Curacao
    1 In Guatemala
    1 In Mexico
    1 In Roatan
    1 In Thailand
    Afghani
    Argentine
    Basque
    Belgian
    Belizean
    Bengali
    Bermudian
    Bosnian
    Brazilian
    Cafes
    Canadian
    Chile
    Chinese
    Columbian
    Cornish
    Costa Rican
    Cuban
    Curacao Island
    Czech
    Danish
    Diners
    Dominican
    English
    Ethiopian
    Filipino
    French
    French Basque
    French Creole
    German
    Greek
    Guatemalan
    Honduran
    Hopi
    Houston Area
    Hungarian
    Indian
    Indonesian
    Iranian
    Iraqi
    Irish
    Italian
    Jamaican
    Japanese
    Korean
    Lebanese
    Malaysian
    Mexican
    Mongolian
    Moroccan
    Nepali
    New Hampshire
    New York
    Nigerian
    O
    Pakistani
    Palestinian
    Peruvian
    Polish
    Portuguese
    Puerto Rican
    Russian
    Salvadoran
    Scottish
    Spanish
    Swedish
    Swiss
    Taiwanese
    Thai
    Turkish
    Uruguay
    Venezuelan
    Vietnamese

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!