Category: 00 Drive Ins Diners Cafes

W Cafe in Gunnison, CO

9/25/2019

Old Cafe, Old Sign

I spotted this yellow sign, as soon as we hit downtown Gunnison. An old cafe with a vintage neon sign. How could we resist?

But, W Cafe wasn't open that day. The door was ajar, but there was a note taped to it, telling us they would be closed for two days of cleaning.

Rats!

But then we realized our route would be taking us back through town in a couple of days.

Back Again

It was the beginning of June, the day we returned. The trees were full of blossoms on Main Street. When the wind blew, it snowed.

Open Door

We parked around the corner and passed some colorful hanging baskets. The door was open again, but there was no note.

Before Noon

The diner was between rushes, when we arrived. We had our pick of about 8 booths, all cozied right up to the shiny-rough, pine wood.

We sat beneath one of the many nostalgia shelves.

We even had our own little wall sconce to light up our menu.

Yay! Breakfast served entire day!

But the entire day ended at 2:00, so we were glad we got there before noon. We placed our orders and got ready to chow.

Delirious

I look a bit insane in this ready-to-eat pose. Maybe I had too much coffee. I don't usually have coffee with lunch, but Charlton asked if I wanted some and I couldn't say no. He was too sweet and he put my diner mug down on a doily!

Our waitress was a more typical, all business, server. She brought our orders pretty promptly.

Hefty Servings

My half-order special, was pretty huge for $8.99. Hot open face turkey sandwich, with mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce... and a container of cranberry sauce.

Don got the daily breakfast special, of Huevos Rancheros with hash browns. Both were nice and hot and flavorful. There was no doily for the china to rest on, but I kind of liked the retro texture of the naugahyde table cover. Or was that oil cloth?

Don Pose

Don did his pose for me. I made sure to include a little peek of the room behind him. The teenagers at the table in the far corner were having a good time.

Stainless Steel!

I was pretty impressed with the shiny cooler behind Don. I didn't spot any fingerprints, so I'm guessing that was one of the things that got a big cleaning, during the closure.

Treasures on the Wall

I of course had to wander a bit, to check out all the stuff on the shelves.

When the teen table emptied in the back, I headed over to have a look at the best corner. I love kid related antiques.

Charlton was busing tables and I asked him about the child's western attire, displayed on the wall. "Oh, that was my brother's!" he said, pointing ( I believe) to the shirt and boots. He said the chaps belonged to his grandfather or great grandfather. He wasn't sure which. He said the elephant marionette was very old.

He pointed out the framed stars on another wall and a hand-crank ice crusher that had been in his grandparents' house. He seemed so delighted that I seemed interested at all. He said his mom was the owner and had been for about 10 years.

Charlton seemed extra excited when he heard we were from Texas. He had family in Amarillo and Bandera. I thanked him so much for sharing with me and asked if he'd want to be in one of my photos. "Oh, probably not," he smiled. "I'd be too shy." I said I understood and thanked him so much for keeping my coffee nice and hot, because he really had. I wish I had a photo of Charlton. I wonder if he was named for the actor?

What's With the W?

I never found out what the "W" was for, in W Cafe. I should have asked the nice man, dining by himself near the front window. Before heading off, I asked him about the sign on the wall, over his head. "I've been coming here since 1973, " he said. "That sign's been here forever."

I asked what it was from.. or for. He kind of shrugged.

"They're just being funny, I guess."

That was sort of a lame question on my part.

I never found out the age of the cafe, although I did read that they had a full remodeling in the mid-fifties. That's old! Even older than me. We were a good fit!

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Lupita's Place, in Fort Davis, Texas

9/23/2019

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Breakfast in West Texas

Last May, Don and I stopped at Lupita's in Fort Davis. The early morning sun was putting a pretty dramatic spotlight on the sweet stone building and the colorful sign.

Open!

We were glad to see the lit up OPEN sign. Everything else seemed to be closed at 7:30, in downtown Fort Davis. We headed for the yellow screened door and headed in.

First to Arrive?

It looked like we were the first to arrive that morning. But probably not. Cafes that sell decent breakfast tacos and burritos can have some pretty early local customers. We probably hit a lucky lull.

Made to Order

Don placed our order at the window and we watched our giant breakfast burrito come to life! A giant tortilla was tossed on the grill and covered in eggs, cheese, ham, onion and beans. It was just under $5. and big enough to split.

Burrito on the Go

We opted to take our foil wrapped burrito with us and off we went to Davis Mountain State Park.

Burrito Picnic

Maybe we missed out on the full Lupita's experience by not dining at the tables, covered in oil cloth coverings. But the sky was blue and the view was spectacular at the park.

The Burrito Travels Again

My photo does not capture an important part of our picnic experience. The wind was impossible! After 2 bites of delicious burrito, we wrapped up our breakfast and headed for the car.

We drove with our breakfast back to our nearby lodge, where we found a table on the porch, that was blocked from the wind. Ahhh! The burrito was still warm and we were even hungrier. Yay for a shared burrito from Lupita's!

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Whistle Stop Cafe in Georgetown, CO

9/8/2019

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Whistle Stop Reunion

It's time for a throw-back write-up, about a very fun breakfast... in June of 2017.

This is my friend, Martha popping out of the Whistle Stop Cafe.

I wonder if Martha knocked over a chair or made some commotion, as she rushed to greet us.

There seem to be a few diners looking out the window, eager to see what's going on.

After Breakfast

I have no photos of the 4 of us meeting and greeting, inside. We were too busy for photo ops. I do remember our voices were very loud, for the quiet diner!

Don took this photo of me posing with Martha her hubby, Bill. We were feeling happy and stuffed after our breakfast. Martha and I hadn't seen each other since college, (38 years!) so there was lots of catching up.

Don and Bill

Over lunch, Martha had me laughing hard... just as I had expected. We hadn't seen each other since 1979, but we needed no warming up.

An added treat was finding out how easily our Long, Tall Texan Husbands got along. Don and I both had fun talking about Bill's hometown, Mineral Wells. I'm not sure that we took a moment to admire the cafe's fine sign, or those nearby mountains!

Inside the Cafe

I wish I'd taken at least one other photo, but we were too busy gabbing. This does not begin to capture an ounce of the fun we had. I loved hearing the story of how Martha and Bill met... or Martha's tales of NY theatre after college...

Food

It's always easy to photograph your food. So I did. The platter of poached eggs and biscuits with gravy, looks as crazy as I remember.

There must have been a half dozen eggs in that omelet. I do remember the chopped and fried potatoes! Very yummy!

Post Breakfast

After we ate, we were off to explore the town of Georgetown. We toured the old Hotel de Paris, which was an impressive museum. Then we made a stop at a colorful, sweet shop.

Ice Cream and Candy

We relaxed with some ice cream and left with our candy purchase! Candy necklaces and candy cigarettes! What a perfect way to end our reunion!

Continuous Reunion

Our reunion actually continued the next week, when we met up at The Brown Hotel in Denver. Martinis, appetizers and a tiny bit of dancing. No candy cigarettes.

June 2019

This past June, we 4 met up in Idaho Springs, Colorado. We "took the waters" at Indian Springs Resort, then shared a hearty breakfast at Marion's of the Rockies. Once again, I failed to capture much of our dining with photos, but the memories are good!

Yay for dining reunions, with good people! Thanks, Martha and Bill!

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Orsak's in Fayetteville, TX

8/30/2019

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Lunch in Fayetteville... Again!

It's been over 10 years since I visited this sweet little town. That's pretty crazy, because Don and I frequently drive by the exit, to Fayetteville.

So Don and I made a stop, a few days ago. The pink building looked the same. But, this time I spotted a new banner, beneath the faded happy chef sign. It seemed a little odd to imagine people drinking wine in Orsak's.

2008

Actually there are two buildings that house the cafe. Here I am in 2008 crossing the wide road, that surrounds Fayetteville's town square. I'm giving my camera-snapping sister, the evil eye.

2019

Today, the corner building has one new addition... a wheelchair ramp, leading to the door. There's also a bush growing on the side and some new seating, where a park bench once sat.

But mostly, Orsak's looks the same. You have to love a building with flesh-pink paint. It makes me think of little pigs!

Lunch With Mom in 2008

This is not the world's most flattering photo of Mom or me, finishing our lunches. It was hot that August day, but Mom was happy. Jennifer and I had taken her off for a day of adventure.

Mom loved road trips and small towns. She loved cafes and diners and we found a great one. She had a milkshake with her burger and fries and she was in heaven.

I have bittersweet memories of that day. Jennifer and I had planned this special outing for Mom, knowing that the next day would be a tough one. We would start the process of moving Mom to an Alzheimer's facility... and she didn't know. If only we'd known that all would turn out so well, Jenni and I could have enjoyed our meal, just a little better.

Now and Then

This past Wednesday, Don and I arrived before noon. My view of the two buildings was blocked by a lineup of cars and pickups. Later, I was able to get a better glimpse of the corner building. The cute little building with the chef's image was blocked the whole time. I found a photo from 11 years ago.

What's Different?

I was eager to walk inside and see how well my memory matched. I was totally confused. I remembered the counter and stools, on the right.

The space seemed open and bright and full of diners. Where were those dated, drop ceiling tiles?

The wood walls were painted and covered in license plates and neon. I kept scratching my head. We found a seat in the room with the counter, but I wasn't sure if this was the room I remembered.

A Fine Menu

There were 4 women greeting and attending to tables. Our server was very friendly when she dropped off menus, but she looked too busy to answer my questions.

I hoped the menu would have a little cafe history write up. No such luck.

I glanced at the cover with the happy chef and the Daily Special prices and I decided there was a good chance this was the same menu I opened 11 years ago.

Actually, I didn't need to open. The lunch special was $6.00... or $6.50 for large. I went all out for the large portion.

Exploring

I headed off on a hand washing mission, to give myself a chance to explore. I passed through a funny little walkthrough connection to find the "Cowgirls Room", in the corner building.

I passed by the yellow wall, with a set of antlers and lots of photos. I peeked into the kitchen, through the window. Then I found the sweet little restroom, that I only vaguely remembered. Luckily there was a sink, so I didn't have to wash up, using the pitcher and bowl.

The Other Room

There were diners in both rooms and I wondered how a town of around 250 residents, could ever have enough customers to fill tables for daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I wondered about the Orsaks. Who are they? Who were all the people in the photographs? It wasn't obvious.

Time to Eat

I got back to the table, just in time for the dessert to arrive. I didn't even know my $6.50 feast included a chocolate cake delight! It was hard not digging into our desserts first, but then Don's fried chicken special arrived.

Then my stuffed green peppers and green beans and fresh noodles with gravy was delivered. The dividers on my retro plastic plate did not do the trick well. My overflowing servings spilled into each other. Not a problem. Don and I both agreed my stuffed peppers, (even in their collapsed form) were the tastier of the 2 options. The noodles weren't overly flavorful, but they were a fun reminder of Orsak's Czech roots.

Heading Off

There was a slight lull in activity, when we headed to the counter to pay the bill. I was able to ask about 2 questions. Yes, I was right. The counter and stools had been on the other wall. There was fire, some years back. Lots of changes.

The woman also mentioned that the corner building had been a tire shop at one time. That got me wondering. But suddenly another customer needed help. I figured I'd let her get back to work and I'd find all my answers on the internet.

In the car I grabbed my phone. I was ready to Google and find out who the Orsaks were and how long the cafe had been feeding the folks in Fayetteville. Nothing. They have no website and their Facebook page was not helpful... no Wikipedia or random info, not even about a fire. Oh well. Maybe someone will read this and fill me in.

What Will I Remember?

Don and I had a quick and decent feast for about $15.00! Now we have our own memory of the dining in the pink building.

But what made this recent dining adventure extra fun, was remembering the first one. 2008 was long before I was searching for and writing about, curious diners and cafes.

I have to hand it to Mom. She was pushing for the hidden gems, long before that term was overused... long before Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, started spotlighting these great finds. Thanks, Mom!

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Koffee Kup Family Restaurant

4/21/2019

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Hico, Texas

On Good Friday morning, we had breakfast in Hico. Don and I were traveling with our friends, Pat and Susan. Like us, they knew little about the small town of about 1,300, in North Central Texas. We had however, heard that the Koffee Kup was a great place to go for breakfast.

Cowboy at the Table

Don and I have eaten in a few restaurants, with cowboy signs or names. This one had a mighty fine silhouette image of a cowboy, above the door. That man with his hat and spurs, seemed to be pondering life. Or was he just savoring that last sip, while he stared at the coffee pot?

I wondered if we would see any cowboy hats inside.

Seating

We entered at about 8:45 and I spotted no cowboys. We pondered only briefly, about where to sit.

There was a nice big table near the door with the Koffee Kup logo branded into wood.

We headed back and aimed for one of the booths.

Booths and Displays

There was a booth open, by the salt & pepper shaker displays.

We chose a slightly larger booth, so I had to sneak over for a peek at the fine collection.

Filling Up

We took a seat and before long, we had coffee at our table. Our server was quick and efficient. I believe her name was Mary Ellen and she didn't have much time for chit chat, since the place was filling up fast. Before long I saw my first cowboy hat.

Eggs, Bacon and Biscuits

My scrambled eggs came fried. I really didn't care, but Mary Ellen seemed concerned as she studied her pad. I had the feeling she had never made a mistake before. I assured her I was happy with fried. The bacon was crispy the way I like it. The biscuits were far too crumbly to make a breakfast sandwich... or I might have. I like the idea of gravy... but all I usually need, is one taste.

Gigantic Oatmeal

Pat went for bacon like me, but Susan ordered oatmeal with her eggs. It was Good Friday after all. We all laughed when we saw the size of her bowl. Don's breakfast burrito was amazingly good. We probably should have ordered pie, even at breakfast. That's what they're known for.

More Hats, More Locals

Before long I spotted a few more cowboy hats. I'm not sure why this amused me. Hico is surrounded by ranch land, so I shouldn't have been surprised. I noticed a lot of diners, stopping to greet other diners. This seemed to be the place to eat and socialize.

Movie Star?

On my way to the restroom, I paused to look at the wall with framed photos and news clippings. There was a portrait of a man, directly above the still vacant, "branded" table.

Mary Ellen was standing near the kitchen area and she noticed me looking.

"You probably think that he's a movie star." She said, gesturing towards the black and white photo.

Owned by the Allen Family

Mary Ellen had been so busy earlier, but suddenly she was happily carrying on about Lynn Allen, the old owner who had died a few years ago. She pointed to names, engraved in the wood. There were about 16.

"Those are the names of the men who used to gather at this table, every day." She pointed out the name Jack Allen. I believe he was Lynn's dad, who started the Koffee Kup in 1970. "They're all gone now." She added sadly.

Even Sadder

We left happy and I shared my tiny bit of info in the car with the others. Later I searched the internet for more info. I was curious about the history of this busy place in a small town. The info I found, made me sad and angry.

I was sad that my happy little dining experience was suddenly tainted by my curious Googling. I was angry, because I learned that not all that long ago, the restaurant's name was different. The once, Koffee Kup Kafe had a shorter nickname... KKK. From what I read, I don't believe it is just rumor, that clan meetings were held in this very building.

I could have chosen not to add this restaurant to the blog. Or I could have left this part out. But I've shared what I discovered, because that's what my dining adventures are about. Usually my surprises and discoveries are amusing or curious. Sometimes I learn some history, that I eventually forget. This disturbing discovery, won't be forgotten.

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W Cafe in Gunnison, CO

Lupita's Place, in Fort Davis, Texas

Whistle Stop Cafe in Georgetown, CO

Orsak's in Fayetteville, TX

Koffee Kup Family Restaurant

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