Food Search in Jefferson, TX

April in Jefferson

Last April, Don and I spent one night in this north Texas town.

Jefferson is a cute place, with lots of historic buildings and a lovely brick Main Street.

General Store

I really wanted to have a dining experience in the General Store.

We at least knew they  had Jams and Jellies!

Candy!

We stepped inside and I spotted the candy right away.

I could have dined on Bit-O-Honey and peanut brittle!

Cafe

There actually was a cafe in the back!

More candy at the dining counter! I believe we could have ordered a microwaved hot dog, or something. But we gave it a pass.

Cowboys and Bikers
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We browsed around the vintage store before heading off. We spotted some  interesting people hanging out and walking along the sidewalks of Jefferson. ​

We headed across the street to check into our hotel.  Who might hanging out there?

Jefferson Hotel

​We knew the Jefferson Hotel was going to be an entertaining place. That's why we booked.

There were lots of dolls waiting for us in our guest room. We were amused by our bizarre hotel for a while, but then we needed a break. 

We love eccentric hotels. We seek them out. But this was a little overwhelming after a while and there was nowhere to sit and relax. We needed an escape!

​McGarity's Saloon 
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Just a block or two away, we found this charming little building with a cute patio and couple iron balconies.

The pre-Civil War structure seemed pretty isolated on the edge of town. But back in the 1850's, Dallas Street was lined with saloons and bustling with activity. Big Cypress Bayou was just steps away, with lots of riverboat activity.

Over the Years

James McGarity was one of the first owners of the building. He and his partner got into a little trouble with booze and gambling and sold the saloon in 1868. In 1916, the building became home to the Jefferson Masonic Lodge. ​

There were numerous other businesses in the building... a confederate hat factory and a brothel and some point. All the buildings on the street dealt with fires, but somehow this one survived. The most recent owners have done a nice job making the place feel welcoming to locals and tourists.

Cozy Interior
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I didn't get a great photo of the impressive bar, which is really the focal point.

But the brick walls, high ceilings and spotless tables were inviting.

​There were lots of nice little perks, like our complimentary basket of homemade potato chips. And a fresh carafe of water. And pretty dishes.

And packets of disinfectant wipes, along with our utensils. All very un-saloon-like!

​Yum!

Don ordered the Cali Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which was insanely good. The crazy huge chicken barely fit on the brioche bun. It was smothered in Swiss cheese, tomato, avocado and ranch! 

Since I had big plans to eat half of Don's fries, I ordered a house salad which was pretty deluxe, with shaved Parmesan, avocado and cucumber. We soaked in the good flavors, while we enjoyed a nearby singer, performing on guitar. No saloon honky tonk at McGarity's.

Good-Bye Beasts

This wasn't exactly a dining adventure, but it was a dining escape. There was something truly odd about our hotel stay (written in my 90 Nights blog) and we needed this little getaway, before we faced the night.

Just like our hotel, the saloon was full of knickknacks and treasures and oddities. But there was something absolutely okay about the moose and the buffalo watching us eat. We said good-bye to them and headed back to our hotel... where nearly 100 sets of doll eyes watched us sleep!
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