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



Diverse Dining List

Grand Central Café in Kingsland,TX

4/2/2014

1 Comment

 

Now a Restaurant
​

​This little Queen Anne cottage in the small town of Kingsland has been many things.
Picture



When it was moved to this location in 1998, it became a café, with a railroad theme to match the railroad themed hotel on the property. ​
The Chainsaw Café?
Picture




They could have gone for a totally different kind of theme, since the house was once used in the filming of the 1974 cult classic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  I do love a themed restaurant.

Book Club
​
​
My book club, a group that has been discussing books and films for years, was recently in the Kingsland area  for a weekend getaway. We decided to have dinner at the Grand Central Café.
Picture




In this photo we look like we might be pondering whether or not to dine in this little house with its haunting history.  Or maybe we just look like we're posing as the cast for the latest sequel...Texas Chainsaw Massacre & The Book Club.  This would not be the first sequel or remake of this fine film!

Interior
​

Picture

​

I took this photo a year ago, so I already knew what to expect.  It's not creepy at all. But when we stepped inside the café on Friday evening, the entrance did not look like this quiet photo.  The café was bustling with food toting servers and folks squeezing past each other moving up and down stairs.  The noise of cheery diners distracted us from any thoughts of gory movie scenes.

Upstairs

​The lounge upstairs was packed as well. This attic-like space was as upbeat as the downstairs, but there was one little movie reminder. 
Picture
​

I saw it near the bar.  We had just moved towards the counter to order a glass of wine... and there it was... a chainsaw!  Okay, maybe it was made by Fischer Price. It was some kind of toy dangling from a hook as a playful decoration. I should have taken a photo.

Dinner

Since it was so lovely outside we were actually glad to sip our wine on the patio for 30+ minutes before our table was ready.  We were seated in one of the two front rooms and spent the next 90 minutes jabbering away over various seafood dishes.  
Picture

This group has had a lot of experience discussing books and movies and a million other subjects around tables of food.  But we did not once discuss the meaning of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In fact now that I think of it, I'm not sure anyone at our table had even seen the movie. In fact I don't know why I keep bringing up the subject.  No one else did!Our Food
​
Picture

After a day spent mostly outside, we had worked up a pretty good appetite for dinner. A couple of us had the special with salmon and avocado, which came with two sides.  We had a few crab cakes on the table and a couple of Cajun shrimp stir fry orders.    I believe the salmon was the most praised of the dishes.  I would say the food was very decent for a small town. 

Should We Return?
​
Picture

I told my book club I had come to the café a year earlier to enjoy breakfast with my daughter and husband.  The Book Group was almost convinced to return the next day to sample another menu so we could try a treat that had not been available at our dinner.

Daytime Menu
​

Picture

​

It wasn't breakfast that was luring the group. (Although they do have yummy options with names like Locomotive and The Dispatcher)

The Caboose
​

Picture
It was a dessert called The Caboose.  On Friday night, our server made the mistake of telling us about this favorite dish made with fried pancake batter...or something decadent.  But, we were out of luck. Only the day chef makes the dessert.   

1 Comment
kristi@runkwrun.blogspot.com link
4/7/2014 04:39:10 am

I would go for the mere fact that it hosted my favorite horror movie of all times. And I would probably be gabbing on and on about it. I can't help it. Now, I want to go.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    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

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