Grey Moss Inn in Grey Forest, TX

What a Discovery!

Last week, Don and I had my favorite kind of dining experience! Our dinner at Grey Moss Inn wasn't just about the food or atmosphere or service. It was also about the adventure of finding the place!

We found the 91 year old restaurant in the small town of Grey Forest. It was about 25 miles northwest of San Antonio... and then a short drive on Scenic Loop Road.

"Scenic Playground" of Grey Forest

We drove through the tiny town of Grey Forest, which had once been some kind of a summer camp community.

The 2-lane drive on Scenic Loop Road was intriguing. We spotted a few stone cottages that were built in the 1920's, when the area attracted artists and wealthy San Antonians, looking for a retreat from the city. Long before that, the road was a trail, used by nomadic Indian tribes, stagecoaches and wagons. We didn't know all that... until later.
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On the Loop
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The restaurant backed up to the Loop. It wasn't exactly obvious.

There was a faded neon sign, that sort of blended with the winter landscape. We might have passed it, if we weren't looking for it. 

Cookbook Time!

But we were looking for it!  We knew about Grey Moss Inn... well sort of. It wasn't a magazine ad that informed us, or the internet, or  word-of-mouth. We read about Grey Moss Inn, in our 1959 cookbook, put out by Ford Motor Company.

We knew that Mary Howell owned the "rustic inn and served apple pie and charcoal-broiled meats... at least she did, 6 decades ago. I'm afraid Mary died in 1976, just a short while after she sold the restaurant. She was 85 and her son had been running the biz. Luckily, the old stone building never stopped serving meals, throughout all the years!  That's not the case with most of the restaurants featured in the vintage cookbook!

Stone Entrance

After I checked the internet and learned that Grey Moss was still in business, I called to be sure. I was surprised when they suggested reservations. I happily made them for Tuesday evening. 

I was eager to see the place in daylight, so I talked Don into driving over on Sunday morning. I spotted two stone cottages on the left, as we pulled in.  

​Huge Lot

The restaurant and patio faced a large gravel parking lot. They weren't open until dinner, so all was very quiet. 

Don parked and I headed over to have a peek. The image didn't exactly match up with the book's illustration. 

Outdoor Dining

I paused at the locked gate and peered into the patio area. The trees were dripping with Spanish moss, just like the picture. 

It was a little cool in January for outdoor dining, but they had tables. The building on the right looked nothing like the stone building in the illustration. Did they add onto the front?

The Stone Grill

To the left of the patio, I spotted the round grill. In the illustration, it looked like a stone wishing well... except for the cartoonish figures, that seemed to be cooking.  

I clicked one more photo before heading back to the car. I didn't want to cause any concern, in case there were any security cameras.

I got a better look at the circular grill when we returned on Tuesday evening. A young man was tending the mesquite fire, when we approached. A little later, he cooked my filet beautifully!

Tuesday Evening

No one else was on the patio when we arrived at 5:30. There were blue tablecloths and strings of lights.

I was glad to be there early and peek around, without bothering other guests.

Garden Room

We stepped inside and the hostess greeted us. She asked if I was Beth, which gave me a clue that they might not be expecting crowds.

I suddenly noticed the original exterior, with the arched doorway and the tree growing up through the ceiling. ​

Emily said the enclosed area with plants and skylights, is now called the Garden Room. We were obviously standing on what had once been the patio.
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Questions for Emily

Since I'd read up a little on the internet, I had a few questions for Emily. She was young enough that she might have rolled her eyes, but she answered with such enthusiasm. I love young people who care about history.

She stepped outside with me, to point out the two stone cottages, that remain on the property today. She explained that the original owner Mary, used to live in the first one. "She baked her pies and breads there. In fact our current baker still does the baking over there."

The Treaty Tree

I asked about the tree I'd read about, with its peaceful energy. Emily pointed to the massive Live Oak, across the meadow. I walked over to have a look.

Apparently, this tree represented neutral ground for many land disputes, over the years. Treaties and alliances were signed here, between conflicting Native American tribes and early settlers.  

So Much History

I was slow getting back to poor Don, who was waiting patiently at the table. But I was so curious about this property with its native stone buildings. I wondered about the woman who started the restaurant in 1929. Not the best time in US history to start a business!

Mary must have been quite an amazing woman. For so many years, her hard work and passion drew customers to such a remote area. The restaurant's current website even talks about encounters with Mary's spirit! Maybe I should have lingered out there longer. I could have asked Mary a few questions!

Cozy Interior

Don was checking on the menu when I returned. We had a sweet table for two, beside a window. 

Of course our window no longer looked outside. If we peeked through the curtains, we could see a room with 3 tables.

The cozy addition with the slanted ceiling, had a great view of the original exterior stonework... now painted. While we were eating later, a man stepped into the tiny space and pointed to the table below the oval portrait. I heard him tell his friends that he proposed to his wife there. Sweet.

Fireplace  

My eyes were drawn to the fireplace in the back part of the room. Too bad it wasn't a little chillier outside. A fire would have made things perfect.

I spotted a few old photos on the wall, next to the fireplace.

I loved this photo. Were those rocking chairs? Who was the woman in the hat with the cat? I think Mary was the woman standing. The curious woodwork above and near the fireplace, hasn't changed.

Some Bubbly and Candlelight

I was pretty amused by the enormous display of wax on our table! I wonder how many candles and how many hours of burning, produced that! 

Don and I decided to order a couple glasses of Prosecco first. We quietly offered a toast to our fun adventure! Our waiter Chris, brought us our complimentary (and traditional) "Olive Twist" appetizer.
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He also introduced us to Jacob, who was shadowing him. Jacob happened to be his younger brother and they made the perfect team. ​Again, we were delighted to realize how well informed the young staff was, about the restaurant's history. We decided to eat first, before dragging out the cookbook.

Our Feast!

First we peeked at the wine list, which was huge and varied. They were offering glasses of Altos Hormingas Malbec for $6. that night! Yes! Then Don ordered the 3 course special. Wild Mushroom Bisque, Beef Wellington with garlic truffle mashed potatoes, mushrooms and peppercorn sauce. Mouthwatering! I loved the buttery pastry crust.

My choice was the 8 ounce filet, grilled over the mesquite charcoal and basted with the traditional Witches Brew! (another tradition) My photo fails terribly! The meat's flavor was magical! The Grey Moss Squash (with cumin) was made with Mary's old recipe! The "Sour Cream Potato on the Half Shell" was mighty fine!

Dessert Time

By the time Don's third course arrived, I was stuffed and half my meal was being boxed. His Blue Velvet Cake with Swiss cream icing was dense and delicious and there was plenty to share, but it was time to ask about apple pie.  

I asked Chris and he said they did have apple pie. "But do you think it's made with this recipe?"  I asked. I opened the vintage book and pointed to "The Inn's Own Apple Pie" recipe.

Reaction

It's always fun to see reactions to the old book. I lower expectations with younger servers, but Chris and Jacob leaned in and laughed with giddy surprise. "What is this!?" Emily rushed over from the doorway and said she had to look too.

Emily took a photo with her phone and all 3 flipped through the pages, while we told them how we use this old cookbook like a treasure map. It's not easy to explain, to a generation that hardly knows about Ford Motor Company or cookbooks period. But they clearly loved hearing how the book leads us to interesting places and people! They were happy to pose with the book. I let them pick the best photo spot.

​Heading Out

We finished up and I gathered the book and my precious leftovers. ​​Don and I headed out the door thanking the 3 young people who had treated us well. They impressed us with their enthusiasm.

As we walked towards the car, I noticed two nicely dressed men near the grill pit. It looked to me like maybe the owner had just arrived. I couldn't help myself. I headed over, in the dark. First I embarrassed myself by approaching the wrong man, with the cookbook. The dapper gentleman said he was actually Dr. Baeten's driver, but he pointed me in the right direction.

Louis Baeten

Dr. Baeten was more than happy to put up with my jabber about our delicious meal. I told him how nicely the staff took care of us.

He was also pretty delighted when I showed him the book. He and his wife have owned Grey Moss since 1988, so I was surprised he hadn't run across the book in all these years! He asked if he could get a photo of the recipe and Emily assured him she had taken one. I left happy. I also left without my mouthwatering doggy bag. I put it down on a patio table. Rats!

Green Sign and a Phone Call

I was excited to see the old neon sign glowing, as we pulled out onto the Loop. We drove cautiously through Grey Forest, since Chris had warned us about speed traps. Chris had also asked me to text him photos, when I got them off my Nikon. The next day I realized I'd lost Chris' contact info, so I called Grey Moss. I told the woman on the phone to give my cell number to Chris, so I could text him the photos. "Are you the person with the cookbook?" the woman asked.

Kelly introduced herself and said she was the baker. She'd already been given the Ford Cookbook recipe and was eager about getting Mary's original apple pie recipe on the menu.  

We chatted a while and she told me a few more bits of Grey Moss history and trivia. I hung up the phone grinning... and feeling hungry! Sometimes I get to carry over a dining adventure to the next day, by devouring leftovers. This time I extended the adventure by enjoying a conversation, with the baker!

What a fun time! We'll have to go back for pie!
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