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Golden Corral, Pancho's and Other Low-Brow Eateries of Your Youth

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threesheets
threesheets

Most of the  good stuff has been covered, but I'll add Grandy's.  My freshman year they had all you can eat (included chicken and CFS plus whatever sides)- I think it was $4.99.  Glorious.  Especially

Brisketexan
Brisketexan

Y'all remember the Wendy's Superbar?  Soup and chili, baked potatoes, and salad bar with all the usual stuff you'd see in a full salad bar, all for something like $4-5 back in the late 80s?  When that

Landomatic
Landomatic

Man was it ever. I remember one time just out of college, I was broke as a convict and somehow ended up going on date with a girl who worked for their corporate office. I didn't like her/wasn't attrac

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Surly Bevo

Surly Bevo 24908

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Posted (edited)

Black Eyed Pea, sort of like Chilis was at one point not "low brow".   Then they both expanded rapidly, got down with the Sysco and became teh suck.  

Maybe I hold that opinion only because I grew up in Dallas and remember them from being a kid/teen in the 80s.

Edited by Surly Bevo
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Horn Draoi

Horn Draoi 255

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Posted
14 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

Black Eyed Pea, sort of like Chilis was at one point not "low brow".   Then they both expanded rapidly, got down with the Sysco and became teh suck.  

Maybe I hold that opinion only because I grew up in Dallas and remember them from being a kid/teen in the 80s.

The original Chili’s, just north of Walnut Hill, east of 75 on Greenville, was like a religious experience in 79 or ‘80 or so.  You could drink your way to the table (line ran around 2 sides of the building, bar the whole way) and never be out of handshaking distance with a bartender.  Their chili was actually pretty good.  I’ll still hit a small town (Brownwood, Plainview, etc.) Chili’s for a salad.  The last Black Eyed Pea I ate at, in Fort Worth on Hulen, was pretty awful.

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pch

pch 1259

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Posted
8 hours ago, Horn Draoi said:

  The last Black Eyed Pea I ate at, in Fort Worth on Hulen, was pretty awful.

UPDATE:

Still sucks donkey balls, which is unfortunate because as mentioned upthread, at one time (80's-90), the pot roast, cfs, meatloaf, and my favorite, southwest chicken casserole (similar to King Ranch casserole) were as good as you would find anywhere.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31464

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20 minutes ago, pch said:

UPDATE:

Still sucks donkey balls, which is unfortunate because as mentioned upthread, at one time (80's-90), the pot roast, cfs, meatloaf, and my favorite, southwest chicken casserole (similar to King Ranch casserole) were as good as you would find anywhere.

I think BEP was the first place I encountered mashed taters with the skins in them.

I'm huge on food texture.  That is, certain foods should have certain textures, if they do not, I do not like them, Sam I am.

Mashed potatoes with the skins in them violate my texture rule.  Mashed potatoes should have few lumps, creamy, smooth.  Bits of skin = lumps.

For those nostalgic, Street has a new joint with some menu similarity to BEP.  https://www.streetsfinechicken.com/menu-cedar-springs

Edited by TwiceHorn
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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3101

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26 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

For those nostalgic, Street has a new joint with some menu similarity to BEP.  https://www.streetsfinechicken.com/menu-cedar-springs

I still miss his Snookie's joints, especially the Oak Lawn location.  You could get his Grandma's CFS, Burgers, and other great fried food right up until bar closing time.  Very popular with food industry folks coming in after their restaurants closed.

Rusty Taco has taken over that Oak Lawn location and it always looks dead.  Maybe the landowner is just waiting for redevelopment of that site?

Edited by DalTxHornFan
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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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On 12/15/2021 at 8:29 PM, DalTxHornFan said:

 

Rusty Taco has taken over that Oak Lawn location and it always looks dead.  Maybe the landowner is just waiting for redevelopment of that site?

"The Rusty Taco"?  Dude, I know you're trying to be all clever and cryptic...but South Austin reads this thread.  He knows who you're talking about.  not cool so close to Christmas.  

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Steel Shank

Steel Shank 9425

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2 minutes ago, Underdog said:

One of the first meals we had moving to Austin late 70s was at the Holiday House on Ben White.  They had a great AYCE breakfast back in the day, good burgers also from what I remember. 

My mom likes to reflect on the pandemonium whenever they brought out a fresh tray of food. Lot of running and pushing and shoving. We were pretty poor, so this was a treat and a way for my mother to feed her kids. Good times.

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Texzilla58

Texzilla58 4735

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I’m 63 so going back many years. Restaurant scene has changed so much since I was a kid.

My first TexMex memories go to three places that shape my hankerings. My first is El Fenix, the original in downtown Dallas, with my aunt and uncle. Next is the original El Chico, which was fantastic back then. The Cuellars knew how to run a chain. And then Joe T Garcia’s in Ft Worth. It was little when I was a kid and you went in through the kitchen. I remember a mama dog laying there with a litter of pups and I wanted one.

I loved Pancho’s and in Little Rock Casa Bonita. My parents hated it but took me as I liked the flag thing and the sopapillas.

Pizza Hut was great in most places and you went there and ate it. As was Pizza Inn and Mr Gatti’s.

Griff’s Burgers. Still one or two around.

Sambo’s. We always went there after peewee football games. Pancakes for dinner. Sambo was portrayed in store as a quasi-Indian Sikh-like kid.

Red Lobster when it started was high end eating as most inland folks didn’t have good seafood. It was such an upgrade over the fish sticks, tuna patties, and frozen fried shrimp most of us got. And a trip to Steak and Ale had to be a birthday or anniversary.

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pch

pch 1259

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Posted
16 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

I’m 63 so going back many years. Restaurant scene has changed so much since I was a kid.

My first TexMex memories go to three places that shape my hankerings. My first is El Fenix, the original in downtown Dallas, with my aunt and uncle. Next is the original El Chico, which was fantastic back then. The Cuellars knew how to run a chain. And then Joe T Garcia’s in Ft Worth. It was little when I was a kid and you went in through the kitchen. I remember a mama dog laying there with a litter of pups and I wanted one.

I loved Pancho’s and in Little Rock Casa Bonita. My parents hated it but took me as I liked the flag thing and the sopapillas.

Pizza Hut was great in most places and you went there and ate it. As was Pizza Inn and Mr Gatti’s.

Griff’s Burgers. Still one or two around.

Sambo’s. We always went there after peewee football games. Pancakes for dinner. Sambo was portrayed in store as a quasi-Indian Sikh-like kid.

Red Lobster when it started was high end eating as most inland folks didn’t have good seafood. It was such an upgrade over the fish sticks, tuna patties, and frozen fried shrimp most of us got. And a trip to Steak and Ale had to be a birthday or anniversary.

In the early 80's, El Fenix on Forest Lane had an all you could eat buffet at lunch which was OUTSTANDING.  And Griff's still thrives in Ft. Worth with several locations, my favorite being in River Oaks.  I miss going through the kitchen at Joe T's when it was a great place to eat, and worked a block south of their location for 21 years until retiring in January. Their best days are behind them sadly, imho.

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swonie

swonie 71

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I saw it mentioned a ways up thread but Tony Romas will always have a special place in my heart. We lived in Japan for 2 years in the 80s and we would hit the one in Tokyo every time we went there. My old man doesn’t eat seafood but had to eat sushi for work meetings. Wouldn’t hesitate to crush a rack of baby backs at any opportunity.

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RPM

RPM 26320

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Posted
12 hours ago, pch said:

Griff's still thrives in Ft. Worth with several locations, my favorite being in River Oaks. 

Used to hit the one in Hurst on Hwy 10 quite regularly when I lived near there. Place looked run down, but the burger slammed and went hard.

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ztejas

ztejas 43425

Posted
Posted
On 12/15/2021 at 8:29 PM, DalTxHornFan said:

I still miss his Snookie's joints, especially the Oak Lawn location.  You could get his Grandma's CFS, Burgers, and other great fried food right up until bar closing time.  Very popular with food industry folks coming in after their restaurants closed.

Rusty Taco has taken over that Oak Lawn location and it always looks dead.  Maybe the landowner is just waiting for redevelopment of that site?

Used to hit that Rusty Taco very frequently. Gringo shit but cheap and pretty damn good if you knew your way around the menu. After leaving a job I had had for awhile across the street I had a couple drinks there with a coworker that I very much wanted to be involved with but never got the chance to. At least - haven't gotten the chance yet. I know she still thinks about me.

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ohchaucer

ohchaucer 1443

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Man, this whole thread is a walk down memory lane. Everything’s been mentioned above but living far from Texas now, I miss all cafeterias. Miss the Turbo Tman. Gattis, Cicis, Panchos, El Fenix (which was maybe a little high end given there was one in Northpark Mall growing up), LJS, Popeyes, Gumby’s (extra ranch), AYCE pepperoni rolls, BOGO CFS on Tuesdays… and one I haven’t seen above but Souper Salads buffet had all kinds of good shit.

Also brings up a fond you-probably-had-to-be-there moment at a Jim’s (south congress maybe?) in the middle of the night. Five or six of us staggering in…

Guy 1: I’m gonna eat biscuits and gravy like it’s nobody’s business.

Guy 2: What does that even mean?

Guy 1: I just told you, it’s none of your business.

Group:

Guy 1:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

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On 12/21/2021 at 3:08 PM, Deej said:

I miss Holiday House.

#5 Flameburger ftw.

Anyone remember the Barn Restaurant on wnat is now MoPac just south of 183? That was the THE place to take a date in the mid 1960s. My gf got a job there as the girl in the swing above the bar.

Then sometime in the late 1970s a place called Country Dinner Playhouse opened somewhere way up ithere on the far north outskirts of town. A stage was in the middle of the restaurant that featured road shows with some B-list TV of film actors. It only last a few years.

Heady big time stuff for provincial Austin.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

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2 hours ago, ohchaucer said:

Man, this whole thread is a walk down memory lane. Everything’s been mentioned above but living far from Texas now, I miss all cafeterias. Miss the Turbo Tman. Gattis, Cicis, Panchos, El Fenix (which was maybe a little high end given there was one in Northpark Mall growing up), LJS, Popeyes, Gumby’s (extra ranch), AYCE pepperoni rolls, BOGO CFS on Tuesdays… and one I haven’t seen above but Souper Salads buffet had all kinds of good shit.

Also brings up a fond you-probably-had-to-be-there moment at a Jim’s (south congress maybe?) in the middle of the night. Five or six of us staggering in…

Guy 1: I’m gonna eat biscuits and gravy like it’s nobody’s business.

Guy 2: What does that even mean?

Guy 1: I just told you, it’s none of your business.

Group:

Guy 1:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Username does not check out.

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Native Horn

Native Horn 3504

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30 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

#5 Flameburger ftw.

Anyone remember the Barn Restaurant on wnat is now MoPac just south of 183? That was the THE place to take a date in the mid 1960s. My gf got a job there as the girl in the swing above the bar.

Then sometime in the late 1970s a place called Country Dinner Playhouse opened somewhere way up ithere on the far north outskirts of town. A stage was in the middle of the restaurant that featured road shows with some B-list TV of film actors. It only last a few years.

Heady big time stuff for provincial Austin.

"Girl in the swing" brings to mind The Old San Francisco Steakhouse" on IH-35 near 290.  I remember going there for special occasions with the family back in the day.  Big blocks of cheese on the table for appetizers.  I think it must have closed 15-20 years ago though.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105132

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2 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

"Girl in the swing" brings to mind The Old San Francisco Steakhouse" on IH-35 near 290.  I remember going there for special occasions with the family back in the day.  Big blocks of cheese on the table for appetizers.  I think it must have closed 15-20 years ago though.

When I moved to Austin as a poor young student, I 1) had no money and 2) didn't know much about the town other than the near-campus area and stuff I'd seen from I-35.  So, a couple of months into my freshman year, my old man came to town for a meeting and offered to take me out to dinner.  I said I wanted a steak (which I couldn't otherwise afford).  He asked where, and I named literally the only steakhouse in town I knew about -- Old San Francisco.  It was pretty damned good.  And, chunks of cheese and pretty girl on a swing, so, winning.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Native Horn said:

"Girl in the swing" brings to mind The Old San Francisco Steakhouse" on IH-35 near 290.  I remember going there for special occasions with the family back in the day.  Big blocks of cheese on the table for appetizers.  I think it must have closed 15-20 years ago though.

We boycotted that place because when it opened in the mid-1980s they took over the street for their valet parking.

We had been using the street parking for several years while our kids played at the Northland  LL baseball fields on the other side of the street where the Chevy dealership is now located.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

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12 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

"Girl in the swing" brings to mind The Old San Francisco Steakhouse" on IH-35 near 290.  I remember going there for special occasions with the family back in the day.  Big blocks of cheese on the table for appetizers.  I think it must have closed 15-20 years ago though.

Elaine was my gf who got the swing gig at The Barn restaurant..

 

B4FCC6D5-09E3-4AE0-B216-F6C25EB8A66E.jpeg

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Jameslaw121

Jameslaw121 4448

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On 12/10/2021 at 10:54 PM, DougO said:

I had family in Brownwood, frequent visits, much legend about Underwoods. The big Underwood sign was like the official welcome mat for the town. Yet, after eating there I never really understood what the big deal was. Take me back to Luby's.

Us locals would skip over to Section Hand for food in Brownwood

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Guest

Guest

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Posted (edited)

Just adding that I introduced my son to Luby's the other day. He had been before but too young to really remember. This time we went and I made sure to get a big ol' piece of chocolate pie. He loved it. I was sad. It definitely had the feel of a restaurant about to close. Salad bar was just pre-packed salads in plastic containers. No more green cloth napkins holding silverware, but instead paper napkins. And I don't think there were the tiny swords for the olives, etc. 

Still, food tasted like Luby's, so I was happy with that part. Kid keeps asking for it because of the pie.

Edited by FirstTimeCaller
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RollLeft

RollLeft 5045

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1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

She has been married to a psychiatrist for 53 years now. Lives in Georgia.

Is that her second marriage?  I heard the piano player who was a Texas law grad married either your former ex or one of the swing girls.  She left him shortly after for someone better.  He's now a retired partner of one of the largest cpa firms in Houston.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, RollLeft said:

Is that her second marriage?  I heard the piano player who was a Texas law grad married either your former ex or one of the swing girls.  She left him shortly after for someone better.  He's now a retired partner of one of the largest cpa firms in Houston.

No, she didn’t get married to the psychiatrist until 1968. That was her first, and only, husband.

she truly was a good girl and not “loose” like most of the UT coeds then.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40844

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, Lobo said:

You’re into some kinky shit man.  Not judging.  

Elaine was actually a Doris Day type.
Had another another UT gf, an art major. That one also had a gf at the same time... which turned out pretty kinky.

Edited by Armybrat
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