Robert (Robby) Wallis

Isn't Lowake close by Paint Rock?   Home of the world famous Lowake Inn where huge juicy  steaks are/were the speciality?.. They used to have a landing stip too but I think no more...Friends told me they'd just land on the highway, that DPS troopers looked the other way ...maybe the Inn is no longer in operation, anyone know?...

And, was it the Cottonwood Inn, a steakhouse in LaGrange, famous for $ 3.50  T-bones..?

It sat out on 71 and the airport was directly across the hwy..Years ago my dad and I used to fly up there and grab a steak..I think the restaurant is gone and the airport moved down the highway a bit...

Richard Meek

Rob, the Cottonwood Inn was at LaGrange. I ate a few of those steaks over the years. The last time we went to the Texas Relays didn't we have to drive all the way back there to find a motel where we could get a room. I think the Cottonwood Motel was the one. The other well known restaurant in LarGrange was the BonTon Cafe, I think. Right or wrong?

Don't know about Lowake. Bernard is the West Texas expert.

Richard Meek

I'm pretty sure the Bon Ton was right on Hwy 71 on the left as you were going north. I remember once on the way back from Austin I stopped, just to get a cup of coffee. When the waitress brought the coffee she asked if I'd like a piece of pie to go with it. I declined but she persisted. She says well Mrs.. . .  . (some local lady) just delivered her pies and they're still warm. She hadn't brought apple that day but she had brought coconut cream pie. It was the best coconut cream pie I've ever eaten. It took real will power not to order a second piece. Also not to take a whole pie to go. I think the Bon Ton moved over to the 71 Bypass and also had a bakery at that location. I haven't been that way in a while. I'm not sure if it is still ther or not.

I do remember Frank's, which is a plus. As you know the new Frank's is on I-10. Of course new Frank's is at least 25 years old isn't it?

Bernard Brady

Hey  all-

Your memories are doing fine. Yes, I will continue to attend coin shows, but will merely buy and

sell but not set up a booth. Just too much work and with very heavy briefcases and showcases.

Lowake is still doing fine. I ate there June of last year with wife and my niece.  We all had Angus

cheeseburgers. The steaks are fresh and huge. We did NOT fly in... The old airstrip is

covered with grass. The Hypos (Hwy Patrol Officers) are inside eating and see NOTHING. The

place looks like it has not been remodeled since the fifties. The ranchers are not required to take

off their boots. The parking lot was chock full of pick-up trucks with "deerguards". Know what those
 

are?  B

Mildred Sue (Suzie) May (Cunningham)

Here's my TMI contribution.

Weikel Lunch & Soda was on Colorado Street (north side of the square), 1937-1957. Then it moved 1 block east on Colorado & became the Bon Ton. Then the Bon Ton moved to a larger building on Travis Street (Hwy 71 Business, east of downtown) near the cemetery. Then it moved to a building on Hwy 71 Business, west of downtown). The last location is near Weikel's Bakery. There is no longer a Bon Ton. Weikel's Bakery is currently planning to remodel & enlarge their facility. The bakery is owned by Jimmy Weikel.

The Cottonwood Inn was begun by Valentine Hrbacek, aka Slim/Boss, in 1950 as a dine & dance business. The dance part was short-lived. The motel was built in 1962 & enlarged in 1964. In 1974, a cocktail lounge, El Patron Club, was added to the resaurant. In the '80's or '90's, the resaurant was sold to an Indian man who may have since sold it. Then Hrbacek opened Boss Steakhouse which later closed. The restaurant in the old Cotton Inn building is called La Marina. La Marina's menu is very similar to the one that the Cottonwood had.

Living in a small town can be very interesting. Since Jim was born & reared here, he is a wealth of knowledge. If he doesn't know, he knows someone who does. The info I'm sharing came from Jim, 2 truck drivers, & a retired highway patrolman during "coffee" at McDonald's tonight & a book of articles written by LGHS students in 1974.

Bernard Brady

Hey many friends-

Susan's Dad died this afternoon of a massive heart attack.  David Dobbins was

a wonderful, generous, humorous father-in-law. He did not suffer. Funeral arrangements

will start Thursday morning.  Please keep us in your prayers. We love you all.  B

Stephen Ray Puckett

BJ mentioned, "The ranchers are not required to take off their boots."   Gack!  Has Texas fallen so low that some places now require patrons to take off their boots????  It's terrible what the young'uns do now!    I remember some Japanese places that did so...and perhaps some 1960's 'coffee shops' that did (you sat on the floor, like at The Enchanted Cup) as well but my mind is a bit cloudy on that one.   I remember restaurants where they did not remove their cowboy hats.  It was interesting to go to a small-town chinese-american restaurant seeing guys in cowboy hats eating moo goo gai pan.

Richard Meek

BJ, sorry to hear about your father-in-law. My sympathy to Susan and the whole family.

I don't know what a deer guard is unless it is the grills on the front of PUs that would protect the radiator if you hit a deer that jumps into the road. Enlighten me.

Suzy, thanks for the very comprehensive run down on the past and current status of eateries in La Grange. The way you sourced that is like us circulating information about Oak Forest. Although we can't go back to 1937 because back then OF was just woods. When my parents bought their home in 1950 they were outside the city limits. If you look at a map of Houston now that is hard to imagine.

As far as leaving boots outside, I know my uncle that had a ranch in Blanket always left his boots on a back porch when he came in for lunch or the end of the day. After working with cattle or sheep you would have stuff on your boots that you didn't want in the house. BJ I hope the boots in the restaurant in Lowake weren't too fragrant.

Another family run restaurant that's into the third generation running it is Schobel's in Columbus not too far off the highway. My sister and I stopped there a couple of mos. ago. I had a killer grown-up gilled cheese sandwich.

May the wind always be at your back,

Rich

Richard Meek

I was just checking out some sports information during Lunch time. In the "do you feel old" category. . . I saw a note that Carl Yastrzemki's grandson is now playing professional baseball. This obviously will make you sports fans feel amazed, how can that be? For non-fans. Yaz was a star centerfielder for the Boston Red Sox when we were at Waltrip. Anyway his grandson Mike was signed by the Red Sox out of Vanderbilt. He is playing in the Cape Cod League for the Cotuit Kettleers (don't you love the names of some of these minor league teams). he's playing centerfield just like his granddad. Time marches on.

Keep on dancing

Rich

Ingrid Sears (Spiteri)

Rich, talk about crazy names for minor league baseball teams.  Our local team is known as the Cucamonga Quakes...the stadium is the Epicenter and their mascots are 2 dinosaurs named Tremor and Aftershock.

Richard Meek

Ingrid, I like it. The Quakes certainly fits.  Another one I kind of like is the Astros farm team at Corpus Christi. . . The Hooks. their logo is three fish hooks

.

Bernard Brady

Richard-

You are correct about the deer guards. However, in San Angelo

the deer are seriously overpopulated and the deer guards are HUGE.

We don't see these in Tennessee. Don't want to.....   BJ

Richard Meek

Bernard,I think there are two main problems with deer over population. First would be the virtual lack of natural predators. Second the work TP&W did years ago to eliminate the screw worm. You just don't have much to curtail an animal that is a pretty successful breeder. I'm not sure what the hunting pressure is now compared to years past.  I know it is a big revenue stream for the ranchers but I'm not sure how many deer are actually harvested. The elimination of the predators and screw worm was to help the cattle industry. Another example of unintended results of trying to alter nature. I'm not a hunter , you have to do all that getting up before dawn stuff. But venison is really a very good meat to eat if it's handled correctly in the field. I think quick clean kills are more humane than letting them overgraze their range and then starve to death. I know that Ted Jordan, '64 knows a lot about wildlife management, maybe he has some thoughts on this subject.

On another subject. A food I really enjoy is pickled okra. I noticed on the jar recently that they are made in San Angelo. I don't know if you like pickled okra but if you do you'll soon be living at the source.

How is the packing going? Aug. 1st will be here pretty quickly. It's hard to believe that the first six months of the year are almost over. Time does fly.

Keep on dancing,

Rich

Bernard Brady

Richard-

How 'bout this doozy... Susan's Dad died Wed. night. We arranged for his funeral

tomorrow. Susan is his oldest daughter and executor. He owns two houses here.

Now we gotta deal with that. He was a wonderful father-in-law, but a real practical

joker. I know he had this fatal heart attack on purpose...  BJ

Linda Webster

BJ & Richard--

The Texas term is grille guard and the best ones are made by Ranch Hand. Just a bit of info since I live in the Hill Country and even in little 'ol Lago there are a ton of deer.

Bernard Brady

Linda-

This forum is an absolute wealth of useable information.

The funeral (celebration) for Susan's Dad was wonderful today.

I performed the ceremony and felt honored to do so. Thanks for

everyone's prayers. God answered them all  !!  Bernard

Linda Webster

BJ

I am so sorry about your father-in-law but am glad you had the opportunity to eulogize and celebrate his life today. How is your wife taking the death. I know my father died 10 years ago and I still am not over it yet.

Hope you have a great week.

Bernard Brady

Linda dear-

Went well today. Susan and her sister Becky spent some time with their Dad at the

cemetery.  Then four cousins joined them at Dad's house to begin organizing bills

and deciding where to send death certificates. One cousin mowed Dad's yard. One

watered all of his flowers and his garden. One located his military DD214 to have the VA

pay for his gravestone - which they had agreed to on Fri. All in all, it was close family time

and quiet reflection. Stopped at 8:00 pm for all to go rest. I thank everyone of you for your

prayers.  The funeral could not have gone smoother.  Thanks all, Love- Bernard

Richard Meek

Bernard, just remember. . it's better to deliver the eulogy than to be the person being eulogized!

Bernard Brady

Richard-

Can I get an "AMEN" on that one dear brothers

and sisters.??  My thanks to all of you. Susan

is staying right on course for renting her Dad's home

and our move to San Angelo. You are gonna love her!!

Sherra Jennings (Kahanek)

Sweetie - do you ever get to Jean Pierre's Bakery in Durango?  He makes the best pasteries and Gallette cookies just melt in your mouth.  I used to work for him back about 15 or so years ago when he had his bakery here in Webster.  I ran his office for a couple of years until he closed down and moved to Durango

Richard Meek

Sherra is that the same Jean Pierre that had a bakery over on Kipling for years? I think that Jean-Pierre had his first bakery in San Antonio at HemisFair (boy was that a long time ago). Oh man the bakery goods were outstanding. As good if not better than anything I tasted when I was in France.

Sherra Jennings (Kahanek)

I'm not sure.  He had a couple of locations before I went to work for him that closed down.  By the time I came along he just had Webster and was closing a large bakery at 610 and 45.  Jean Pierre was straight from France but his wife was American.  He has 2 boys.  He had a mild rivelry going with another famous French chef here, but I can't remember his name. That chef's still here and teaches French cooking at his own school.

Jean-Pierre is a great pastry chef, and his recipe for full-butter croissants are to die for!  Imagine working in the office and smelling the fresh baking croissants every morning and afternoon, and when he decided to take the frozen old breads and make bread pudding, it sold out faster than anything.  His Galette cookies had people lining up and when they were out of stock people would ask when he would have some more.  A lot of things like that he only made occasionally and they had a following that people would look forward to.

Richard Meek

My guess is the rival is Alain LeNotre.; He has a "Culinary Institute" over on I45. I'd almost bet that Jean Pierre is the guy from HemisFair.

Anita Marbury (Marbury)

You are correct. Jean -P has the best bakery on Main St. It is charming and well known to locals. In Durango one must have local support or failure is guaranteed. Lunch is a delight.

The bakery has wonderful rolls and pasteries. We feel fortunate to have the bakery.

He is quite wealthy and owns buildings in Dgo.  He is a charming fellow chatting with all that enter. Great customer skills.