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dadyer

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  1. Thanks! That's it! I had my first glass of Ouzo there.
  2. On another note about defunct restaurants...as I mentioned in a previous post, I worked at Los Troncos and lived in the Montrose, so I spent a lot of time in the various bars and restaurants in the area. Ari's was almost next door, the Empanada House across the street. I remember when The Hobbit Hole opened. And Las Casuelas, in the Heights, was definitely the best Mexican restaurant in those days, while Tin Tin Cafe was a regular stop for chinese. But...how many of you old hippies can remember KFMK, the underground radio station, or the Family Hand Restaurant over on Bagby (I think). Definitely the first "hippie" restaurant in Houston to the best of my recollection. Those folks then moved on and opened Liberty Hall down on Chenervert (I think) where the best music acts were booked on their way to stardom! It was an old American Legion Hall converted to a fairly intimate concert hall/bar/restaurant. I remember seeing Steely Dan, Jimmy Buffet, Asleep at the Wheel, Cold Blood, Sha Na Na, Johnny D and the Rocket 88's, Shiva's Head Band, and the list went on and on. How about La Carafe down on Market Square? Or Esther's down on the banks of Buffalo Bayou as you crossed over from the Montrose to the Heights? Ted's Bar on Richmond? Richwood Market? And, that Greek restaurant over on the ship channel with the belly dancers and the Greek sailors from the ships dancing with the handkerchifs? Remember about '72 or '73 when it snowed about 4 or 5 inches one night? Ahhh...those were great times to be young and alive and in Houston!
  3. Out of curiosity I did a Google search on Los Troncos Restaurant and was quite surprised to end up at this site! I was pleased to see that several of the people on this site remembered it. The actual name of the restaurant was Los Troncos de los Arboles - the trunks of the trees. That was a mouthful, however, and the restaurant became known as "The Treehouse Restaurant". I had arrived in Houston on 12/31/68 after getting out of the navy and worked there for four and a half years while attending the U of H from 1971 to 1975. It was owned by a wonderful couple named Victor and Sally Sears. Victor was a Jack Kerouac type character who was born in Alabama and after completing his military service in Korea moved to Mexico City where he owned a bar called La Aquaria for about 10 years. In the mid-sixties the Mexican government decided they didn't like his politics so they picked him up one day and drove him to Laredo and said go north and don't come back! He and his brother cut down the oak trees used in the restaurant from a piece of property they owned up in Conroe and hauled them into town themselves to renovate the old circa 1910 house at Westheimer and California streets in the Montrose. It was a most unusual restaurant and great for a college student because of the limited operating hours - 6 pm to 10:30 pm Mon.-Thur. and 6 pm - 12 pm Fri & Sat. It was also the most interesting and fun place I ever worked! One reason was the layout. Almost all of the tables were very private and it was immensly popular with people who did not want to be seen in public with their dinner partners. There was also a bit of hanky-panky that went on in those booths that kept us servers entertained. In addition, Los Troncos attracted a number of celebrities who visited Houston in those days. I had the pleasure of serving the Edgar Winter Group on one occasion and, on another occasion, I served the winning couple from The Dating Game, which I'm sure many of you recall. It was rather humourous because the two contestants couldn't stand each other I lived in Houston until moving to Austin in 1977 but loved (almost) every minute of living there. It's a great city and I always enjoy visiting there.
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