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Historic Houston Restaurants


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Over the years many many restaurants have come and gone in out fair city. Houston is known as "The Restaurant Capital of The World". Houston has more restaurants per capita than any other U.S. city. I started this Thread to let people list their all-time favorites, of the ones they miss the most. Does anyone remember The Rail Head and Victoria Station from back in the 70's? These were Rail Road themed restaurants, that's were really popular in the 70's and 80's. As a kid it was wonderful. At the Rail Head, they actually had a stage for music acts, surrounded by open rail cars with dining booths and tables. I used to frequent it alot when The Elliot Walter Band used to play there. My mother is really good friends with them. If you never heard of The Elliot Walter band, you have probably heard a song of their's though, it's called "Slime in the Ice Machine". Marvin Zindler's theme song. :lol:

Edited by TJones
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I miss Tony Mandola's Blue Oyster Bar on the Gulf Freeway near Park Place. That was me and my wife's favorite place...especially during their lunchtime happy hour: $2.00 beers, $0.25 oysters and $0.10 boiled shrimp!

I also miss the old Fusion Cafe at Main and Alabama. After it moved to Rice Village, it seemed to lose some flavor....and some "flava". It wasn't the right setting for soul food.

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My favorite was the Cyclone Anaya's that was on Durham at Center (Washington). I know they have opened a new one on Woodway and now even one on Durham, but they will never compare to the one I use to visit on a regular basis. I can remember getting out of the car in the cruddy parking lot in back and smelling the meat cooking. My favorite was the Tacos el Carbon they served with Black Beans. And the Top Shelf Margarita.... one would make you wobble a bit and two could put you down. So Chuy, if you are reading this...we don't want a fancy place, we just want the good food and drinks that use to be. And Rico, I liked the salsa that your dad use to make.

I remember the Rail Head. I remember the Velvet Hammers for desert.

Do you guys remember Fat Ernies that was Downtown?

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The Fat Earnies I'm referring to was across the street from the Hyatt Regency. When I worked downtown, we would take the tunnels to the Hyatt, then cross the street to the restaurant. Why is it that I remember the drinks more than the food at these places? Singleporsalings at Fat Earnies... I was not even 20 at the time, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

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"SINGLEPORSALINGS"

I dare you to say that 5 times really fast. :P

Ummm, I'm putting up SQUARE PAN PIZZA here. I just talked about it in another thread, but it just popped into my mind. One of the absolute BEST pizza places ever. It was on the NW side of town in a strip mall, on 290 and 34th I think.

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The Fat Earnies I'm referring to was across the street from the Hyatt Regency. When I worked downtown, we would take the tunnels to the Hyatt, then cross the street to the restaurant. Why is it that I remember the drinks more than the food at these places? Singleporsalings at Fat Earnies... I was not even 20 at the time, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

MarthaG, I think you've had one too many of the drinks. Would it be a "Singapore Sling" that you are referring to? Gin, sweet-n-sour, with a splash of cherry brandy and grenadine. It will knock a grown man on his butt, after a few of them, even though it is a sweet drink.

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Thanks Red... you are correct about the name. I did not take the time to look it up and was splelling it phonically (and not doing a great job at that).

I sort of remember Square Pan Pizza. But the best Pizza in Oak Forest (IMO) is Doyles...which is still in operation.

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There use to be an area that was upstairs at Sharpstown Mall that had bars and resturants. Anyone remember that? Names of any of them? I use to go see live music there sometimes.

Chelsea street pub was one of those places I'm pretty sure. ;) I heard they made one helluva "SLINGAPOURSING" hic-up.

Edited by TJones
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There use to be an area that was upstairs at Sharpstown Mall that had bars and resturants. Anyone remember that? Names of any of them? I use to go see live music there sometimes.

That was pretty much the first food court in a mall in Houston as far as I know. It was put in when they put the second floor on the mall -- sometime in the mid 70s. The entire food court was called "Good Time Charlie's". And yes, one of the restarants was Chelsea Street Pub which was a sort of a bar/appetizer type of place. I'm pretty sure they had live music at the beginning.

There was also a very nice restaurant up there, I can't remember the name of it. It was a reservations only/maitre d' type place -- very hoity toity and high $. It lasted about 5 minutes.

Oh, and you might want to check out this thread which has a ton of memories of long lost houston restaurants.

Houston Restaurants No Longer Here

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I seem to remember a Fat Ernie's was at Gessner and Harwin, it is now a blockbuster movies. Good burgers at Fat Ernie's

Wait.....it's coming back to me now. The fog is lifting. Yes, I remember now. I used to work for the people who owned Fat Ernie's in Allen Center. Ernie Criezis (sp) owned it with his wife Toni. They had the Bowery downtown and La Bastile, the nightclub. They also had Harlow's (remember, it stayed open after hours and had long lines for the deli style sandwiches?) and The Great Caurso, which was near Gessner and Westheimer. Also, Good Eats Cafe which was on Woodway. Ernie also had The Great Greek with his brother, Spiro. I destroyed many brain cells in those places. How 'bout the clubs that are no longer with us? Bogangles on Market Square. The Bismark. Texas Steak House with Boyce and Kramer. More brain cells gone...........what were we talking about?

Edited by escapee
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not a restaurant, but are there any bert wheeler liquor stores still around? i seem to remember new names on what i thought were old locations, but i could be mistaken...and i know bert's widow sold the company in 1998, but then what?

Edited by sevfiv
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not a restaurant, but are there any bert wheeler liquor stores still around? i seem to remember new names on what i thought were old locations, but i could be mistaken...and i know bert's widow sold the company in 1998, but then what?

2 things. Harlow's is reopening, and I believe the last Bert Wheeler's is on Beltway8 by I-10, if it's still open.

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I'm trying to remember where I heard them, and I believe it was Steak and Ale in SW Houston.

Heights, you are right on! I remember them as Elliot, Walter, and Bennett, if we are talking the same group here. They played at the Steak and Ale on the SW Fwy not far from Sharpstown Mall in the mid-70's. My daughter and some her pubescent friends adored them. My wife took them to see E, W, & B in person and they got to (gulp) talk to them. I forget which was her favorite. I bet that 41 year-old "girl" still has a record or two of theirs.

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Heights, you are right on! I remember them as Elliot, Walter, and Bennett, if we are talking the same group here. They played at the Steak and Ale on the SW Fwy not far from Sharpstown Mall in the mid-70's. My daughter and some her pubescent friends adored them. My wife took them to see E, W, & B in person and they got to (gulp) talk to them. I forget which was her favorite. I bet that 41 year-old "girl" still has a record or two of theirs.

Bennett left the group around 1984 or so. Elliot, was accidentally killed by his own shotgun while cleaning it, (NO,it was NOT a suicide!). Clark Walter is still here in Houston. They really have some good albums. If you could find one in an old record shop, go ahead and spend the $.99 cents and get it. B)

Edited by TJones
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2 things. Harlow's is reopening, and I believe the last Bert Wheeler's is on Beltway8 by I-10, if it's still open.

The new Harlow's is owned by Landry's so I'm not sure it's as much a reopening as a reusing of a familiar name. Their website boasts a lot of arcade type games so I'm guessing they want it to be a teen hangout to increase business for the movie theatre. I haven't been there but it looks to me that it's not really like the old original Harlow's and not my kind of place. I might go there for lunch to check it out one of these days though, since I work very near by.

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Wait.....it's coming back to me now. The fog is lifting. Yes, I remember now. I used to work for the people who owned Fat Ernie's in Allen Center. Ernie Criezis (sp) owned it with his wife Toni. They had the Bowery downtown and La Bastile, the nightclub. They also had Harlow's (remember, it stayed open after hours and had long lines for the deli style sandwiches?) and The Great Caurso, which was near Gessner and Westheimer. Also, Good Eats Cafe which was on Woodway. Ernie also had The Great Greek with his brother, Spiro. I destroyed many brain cells in those places. How 'bout the clubs that are no longer with us? Bogangles on Market Square. The Bismark. Texas Steak House with Boyce and Kramer. More brain cells gone...........what were we talking about?

Oh man! Roast Beef Dip sandwiches at Fat Ernies. The Best!!

Edited by EastEnd Susan
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Thank you. Yes, I did miss your thread due to Hurricane Rita. Today is my first day back online since September 20. I lost all communication with the "outside world". I couldn't even find out what the lottery numbers were during that time. But I guess that it was worth it because I received a little over $4000 from FEMA.

you could put your FEMA money to good use buying that ashtray and cup...just kidding

So whaddya think? Do the logos jog your memory anymore?

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might be more on ebay now..since that is a month ago...

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I liked going to Bill Williams restaurant on OST right before Southpark, across the street from MacGregor Park.

I remember that one now. I knew he had more than just the one on Main and the one near Richmond. He was kind of like Pappas today -- a very famous restauranteur. His annual Capon Dinner was a big charity bash -- can't remember what it raised money for. OST was a very cool street.

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I remember that one now. I knew he had more than just the one on Main and the one near Richmond. He was kind of like Pappas today -- a very famous restauranteur. His annual Capon Dinner was a big charity bash -- can't remember what it raised money for. OST was a very cool street.

I loved traveling down OST. When we went to Rosenberg on Sundays to visit kinfolk we would take Wayside to OST to South Main, South Main to Rosenberg. That was before 610 and 59. It was a long trip. When I was dating one of our favorite places to go was to the putt putt golf course on OST. We liked that one because there wasn't any street noise like the one on the Gulf Freeway. And It had 3 different courses. Get a hole in one on the last hole and get a free game. What fun. I also like watching what I used to call the "Army Men" while they were training at what I think was the National Guard facility. It was a very cool street.

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EastEnd Susan,

Have you seen this old thread on OST motels?

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=3194

There are also several threads on S. Main street in this Historic Houston forum.

My mother was a very good cook and she loved to cook so we seldom ate out unless we were far away from home. I'm wantin' some fried chicken today :) .

We seldom ate out either. My brother and I lived in the house with 2 great cooks. My great gandma Ida and my Grandma Mattie Lou. Best chicken ever in that old cast iron skillet. And Cream gravy form the drippings. Oh man, I so want that chicken.

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