Kaphan's on South Main at Kirby (where the CVS is now) was a big favorite of my family's. We had so many major celebrations of family events there, and my grandparents ate there almost every Sunday after church for decades. Not only was the food very good, but the service and staff were oustanding -- there were a number of waiters that had been there close to 50 years when the place finally closed down around 1993-1994. There was one waiter in particular that had been serving my grandparents, mother, and rest of the family for several decades, and he knew us all by name. I remember my last meal there in December 1992, when I was home for Christmas after my first semester of college. Mom and I had driven down to Houston on a Sunday morning to meet my grandparents for church and to celebrate my grandmother's birthday and deliver their Christmas presents. We had that particular waiter that day, and when he saw me he said "Master Steven! How was the first semester at Austin College?" I hadn't seen this guy in several months but he knew all about what I was up to from my grandparents. There was also a guy who worked there who wore a white suit (sort of a Marvin Zindler style) who always brought around a skillet of these hot crab ball appetizers. Those things were always so good. To this day many of my cousins talk about all those Sunday dinners we ate at Kaphan's and how the staff there always treated our family like royalty because my grandparents had eaten there so often for so many years. I still miss that place whenever I drive by the pharmacy that's there now. You just don't find restaurants with that kind of personal service much anymore.
I am not a regular member of this board. I was surfing the net tonight looking for information on Westbury Square and came across this thread and started reading...then I started to cry...you all touched on a subject that is very dear to me!
To ssullivan: I want to say THANK YOU! You made my night! My name is Linda Brown, and my father and uncle were two of the owners of Kaphan's. The guy in the white suit that you are referring to was my Uncle Peter...Peter Tomac. Uncle Pete passed away in March 2003 of lung cancer. He LOVED that restaurant! And we all hated to see it close...especially me! I grew up in that place and knew just about every inch of it. My little sister and I use to play in the ballroom on the stage when we would go to work with Dad (who was the chef) and there wasn't anything going on in the ballroom! And then, when we would get tired of playing, Dad would always serve us some of their peppermint ice cream.
The restaurant fell into hard times in the the late 80's early 90's. The "revitalization" of Main street was a good and bad thing. Good because it cleaned up Main from all the "trash" but it brought in way too many fast food joints like Taco Cabana and Sonic, and these types of places were hard on restaurants like Kaphan's, Guidos, etc. I drive by there now and see that CVS and I get tears in my eyes...and everytime I tell my husband that the site is just wrong.
Every once in awhile I can still get Dad to cook something for us, but not often. He says he prefers my cooking! LOL I have to laugh since he taught me everything I know! But he says he has done his share of cooking...and after all those years you can't blame him! He does lend a hand during the holidays...when he has to! LOL
KNOWING that you and your family have such fond memories of dining at Kaphan's made me realize that just because it is gone, it is not forgotten...and I needed that. Please extend a warm hello from my family to yours and I wish you all the best!
What Did Your Neighborhood Look Like
in Historic Houston
Posted
I am not a regular member of this board. I was surfing the net tonight looking for information on Westbury Square and came across this thread and started reading...then I started to cry...you all touched on a subject that is very dear to me!
To ssullivan: I want to say THANK YOU! You made my night! My name is Linda Brown, and my father and uncle were two of the owners of Kaphan's. The guy in the white suit that you are referring to was my Uncle Peter...Peter Tomac. Uncle Pete passed away in March 2003 of lung cancer. He LOVED that restaurant! And we all hated to see it close...especially me! I grew up in that place and knew just about every inch of it. My little sister and I use to play in the ballroom on the stage when we would go to work with Dad (who was the chef) and there wasn't anything going on in the ballroom! And then, when we would get tired of playing, Dad would always serve us some of their peppermint ice cream.
The restaurant fell into hard times in the the late 80's early 90's. The "revitalization" of Main street was a good and bad thing. Good because it cleaned up Main from all the "trash" but it brought in way too many fast food joints like Taco Cabana and Sonic, and these types of places were hard on restaurants like Kaphan's, Guidos, etc. I drive by there now and see that CVS and I get tears in my eyes...and everytime I tell my husband that the site is just wrong.
Every once in awhile I can still get Dad to cook something for us, but not often. He says he prefers my cooking! LOL I have to laugh since he taught me everything I know! But he says he has done his share of cooking...and after all those years you can't blame him! He does lend a hand during the holidays...when he has to! LOL
KNOWING that you and your family have such fond memories of dining at Kaphan's made me realize that just because it is gone, it is not forgotten...and I needed that. Please extend a warm hello from my family to yours and I wish you all the best!
Linda