Food - Brockles Dressing: Heaven on a Cracker

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Food Memories - The Golden Pheasant Restaurant Fire in Dowtown Dallas in 1964

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Food Memories - What Better Way to Keep the Chill Off Than a Hot Dr. Pepper?

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1960's Food Time Line

1960        The Granny Smith apple reaches the US shores from New Zealand, and Sprite makes its debut.

1961        The year brings the Teflon-covered frying pan, kiwi fruit and Life cereal.  Ninnie L. Baird, who  started baking Mrs. Baird's bread on a wood-fired stove in Fort Worth in 1908, dies at age 91.

1962        Canadian Edward A. Asselberg invents instant mashed potatoes and Taco Bell is founded in Downey, California.  The one-billionth McDonald's hamburger is served on the Art Linkletter Show.

1963        The self-cleaning oven saves time that can now be devoted to Weight Watchers.  Julia Child debuts her cooking show on PBS.  In 2001, her kitchen becomes a permanent display in the Smithsonian.  Aluminum beverage cans now come with convenient pull-tabs.

1964        The plastic milk container is introduced commercially.  French farmers found Yoplait yogurt as a cooperative, but kids prefer Pop-Tarts for breakfast.

1965        Cool Whip begins competing with whipping cream.  Gatorade is developed to quench the thirst of Florida football players.  The Pillsbury Doughboy appears in his first TV commercial.

1966        The compartmentalized aluminum TV tray is given a place of honor in the Smithsonian Museum.

1968        McDonald's introduces the Big Mac.  It costs 49 cents.  Pringles stacks chips in a can.

Source:  50 Years of Home Cooking.
Texas Co-op Power, 2006.

All foods and restaurants are still with us in 2012.

1950's Food Time Line

1950       Dunkin' Donuts and Sugar Pops sweetened breakfast.  Whataburger is founded in Corpus Christi.

1951       If you know how to turn on an oven, you can bake Swanson beef, chicken and turkey pot pies.


1952        Life is getting easier with the automatic coffee pot, Saran Wrap, frozen fish sticks, Lipton onion soup mix and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.  Colonel Sanders starts franchising his secret recipe for fried chicken.

1953        C.S. Swanson and Sons produces too many turkeys and puts some of them into single-compartment aluminum along with dressing.  The march of progress continues with Cheez Whiz and Lawry's Spaghetti Sauce.  But there's no reason to cook at all if you can go out to one of the first McDonald's franchises.

1954        More than 25 million TV dinners are eaten in front of 33 million TV sets in American living rooms.  There's no reason to frequently open your color-coordinated oven to check on the self-baking turkey.

1955        Campbell's develops the indispensable Green Bean Casserole Bake recipe.

1956        Kaiser Aluminum introduces the first aluminum can to compete with tinned steel cans.

1957       Tang, the orange breakfast beverage crystals, are introduced (eventually to quench the thirsts of astronauts in outer space).  If Sweet n' Low sugar substitute doesn't take off all the pounds you want, use Pam Cooking Oil Spray.

1958        Rice-A-Roni, tator tots and Lipton instant tea hit the grocery store.  International House of Pancakes makes its debut.

Source:  50 Years of Home Cooking.  Texas Co-Op Power, 2006.

All foods and restaurants are still with us in 2006.

Food Memories - Fritos and Frito Chili Pie

Munch, munch, munch a bunch of Fritos Corn Chips.
It's not polite to smack your lips.
But you can't help it with Fritos Corn Chips.
Munch, munch, munch a bunch of Fritos Corn Chips.

As I memorized from a Fritos ad in the late 1950s.

Fritos came about when C.E. Elmer Doolin, who owned Highland Park Confectionery, an ice cream store, was nearly put out of business in a price was where quality was eliminated as a consumer choice.

Looking for another business, he was impressed by a product which came on the market in 1930 called Tony's Toasted Tortillas.  According to a letter C.E. Doolin submitted to the editors of the Fritos Bandwagon on the 25th anniversary of their company in 1967:

"This product had a very good taste being a salted, triangular type chip made from cutting pie-shaped pieces and frying them.  (I) approached the operator of the business with a view to getting in business with him.  (I) was told that it was impossible to make a profit because of the stale problem.  So then it was dropped.

In 1932 I ran across a product in one of my wholesale ice cream accounts that had the tenderness of the present Frito product and the taste of the toasted tortilla."

Doolin bought the recipe from Gustavo Olgnin, plus his adapted hand-operated potato ricer (to create the texture for the chips) and 19 accounts for $100.  Olguin had wanted to return to Mexico, so in true Texas entrepreneurial style, Doolin borrowed $20 from Olguin's partner, and the other $80 when his grandmother hocked her wedding ring, and he was in business.

He was successful immediately and continued to innovate with hybridized corn for use in Frito products food production machinery, and along with Fritos engineers, the racks and display devices with clip-and-bracket locking devices.

He believed that names ending in the letter "o" were highly marketable - it would give all his products a name-brand recognition.

Cheetos were introduced in 1950 with the powdered cheese flavoring created by Doolin in his own kitchen.  (Kaleta Doolin's company timeline records the date as 1949).

Doritos as a brand name made its debut in 1965.

Who in the 1950s does not remember eating Fritos Chili Pie?  Not even a pie, but a combination of Fritos, chili, cheese and onions usually served by opening the end of the Fritos bag and pouring the items inside.  At 5 cents per bag, they were also stronger than today's bags.

It's somewhat unclear who at Fritos created the original recipe, but it was on the menu of the closing banquet of the Dallas Dietetic Associated in 1949, and the recipe was widely distributed in grocery stores in 1956.

Eating Fritos Chili Pie in a bag became a standard on Boy Scout camping trips as well as a convenient meal at home with no dishes to wash.

In the spirit of anything-can-be-made-better-if-it's-deep-fried, the Texas Fried Frito Pie garnered the Best Taste award at the 2010 State Fair in Dallas - a perfect combination of spice, crunch and texture.

Heresy was created in a 2012 Texas Monthly article on Frito Pie in the Food Vittles section.  The accompanying picture had a bag of Fritos laying on its side atop a pile of napkins 0 the bag was cut down the center which they added chili, cheese and onions, along with sour cream and sliced jalapenos.  It made a good photo, but nobody would eat a Fritos Chili Pie from a bag cut down the middle - simply too messy.

Fritos, along with two other Dallas food institutions are being featured in a two-year long exhibit beginning in December 2012 at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.  They are all part of the new exhibit - "Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000" at the National Museum of American History.

The exhibit also features Julia Child's home kitchen which started out as a six-month exhibit when it opened 10 years ago, and is still the most popular exhibit in the museum.

The two other Dallas institutions include Mariano Martinez and his world's first frozen margarita machine.  In 1971, unable to make margaritas fast enough at his newly and highly popular restaurant "Mariano's" in Old Town Shopping Center, Mariano became inspired by a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine.  He used a soft-serve ice cream machine to chill alcohol.  Today, frozen margaritas are the number 1 cocktail in America.

Also included is El Chico Tec-Mex Restaurant.  It all started when Adelaida Cuellar started selling homemade tamales at a country fair.  Her five brothers (AKA "Mama's boys) used her recipes to open their first restaurant, and helped pioneer Tex-Mex in Dallas and America.  When the family sold El Chico in 1997 for $65 million, the chain had nearly 100 restaurants in 14 states.  Three generations of the Cuellar family became part of the American dream,

For the opening reception of the exhibit, Smithsonian curator, Rayna Green (Bryan Adams Class of 1962!) said, "The caterer couldn't quite wrap his head around Frito Pie for 300."  Rayna's been championing the importance of Tex-Mex cuisine since 2003.  "I may have to make Frito Pie at least for our staff because I've been talking about it so much."

Frito Chili Pie for 300 is a no-brainer for concession stands at most high school football games in Texas during the fall.

If you want to know more about the company, the granddaughter of C.E. Doolin has a new book out on its history - "Fritos Pie: Stories, Recipes and More," Kaleta Doolin, Texas A&M University Press, 2011.

Her current recipe for Fritos Pie includes ground, grass-fed beef, Wick Fowler's One-Step Chili Seasoning Mix, Fritos, onions and garlic, topped with shredded aged Gouda cheese, diced organic red onion and chopped jalapenos served in individual bowls.

The legacy continues.

In the 1950s Fritos had its own canned chili, which won the accolades of Frank X. Tolbert in his book, "A Bowl of Red," in a list of canned chilis he considered admirable because they followed classic recipes.

In our home there has only ever been canned chili - Wolf Brand.  Many died at the Alamo so we can have Wolf Brand Chili in our Frito Pie, atop our scrambled eggs or just by itself with saltine crackers.  May the Trinity flow backwards if someone tries to add beans to the mix!

On October 1, 2012 State Fair visitors got to taste the World's Largest Fritos Chili Pie as Frito-Lay celebrated its 80th birthday.  Guinness Book of World Record officials were on hand to validate the feat.

It took 635 10.5-ounce bags of corn chips, 660 15-ounce cans of Hormel Chili (without beans) and 580 8-ounce bags of shredded cheddar cheese to create 1,325 pounds of Frito Chili Pie.

Nowhere but Texas...

Restaurants – El Chico and El Fenix

The story of El Chico starts with a tamale stand at the Kaufman County Fair in 1926.  Adelaide “Maria” Cuellar made $300 at the fair.  Her sons provided background music on their band instruments.  Success prompted the family to open a café in Kaufman.

Maria Cuellar had married Macario Cuellar in Mexico.  They crossed the border and worked on ranches in small Texas towns.  When they settled in Kaufman, they were able to buy 100 acres.

The sons, affectionately called “Mama’s Boys,” were a team of five brothers – Willie, Frank, Gilbert, Alfred and Mack.  Some helped their parents at the restaurant, other branched out and started their own restaurant.  

Most served in the military when World War II broke out.

After the war, the brothers pooled their money and borrowed some more and opened the first El Chico in 1945 in the Oak Lawn area.  More restaurants came, and at one time they had the largest string of Mexican restaurants in the Southwest.

Growing up, I really couldn’t taste the difference between El Chico and El Fenix.  Today I like their fast-casual concept with delicious appetizers and tasty margaritas.  The restaurant was built on well-prepared food, pleasant service and strong family ties.

Restaurants - the 25 Oldest in the Metroplex, 1985 Survey

1.  The Blue Front - Dallas (closed)
2.  Vincent's Seafood - Dallas (closed)
3.  Red Bryan's Smokehouse - Dallas
4.  Lucas B + B - Dallas (closed)
5.  El Fenix - Dallas
6.  The Oyster House - Dallas (closed)
7.  Highland Park Cafeteria - Dallas (closed)
8.  The Prince of Hamburgers - Dallas
9.  S + S Restaurant - Dallas (closed)
10.  Fred's Barbecue - Dallas (closed)
11.  Vick's Continental - Dallas (closed)
12.  Greenville Bar and Grill - Dallas
13.  The Mecca - Dallas
14.  El Chico Restaurant - Dallas
15.  Dickey's Barbecue - Dallas
16.  Mario's - Dallas (closed)
17.  Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant - Dallas
18.  Yee's Restaurant  - Dallas (closed)
19.  The Richlien Grill - Ft. Worth
20.  Rockyfiller Hamburger System #22 - Ft. Worth
21.  Carsho's Delicatessen - Ft. Worth
22.  Paris Coffee Shop - Ft. Worth
23.  Joe T. Garcia's - Ft. Worth
24.  Ranch Oak Farm - Ft. Worth
25.  Four Winds Restaurant - Ft. Worth

Restaurants - Nearby in the Later Years

The Lakewood Cafe - 2111 Abrams.  214-823-0313.
"Dan's Famous Hamburgers."

Herrera's Tex-Mex - 5427 Denton Drive.  214-630-2599.
Since 1971.

Highland Park Pharmacy - 3229 Knox Street.  214-521-2126.
Now old-fashioned soda fountain.

Hickory House Barbecue - 601 S. Riverfront Drive.  214-747-0758.

Jimmy's Food - 4901 Bryan Street.  214-823-6180.
Operated by the DiCarlos for over 40 years.

Pietro's Italian Restaurant - 5722 Richmond Ave.  214-824-6960.
Pete and Mike Mankin's favorite restaurant.

Lawry's Prime Rib -
Opened 1938 in Beverly Hills.  The place boasts a number of restaurant innovations.  The first doggy bag.  The first valet parking.  Firs to serve salads before entrees.  First to have servers personally identify themselves to guests before they serve them (Hello, my name Miss Mitzi, and I'll be serving you this evening.)

Melios Brothers Char Bar - 2026 Greenville Ave.  214-826-8800.
Four brothers still operate the restaurant: Alex, Gus, Mike and Tony.

Pictures of Greece cover the walls.  All decor sanded (away) to only include the basics.  Known for its cheap breakfast and charcoal hamburgers.  Flame-kissed burgers, shredded cheddar, grilled buns.  it is my favorite hamburger.

Tupinamba Restaurant - 12270 Inwood Road.  972-991-8148.
Opened in 1943.

The Old Mill Inn - State Fairgrounds.  214-426-4600.
Beautiful stone building with many pictures of old Dallas pictures on its walls.  Ed Campbell showed me the original fryers used by the Youngbloods and the serving windows.

Hardeman's Barbecue - 618 S. Westmoreland.  214-467-1154.
Opened in 1955 in a small West Dallas storefront on Singleton Blvd.  May be down to two locations.  Located 4 blocks away from my house, it's my go-spot for OK barbecue.

Vincent's Seafood - 2742 Bachman Blvd.  214-352-2691.
Since 1898.

Peggy's Beef Bar - 6600 Snider Plaza.  214-368-9422.

Howard Johnson's Restaurant - 2500 Ft. Worth Ave.  Oak Cliff, Dallas, Yellow Pages, 1979.

Sambo's Restaurant - 11610 N. Central Expwy.  214-349-1950.
7 other locations in Dallas Yellow Pages in 1979 (none in 1963).  Little Black Sambo lived on, for a little while.

The Topper #3 - 1105 Commerce.  R1-1-0509.
#2 - 2009 Elm Street.  R1-2-0342.
#10 - 913 Elm Street. R1-2-0398.

Sonny Bryant's Smokehouse - 2202 Inwood Road. 357-7120.
Moved to this location when Oak Cliff voted dry.  School desk seated.  Heated barbecue sauce bottles, huge onion rings.  Attracts three-piece suits and workers in tall rubber boots, usually eating from their car hoods.  My number 1 choice for consistently good barbecue.

Black Forest Bakery - 5819 Blackwell.  368-4490.

The Moo Cow Drive-In - 1823 N. Washington.  TA-3-2500.
Bill Woodward, who owned Ross Avenue Ignition, used to order one double meat hamburger, burn the beef, burn the bun.

Casa Dominguez - 2127 Cedar Springs Rd.  R1-2-4945.
Austin-style Mexican, started by Peta Dominguez.

Raymond's Barbecue Cafeteria - 10920 Garland Road.  214-327-5800.

John's Cafe - 2724 Greenville Ave.  214-827-4610.
Opened in 1972, closed in 2005.  John's lease was not renewed  The owners planned to raze the building and lease the land to a bank.  Johns' re-opened at 10870 Plano Ave.  214-827-4610.  Opened another location Greenville Ave in a small shop-worn space that formerly housed Nick's cafe.  1733 Greenville Ave, 214-874-0800.
-2011 Dallas Yellow Pages mentions on 1733 Greenville Ave.

Little Bob's Barbecue - 4607 Village Fair Drive - 214-375-4909.
Bob was the first black vendor at the State Fair.  His large stand anchors the east end of the Cotton Bowl, and features a low-cost barbecue bologna sandwich.

Charco Broiler Steak House - 413 West Jefferson.  214-942-6806.Featuring the iconic Oak Cliff landmark Sonny the Steer atop its building.  Opened in 1963.
"Oak Cliff's finest steak house" and "Best baked potato in Dallas."

Kuby's Sausage House -
Carl Kuby and his partner Hank Winnabst started with a tiny sausage house in the early 1960s.  Kuby attributes his success in business to his faith in God and that he is a member of the Mormon Church.

Restaurants - Downtown Dallas: 40 Listings

Mayflower Doughnut Shop - 1701 live Oak St at Ervay.  RI-7-285.
As you travel through life, brother, whatever be your goal.  Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hold.

Picadilly Cafeteria - 1503 Commerce.  RI-2-5875.
Scene of integration battles, along with HL Greene's.

Deluxe Diner #3 - 1937 Commerce.  RI-1-0341.
Across the street from the library.  Had delicious greasy french fries to eat on the bus before going home.

The Topper - the Tenderloin of late night downtown Dallas.  #3 1105 Commerce.  R1-1-0509.

Ports O Call - R1-2-2334.
Atop the Southland Center Building, 37th floor.  Serving food from Singapore, Saigon, Papiete and Macao.

Brockles Restaurant - 817 S. Ervay.  R1-2-0208.
Their salad dressing was available locally.  We put it on saltine crackers for a tempting treat.

Majestic Steak House - 1926 Elm R1-2-0666.

Sam and Pete's Sandwich Shop - 1308 Main Street.  R1-1-0090.

Italian Inn - 409 N. Olive.  R1-8-3591.
"Dine tonight by candlelight, in the atmostphere of Old Italy."  Across from the Sheraton Hotel and Southland Center.

Wooden walls, thick wood tables, some of which had shuttered doors.  Chianti bottles with wicker holders and melted wax down the sides provided illumination.  The perfect place to take a date.

Bell's Barbecue - 1215 Jackson  R1-1-0809.

Louis' Oyster Bar - 1609 Pacific.  R1-1-0743.
Downtown, behind theaters.

 Odd Penny Restaurant - 219 Browder.  R1-1-0023.
I believe we are fish on Fridays here during the summer of 1964.

The Peanut Shop - 1607 Elm St.  R1-2-0392.

Saddle + Spur Barbecue - 1914 Commerce.  R1-7-2011.
First place I ate barbecue, with my dad.  Ordered a Po' boy with extra sauce and an orange drink.  At the back of the Statler Hilton, two blocks from my dad's office.

Chateau Briand - 2512 McKinney.  R1-7-9131.

The Copper Cow - 1519 Commerce.  R1-7-5610.

El Fenix - 1608 McKinney.  RA-7-1121.

Cattlemen's Steak House - 2007 Live Oak at Harwood.  R1-7-9131.  Between Sheraton and Statler Hilton Hotel.

Joe Banks Cafe - 612 Main Street.  R1-2-0755.
Sat so I could overhear the conversation of Frank Tolbert and Paul Crane.

Beck's Charbroiler - 1816 Main.  R!-2-0427.

The Chefette - 211 N. Ervay.  R1-8-6084.

Shanghai Jimmy's Chili Rice - 1630 Bryan.  R1-3-0061.

Blue Front - 1105 Elm St.  R1-1-0061.

Zodiac Room - 1618 Main Street.  Neiman Marcus.  741-6911.

Rheinscherhof German Food - 420 N. St. Paul.  R1-7-4301/
Across from the Post Office.

Sol's Turf Bar - 1515 Commerce.  Ra-7-1796.

Steak House Unique - 1500 Commerce.  R1-7-5785.
Tom Woolf and Jack Rush planted the seed in 1948 when they opened a cafe at 215 S. Akard and called it "Unique Restaurant."  they moved to larger quarters on Commerce in 1953.

Vicki's Continental Restaurant - Vaughn Building.  R1-7-8038.

Vincent's Seafood - 101 S. Poydras.  R1-2-0360.

Oyster House - 108 N. Akard.  214-747-2119.
Oysters on the half-shell.  10 AM - 2 AM.  Mixed drink.  Near Adolphus and Baker Hotels.  A place to go if you really wanted to "know" about the Kennedy assasination.

Ole Warsaw - 3914 Cedar Springs.  LA-8-0032.
Opened Sometime between 1948 and 1950

Arthur's - 3707 McKinney.  LA-1-9346.

Mario's - 4300 Lemmon Ave  LA-1-1135.

The Record Grill - 605 Elm Street.  214-742-1353.
Occupies about 2 car widths in a parking lot across from the County Records Building.  They must have "powerful" friends in the city government, or many hungry workers.

Town and Country - 2016 Commerce.
 Opened 1951.

Restaurants - Nearby: 75 Listings

La Tunisia - "Dallas' Most Exciting Restaurant."  In Exchange Park off Harry Hines.

Sammy's Restaurant - 1516 Greenville "Lower Greenville."
Sammy LaBello founded this restaurant and outlined the roof in neon lights at a cost of one million dollars, making his one of the first Dallas restaurants to use neon.
"25 Older Restaurants"
DFW Business Journal
11/11/85
TA-7-0355

Brownie's Restaurant - 5519 East Grand, TA-4-8028
Another late night hangout.

 Circle Grill - 3707 N. Buckner.  DA-1-3262

The Cove - Fish and chips.  5541 W. Lovers Lane.  FL-2-0058

Sonny Bryant's Smokehouse - 2202 Inwood.  FL-7-7120.  214-357-7120.
Opened in 1958 on Inwood Road.  After Oak Cliff voted dry, his father, Red Bryan, had opened a small barbecue restaurant in Oak Cliff in 1910.  Opened a larger restaurant which nearly killed him.

Charco Broiler - 3912 Gaston.  TA-3-5031
Steak, baked potato, green salad, garlic toast with tea or coffee.

De Salvo Restaurant - 4671 West Jefferson.  FE-7-9360
"Finest in Oak Cliff, serving pizza, ravioli, lasagna, spumoni, veal parmesan, steaks."

Youngbloods - 126 E. Colorado.
In the early 1960s had a 75 cent Tuesday special: 3 pieces of chicken, rolls, pickle, rolls, pickle slice and choice of potatoes.

Parlour and Ye Public House - 6516 E. Northwest Hwy

Shakey's Pizza - Northwest Hwy at Abrams, EM-3-7281.
Dark beer, thick wood tables, uptempo banjo style music.  Peanuts in the shell.

Kip's Big Boy - 5106 Mockingbird.  214-827-3798.
Kip's Hamburger - 2 slices, 3 pieces of bread.  Hot fudge sundaes.

Little Bit of Sweden - 254 Inwood Village at Lovers Lane.  FL-2-8089
Served a smorgasbord - a buffet Swedish-style.

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - 5202 Maple Ave.

Southern Kitchen - 2356 W. Northwest Hwy. 214-352-5220.
Chicken or seafood, all you can eat.

Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant - 5610 Mockingbird.  TA-7-0355.
With its red-vinyl covered booth seats, Joe Campisi's son is as ugly as my butt but his daughter appeared as a centerfold in Playboy.  I still prefer thin-crust pizza.

Lucas B and B Restaurant - 3520 Oak Lawn.  526-8525.
My parents' favorite.  Opened 1953, closed 1998.  Had fresh dairy products from their farm.  Cafe was open 24 hours a day.

Holiday Inn on Central - 4070 N. Central.  TA-7-0880
In their dining room, they had large Demetri Vale portraits of the stars.

Brinks Coffee Shop - 4505 Gaston Ave.  TA-1-1190
Opened in 164 by Norman Brinker.  Went there after the BA prom at the Sheraton.  Fancier than Kip's.

Steak and Ale - 3826 Lemmon Ave.  214-522-1040.
Opened by Norman Brinker.  Decor based on the movie Tom Jones.  Introduced the salad bar concept and changed the way American casual dining worked.  He went on to create Bennigan's, Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Burger King and Cozy Mel's.

Chateau Briand - 2515 McKinney Ave.  214-741-1223.
Worked there as a busboy for a week, after realizing it would take 7 years to become a waiter.  Opened in 1954.

Dobbi House Polynesian Luau - Love Field.  FL-7-9215.

Gordo's - 5221 E. Mockingbird Lane.  LA-6-9327.
One of Dallas' oldest pizza parlors.

Rosco White Easy Way Grill - 5806 Lover's Lane.  LA-6-5044.

Green Parrot Restaurant - 1908 Forest Lane.  HA-8-9109
Specializing in stuffed shrimp and steaks.

Griff's Burger Bar - 1150 S. Buckner Blvd. EX-8-7321.
In Pleasant Grove.

Howard Johnson - Ft. Worth Toll Road.  AN-2-2128.

Il Sorento - 5724 W. Lover's Lane.  FL-2-8759.

China Clipper Cafe - 3930 McKinney Ave.  LA-6-9165.

Webb's Chicken Garden - Hillside Village.

Savil's Drive-In - 3500 Ft. Worth Ave.  FE-1-3891.

Jay's Marine Grill - 3718 Hall Street at Oak Lawn.  LA-1-9455.
Famous for their hot rolls.

Lorky's (Naler's Drumstick Restaurant) - Competed with Youngbloods  Had 4 locations.

Pop's Spaghetti House - 3808 Gaston Ave.  TA-4-9022.

The Torch - 3620 West Davis.  FE-1-5221.
Greek style restaurant owned by Chris Semos.

Top Rail Cafe - 2108 W. Northwest Hwy.  CH-7-9412.

Waffle House #1 - 6317 Gaston Ave.  TA-4-0891.

 Casa Linda Coffee Shop - 166 Casa Linda Plaza.  Owned by Bob Lowery.

El Fenix - Five convenient locations
Downtown - 1608 McKinney.  Opened in 1918.
Casa Linda - 255 Casa Linda Plaza.
Oak Cliff - 120 E. Colorado.
Little El Fenix - 5555 W. Lover's Lane.
Lemmon and Inwood - 5622 Lemmon.  Open til 2 AM.

Bob White Bar B Que - 7324 Gaston Ave.  DA-2-1-2757.
We never ate in the drive-in portion.  Always went inside.  Heavily wood-paneled interior with an illuminated clock that didn't work.

Columbo's Pizza Parlor - 5734 E. Mockingbird Lane.

Gordo's of Dallas - 4528 Cole.  214-521-3813.

Highland Park Cafeteria - 4611 Cole.
Pictures of the presidents that you could read while you were waiting in line.  Opened 1925.

Orange Julius - 750 Northpark Center.  #2 located in Oak Cliff.  214-368-9465.

Farrell Ice Cream Parlor Restaurant - 2034 Town East Mall.  214-279-9001.
Oversized ice cream birthday celebrations with bass drum and bric-a-brac decorating the walls.

The village smith, his fire is hot.
He knows which is, and which is not.

Phil's Delicatesson - 3531 Oak Lawn.  LA-6-7787.
Our standard late-night, get something to eat place.  Phil the owner manned the cash register in his white shirt and cigar.  He seemed gruff and dour, but had a soft spot.  Hired ex-cons.  Waitresses stayed forever.

The Bounty - 2447 W. Northwest Hwy.  FL-2-5639.
Just off the Harry Hines Circle.  Went there with two Navy buddies after Boot Camp  Decorated like a Navy ship, served half yards and full yards of beer.

Burger House - 6913 Hillcrest.  EM-8-9178.
Opened in 1951. Had special seasoned salt.

The Rib - 5741 W. Lover's Lane.  FL-2-6078.
Opened in 1951.

Busy Bee Cafe - 1114 N. Industrial.  RI-2-3050.

El Chico #8 110 W. Davis.  WM-3-8610.
#2 2031 Abrams.

Little Gus - Opened in 1947 by the Mantzuranis family, but it was only 1980 when they added Greek for originally called Greenville Avenue Lunch.  Uncle Gus died in 1972.  Tony was always known as Little Gus.  Closed in August 1991.

Sam's Bar-B-Q - 4315 S. Buckner.  214-381-6111.

Old Warsaw - Opened 1950. 

Hickory House Barbecue - 600 S. Industrial.  RI-2-3042.  214-747-0758.
Opened in 1952.  Still had car hops.  Owned y a Greek guy and served Greek-style green beans.  

Keller's Drive-In - 3766 Samuell Blvd.  EV-1-0773.

Kirby's Charcoal Steaks - 3715 Greenville Ave.  TA-3-7296.

Red Bryan's Smokehouse - 610 W. Jefferson.  WM-2-2350.

Sivil's Drive-In Restaurant - 3419 W. Davis. FE-1-3891.

Austin's Barbecue - 2321 W. Illinois Ave.  FE-7-2242.  At Hampton Rd.
"Tender as old Austin's Heart."

The Luau Room - Love Field.
The current terminal opened in 1958 along with The Luau Room, one of the swankiest restaurants in town.  The handrails leading up to its mezzanine location were aquariums.  I ate my last meal there as a civilian as I flew odd to San Diego for Navy bootcamp in February of 1967.

Kuby's Sausage House - 6601 Snider Plaza.  214-363-2231.
Authentic German cuisine since 1961.

St. D Oyster Company - 2701 McKinney at Boll.  214-880-0111.

Opened in 1976.  New Orleans style seafood.  Oysters, gumbo, po' boys and shrimp.

Original Market Dinner - 4434 Harry Hines.  214-521-0992.

Norma's Cafe - 1123 W. Davis.  214-946-4711.
Norma Mannis founded Norma's in 1958, selling it in 1986 to retire.  Retirement didn't take, as she opened the original Mama's Daughters Diner at 2014 Irving Blvd.  214-742-8646 in 1988.  She sold it to Ed Murph, who has operated Norma's Cafe for over 20 years (as of 2012).

The Pig Stand - 7722 Garland Road.  DA-1-3530
The Pig Stand was opened in 1921.  Customers pulled in and were greeted by car hops.  Said to have invented onion rings, chicken-fried steak and Texas toast.  By 1930, there were more than 120 locations.  Today only one remains, in San Antonio.  Its specialty - pulled pork sandwiches.

Club Schmitz - 9661 Denton Drive.  214-902-7990.
Opened in 1946.  Known for its cheap cold beer, greasy cheeseburgers and most items on the menu being less than $5.  Inside decor unchanged from the Eisenhower administration.

Mecca Restaurant - 10422 Harry Hines Blvd.  214-352-0051.  Opened originally in downtown Dallas in 1938.  Has been serving down home breakfast and lunches for years.

Dunston's - 8526 Harry Hines Blvd.  214-637-3513.
An old-fashioned steak house that serves a don't-miss mesquite-grilled steak as well as fish and chicken.  Opened in 1955.

Pietro's Italian Restaurant - 5722 Richmond Ave.  214-849-9403.
Ten different kinds of veal, six different kinds of chicken, lasagna, pasta and other Italian dishes made from scratch.  Opened in 1961.

Restaurant - Bob's Big Boy and Our Version, Kip's on Mockingbird Lane

Bob's Big Boy was a restaurant chain that Bob Wian founded in Southern California in 1936.  Bob sold his prized Desoto Roadster to purchase a small hamburger stand in Glendale, which he named Bob's Pantry.

He created a new style of hamburger with two meat patties and three slices of bread - the first double-decker hamburger was born.

Filmmaker David Lynch ate lunch here every day here for 7 years and claimed the combination of sugar and caffeine gave him ideas for many of his films.

Bob's Big Boy had a slew of imitators, including McDonald's Big Mac.

Bob Wian died in 1992.  He gave his employees unheard of stock options and retirement plans that left many of his waitresses and line cooks millionaire retirees.

He was modest about his achievements.  In his later years, he carried around a business card that read: Robert C. "Bob" Wian, Fry Cook.  Retired.

It was during his early years at the humble stand that a regular customer, a jazz musician, challenged Bob to create a hamburger completely different from any other.

Wian took the challenge and sliced a sesame seed bun into three slices instead of the usual two.  He then added two hamburger patties and an extra layer of cheese, instead of the usual one.

One of his regulars was a six-year old boy named Richard Woodruff.  He was a chubby kid with baggy pants and a funny pompadour hairstyle.

Bob would give him free food in exchange for chores.  One day, one of his customers a Warner Brothers cartoonist, sketched a chubby boy on a napkin and gave it to Wian.  And so, the "Big Boy" was born and Washman's sketch of Richard Woodruff became one of America's most popular landmarks.

By the late 1940s, Wian incorporated the streamlined modern style for his restaurants, which anticipated the 1950s free-form coffee shop-style architecture.

Eventually, after several restaurants began ripping off his double-decker hamburger, Wian decided to franchise the Big Boy restaurants all over the country with five regional takers, including the Elias brothers in Detroit and Kip's in Texas, in late 1958.
By Bill Crozier and Fred Bell.

Kip's Big Boy Incorporated, which owned 12 Big Boy restaurants here in Dallas and four in Houston, were bought out by Frisch's Restaurant Inc. of Cinicnnati, OH in April 1972.

In 1956, Bob Wian started handing out Big Boy comic books to the children of customers.  The first of these comic books were written by Marvel legend Stan Lee and drawn by Submariner creator Bill Everett.

In 1964, he sold his restaurants and franchise to the Marriott Corporation.  This proved unsuccessful, causing several of Wian's original franchises to jump ship and start their own successful independent regional chain, called Shoney's.

In 1986, Richard Woodruff, the inspiration for Big Boy, died at age 56.

In 1992, Robert "Bob" Wian died in North Hollywood, California.  As of 2007, there were 850 Big Boy Restaurants across the country.

The Kip's on Mockingbird was a favorite place for late-night meals.  Because of its popularity, it had a large waiting area.

Food favorites included the Silver Goblet milkshake and Bob's Special Hot Fudge Sundae.  My favorites included a Rye Bread Patty Melt and Navy Bean Soup.  There was a special dressing on the hamburgers.

Sources:

www.bigboy.com
www.yahoovoices.com

Food Memories - From the First Pizza Sold East of White Rock Creek to Campisi's and the Philippines

Campisi's started in 1946.  the late Sam Campisi opened the Idle Hour and introduced Dallas to its first slice of New York style pizza in 1947.

When a new location, known as the Egyptian Restaurant, couldn't afford a new sign, he kept the name.

Another source:  Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant started as a family business at Knox and McKinney Ave.  Carlo Campisi and his sons, Joe and Sam, sold pizzas from the location for 5 years.

In 1950, they bought the Egyptian Lounge, the present location, and set up shop there. Two years later, a temperance-minded Dallas City Council passed an ordinance that prompted Campisi to change the name to the Egyptian Restaurant.
--Ron Whittington, DFW Business Journal
November 11, 1985.

Probably the second oldest place serving pizza would be Gordo's, which opened in 1952.  In 1963 it was at 5221 E. Mockingbird Lane, 4 blocks away from Campisi's.  In the early 2000s, it was located at 2008 Greenville Ave.

Maybe the earliest would be Tommie Lee's Pizza Palace, at the corner of Buckner and Garland Road.  According to the picture in the White Rocker, they also offered hamburgers for 12 cents and a chicken dinner.

Later on came:

Pizza Palace - 2526 Gus Thomasson, DA-7-7051
--"11 Delicious Varities."

Pizza Inn - 10204 Garland Road,  DA-7-9303
Large pepperoni pizza $2.40

Restaurants - Neighborhood: 15 Listings

Rexall's Drugs - 10301 Gus Thomasson Rd.  DA-8-4391.
Probably the first place I ever ordered food was at the soda counter at Rxall's Drugs at the corner of Ferguson Road and Gus Thomasson Road.

We could get grilled cheese sandwiches with two circular pickle slices for 25 cents and a cherry lime for a dime.

Fred's Barbecue - 2457 Gus Thomasson Rd.  DA-7-5083
Next door to Rexall's in the Casa View Shopping Center.  It met my definition of "OK Barbecue," not terribly bad but not terribly good either.  Food was served cafeteria-style.

I always tried to order a Po' Boy sandwich with lots of "ends," or the dark parts of the beef, with a side ramekin of sauce.

The Po' By came with a french roll and not a bun.  I still like barbecue today with a french roll and sauce for dipping.  "A little more of the ends, please."

Casa Linda Lodge Charcoal Steak - 10800 Garland Rd.  DA-7-2900

Wyatt's Cafeteria - 2205 Gus Thomasson DA-7-7414
By 1964 Wyatt;s had 5 locations including Casa View.  When Wyatts was bought out by Luby's, the Casa View location became called Pat Luby's Cafeteria, not affiliated with the larger Luby's chain.

"Miss Inez" Teddlie played the organ at dinner time for many years at Pat Luby's.

Orlie's - 10349 Ferguson Road.
Located at the end of the Casa View Shopping Center, soon to be across the alley from the Casa View library, which opened in 1964.  In 1959 this location was called Bob's Malt Shop.

Orlie's was Greek-owned.  I loved the hamburgers here with their finely-sliced onions grilled with Green seasoning.

I never really ate that many hamburgers growing up.  I was always on the brink of a major acne break-out.  I thought the grease in the burgers and french fried encouraged the acne, so most of the time I ate ham and cheese.

The Dairyette - 978 Ferguson Road.  DA-7-9903.
Opened in 1955 in Oates Plaza.  Has been the site of a movie shooting.

Still the same style vinyl seats inside with cold frosted root beer bugs and metal trays for car hop service.

Charco's #2 - 10218 Garland Rd. DA-1-2903.
On Garland Road right next to Prince of Hamburgers.

#1 6375 E. Mockingbird Ln TA-1-5066
#3 5300 Lemmon Ave. LA-8-0888

Jane Parrish Voight remembers the hot apricot fried pies with powdered sugar.  You were either a Charco's fan or a Prince fan.  You couldn't be both.

I was in the Charco's group, mostly because Marvin Patterson's older brother worked there and would give us free cokes after Friday or Saturday night football games.  Mavin and I were in the school band together.

Prince of Hamburgers - 10226 Garlabd Rd. DA-7-9906
Next door to Charco's.  Felt more like a franchise, but their hamburgers tasted better.  Always the more popular place.

Doug Prince opened Prince of Hamburgers in 1927.  Only one location remains at 5200 Lemmon Ave.  214-526-9081.

Evans Circle Grill - 3701 Buckner Blvd.  214-324-4140.
When it opened, there really was a circle at the intersection of BUckner Blvd and old Hwy 80.

It was the kid of place your parents went to.  Now we've become older than our parents were when we were young.

Hong Kong Restaurant - 9055 Garland Rd. 214-328-2320
Opened in 1958.  These days open 7 days 11am - 9:15 pm  That 9:00 to :15 must be the rush hour. Good choices, best homemade egg rolls in town, Sesame Chicken and Hong Kong Cantonese Chow Mein.

My mother's favorite Chinese restaurant.

Anchor Delicatessen - 2266 Gus thomasson
Hot Corned Beef, Kosher Zion Products of Chicago.  White Rocker 10/2/58.

Hy + Stan Delicatessen - 11206 Garland Rd. Da-7-5252
Serving the Ranger - a double-decker sandwich of chopped liver, pastrami, corned beef, lettuce and Russian dressing.  Dallas Yellow Pages, 1963.

El Fenix Restaurant - 255 Casa Linda Plaza, DA-7-6173
El Fenix started in Dallas in 1918.  The flagship restaurant is still located at 1601 McKinney.  214-747-6643.

 Keller's Drive In - 1150 S. Buckner Blvd.  EX-8-7321.
Jack Keller opened the original Keller's Drive-In on Samuells Blvd in 1950.  He lost his lease in 2000.

He opened the Harry Hines drive-in in 1959.  It's still serving food and drink at 10554 Harry Hines.  214-357-3572.

He opened the East Northwest Hwy location in 1965, which is still going strong today (2012) serving motorcycle groups and numerous car clubs.  6537 E. Northwest Hwy.  214-368-1209.

His son ran Keller's Cactus Jacks on Lemmon Ave for 20 years until he recently retired. 

Another sit-down Keller's is located at 10226 Garland Road.  214-319-6060.

Youngblood's Fried Chicken #11 - 2512 Gus Thomasson DA-7-0360.
Famous for its rolls and honey dispensers on the table, rumor has that its chicken recipe was used to start Church's Fried Chicken.  For many years had a restaurant at the Old Mill Inn at the State Fair.

The franchises arrive!

Kentucky Fried Chicken - 10806 Garland Rd.  DA-7-4435
Advertises a 9-piece "thrift box," (this was before the bucket) for $1.69.  The White Rocker. Nov. 1964.

My only Pleasant Grove listing:

Griff's Hamburgers - 1050 S. Buckner Blvd.  214-398-7321.
On our long trips from Casa View to Camp Wisdom on Buckner Blvd, we always stopped at Griff's to buy a hamburger for 15 cents and a bag of fries to fortify ourselves on the hour-long journey.  Today, with the new highways and interstates, the trip takes about 20 minutes.

Luby's Cafeteria - 106 Lochwood Village.  DA-7-6176.
In Lochwood Shopping Center, at the corner of Garland and Jupiter.

Restaurants - The Chains Arrive: KFC on Garland Road in 1964

While restaurants historically have not been intended as monuments surviving for generations, they do acquire emotional and cultural significance as time goes on.

Phillip Langdon

Orange Root, Golden Archives

1986

We grew up in an era of few chain restaurants  We had several Kips, which was a franchisee of the Big Boy restaurant chain.  We had a few local chains - Youngblood's Restaurants, Luby's and Wyatt's Cafeterias.

Most of our growing up didn't include a McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's.  It didn't include a Pizza Hut or Pizza Inn.

A few other restaurants had one or two other locations, which we never knew about.  But where we ate did indeed "acquire emotional and cultural experience" - because we ate there.  We ate with wide-eyed wonder and growing sophistication  Eating mattered and it mattered where we ate.

Even before the automobile was invented, Americans had already started eating in chain restaurants in major cities of the East Coast and long the Western rail route.  They needed elsewhere to eat - preferably a place known for reliability.

Fred Harvey opened a restaurant at the Santa Fe Depot in Topeka, Kansas in 1876.  Gradually his system of Harvey Houses spread into Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and other states.

His most notable designs appeared in the Indian country of New Mexico at Albuquerque, Lamy, Las Vegas, Vaughan and Gallup.  There the style incorporated elements with Indian and Spanish Colonial elements designed by artist Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.

She is well known for her design of the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe and the buildings on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

The first cafeterias appeared in the 1890's usually operated by the YWCA.  By 1906 cafeterias were being run as profit-making enterprises in Los Angeles where Boos Brothers established a chain.

The first Automat opened in 1901 by two Philadelphia lunchroom operators, John Horn and Frank Hardart.

In the Automat, the food was cooked in advance, put behind glass cases, you made a selection and put coins in a slot.  Heated or refrigerated compartments could deliver everything from soup to ice cream.

The glass fronted compartments and shiny nickel-plated fittings created an impression of clean, sparkling conditions and also gave an illusion of effortlessness; all the labor went on behind the scenes.

By the 1920's, restaurants were investing in exhaust fans.  Restaurants suffered a decline in business every summer, in hot weather; people were less inclined to go into restaurants.

The solution lay in air conditioning, which became available in the 1920's and commonplace in the 1930's.

Walter Anderson, an itinerant fry cook, opened a restaurant in Wichita, Kansas becoming one of the first restaurant operators to aim at making hamburgers more appealing.

The secret, he discovered, lay in fattening the meat into thin patties with onions and then searing them on both sides to seal in the juices.

They also created a castle-like structure painted white and furnished in a white interior to symbolize cleanliness,.

A similar chain, Krystal, began in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1934.

Another competitor, Toddle House, a shortened version of Hall-Dobbs House, in 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Howard Deering Johnson opened an ice cream stand along the beaches and roads featuring a superior tasting high butterfat ice cream in 1925.

He opened his first full-service restaurant in 1929.  Ultimately his franchised restaurants featured Georgian-style architecture with orange root, cupola and a distinctive weather vane.

J.G. Kirby, a Dallas candy and tobacco wholesaler, derived the idea of a restaurant that would serve people in their automobiles - thought to be a first.

The restaurant specialized in barbecued pork sandwiches.

In 1922, Roy W. Allen and Frank Wright opened three walk-up root beer stands in Houston featuring five-cent mugs of root beer.

The finest drive-ins were reserved for California where the State featured a mild climate, dispersed cities and suburbs, the widespread reliance on automobiles and the willingness to experiment.

One of the key elements in drive-ins sociability at a distance were "tray girls" known as car hops.  Car Hops often wore standardized uniforms, often appearing in bright uniforms that included military-style caps and pants with a stripe down the side.

Life Magazine in the 1940's featured a Car Hop from Sivil's Drive-In which featured satin majorette costumes with white boots and abbreviated skirts.

In June 1940 Sherb Noble opened the first Dairy Queen in Illinois featuring soft ice cream.

By the late 1950's, car hop drive-ins competed against another kind of restaurant - the self-serve "fast food" outlet, where customers got out of their cars and stood in line for food.

Fast food outlets featured hamburger-based menus and the turnover was twice as fast as the drive-ins with shorter number of employees.

The drive-in rapidly declined in major metroplex areas.  In 1967, Sivil's sold their land on Fort Worth Avenue which was converted to as mobile home lot.

In December 1948 Richard and Mac MacDonald opened a limited menu and standardized menu which featured fifteen-cent hamburgers, ten-cent French fries, and twenty-cent milkshakes.

George W. Church, Jr. retired from running a hatchery and started Church's Fried Chicken in 1952 in San Antonio.

Dunkin Donuts opened in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts.

In 1961, the Whataburger chain, founded by Harmon A. Dishon in 1950, began to erect a-frames with orange and white stripes.

References:

Orange Roots, Golden Archives - The Architecture of American Chain Restaurants.  Phillip Langdon Alfred A. Knopf.  New York 1986 725.71

Google - Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture.  Alan Hess, Chronicle Books, San Francisco 1985 725.71

Drive-In Deluxe, Michael Karl Witzel. Motorhood, International 1997