Bedford's Steak House

If Jefferson Lanes was the bowling alley on the north side of Jefferson somewhere between Beckley and Marsalis, then I bowled there in a Sunday night league along about 1949-50. At that time , pin-setting was done by a person, and such persons were sometimes hard to come by. Many times, if we wanted to bowl in the afternoon, we would have to set our own pins, because pin boys were paid by the game and it wasn't profitable for them to sit around all afternoon waiting for someone to come in. In the evenings, when all lanes were active with league bowling, the usual corps of pin boys would be present. Setting pins was a way for a young boy to make a little money (very little) and it certainly taught one agility, or else. Setting pins in two adjacent alleys kept one hopping, literally. Bowling was a moribund sport headed for extinction, when the automatic pin-setter arrived and saved the day.

Yep. I'm glad someone else remembers it. I was starting to think it was a figment of my imagination. Thanks,
B

Fred or anyone, there used to be a restaurant and club in Hillside Village shopping center, NE quadrant, in the 1950's. It was a long building along the south side of the NE quadrant of the shopping center. Hillside Village is at Abrams Road and Mockingbird Lane.
I can't remember the name of it but it was popular for a while. Anyone remember it?

Robert, was the name of the restaurant / club you refer to Bobby McGee's?

Bingo! My memory is getting worser and worser. Thank you Jerry for the correct name. Did you ever go there? What were your thoughts about the location?

Yeah, I went there in the early 70s but can't remember much about it. When my wife first moved to Dallas in 1974, it was the first club she went to after she got here, she probably remembers it better than me. As for the location, it seemed pretty far off the beaten path for the times but as I remember it, it was a very popular place.

Bobby McGee's was unusual to say the least. Kind of moldy carpet smelling, and there was a buffet in an ice-filled bathtub! The steaks were fair, and there were swatches of fabric all over the walls. I went there a couple of times, but it was no match for Bedford's (which, BTW, I would go to in a split second, cholesteral or no cholesteral!) Bedford's salads and veggies were so good, and the steaks great. Anyone remember Anna's in Oak Cliff? You entered through the alley, paid $1.00 to Anna, which she stuffed into an old camera case, then through the kitchen in the two story house. Four basic meats; fried chicken, short ribs, fried pork chops, and smothered steak, home made cornbread and rolls, and veggies to die for. Mmmmm. Of course, the City of Dallas finally closed Anna's down because they didn't meet CODE. No drain in the Kitchen, public access through the kitchen, and God forbid, no health check on employees (2 black ladies who had only been cooking 25 years!)
Jeanette

Jeanette, what was the location of Anna's and when was it in business? I was rased in OC and thats the first I've heard of it. Must have been quite an adventure in dining.

Jeanette I went there many a time. Food was great. So were the ladies that ran it.
The city did not close them down. The city passed a law that the kitchen counters, sinks etc. had to be of stainless steel. Anna did not feel like she wanted to invest that much money ( it was a lot in those days) so she decided to close. The city never had any reason to write a complaint on her.

HAve to say taht it amounts to the city shutting her down - made it too expensive to continue to operate, so she quit instead of getting written up for non-compliance. Pity, that.

Clyde The food was great and so much of it. Banana pudding was outstanding. For those who never went there it was on Colorado Blvd. between Lancaster and Marsalis, on the north side, by the alley. I was by there not too long ago and it looks like the house is still standing. I was going there during the sixties when I was working downtown. It was there before then but not too long in the seventies

Yeah, I recall it, too. Only went a time or two, but the smothered steak is what i remember, mainly.

I have the recipe for the Banana Pudding Anna's served and the recipe for the short ribs. I went there in the 1960s, and Anna showed us her bedroom upstairs where she and her Mom had lived for a long time. Also upstairs were tables as well as downstairs. We often liked to eat upstairs because you could look at the tops of the trees. What a neat place. I asked her for the recipes and when was she going to write a cookbook. She just said I'll give you a couple but you better not open a cafe! She was the one who told us of the city telling her of her "violations" that would need to be corrected.
I ate there with the Lowdons (a couple that were friends of mine who owned Exline-Lowdon Printing Company). Their company (and the Ft. Worth Lowdons) helped start the check printing business here in Dallas.
Jeanette

This is neat! I finally get to respond to Jeanette! You are one of my favorite posters on this board! If you are a mind of sharing those recipes, I would really love to have them, especially the banana pudding!

Thanks for the compliment. I love Dallas and its history as my adopted town. I grew up in Wichita Falls and came to Dallas in 1948.
If you'll send me your email, I'll spare the Dallas History group from reading recipes. Will be glad to send to any others.
Jeanette

I don't remember the Bedfords. I do remember the name though.
When I was in graduate school at UNT, my housemate was John Carlton
Bedford. His grandfather Bedford was the original owner and the Bedford family still owned it then in the late
1970's.
John told me about it. But I did not know that it burned later. John's Father was Rev Lee Bedford . a United Methodist
Minister. Most likely, none of the younger family members were interested in reviving it after it burned.
I imagine some descendants are still in the Dallas area. I have lost contact with John and have wanted to locate him. Thus, I ran across this
forum.
The family was prominent and obviiously well established and well thought of. John told me his Grandfather Bedford was a real card, having been married I believe maybe 6 or 7 times. He still would occasionly eat there when home from college in Denton. John was a very nice young man.

John R Huff Jr
Denton, Texas

clyde, dunston's is still on harry hines and is alive and better than ever gene dunston's, sister runs the one on lovers lane gene still runs the one on harry hines i have been eating there since the eighties and have never been disappointed. the harry hines location used to be a drive in called the wheel in before gene turned it into a steak house ]



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2011 09:29AM by rojinks.

babe's is alive and growing they just put one in cedar hill

what was the name of the resturant on ross ave east of central they were open late on weekends more like a cooffe shop

the resturant on ross ave i was asking about came to me, it was anderson's i love reading about the old dallas resturants some i ate at and most i did not some day i am going to the old warsaw before it closes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2011 05:04PM by rojinks.