Thanks to the many contributors on this site, I have set a course to research many of the old restaurants and food of Dallas. I was an avid cookbook collector previously, but spending my Friday nights reading your stories has convinced me to piece together some historical stories of the many places through Dallas' past. Teaming with Nancy Nichols, food editor of DMagazine (and a wonderful writer), we hope you enjoy reading about the people as much as we enjoyed discovering them. Our first story revisited La Tunisia [sidedish.dmagazine.com] , the second story was published yesterday and features former Dallas neighbor, Mrs. Ida M. Chitwood [sidedish.dmagazine.com].

Other upcoming stories include Mr. Eltee Dave (Dave's BBQ), The Golden Pheasant Restaurant and Lucas Farms. It is our hope that they are historically credible as well as entertaining, and to that end each was extensively researched.

Amy Severson
www.thedallascookbook.blogspot.com

My parents used to talk about the Golden Pheasant and what a great place it was. I believe they said it had been torched and a fireman died. Another place that my folks used to talk about was Brockles, known for their "special dressing".

What a great series this will be, Amy! Thanks!

I don't have much to contribute myself. My very suburban upbringing meant that I thought the top dogs in Dallas food were the folks at El Fenix. Come to think of it, I haven't moved very far from that conviction.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Inwood Village area had about 20 restaurants purveying distinct sorts of chow: two Italian, two Mexican, two Chinese, two all-you-can-eat, two German, two cafeterias, a couple of drugstore lunch counters, plus individual shops for seafood, hamburgers, sliced beef sandwiches, French cuisine, steaks , and maybe another one or two specialties. A lot of these places survived for many years, despite their shoulder-to-shoulder competition. I doubt that any other intersection -- this was Inwood Road and Lovers Lane -- offered as many choices.

I think Little Bit of Sweden was located there, as well. I never got to eat there as it was gone before I was old enough to drive. My mom went there a couple of times and loved it.. As an adult, I had to go all the way to Lindsborg, Kansas to try Swedish cuisine.

Ummm! Country Club Pharmacy counter!!

And from my postcard website:



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Regarding the eateries at Inwood, does anyone else remember Restaurante Vesuvio - and my spelling might be better - which was just west of Inwood on the south side of Lover's Lane? The place had fancy handles on the entrance door with a R - V emblem. Doubt that was easily changed after the space went to some other business.

Yes, remember it well. Took several dates there. The owner's daughter went to Highland Park High School.
We always heard it was "mob" connected.

Growing up in N Dallas in the 50's, I remember my folks taking me to Lobello's, located on the south side of NW Hwy around Douglas. If my dad somehow won the pick we would usually end up at 'The Rib' on the north side of Lovers Lane at about where the tollway now is.

My family did not have enough to go too often, but when we went to Lobello's I remember I always wanted to play the jukebox. I remember they had Seeburg chrome remote selectors right there at the table and you could pick your tunes from there. 3 plays were only 25 cents!

Vince's Italian Deli on the SE corner of Marsh Ln and Walnut Hill was a convenience store with a deli in the back. They made Italian submarine sandwiches that were delicious, the first sub sandwiches I ever tasted. I took for granted that's how all subs would be, with finely shredded lettuce, fresh, thin tomato slices, probably three kinds of cheese and at least three kinds of deli-sliced lunchmeat, all piled together thick and doused with Italian dressing. Sigh. Now all i can find is Subway, Quiznos, Blimpie or some other blandness. I've tried replicating a Vince's sub at home but can't come close. The magic of their sandwiches is a great, lost art.

the rib was the best my late wife could reproduce thier hot potato salad i doubt i will ever have it that good again

I remember The Rib well enough but not the hot potato salad just mentioned. I do remember the hot potato salad at Salih's, later Solly's, originally in Preston Center and later out in Addison. There was one person who use3d to post on the other board and sometimes this one and his epitaph for The Rib was "damned tollroad," or something like, and that was about my feeling.

Customers at The Rib will remember it was an all you can eat place. I watched a table of people really take advantage of that feature one night. They finished their meal and the table was cleared about the time I entered. They sat there and talked. Then, about the time we were ready to leave they ordered more ribs!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2011 12:48PM by Morrow Mustang.

Oh my gosh. County Club Pharmacy. Used to ride the school bus every afternoon, passed by my house, kept riding and got off at Lovers Lane so I could meet everyone at the pharmacy soda counter. We would always order the Frozen Chocolate Malts, they were the best ever. None of my friends or I have figured out how they were made. I have never had anything that tasted like them since jr. high. Afterwards I would then have to walk home about half a mile. My mother never understood why I wouldn't get off the bus right in front of our house but instead choose to walk home from the pharmacy. Memories, aren't they grand!

As far as Lobello's. That was the big hang out after football games. It was packed. I am not sure if we actually went there to eat or just hang out to see the boys. I'm sure it was a little of both.

Rusk Jr. High? Or Cary? I know back then we had a choice.

Yeah I sent a lot of time at Country Club Pharmacy too (and Skillern's and Mott's and Davenport's and the list goes on and on). Good thing grandma had a charge account there!

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Use to stop at Country Club Pharmacy a lot, good burgers and shakes........two great Restaurants I went to for many years was the Jagerstrube (German) and a few doors down was Deans (Seafood) on Inwood about a half block before you got to Lovers, both were outstanding......wish they were still there, I would drive from Bedford to eat there........Bill Strouse

Jay's Marine Grill was a great seafood place during the 40s! Don't remember where it was located, but seems like East Dallas.

IIRC the original location of Jay's was down Preston after it turned into Oak Lawn, near Lemon. Much later I want to say it moved to a location near Love Field, off West Mockingbird beyond the entrance to the terminal at Love Field. A good place to eat at either location.

Maybe there was an East Dallas location also but I never ate there.

Fun to see the mention of Brockles. Their special dressing was great on soda crackers, and there was a good supply of both at every table.

I worked one summer at the soda fountain of the Skillern's on Snyder Plaza and learned how to make the best root beer floats I've ever had: tall soda glass full of ice cream, gradually add a bit of root beer, drink it out with a straw, refill, and continue until the ice cream is gone.

There were two branches of an Italian restaurant, perhaps called Sylvia's (?), one at Oak Lawn and one near the Lakewood Theatre. Probably not special; I was too young to judge food when I was there, but there was something memorable about the look. Also visual food memories: watermelon stands, the Pig Stands, and the Wyatt's and Luby's cafeterias and the Highland Park Cafeteria (I think it was called that) on Knox. I've never again seen such a density of successful cafeterias.

The TimeOut (Charlie's TimeOut?) on Hillcrest north a couple of blocks from Northwest Highway was an interesting stop for a while in the early '50s.

I lived on Purdue near Willard and about a mile from the UP Swimming Pool, UP Elementary, and Snider Plaza. I'd walk to the swimming pool a couple of times a day in the summer, and stop at the Skillern's for a soft drink or a float or a limeade if I had the money. It may be that I was one of your customers although - and my memory sixty years later may not be accurate - my favorite might have been a limeade a scoop of sherbet. Fun days there and at the Varsity on Saturday mornings and later walking home from the JHS and cutting through the SMU campus and watching the seismograph in the lower level.

Ah yes,,,,Snyder Plaza.
It was a playground for me and others I ran around with. We put fish we caught, kept in a bucket, rode quickly to the Plaza and put the fish in the fountain, you drove around.
They lived a few days tnd then were gone.
Comini's photograpy was owned by my friend's father.
Always shopped at the A&P. Bought gas at the family owned Magnolia, aka Mobil Oil on Lovers Lane.
The theatre had YoYo contests that I entered. Even got free tickets for "rocking the baby followed by round the world".

I still drive thru the area when in Dallas.
Christmas vacation from school gave us the time to "build Christmas tree forts,,,,and defend them"!