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How Is That Chain Still Open?


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Louie's on the Lake (Austin) alum checking in. They closed in 1986 due to mismanagement and a bad Texas economy for pricey dining.

All you can eat gourmet salad bar and seafood buffet which had king crab, snow crab, fried shrimp, fried frog legs, prime rib and a bunch of other stuff for $18.00 per person, which was a lot back then.

Part of the poor management was not having a system of controls to limit food theft by the high school aged guys working the buffet line.

Im not talking about pinching a shrimp or two or cutting off a sliver of prime rib and hiding it in the au jus. We flat out just took whatever we wanted. My folks loved it, their two boys helping out with some fancy eats and making a wage to boot. We always told them it was leftover stuff that was going to be thrown away.

Sunday brunch was the best because we could dissappear a lot of champagne while working the line. I was the omlet guy most of the time and the 6 or 8 glasses of champagne would help me overcome my shyness and chat up the ladies while crafting their omlets.

That's kind of where my problems with alcohol started.

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On 5/21/2024 at 2:59 PM, LonghornJones said:

We were more of a Western Sizzlin' family. Had the Steak and Ale experience once. Glorious.

Ate Western Sizzlin once.  In Flagstaff, AZ.  It was really, REALLY good.

FYI, they put a hold on reopening Steak and Ale.  Sucks, because it was always a bucket list place before I knew what a bucket list was.  Growing up, there was one near our house.  We were dirt poor, so there was no chance we'd ever eat there.  I always thought it was some magical, mysterious place because, from what I could see from the street, the lighting inside was really dim and I had no idea what a "fancy" restaurant was like on the inside.

On 5/21/2024 at 2:59 PM, LonghornJones said:

We were more of a Western Sizzlin' family. Had the Steak and Ale experience once. Glorious.

Ate Western Sizzlin once.  In Flagstaff, AZ.  It was really, REALLY good.

FYI, they put a hold on reopening Steak and Ale.  Sucks, because it was always a bucket list place before I knew what a bucket list was.  Growing up, there was one near our house.  We were dirt poor, so there was no chance we'd ever eat there.  I always thought it was some magical, mysterious place because, from what I could see from the street, the lighting inside was really dim and I had no idea what a "fancy" restaurant was like on the inside.

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Posted (edited)
On 5/20/2024 at 2:58 PM, Mittens said:

but when was the last time you or anyone you know stepped inside a Red Lobster?

The late 1970s.  I was 5.  I was not impressed.  But my wife recalls being dragged there on a couple of co-worker birthday requests and has fond memories of the cheddar biscuits, as I assume do most.  But my sensory memory doesn't recall what I had at the so-called Dirty Lob or whether I liked it much.  So I haven't a hankering or a sadness in response to this news.  I also know that I have said for years that our local RL could have another RL across the street from it, and they'd both be packed. 

 

As for Steak & Ale, yes to all of the above.  In Houston, we also had Steak and Egg, which was more late night steak at the diner-bar type of place.  As a kid, I remember going to one-offs like Circus Restaurant on Westheimer, Mama's, Papa's, The Strawberry Patch, and Houston's.  For Tex-Mex, it was Molina's.  As for anything fancier, they didn't waste it on the kids until we were old enough to appreciate it.

 

Edit to add, Cliff's for burgers (still) or JCI for a large-group burger scenario or Hamburgers by Gourmet for the best burger of all time.

Edited by dcbc
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Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Man....the Strawberry Patch.  One of the most glorious CFS's in history.  Miss that place.

That place punched way above its weight.  And I'm now reading it was a Pappa's owned restaurant.  Honestly, no surprise.

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