I remember Montrose and Westheimer in the 1970's (Houston, Elgin: live, restaurant)

[latetotheparty]

wow, newyearsevebaby... your memory continues to AMAZE me..... while i have vague, snapshot memories of everything you talked about, the only thing that really rings a bell for me is officer ken garnett..........

must have burned to to to many brain cells in the 70's and 80's.......

[nwyearsevebaby]

As one who didn’t get out much in his youth, my memories of restaurants, bars, stores and other places of public accommodation in the 70’s is somewhat limited. My experience with a particular place is in direct proportion to how far it was from home. Since I come from around Shepherd and Westheimer, my experience is naturally more extensive with places near there. That makes this area as good as any for a place to start!

First off – South Shepherd, from north to south. Most of these snippets date from the late 1970’s.

Ming Palace (At West Gray in the River Oaks Shopping Center, south curve). This ancient Chinese place was located around where Starbuck’s is now, and had been there forever, or so I was told. Never went there, and based on memories shared by others, I probably wasn’t missing much.

The Hobbit Hole (east side, between Haddon and Vermont, in an old house). What memories. Bilbo Baggins and Frodo. Black beans, white cheese and green avocados. Juices, herbal teas and Shiner. Organic, vegetarian hippie heaven.

Later in the decade they played around with the concept by introducing items containing animal products, rebadging themselves as a “café and wine bar” and opening a short-lived suburban location near Westheimer and Gessner. By then I had fled Houston, and did not go to the Hobbit Hole again after about 1979.

I know that the place is alleged to live on, somewhere around Richmond and Greenbriar, but I don’t have the desire to risk disappointment, not with such as the Hobbit Hole. Terrible name, great memories. Of all the places I used to frequent in Montrose, this one is the most sorely missed.

The Nutmeg Tree Tea Room (located in the Battlestein’s store, Shepherd at Welch). China and stemware. White tablecloths. Patterned forks and knives. Chicken salad and quiche. Tiny, old-lady size portions, high prices, and ugly glances for teenage boys. The typical department store restaurant, now all but extinct.

King Olaf’s, Prince’s Coffee Shop, various ethnic incarnations, and finally Luke’s Hamburgers (west side, just north of Fairview next to Richard’s Liquor Store). This location could never seem to hold on to a tenant. It started out as King Olaf’s. Who has any idea who that is? (King Olaf? Wasn’t he in The Great Gatsby?) This was swiftly replaced by Prince’s, which served the famous hamburgers without the drive-in ambiance. At the end of the 70’s it became Luke’s, and they held on for a longer time than any of the predecessors did.

Across from Luke’s/Olaf’s/Prince’s was the legendary Leo’s Mexican Restaurant. As noted by someone else on this thread, it was a favorite of one or more of the members of ZZ-Top, and their pictures adorned the walls. It was owned by a family named Reynosa, and several members of this family attended St. Anne. I heard that the restaurant relocated to Washington Avenue, and then disappeared. Sad. The neon sign on Shepherd was a landmark.

Two doors down and back to the west side, there was the area’s first Pizza Hut. It opened around 1969, on the spot formerly occupied by Burgerville. This was a standard, cookie-cutter Hut, but with one important distinction (for me at least): A waitress named Coco. Twelve year old boys aren’t supposed to fall in love with twentysomething women, but this one did. Hard. Coco repaid my adoration by occasionally comping a Coke for me.

In 1975, you could order all-you-could-eat at the salad bar and a soda at the Hut for 67 cents, tax included.

Across the street from the Hut was the only place whose name now eludes me. It was a sub shop, in the mold of a Thundercloud, was open very late, and served beer to underage patrons. It was inexpensive, had a great jukebox, and occasional live music. It also had a portable sign outside with moveable letters that were frequently rearranged into off-color variations by pranksters. The abominable Shepherd Place building now sits where it used to be.

Down across Fairview on the east side was Monterey House. I watched it being constructed from the playground at St. Anne, when I was in third grade. Average chain-style Mexican food, but it was always fun to go diving in your chip basket, looking for the tiny piece of candy at the bottom.

On the west side across from Jimmie Green Chevrolet just south of Westheimer, was the area’s first Jack-in-the-Crack. It opened around 1967, and was noteworthy only for the traffic jams it created when slow service caused the line to back up onto Shepherd.

At Shepherd and Harold was the Toddle House. This small, bungalow styled café was owned by the same company that had the concession contract at Houston International Airport. There were actually three of them in Montrose (this one, one on Montrose near Alabama and a third on Elgin at Smith). It is now a Chinese restaurant, I think.

Back across Shepherd was Carol’s Kitchen. Never went there, but it was around for along time, so there must have been something to it. The spot is now occupied by a Starbuck’s. Carol’s ghost undoubtedly sloshes around inside, along with the lattes and Frappucinos.

Moving south, on the east side was (is?) Demeris Barbeque. OK brisket and sides, funny ambiance, Greek name out of place on a barbeque joint. How come Houston has so few notable barbeque joints for a Texas city of 2 million plus? Goode Company is about it. Sorry, Otto’s just wasn’t that good!

Moving a little further south, in an old Cities Service gas station was Valian’s Pizza. Served as it should be, by the slice. Actually, this place was gone by the mid seventies, if memory serves me right.

Across the street, in the iconic Shepherd Center, was . . . nothing! At the end of the 60’s, this endangered Art-Deco strip center could boast of only two mediocrities, Suzanne’s Cafeteria and the lunch counter at Walgreen’s. Later came such places as Fonda San Miguel (during the Center’s Austin phase), but at the end of the 1970’s, there was nothing there.

Alabama at Shepherd meant Chris Coney Island. Bigger, better and more variety, as well as less hype, than James. Two or three doors down was the Cue and Cushion Club. Technically this was not a restaurant (they only served drinks and snacks), but notable because they readily served underage patrons. I ordered a beer in there once when I was 14, and the only eyebrows raised were my own. This was where the bad “Kelly Leak” types hung out when they should have been in school.

Across the street next to the dearly departed Record Rack was Alexander’s Ice Cream Shop. Although this place was gone by 1972, I mention it because it was the first ice cream shop I went to without my parents. It was with a group of school friends, after a performance of “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” at the old Alley Theatre sometime in 1967. Red checkerboard floors, white wrought iron tables and chairs, more that 3 but probably less than 31 flavors of ice cream, and right down the street from Version 2009. Amy, meet Alex.

Skipping right past Alfie’s Fish and Chips, we encounter a smallish burger joint named Someburger, on the west side. Good burgers but no place to sit. Across, and down a way, was the Montrose version of Dunkin Donuts. Just like any other DD, with its question-mark shaped counter, white china cups and infinite variety of donuts, “Funky Dunky” distinguished itself by its clientele, more akin to the Tenderloin in San Francisco or the French Quarter than to Houston.

The trip ends at Richmond. Back out of sight in the Greenbriar Center was a One’s-A-Meal location, neither as big nor as well-known as the one on West Gray next to the River Oaks Theater. In the Triangle formed by Shepherd, Farnham and Lexington were a couple of places of note – a Der Wienerschnitzel, with its bad German grammar and its hot dogs, inferior to the ones from down the street at Chris Coney Island. Next was a building that held three places over the years – a Herfy’s, then a Del Taco, and later a Whataburger (the same progression as at another location nearby, Westheimer at Timmons Lane across from the Briar Club). Herfy’s didn’t last, and I think the reason could be that their sign featured a picture of a cow (steer?) staring directly at the viewer with those big, brown, sad eyes. Instead of ordering a hamburger, prospective customers were probably tempted to join PETA.

Last stop: Phil’s. This was where the 59 Diner later located. Family style, meat and 3 veggies, homemade rolls and cornbread. Waitresses in hairnets and seersucker jumpers. This was the kind of place the Black-Eyed Pea wants to be when it grows up.

Any further south, and you’re getting out of the area!

Next, my remembrances of Westheimer and other east-west streets, full of places mostly long gone.

[jfre81]

There's still Someburger in the Heights and in Baytown, and an Alfie's Fish & Chips in Texas City...the rest of this is just stuff I've heard of

[westres1]

The Westheimer Arts Festival was a blast!! I have at least 10 posters from the 80's. I collected them every year.

[timebandit50]

we went to alot of clubs in the 70s in apartment complexes two come to mind the barbarycoast and we spent alot of time at the arlington squareclub I remember the house band was christopher cross and then wooden leg took over when he hit it big!

[latetotheparty]

phil's was THE place to go for chicken fried steak ..... they were HUGE.... and this was back in the day when i could eat like that and not regret it......

barbary coast was the place we went to when we wanted a break from bonaparte's retreat......

[nwyearsevebaby]

Barbary Coast was in a complex near the corner of Voss and Woodway, wasn't it?

[jfre81]

Was there a club at this place?


YouTube - Colonial House

olol

[Desdicata]

nwyearsevebaby, you must be living in the past and I am loving your posts! Your recollection of the families of St. Ann during that era is phenomenal. So many names I hadn't heard for so long. Here are a few more that you may know. Zabolio, Schumacher, Jax, Grubb, Conte, O'Brian, and Earthman.
Favorite eateries in the day for me after school where Alfies fish and chips on Fairview, Monterrey House (across from St. Ann), and Lubys somewhere around Kirby.
We used to shop at Jamails, Sakowitz, and lots of places on W. Gray.
Your memories are very cool and for a while there I was so curious as to who you are but now I am just glad whoever you are. It is just so nice to see the care and love you put into your posts that I feel like I know you and I guess I do because I "graduated" from St. Ann in 1978 and went to school with most of the surnames you mentioned.
Best memory of St. Ann is the folk masses they use to have in the early seventies and the Fall Fiestas!
I don't go there to often anymore. I like to keep the memories pristine and I do not appreciate the modern look of the neighborhood. You are right in your comments regarding the way of life. I loved it!
Thanks again. Go Shamrocks!

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by nwyearsevebaby

Barbary Coast was in a complex near the corner of Voss and Woodway, wasn't it?

yes .... it was (is?) a HUGE complex......

and jfre .... don't really know or remember much about the colonial house apartments......