Lunch Report: Tip Top Cafe...

My wife and I were headed home from the downtown area this afternoon and decided to take a drive through what the Express-News is calling the Deco District. Let's cut to the chase - there are a lot of older homes and buildings and people are buying them up, making them look artsy and they are now calling it the Deco District. Whatever.

But I have to admit, I love it!

I once did some work on a house around there in the Jefferson High School area, just off of Donaldson I think. A nice older home going through a transformation that would include a media room. The people were adding a new bathroom, updating the kitchen, adding the aforementioned media room, and I was thinking, they could build a new house for all the renovation they were doing, but it occurred to me that they just loved the area. And I must say with some jealousy, that I like it too.

Anyway, lunch is what we are here to discuss and for years, I have listened to people rave about the awesome vittles at De Wese's Tip Top Cafe on Fredericksburg Road, and was embarrassed to admit that after all these years, I had never been. So, today as we traveled through the Deco District, I aimed the Garmin for Tip Top and this is what we found.

When they say that they have been around since 1938, I would ask if they have any intentions of updating before 2038. Make no mistake, the place is old and the the interior reflects that. Not so much in a bad way, but everything about Tip Top says, "Old diner".

When we first walked up to the door, an older couple was coming out. The man said to me, "Good luck in finding a place to sit." I tend to take that as a good sign. It says to me a few things about a restaurant. First, it says there must be good food, or the place wouldn't be so popular. Second thing though, it tells me there must be good service. Because even if the food is good, people are not going to come back and fill the place if the service is crappy.

When we got inside, I saw another possibility. The place is freakin' small! People were packed in like sardines. I actually told my wife we should leave and try it another time, but when she saw the plates of goodness coming out of the kitchen, she was ready for whatever wait there would be. And in the end, there was no wait. Two parties in front of us took seats and the nice gentleman directing traffic pointed toward another few open tables so we jumped right into the sea of hungry people and began to adjust to what comes across as some sort of hunting lodge or perhaps a creepy uncle's basement, filled with stuffed and mounted deer, fish and assorted roadkill. There is a wall of older newspaper clippings and some old photographs, perhaps of the owners or former employees.

The menu contains quite a selection of en trees, sandwiches and fried treats, and as we looked around like vultures at what other patrons had ordered, it was tough to really not want to try a little of everything. My wife mentioned chicken fried steak several times but finally decided to try a cheeseburger. I went for the corned beef on rye and selected the potato salad instead of fries.

I wrote about the huge stack of onion rings we saw at the Red Robin a while back, and Tip Top had their own version. Piled up on a plate like a small mountain, these rings were reminiscent of the style and texture we enjoy from Clear Springs Catfish Cafe. When our order arrived, my wife mentioned that they would probably go good with tarter sauce. What they definitely needed was salt! No complaints, mind you; I ate my fair share and more.
My wife was immediately pleased with her cheeseburger. The patty looked as though it came from fresh ground beef, not a frozen patty. The bun had that look to it like it had been steamed or grilled or something, to give off a glow of butter. I'd show you a picture, but the picture I took didn't come out. But, it looked like a good, homemade burger. In the grand scheme of things, my wife reports that it was good, not great. The patty had no real taste to it that would make it stand out amongst other great burgers we have tried. So, I'm not saying don't order it, but you'd probably best ask for some mayo, mustard and some extra salt.

My corned beef on rye was awesome! I would have liked fore the bread to have been toasted, but the fact that it wasn't didn't create any disappointment. My wife questioned me about, just what corned beef was, and to be honest, I didn't have the Internet with me, so I really didn't have a good answer. But you can learn all about it here.

I was especially pleased with the potato salad. It was very creamy and not bitter in any way. I could have gone for another scoop had I not made a pig of myself on the onion rings.

Our service was outstanding. Our waitress, a very pleasant woman of perhaps 90, looked exactly like Bill Parcells - but smaller boobs. As I said earlier, the place was packed but the people working here were pumping out food and getting orders to the guests fairly rapidly. I'm guessing they've handled a lunch rush or two.

Okay, a few things to consider before bringing your sancha her for your first weekaversary dinner. Tip Top is a cafe and and old one at that. There is nothing remotely romantic about it, unless you have a thing for former Cowboys coaches.

You should also know that this place is still in the last century, complete with outdoor facilities. Yes, my wife went to take a short visit to the ladies' only to find herself wandering around in a back parking lot waiting on the single-holer.

The other thing you should know is that they do not accept credit/debit cards, though you can write a check if you need. Don't worry, the prices aren't high - our lunch came out to less than $14.00 before tip - but really, who doesn't take plastic? The answer is a place that has the bathrooms out in the alley.

Bottomline: Good eats. If I had come up with a little logo for my "Tasty Treat" scale, I'd have to give this one 3 1/2 TT's on a scale of 5, but I'd probably get my order to go next time. The most important thing though is that now, when people talk about Tip Top over on Fred Road, I can nod approvingly without feeling like I'm faking it.

Medina Lake Report: A Visit to Thousand Trails Preserve

This afternoon, we made an unplanned trip over to Medina Lake to see some of my wife's family staying at the Thousand Trails Preserve near Pipe Creek. I haven't fully figured out the ins and outs of this operation, but the gist of it is, you pay a membership fee to belong to this nationwide resort organization which allows you access to their facilities. I'm thinking if you own an RV, this is the ticket, but since I don't own an RV, I don't know for sure. As guests, we paid $5.00 to go in and that was very reasonable considering the amenities.

First, you should know that one of the great joys of living in San Antonio is that, 15 minutes outside the city limits in any direction puts you out in the middle of the country. I should also mention that, in a few years, you'll have to drive a lot more than 15 minutes to be out in the country because they are building everywhere.

Our son attended Communications Arts High School which is located on the Taft Campus just outside of Loop 1604 on 471 (Culebra Road). Just a few years ago, there was nothing between Taft HS and Medina Lake and now, it is a freakin' neighborhood!

Attention people from California, yes, this is the best deal going - you sell your crappy crack-house outside of LA for close to a million dollars, then buy a near-mansion on 10 acres here for $350K, buy a riding mower and live like Thurstan Howell the 3rd and Lovey, but please, quit telling your friends about it, or better yet, tell them about Austin and Fredericksburg. They need the growth, we don't.
Okay, aside from that unpleasantness, the ride is awesome and you can really appreciate why so many folks are purchasing motorcycles and taking rides along the gently winding and rolling hill country roads.
And now that God has stopped punishing us with the great floods of 2007, the weather is bright, sunny and wonderful again; keep in mind however, cars have air conditioning, motorcycles don't.
Pipe Creek and Medina Lake is about 30 to 40 minutes from our house depending on traffic, but it is a beautiful ride. Take a gander at these views of the short trip.
If you don't live here in San Antonio and think of the place as the Alamo, the River Walk and the AT&T Center where the Spurs play, go back and watch a movie like Lonesome Dove, and no kidding, this was where they rode horses. Before asphalt, of course.
You know how it gets confusing if you try to explain the relationship between various family members etc, anything beyond immediate family? Well, I'll skip it and just say that these folks are related on my wife's side. Joe and Bertha are the RV owners - and damn, if you wanna go camping, this is the way to do it. I have been in RV's before but had not seen the full benefit of what they call slide-outs. The increase to the living space inside is amazing. Take a look.
One of the nice things about this park is the huge population of people friendly deer. I know they can be pests to homeowners, but in the park, they seem to make everyone happy. Coincidently, Joe was serving up some awesome venison sausage with cheese and jalapeno. Man it was good, though I am confident there was no connection between the sausage I enjoyed and the many Bambi's I saw.
We didn't stay long enough to partake in any use of the lake, though I must tell you that watching the boats speed by, some with skiers in tow, and others just quietly making a leisurely trip around the lake looked like fun. I am told that just a while back during the big rains, the water was way up into the camping area and as I walked around stalking the deer pictured above, I could see the signs of the receding waterline deep into camper territory. But either way, the place is beautiful with lots of low hanging trees providing a shady canopy so you can enjoy the refreshing breeze off the lake. I was actually surprised at how comfortable it was outdoors though for at least a portion of the time, the ladies seemed to take advantage of the air conditioning in the RV.
After some awesome vittles and one or two beverages, it seemed as though this crowd was ready for a little dancing with the stars. Granted, aside from my claim as a published letter to the editor writer in a local HOA newspaper, there were no stars to be found, so people had to simply make due with spouses and such.
Before long, the assembled kids were ready to hit the pool and my wife and I were ready for the short ride back to San Antonio and the land of many HEB's.
The pool at this place was nicely done and I'm happy to report, the men's room was clean, and fully walled meaning that you don't have to engage in a conversation face to uh, well, anyway, with the guy taking a dump in the stall as you stand at the urinal. That's always the sign of a quality place.
Next to the pool was an historical residence used now as a haunted house and other events. It is the home of the Spettel Family.


So, it really didn't take us long to get back home but I did have to stop and take a picture of this awesome design for a liquor store.

We Texans are a proud bunch. JR's Liquor Store near Pipe Creek pretty much says it all.

Report Update: Queens Cottage...

I didn't want to leave you hanging after telling you about his place, Queens Cottage, over on Fred Road, and my wife still wanted to go by just for a look see, so Saturday, we made it the starting point for quite a day of adventures in San Antonio. We started off not really knowing which direction to go, but like Rock Stars trying to save the planet, by jetting all over the world, we simply didn't care.

So, The Queens Cottage was certainly a quaint shop which I could very easily see set-up in a shop along the River Walk, or perhaps next to a library some place. I get the idea, for sure. The pharmacy part of the store was closed, but honestly, seemed like an afterthought. I mean, yes there was a pharmacy and I'm sure you can fill your prescriptions there, but it did not have the feel of a full service Walgreen's in terms of the non-prescription needs. But, what do I know?

When my wife and I entered the store, the employees still outnumbered all the customers, but we immediately liked how everyone was friendly and eager to let us look around without hovering. My wife commented that we had heard about them on the radio, and that made one lady very happy.

The store had a large selection of gift items but really, nothing we wanted or needed and since we already had plans for lunch, we didn't plan to eat there, though my wife was curious about the menu. They serve the same things you might expect at a deli and the prices certainly looked reasonable. We actually felt bad about leaving without buying anything, and then felt worse when the lady chased after us to give us our free Ice Cream bar just for stopping in.

Located within the North Point Shopping Center across from Crossroads Mall, I'd give it a try for lunch sometime.

Man, I should start selling advertisements!

While we were on Fredericksburg Road, we took a quick drive down to that old Flea Market set up behind Harbor Freight. This flea market used to be quite hopping at one time; cause for a visit at least a few times a month, but I think the last few times I have gone, I have been less than impressed. We stayed long enough to look around and for my wife to get the creeps and want to leave. That pretty much says it all.

We did look at some matching His and Hers mountain bikes. The man swore they were brand new and wouldn't me and my "Sancha look nice on matching bikes for only $40 a piece"? Well wouldn't we? My wife told me that I have a bike already - it is sitting in front of the TV in our bedroom.

If you have never been to this flea market, but you you are looking for "stuff", you may find it here. Unlike many of the newer flea markets, this one is not filled with "Everythings a Dollar" type plastic trinkets. People actually pay for a table or just back up the pick-up truck and sell all the odds & ends they picked up at garage sales or may have procured via other dubious methods.

But if you are more the "antique" set, stick with Bussey's out on IH-35.

Lunch Report: Babes on Fred Road

My wife and I, still somewhat dismayed at the lack of a parade for the 4th, decided that we should get out of the house and try something new. She had heard about a Pharmacy over on Fredericksburg Road called Queen's Cottage that was like an old style fountain and malt shop. She wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Supposedly, you can have lunch and purchase some souvenirs and such while you wait for your prescriptions. Though I had none needing filling, I was open to some lunch.

Turns out, they were closed for the 4th. Hello? Queen's Cottage? I'm thinking you need to skip the 4th of July celebration.

Anyway, in spite of the fact that it was raining buckets, we figured that we still needed to get something to eat, so in the same strip center we saw Babe's Old Fashioned Hamburgers.

Two things I liked about it from the word go. First, I like a place where you order your meal, then go pick a seat. You never have to complain about the wait staff, and you don't have to go through the entire song and dance of getting the menu, getting drinks, ordering food, waiting, then waiting and waiting for your check (like what happened to us last week at Chili's on 1604 and Culebra). The other thing I liked was that they had that set-up where the cashier takes your order on a pad, then clips the ticket onto a line and zooms it from the entrance to the grill area. I'm not sure why that entertains me.

So, both my wife and I order up the Guacamole Cheeseburger and we share an order of fries. Another cool thing about this place was that they had flat screen TV's mounted everywhere. I would imagine this place does well during Spurs games. And today, no game to watch, so we enjoyed a good ol' home style spelling bee on ESPN. Since when did spelling become a sport.

Anyway, apparently Babe's may have something to do with Babe Ruth because the tables had enlarged baseball cards to keep you entertained if you had no interest in spelling stuff.

In really no time at all, the grill man yelled out my wife's name and we were ready to dig in. I haven't had a burger in, I don't know, two weeks, and this puppy hit the spot. The bun was fresh and had been toasted on the grill, it was slathered with mayo and the creamiest guacamole, and the fixin's all seemed fresh.

I'm not going to exaggerate and suggest that this is the best burger ever made; it isn't. But it was a damn fine presentation and the atmosphere made lunch comfortable. I would not hesitate to return for lunch, just to try some other the other items on the menu.

Two burgers, an order of fries, one iced tea and a water, and we were out for about $14. Not bad for a tasty treat.

What did you eat for the 4th? Tell me about it.