Mailbag - April 2016

President and CEO of the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee Sallie Sargent and chairman of the Host Committee Ric Campo are readying their plans for Super Bowl LI, set for Feb. 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium. (Photo: nickdelatorrephoto.com)

Super coverage

I loved the Super Bowl article in the latest edition of The Buzz and not just because I’m in it [Hosting the Big Game: Countdown to 2017 Houston Super Bowl LI, by Jennifer Oakley, March 2016]! I think it’s great that Houston is hosting the Super Bowl again, and I am glad to see you are starting to promote the big event early. After reading the article, my 12-year-old daughter asked me if I was going to climb the wall to break in again this year! I laughed and told her I would not be able to get that close with today’s security – completely sidestepping the point that there is no way I could make the climb anymore! Please keep the fun news coming – my wife and I always enjoy your magazines.

Geoff Angulo

The insider’s Fredericksburg

I own two shops on Main St. in Fredericksburg, Texas. Although I so appreciate all the articles about the wineries out in the county [Travel Buzz: Fredericksburg – A little bit of Napa in Texas, by Tracy L. Barnett, February 2016], I feel you folks are forgetting all the terrific, colorful shops on Main. There is more to “Fred” than drinking! We have a saying here. There is the “tourist” Fredericksburg, and then there’s Fredericksburg. Lots of great stories. For example, my shop dog is Jax. He is my retired ranch Aussie after he was attacked by a mountain lion defending my horses. Yes, we still have mountain lions here in the county! I would love to share the “Rest of the Story” with you!

Kathy Cox Gutierrez

A happy bride

I wanted to let you know how much we loved the Buzz article [Cherished Moments: Buzz newlyweds’ wedding weekends, by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, February 2016]! We felt so honored to have the opportunity to be on the [Bellaire] cover. I have been hearing from so many friends, family and even some professors at my school that all loved it! You did a wonderful job covering our special day.

Sarah Hutchins

Remembering when

Ah! I remember Bud Bigelow’s, the first that I know of that gave you a mini-loaf of fresh bread at the table. As a lifelong resident of this city and, actually, a third-generation Houstonian, I remember a lot of the establishments that you listed [Restaurant Memories: A look back at Houston’s dining past, by Russell Weil, November 2014]. You mentioned the Cathay House Restaurant on Main. It had a big mural of a mermaid and ocean waves on the high wall of the main dining area. This was because it had formerly been the “Ship Ahoy” seafood restaurant with a grand sign out front showing the neon boat bow crashing through the neon waves.

Another restaurant that I remember fondly was the Chicken Shack on West Gray. They had the best fried chicken, and I remember it as being a huge place with an ultra-modern (for the 1950s) architecture. Does anybody else remember it?

And, let’s not forget the Ten Fathoms Seafood Restaurant (with the Mermaid Club, attached) down next to what is now Hobby Center. The restaurant had, as I remember, a huge semi-circle of glass windows looking out on the corner. Also, I remember a cafeteria next to the Alabama Theater that was called, I believe, Suzanne’s or Luanne’s. I remember it having a double automatic-turning display for the salads. As a child whose future was to be engineering, I was fascinated.

I consider anything past the ’60s as new. Having said that, let me also just list a couple of others for comments: Kelly’s Oyster Bar, San Jacinto Inn, Pier 21, Ming Palace (River Oaks Shopping Center), Matt Garner’s Bar-B-Que, Byron’s Bar-B-Que and LC Cafeteria (in a downtown basement). Thanks for the memories.

Richard Cook

Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing your memories. This story continues to be a favorite of our readers.

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