Monday, November 11, 2013

Club Schmitz: Serving Dallas Good Food and Beer for over Fifty Years!



       On Saturday morning, Jessica took the boys to Charlie's first basketball practice.  While they were gone, I relaxed at the house and pondered what I'd like to do for the rest of the day.  As always, I was in the mood for good food, but couldn't quite decide on a location for lunch.  By the time the family got home, I'd still not made up my mind, but piled the family into the car and headed out anyway.  Then, after a few minutes on the road, it hit me: Club Schmitz.

       Located at 9661 Denton Drive in Dallas, Club Schmitz has been around since 1946 and looks like it.  Having  driven past it countless times in my workday travels, and having heard nothing but good stories about their hamburgers,  I've always wanted to stop and give it a try, but knowing that it wouldn't look good to have my City of Dallas truck parked outside a bar, I've always passed on stopping.

        But on Saturday morning, in my own car and with my family, I still had reservations.  I'd never been inside Club Schmitz and wasn't sure if it was appropriate to bring my boys, so Jessica called my parents and asked if they would watch the boys for a few hours.  My parents readily agreed and I turned my car toward their house.  As for the boys being cut out of our lunch plans, they showed their feelings by loudly proclaiming "Yay!" when told that they would be spending time with their Grandmother and Paw Paw.

 
       Within an hour, I pulled into the gravel parking lot of Club Schmitz and parked in the back.  Jessica had never heard of Club Schmitz and since I had never been inside and wasn't sure of what to expect, I said to her as we walked to the door "Remember, I've never been here before."

 
       I can't say for sure what I was expecting to see when we went inside, but it was exactly what I should have expected.  Club Schmitz is an old bar that features a juke box, sports pennants and neon beer signs, a pool table, tables and chairs and booths, a bar, a kitchen, and a friendly waitress and bartender.  There is no smoking in Club Schmitz, just as in every other bar in Dallas, but it's obvious from the walls that there was lots of smoking in there over the years.  We fell in love with the place right away.

 
       We took a booth in sight of the television so that we could watch the Texas Tech football game, and ordered a pitcher of beer.  We were in the mood for something light, so we got a pitcher of Budweiser Select.  I'd never had it before, and it wasn't bad for a light American beer.

       Next, we looked over the menu and ordered our food. 

       I had a bacon cheeseburger with jalapenos and an order of large fries.  I got the burger with mustard and it came with lettuce, tomato, chopped onions, and pickles.  It was a good burger, no doubt, but what really stood out was the bacon.  I gave Jessica a bite and she'll back me up on this: the bacon is the best we've ever had.  It was thick cut, cooked to crispy perfection, and had just the right salty flavor.  It was delicious!

       Jessica had a regular cheeseburger with mayonnaise instead of mustard, and immediately after tasting the bacon on my burger she regretted not also getting the bacon on her cheeseburger.  For a side, she chose tater-pops, which were similar to tater-tots but the potatoes were mixed with bits of jalapeno and cheese.  They came with a side of ranch dressing.  They were good and went well with the burgers.

 
       While we were in Club Schmitz, we noticed a few families with children.  I'm not sure about later in the evening, but at one in the afternoon on a Saturday, it seemed perfectly acceptable to have children in there.  Jessica and I agreed that there will probably be a day when we eat lunch at Club Schmitz with Charlie and Van in tow.  There's a chicken strip basket on the menu that has their name written all over it.

       Including a tip for the waitress, our bill came to about $29.00, and for that price Jessica and I left full and happy.  I was happy to have finally given Club Schmitz a try and even happier to find that I loved their food---especially the bacon.  It felt good to eat in a place that has stood the test of time for over fifty years.  It felt like participating in a little bit of Dallas history.

       Club Schmitz is a cool place to eat!  I recommend that you give it a try!

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