Some of you will remember DaveR who posted to this group a while back.
He's the owner and cook at Ranchman's Cafe in Ponder, TX. Bobby Flay
did a Food Nation segment with him. The dish was chicken fried steak,
and Dave spashed a chunk of beef on Flay while pounding the steak with
a huge wooden mallet. I loved it. I've also eaten there. So have a
couple of other rfc regulars. Here's a link to the Web site:
http://www.ranchman.com/

The Dallas Morning News today reports that Dave's place is about to
expand. It'll be the the first renovation of the 58-year-old
restaurant since a previous owner added indoor plumbing in 1978. (!)
Dave plans to add nearly 5,000 square feet to the existing structure.
Improvements will include adding a butcher shop to the restaurant
services he already offers. Also in the works is an outdoor area with
a playground for kids and a rose garden.

As a fan of the steaks, pies, and iced tea at the Ranchman's, I'm
excited at the news. It'll be the best thing for Ponder since indoor
plumbing.
--

modom

http://www.koyote.com/users/modom/home.html

modom (palindrome guy) said...

> As a fan of the steaks, pies, and iced tea at the Ranchman's, I'm
> excited at the news. It'll be the best thing for Ponder since indoor
> plumbing.


modom,

That's good news. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm deep in the heart
of Texas!

I imagine in the beginning they just plum didn't have the money for the
"osa"? LOL!

Good luck to the place. Expansion is always a good thing!

Andy

"modom (palindrome guy)" <moc.etoyok@modom> wrote in message
...
> Some of you will remember DaveR who posted to this group a while back.
> He's the owner and cook at Ranchman's Cafe in Ponder, TX. Bobby Flay
> did a Food Nation segment with him. The dish was chicken fried steak,
> and Dave spashed a chunk of beef on Flay while pounding the steak with
> a huge wooden mallet. I loved it. I've also eaten there. So have a
> couple of other rfc regulars. Here's a link to the Web site:
> http://www.ranchman.com/
>
> The Dallas Morning News today reports that Dave's place is about to
> expand. It'll be the the first renovation of the 58-year-old
> restaurant since a previous owner added indoor plumbing in 1978. (!)
> Dave plans to add nearly 5,000 square feet to the existing structure.
> Improvements will include adding a butcher shop to the restaurant
> services he already offers. Also in the works is an outdoor area with
> a playground for kids and a rose garden.
>
> As a fan of the steaks, pies, and iced tea at the Ranchman's, I'm
> excited at the news. It'll be the best thing for Ponder since indoor
> plumbing.
> --
>
> modom
>
> http://www.koyote.com/users/modom/home.html

I had forgotten about this place. Haven't been there since I was a student
a UNT (back then it was NTSU). Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to get
back there soon.

bd

On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:24:54 -0600, Andy <q> wrote:

>modom (palindrome guy) said...
>
>> As a fan of the steaks, pies, and iced tea at the Ranchman's, I'm
>> excited at the news. It'll be the best thing for Ponder since indoor
>> plumbing.

>That's good news. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm deep in the heart
>of Texas!
>
Not the heart -- Ponder's way north, not far from Denton. But it
wouldn't be at all wrong to say that the Ranchman's Cafe is deeply
Texan. So yes, in the heart.

>I imagine in the beginning they just plum didn't have the money for the
>"osa"? LOL!

OSA? You mean ****oir? The funny thing for me is the fact that I ate
pie there numerous time when I was a student back during the Nixon
administration and didn't even know they didn't have indoor
facilities. If you'd ever seen the size of their iced tea glasses,
that'd be funny to you, too.

As I understand it, the restaurant was originally just an offshoot of
a little country store. Over the years, cooking gradually replaced
selling cans of tuna and such till there was no store left by the time
I first got there in 1970 or 71. I guess the plumbing came late
because the transition was so gradual.
>
>Good luck to the place. Expansion is always a good thing!
>
Not always, but in this case, I believe Dave will do it right. He's
worked there since before the plumbing got moved inside and has a deep
sense of the place's spirit. (That didn't exactly come out right, did
it?) Anyhow, Dave knows and appreciates the rough little gem he has
in his restaurant. I'm confident he won't gitchie it up with his
improvement plans. Frank Gehry will not be involved in the design.
The butcher shop is a nice idea. He already butchers his own beef,
and I'm told he sells meat to the locals already, too.
--

modom

http://www.koyote.com/users/modom/home.html

On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:50:05 -0600, "bd" > wrote:
>
>I had forgotten about this place. Haven't been there since I was a student
>a UNT (back then it was NTSU). Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to get
>back there soon.
>
>bd
>
I'm a UNT alumnus, too. I had a wheezy old '58 VW bug that my friends
and I would drive to Ponder for pie on occasion. We couln't afford
the steaks back then. Last time I was there was the summer of 2004. I
had a hefty slab of steer to celebrate my birthday. They don't sell
beer or wine at Ranchman's, but you can BYO, which I did -- a big
rambunctious Zinfandel.

Incidentally, Dave's also an alumnus of UNT.

TI, eh? You must be in Dallas.
--

modom

http://www.koyote.com/users/modom/home.html

"modom (palindrome guy)" <moc.etoyok@modom> wrote:

> Anyhow, Dave knows and appreciates the rough little gem he has
> in his restaurant. I'm confident he won't gitchie it up with his
> improvement plans.

I hope so, too. He surely does deserve any success coming his way. His
steaks were well worth driving for 1.5 hours (one way).

If you go up there to eat at Ranchman's Cafe, do please say hello to
Dave and Norma from me.

> Frank Gehry will not be involved in the design.

Thank God for small favours. We've got enough of Gehry's design in
Düsseldorf already.

Victor

modom (palindrome guy) said...

>>I imagine in the beginning they just plum didn't have the money for the
>>"osa"? LOL!
>
> OSA? You mean ****oir? The funny thing for me is the fact that I ate
> pie there numerous time when I was a student back during the Nixon
> administration and didn't even know they didn't have indoor
> facilities. If you'd ever seen the size of their iced tea glasses,
> that'd be funny to you, too.


I was thinking Ponderosa, that they couldn't afford the lettering!!!

Good background info snipped for brevity.

Thanks,

Andy

On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:24:54 -0600, Andy <q> wrote:

>That's good news. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm deep in the heart
>of Texas!

*clapclapclapclap*

serene
--
"I can't decide if I feel more like four ten-year-olds or ten four-year-olds." Laurie Anderson , on turning 40.

http://serenejournal.livejournal.com