Dining at Miss Hattie's Restaurant and
Cathouse Lounge in San Angelo Texas is so enjoyable it should be
illegal. But since there is no such thing as too much fun it's
perfectly legal. You can munch on appetizers like Bacon Wrapped
Jalapenos, which are filled with cream cheese and offer just
enough bite in the crisply fried bite-sized morsels to be
delicious without scorching your tonsils. Or you can sample a
mixed appetizer plate with three different choices from their
special Texas Toothpicks, slivers of breaded onion and
jalapenos; Fried Zucchini; Hand dipped Onion Rings; or Fried Mushrooms all
served with a ranch dressing.
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| Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos |
Miss Hattie's Meatloaf |
For lunch you might choose Miss Hattie's
Meatloaf. I did and decided it should have been called
"meatlove." It was so good dripping its tomato rich topping and
accompanied by mashed potatoes and a veggie. If you are really
starving order the Chicken Fried Steak but be warned it more
than covers a big
plate with its tender crispy goodness.
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| Chicken Fried Steak |
The supper menu is more upscale from the
lunch one while lunch is more home-cooking. If you dine there
for supper, you could splurge with The Carpetbagger, a 21-day
aged rib eye stuffed with crab and topped with a red wine sauce.
If you don't want to go that far out, you could have one of
their New York strip steaks or a Surf and Turf special.
Whatever you do don't skip dessert. The
cheesecakes are beyond tasty ranging towards heavenly. The
Chocolate Kahlua was my favorite. But the Carmel Pecan and
Baklava give it a run for its money.
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| Three
special cheesecakes |
Brenda Gunter, the owner, is her own chef
and not only has created a fantastic menu but invented some
intriguing names. Such as some names for the dishes especially
the "Brothel Burgers" like "Hot as you can make it Mary" and
"XXX Burger" add a bit of local color. Her menu is a tasty cross
between West Texas and New York influences.
The wine menu is extensive or you can enjoy
a cocktail or beer. No matter which part of the restaurant you
din in, take a tour around to see the entire place. There is
quite a history and a interesting legend about it. This building
was once San Angelo National Bank.
The tin ceilings and brick wall in the main dining room
and the rock walls in the bar and adjourning rooms date back to
the late 1800s when the bank was built.
Be sure to go into the main dining room and tap on the
floor, there's a hollow sound near the center of the room.
This involves one of San Angelo's most interesting
legends.
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| Brenda Gunter shows where the
secret tunnel is located |
For years there were stories that back
around the turn of the century, farmers and ranchers would come
into town with their families in their buggies. The gentlemen
would part with the wives sending the ladies off to do their
shopping and the men would take cafe of their banking business.
The gentlemen would enter the bank and step down into the tunnel
leading to the basement of Miss Hattie's Bordello. Of course, it
was business of a sort. Money did change hands. After conducting
their business, the gentlemen returned through the tunnel to the
bank and rejoined the wives to have a fine dinner in town before
returning home.
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| Miss Hattie's Restaurant
and Cathouse Lounge was once an old bank |
When the Gunters were reworking the
building to open the restaurant they discovered that there
really was a tunnel under the floor. At present you can't go
into it. It's just neat knowing it is there and and how it was
once used.
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| Some of the decor at Miss
Hattie's Restaurant and Cathouse Lounge |
The entire restaurant, side rooms and bar
are decorated to fit the time when the brothel flourished.
Ladies clothing including "unmentionables" from the Victorian
era adorn the walls. Authentic jazz band instruments are mounted
on the bar walls. It's almost a museum and well as a restaurant.
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| Stepping into Miss Hattie's
Restaurant and Cathouse Lounge is like stepping into the
past |
The building has at least two spirits. A
visiting psychic and a local clergyman, Bishop Pfeifer, recently
retired bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo, are among those who
have felt the spirits there. Brenda
told us, "We always say late at night the ghosts come out and
the girls come down and play. The only thing
I require is that when
we open at 11am, the ghosts go back into the walls and the girls
go back upstairs."
For more info:
http://www.misshattiesrestaurant.com
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