So, the Aardvark was perusing Lileks.com, looking at his diner postcards (I know, how can you dare consider keeping up with my fast-paced life! Blistering, it is.), and I was overcome with a dreadful case of the Wistfuls. I was seeing a bit of MY past. No, I had never been to a single one of those specific places, but I have certainly enjoyed their spiritual cousins. Pictured below is The Brandin' Iron Restaurant in Bennettsville, SC. I have eaten many a yummy meal there as a small child, and later as a young teen, I got my first Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine at their news stand. It was, as the name implies, a Western-style family restaurant, with Western appointments like steer horns, branding irons, and placemats with the branding codes. The upper image shows the restaurant. Fifties spacey-wacey glass and angles. It did not look like any of a thousand other restaurants. I miss this place. It was unique.
1 comment:
Reminds me of when I learned the Villa Capri in Austin had been torn down. When I was growing up, the Villa Capri was THE place for dining. It advertised itself as a hotel but was realistically more of a motel (albeit a nicely kept one). A restaurant featuring light fixtures which depicted sparkly evening stars, and convention facilities which were, at the time, unparalleled in the area (the first Armadillocons were held there).
Unfortunately it had the University of Texas for a neighbor. And, even more unfortunate, the University decided it needed an athletic practice field.
But I can still remember the shock when I learned the Villa Capri was gone. I would've sworn the State Capitol would sprout legs and walk to Kansas before that happened. That's how much of an institution the Villa Capri was.
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