The slot car place was named the Chequered Flag. It was open in 66 or 67 by Truett and Judy Allen. Truett was the son of Mr Allen who worked at 1st Nat'l Bank.

Ah, Chicken Basket. That's the name of it. Really good fried chicken, too.

Taco Burgers at Pepe's Taco - they are still open.

Pancho's Mexican Restaurant - churros were great.

I read that Texadelphia built a new building, which makes sense, seeing as the building is uniform unlike Chicken Basket and the former Northgate Athletic Club. But if Burger Boy was in both of the storefronts to the left of Chicken Basket, that means that those buildings were just extensively renovated, because I read on the Internet somewhere that Texadelphia was next to Burger Boy. I'm guessing that Logan's took over BOTH Texadelphia [later, briefly a sub shop] AND Burger Boy. Then the "fight with the city" involved the rent hikes in the early 2000s, which took out a number of other restaurants in the area (Nipa Hot).

Very odd.

[This message has been edited by PS3D (edited 1/30/2013 12:28p).]

When my mom moved here back in 1980 something, there was a Christmas Store where Advanced Auto is on Harvey that later became a bar that held sand volleyball tournaments, in 1990 something, at the corner of Rock Prairie and Highway 6, I watched the Olympic Torch run by and that intersection was a cow filled field. I, at one time, remember a sporting goods store in Bryan in the same complex where Blinn used to be, there used to be a bar called The Excaliber Club that had a free taco bar on friday nights...more to come as my memory brings it on...

I thought the bar with a sand volleyball court was the place that was torn down to build Rudy's.

[This message has been edited by Aggiephil (edited 1/31/2013 11:00p).]

That place was called Sneakers

Was the Gattiland in Bryan (don't know when it opened, mid-1990s, replaced Rolling Thunder?) originally an Ardan catalog showroom? I swear I read that somewhere.

PS3D - yes it was Ardan's. I loved that store (not sure why...I guess because they had a little bit of everything). I also loved the Service Merchandise we had!

I still have a raggedy old radio in the garage I bought from Ardan in the mid 80s.

Ah yes, the Cow Pie & fries. I rarely ate out, but when I did I went there. At A&M from 80-85. [Yes, the 5 year plan]

I did go to the Q-huts a few times for mixers. Lots of air guitar players I believe.

Anyone remember when North Gate was called biscuit gate?

Ok, I laughed

you probably shouldn't have, it was pretty terrible

Some of the Chicken Basket-Fatburger confusion comes from the fact that the stores fronted onto Patrica, not Church. And, that those buildings were razed as part of building the Promenade.

It was after they sued CoCS that Fatburger moved into the building there fronting on Second, next to Church, and behind 303 College Main, which had been rebuilt about the same time.

The Bryan Gattiland was already one in 1978. It was at Villa Maria and Texas. It became China Garden (I think), before being razed for a gas station/convenience store. Which was razed to become the Walgreens.

I want to remember that Sneakers put in the sand volleyball after Top Gun came out (and the semi-concurrent 'craze' for such sport). When that fizzled is when it became a Christmas Store. My memory wants to put us where AutoZone is now, but it could have been where Sonic & Ruby's stand now. But, in thinking about it, Ozona probably stands where Sneakers used to.

The sporting goods store was where TOPS is now. It was Twin City or Triple C; can't remember which. They actually started out under the Moose over across from Oil Co. They left the moose when they moved. Bill Lassiter moved in after that, and hung the "Outfitters" sign.

Bill Weisman's shop was next door, where the resale shop is/was. That is until all the road construction annoyed Weissman enough to move his shop out on 6 in front of Indian Lakes Gun Range (on Cherokee, nothing to do with the Subdivision).

After Lassiter's troubles, Eddie Sullivan moved into Outfitters and made it a going proposition.

The Sporting goods store actually reconstituted and moved in next to Outfitters, but picked bad timing, with the number of catalog stores in town.

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Standing guard, even sitting behind a desk

Occupational hazard of my occupation just not being around

Except it was burger boy that sued the COCS, not fat burger.

China Garden and the gas station at Villa Maria and Harvey Mitchell DID co-exist. China Garden was facing toward Dellwood.

I've read a lot about Cow Hop, but who remembers when Cow Hop Junction (a spin-off owned by the same people--it also served steaks, something the Northgate location apparently didn't) was in Culpepper Plaza?

Weingarten's too has been talked about, but it survived up until 1992 as an AppleTree (not the downtown one, that one closed in '86).

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China Garden and the gas station at Villa Maria and Harvey Mitchell DID co-exist. China Garden was facing toward Dellwood.

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Villa Maria and Texas Ave.

Whoops, my bad. But they were at the same place at the same time.

Cashion Cain, also branded as Cashion Cain: The Christmas Store, was definately there before Sneakers, but also briefly after, iirc.

Some random stuff I remember that I didn't see mentioned...

In the downtown Bryan area - 3rd Floor Cantina, Stafford Opera House, VERY random place called Java City, Square One restaurant, Clementine's (which later became Madden's), Earth Art (which may still be there).

College Station - J.D. Wells (bar in Woodstone), Extreme Nightclub (became The Salty Dog, might have been something else in between, out there off Wellborn near Cafe Eccel), M & M Grill (only place with delivery gyros), Confuscious on Tx Ave/Brentwood, had an amazing cheap lunch buffet/special. $3.75 or something, Imperial chinese right next to it, which was awesome for a long time and then it wasn't, When Cinemark Movies 16 was being built and I worked there for the grand opening, everything was flourescent and Front Roe Joe and his pals were EVERYwhere, we had to wear neon plastic bowties and aprons in concessions. When Sweet Eugene's opened and police were always at Gumby's next door sniffing around the stoner staff who worked the late late shift (think they were open as late as 3am sometimes). Half Price Books was in a rambling dusty old house/shop on the Bryan side of Tx Ave, past University next to or near Jose's. It was perfect and musty complete with a resident old cat. More as it comes to me...

yesss my favorite thread is back

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Some random stuff I remember that I didn't see mentioned...

In the downtown Bryan area - 3rd Floor Cantina, Stafford Opera House, VERY random place called Java City, Square One restaurant, Clementine's (which later became Madden's), Earth Art (which may still be there).

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Yeah, EarthArt is still there.

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Confuscious on Tx Ave/Brentwood, had an amazing cheap lunch buffet/special. $3.75 or something,

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Explains why that was my family's to-go spot after dinner. The food was much, much better than the stuff at the buffets now.

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When Cinemark Movies 16 was being built and I worked there for the grand opening, everything was flourescent and Front Roe Joe and his pals were EVERYwhere, we had to wear neon plastic bowties and aprons in concessions.

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I remember that. Prior to the renovation, the exterior was neon pink and green...very '90s.

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When Sweet Eugene's opened and police were always at Gumby's next door sniffing around the stoner staff who worked the late late shift (think they were open as late as 3am sometimes).

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The Gumby's bumpers are still there. I think they moved in the late 1990s?

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Half Price Books was in a rambling dusty old house/shop on the Bryan side of Tx Ave, past University next to or near Jose's. It was perfect and musty complete with a resident old cat. More as it comes to me...

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The building is still there, it's now home of the Mac-Resource Center (which used to be at Dodge and College Avenue). It had a ramp that went to the back room, and the thing about the ramp was that there was a foot-high step there. The ramp's still there, but you can't get to it: it's employees only.

Great thread. I moved to Bryan at 4 in 1971 and left after graduation in 1989. Tons of memories here. How about Ptarmigan Club? When I started going there, my Dad thought I was nuts. That theater in Manor East is where I saw Star Wars for the first time and The Wall at midnight. The Texan is where I got to go have a steak when I turned 12. I stayed at the old Ramada by myself when I was 10, ordered blackened red fish in the restaurant and talked to my little sister the rest if the time. While at A&M, I worked at what was the original Holiday Inn (Bryan Inn by then) and became a private dorm. Tons of change.

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How about Ptarmigan Club? When I started going there, my Dad thought I was nuts.

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It's still in business. A family friend is one of the bartenders there.

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It was perfect and musty complete with a resident old cat.

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Schrodinger, the Russian Blue.

there was a 7-11 at Anderson and Holleman, I believe. It served gas too.

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The Texan is where I got to go have a steak when I turned 12. I stayed at the old Ramada by myself when I was 10, ordered blackened red fish in the restaurant and talked to my little sister the rest if the time. While at A&M, I worked at what was the original Holiday Inn (Bryan Inn by then) and became a private dorm. Tons of change.

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Only went to The Texan once: to celebrate my 21st birthday with my family. I remember before it closed Don Adam actually did some TV commercials for them. In retrospect, I guess the need for any advertising was a bad sign.

The old Holiday Inn was already The Forum by the time I moved here in '94. I remember an old Boys State buddy was a resident there. It's back to being a hotel that advertises as being in College Station.

And who could forget The Plaza (nee University Tower, nee Ramada)? What a waste of prime real estate because of crappy owners. But, it's being redeveloped and will hopefully thrive. If nothing else, it gave us a heck of an implosion. There was also the Chevron on that same corner.

Ramada was really nice in the 70s though.

One more is the Longhorn Tavern way up in north Bryan. Great CFS. Beer wrapped with a napkin. It was a shock when I went back and the place was leveled. Does anyone know what happened?

Longhorn is alive and well. It's in downtown Bryan behind the tax office.

I've eaten in restaurants all over the world, several of them so called 5 star and ungodly expensive, but I can honestly say that the TEXAN was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. It was an unreal treat hidden in an old building one would take for a dive. It was only moderately expensive but the menu was world class. The Vietnamese ( Num Nuc or something like that) salad made table side still ranks as the best salad Ive ever eaten.
I believe the place was owned by a military guy who had traveled the world and developed the menu. I hope someone on here could tell the entire story behind this long gone Brazos Valley jewel.

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There was also the Chevron on that same corner.

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And before that, it was a Gulf.

Original AG 76: Texas Monthly published a story on it in the early '70s. The restaurant closed around 2000.

Great article. Miss The Texan. My wife and I celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries there in the 1990s.

I heard it closed cause the owner died. I'm sure someone in these parts knows the story of why it's gone.