Cleburne Cafeteria

Today was supposed to be a lucky day being a series of ones...1-11-11. It is also 11 years since my grandparents have been gone. Read on, there's a connection.

I had an offsite professional development day today that happened to be in the Bellaire area. Coincidentally, Nick (and Jeff) also had the day off, had visited a dental office that morning, and happened to not be far from the Bellaire area too! How'd that all work out!? He picked me up and we all met at the Cleburne Cafeteria, a Houston icon of which I'd never been a patron. I'm now their newest fan!

Teasting smells wafted around the curving line of customers waiting to make their selections. I knew I was in for a culinary treat. They had the old fashioned high chairs like the old Piccadilly's and Luby's had during my childhood. They were the ones that would smash the snot out of your fingers if you weren't careful, and might bonk your noggin if that got in the way as the tray came curving overhead. The very same ones! I couldn't believe it! The food selection was abundant and you could tell that each dish was fresh and homemade--even the salads. They had apricot halves in the fruit salad. An artichoke salad. Stuffed peppers that were huge mounds of goodness stuffed into red pepper halves. Only those who pay attention to detail and are mindful of quality stuff red pepper halves. Butternut squash for a side. Yum! I knew I'd be a return customer before I even made it to the side dishes!

We made our choices and neared the shelves of desserts. I nearly cried. I couldn't believe my eyes! They had the old egg custard cups like Luby's and Piccadilly's used to have. Tapioca with a tiny swirl of cream on top. Bread pudding that nearly took the entire loaf to make one serving! The generous portions were a sight to behold, but I could feel the love baked into these delicious creations. The desserts at Luby's now are truly disappointing. Lemon goo pie, chocolate goo pie, strawberry goo--no, not even strawberry goo, just red sugared goo pie, beige goo with meringue on top with a few plasticky coconut flakes to disguise the fact that it isn't coconut custard...and any combination of sponge cake and goo to hold it all together: these are the desserts of today. Mass produced without an ounce of love baked inside.

Our bread pudding today even had real custard sauce on top. Read custard--not goo! I could smooch the owners!

We found our table and were at least half the age of most customers. I just looked around in awe. Being at Cleburne's was a hugely nostalgic experience for me. The drink cart ladies meandered through the rows of tables. The glasses were the old, curvy cafeteria glasses. It seemed perfectly right to anticipate my Meema and Peepa to be approaching the end of the line. They'd be making their way to the table any moment now. It felt perfectly right, except they wouldn't be coming. They couldn't be coming. I felt their presence. Cleburne Cafeteria gave me much more than a meal. It gave me a taste of what a common family get-together delt like a quarter century ago. I came inside a grown woman, and left the doors a grown woman. But while I was inside, I was maybe six, it was after church on a Sunday afternoon, and everything looked, tasted, and felt the way it should have back then.