Papa's Place
Winnie, TX
Lunch
January 5, 2010
The Set-Up - When we left Houston Tuesday morning it was too early to eat lunch so we headed east toward home, planning to stop at Pappadeaux in Beaumont. But being hungry we only made it as far as Winnie, TX, about twenty miles short of Beaumont, where a billboard for Papa's Place, Steaks & Seafood, beckoned us. We should have kept driving.
The Meal - We looked at the sandwiches and plate lunches on the menu, but chose from the dinner side. I got the "delicacy" of fried frog legs, which aren't available at many restaurants. Kay chose her favorite filet mignon. Both were priced at $15.95, reasonable for dinner but pricey for lunch.
Unfortunately, the salads that came out before the meal turned out to be the highlight. As for the frog legs, while there may not have been anything wrong with them, I expected more than black pepper spice in the batter, which was also too thick. I was only able to finish about half. Kay's steak had too much gristle, especially for a cut sold as filet mignon, no matter how reasonable the price.
Drinks - Non-alcoholic drinks are the rule while we're on the road. My iced tea was too strong, but with a glass of ice water and an empty glass for blending, I was able to dilute it to drinkable status.
Ambience - Papa's was an east Texas tr
ip, for sure. The surprises started when the hostess asked whether we wanted smoking or non-smoking, a question we're never asked in Louisiana, and not often in Texas. We of course chose non-smoking, but I had to pass through the smoking area (the bar and a large dining room) to get to the restroom. The wooden structure and furnishing had been soaking up smoke for a long time, as the whole place smelled like an ashtray. Looming above the large dining room were hunting trophies - deer, elk, I'm not sure, but they were huge.
The restroom featured yet another surprise - humorously painted walls. You can get a feel for Papa's sense of humor from just a couple of photos.
Service - Not sterling. The waitress gave me a glass of water with no ice for blending down my iced tea. She asked if that was OK and then corrected the situation. It took two tries to get lemon for the frog legs.
The Check - Our expensive entrees drove the total tab to above $45, expensive for lunch. For about the same money we could have gotten a delicious meal of soft shell crabs at Pappadeaux. We'll know better next time.
The Scoreboard (one-to-five scale)
Food - two
Drinks - two (no high marks for iced tea that I had to dilute)
Ambience - two (for the smoke; the murals were kind of funny in an idiotic way)
Service - three (better than the food)
Price/Value - one (too much money spent on bad food; maybe cheaper menu choices would have been better, but we'll probably never find out)
Overall Assessment
Special Occasion
Favorite
Very Good
Good Enough
If Hungry Enough
Keep Driving and Looking (Obviously, the locals like this place a lot more than we did, given the size of the building.)
Other Issues - Winnie might be a restaurant wasteland. On a previous trip we ate at Al T's, which was recommended to us by an MD Anderson employee. It was better than Papa's Place, but not good enough for a return visit.
Hours of Operation
Kitchen:
Monday - Friday
11:00 am-10:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday
7:00 am - 10:00 pm
Bar:
Subject to extended hours
Note: No later than 2:00 am
2626 State Highway 124, Winnie, TX -
(409) 296-2240
Papa's Place
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