Houlihan's

Houlihan's? No clue! I'm thinking it was on San Antonio's River Walk. Fill in the gaps if you can.

Coors Light

Matches made from the fresh sulfur of Golden Colorado... given that my favorite State (after Texas) is being carried to hell in a handbasket in the grips of imported Californians. John Galt obviously moved away. Maybe he resides in Shiner, now.

Catfish Kitchen

Catfish Kitchen may be long gone, but I bet Top of the River in Vicksburg is still around serving the best fried cat in the South. Salmon just doesn't cut it for me.

Draught Horse

Is it Draught House or Draught Horse? I can't recall. Are there two? I hung out at the Gingerman, myself. But, that's because I lived downtown.

Chilympiad

God bless the Republic that honors Chili with its own annual Olympic-style event!

Victoria Station

Another place that I vaguely recall, but I think its long gone.

Capital Oyster Company

Oysters?... blich! Maybe fried, but certainly not raw. A friend once advised me not to eat 'filters' and that certainly applies to a creature who lives off the Gulf Coast processing effluent. If I need to eat my seafood uncooked, make it sushi. But, hey that's just me. Pass the hush puppies!

Party

And I'm sure it was.

Birraporetti's

Italian restaurant and Irish bar. I dont think I appreciated the dichotomy of Birraporetti's prior to discovering Pasta Bella and Buca di Beppo and Biddy McGraw's.

SXSW 1995

This one's a one off, marketing some event associated with South By Southwest Music Festival, 1995. When I was a proxy employee of Celis Brewery, a major sponsor of SXSW in those years, we got free badges for the the the 10 day festival, including admission to the opening Convention. It was always a blast. We met some great poeple, heard fantastic bands, drank lots of good beer, and collected a lot of free crap like this matchbook.

Arkansas Razorbacks

"Go Hogs Go!" Note, I only say such a thing from the distant security of Oregon, where I'd cheer for a moody, hackled, buck-toothed pig anyday over a duck or a beaver. No disrespect to my Texas friends and my alma mater, but you must admit its a cool matchbook. Kudos to the dedicated supporter who distributed this gem, if The Grant County Bank still exists. Its probably another Chase branch.

Breckenridge Brewery

Its not always about Texas. Sometimes it's about Summit County, Colorado. And that some time is getting to be about now/ Who wouldn't want to be sitting in Breckenridge Brewery on a cold Friday night, drinking an Avalanche Ale waiting on a quiet sunrise and that first slow lift ride to the top of Peak 9.

Villa Capri

This is Classic! I didn't even know I had a matchbook from the old Villa Capri Hotel. For those who can't recall, this was no 'no-tell motel.' This historic Hotel remained a classy classic respite along I-35 up until it closed in 1988; throw-back to a time when a family dined together in their Coronet Wagon at the Nighthawk Drive-inn, and then caught the latest feature flick outdoors at Showtown USA. I can't recall what was put in its place, but whatever it is, its certainly no replacement.

Laff Stop

Before there was Comedy Central, there was 'real' comedy on a living Circuit. Cable fabricated ugly reprobates like Bill Maher. The Circuit created geniuses like Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Bill Hicks and places like the Laff Stop was where you heard them first, live.

Mad Dog & Bean's

No recollections at all of Mad Dog & Beans. Then again, I was only a kid when I started this collection and there will be items along this journey with which I had little or no experience. Sometimes my Sisters gave me matchbooks. Often times I just strolled into a place and asked for a pack. Funny how no one ever questioned giving matches to a 10 year old, certainly not a place called "Mad Dog...". On my first visit to San Antonio's Riverwalk, I must have come home with 30 items that way, but never experienced a single establishment first hand. That's the condundrum of collecting. Is it about the collecting? ... or the recollecting?!

Sullivan's

Good steak, great martini! That's all I remember of Sullivan's.

Dick's... Last Resort

"You can't kill a man born to hang." Oh the adolescent innuendo... Funny that I have a book of matches from the Dallas location, when I have only eaten at the Chicago location. Be sure to print your own copy of the survey and send it in. See if the tight wad Dick is still working on his book.

Southpoint

Expensive seafood, great location. That's all I remember. I don't think its still around, is it?

Shiner

One of the five pillars of old Rocky Top... Jax and Lone Star (in tin cans), Miller in its signature clear bottle, Schlitz and Shiner. 12 or so years later and in college they started brewing something called Boch under that signature yellow label and it was pretty darned good. But, because it was 'Shiner' and not Bud, MGD, or Becks, stores couldn't give it away, even at $1.99 a six pack. But, I loved it enough to suffer the ridicule for drinking "that dark cheap swill." Soon it was a legend, common in the hands of every party-goer and sixth-streeter in Central Texas. That was before the brew pubs opened, Celis moved in and a new legend was born. 24 years later, the brew pub fad fades, Celis is gone... gunned down like Roy Bean at a minstrel show, buried and forgotten. Wine is the sign of our time. But Shiner is still around. The Boch recipe has change, dumbed down liked most industrial beer, surviving on a legend that turned a sleepy little town down around San Anton', into a tourist destination. You can still find that yellow label all over the Country on the shelves of the specialty stores. And your lucky if you pay less than $9.99 for a six pack here in Oregon. As for Rocky Top... its still there. But, it rests on no pillars... only a cracked, aged slab covered by dusty, rusted blue tin waiting on the return of a legend that may be too far beyond reach.

Waco Elite Cafe

Oh, I've survived "the Circle." More importantly, I've survived Waco. Not everyone can say that. Apparently not even the old cirle 'Cafe.' It's now the Elite Circle Grille.

West Lynn Cafe

The other West L-nn! But in Austin, it's a street and a place not a town and was home to one of the best vegan eateries around. Well at least it was when I lived in Clarksville. Then again, I'm not a vegan so I can't say for sure, but if a tyrranosaur like me liked the green cuisine, it must've been good, I figure.

Chuy's

In a place awash with many wonderous flavors of one of the world's greatest cuisine's, Chuy's is both a Tex-Mex and an Austin legend. Oops! Pardon me, I'm salivating on my salmon, dreaming of a spicy chicken flauta.

Double Door

Not all of my matchbook memories are from Texas. The Double Door probably should be on Austin's Sixth Street, but its not. Wicker Park in Chicago is home to this famous bar. If you have seen Wicker Park, or High Fidelity, or had the pleasure of going 'Round the Coyote, you know this place. For me the Double Door was the source of a few fond Friday night memories.

Astroworld / Waterworld

Since I will be away for the next several days, I thought it appropriate to post this double matchbook entry. Who could forget Astroworld?! It was dream destination for every Texas kid, to be put ..."in the middle of fun." It's a timely tribute, since we're heading out to visit a contemporary Water Park Amusement Resort... Great Wolf Lodge. In 2010 the Tribes have figured it out. Why gamble money away from the hands of adults, when you can extricate it more effectively from the wallet through the fingers of their children. I must admit, I prefer experiencing a waterslide with my kids to playing the odds of dollar slots any day. Give credit, where credit is due. Six Flags mastered the art of wholesome thrill entertainment long before and after anyone else... except maybe Disney! But that's another Matchbook.