RE: Daily Dose of Sultnpapper 10/16/18> “Will Eat BBQ 4 U” Vol. 12 Strack’s Family Restaurant & BBQ, Klein, TX.
I remember Mom's Restaurant. It was north of Moses Lake (the lake) but still in Moses Lake, the town.
Built in the 50's when the area was just starting to take off due to irrigation water arriving from Grand Coulee Dam. It was out near where you turned to go to the Air Base, which survived WWII closures and became a SAC base, with B-52s and Titian ICBMs in the command. Times were pretty good for a Mom and Pop restaurant.
The base closed in 1962 (I remember. My Dad and Grandfather and I went to the closing ceremony) and the whole area went into a pretty bad tailspin.
Fast forward to 1975 or there abouts. My brother and I had discovered Mom's Restaurant. By the time we found out about it Mom (and Dad) were pretty old, but still running the restaurant with only a couple of waitresses for help at breakfast. Breakfast and lunch only, they were open until the 'special' of the day ran out and they headed home.
That special was. Special. Randy and I tried to meet there at least a couple times a week for lunch. The only time I ordered off the menu was when the special was liver and onions. Then I'd have a CBB (cheese burger basket) cooked by Dad. Otherwise I'd eat what Mom had. And you better be hungry. It was served on a platter and was a full meal with lots of meat and potatoes and vegetables. If you didn't clean your plate Mom would give you hell (and I don't mean sorta) and accuse you of not liking what they cooked.
They fought like a cat and a dog sometimes, and weren't a bit shy. We walked in one day and there were only about 3 people in the place which was really abnormal. Turns out that Mom had picked up a cleaver and threatened to alter Dad's skull. The police had been called and they both promised on their honor that they were done.
I did not care, long as they were still serving. We ate in what could only be described as a tense situation. But the food was as good as ever :) Some time in the early 80s Dad died. (Randy and I always wondered if Mom might have had a hand in that). The restaurant closed and it just wasn't all that long and a K Mart was there. Turns out they had come to Moses Lake to try their hand at farming and bought a shitty unit (that was cheap) and realized they couldn't possibly make a living farming it. That's when the restaurant was built. They held the unit while the town grew around them and when Dad died Mom sold and headed off for the Caribbean. At least that was the story.
I miss that place yet today.
And about that base, Larsen Air Force Base. After it closed the gumment sold lots of the housing. Randy bought a 3 bedroom place and had it moved for less that 10k. Anyway, it was maybe 10 years until Boeing moved all their ice testing there. Good access to the Cascade Mountains and continuous icing conditions with the warm wet air blowing off the Pacific. The 747 (and all subsequent models) were tested there which led to the Concorde being tested there, so we got to see the Concorde before it was air worthy.
Today, JAL (Japan Air Lines) does all their jet training there, Boeing still has a huge presence and the whole base is at 100% business occupancy. It's an incredible economic generator and probably has caused the population to increase about 200%. A 20,000 ft concrete runway that was a designated Shuttle Landing area will do that for you.
JAL is incredibly active in the community. The Little League complex where the State Tournament is held every year is part of a park donated by JAL. The Olympic grade swimming pool is from JAL, and other stuff. Japanese language is offered at the High School.
Sounds like Mom's was quite the place, and she was quite the character. JAL might as well take care of the community and invest in it, between the Japs and the Chicon's they damn near own everything here as it is and so they should invest in the communities.