Another Burger, In Another Time

We are a busy family.  It seems like every time we try to get together, one branch or another of our tree is going madly off in all directions: this weekend alone, we had people driving cross-country; people attending a Church conference; and people moving into a brand-new home.  Summertime, and the living is busy.

With our numbers depleted, and all of us feeling a little overwhelmed by the perpetual churn of activities, we decided to take a small step back, into a simpler era.  This month, we followed old Highway 90 south, to Rosenberg, where we sampled the charms of Another Time Soda Fountain and Cafe.

Another Time is an old-fashioned, small-town restaurant, in what used to be the central business district of Rosenberg.  There's not much business left in the business district: the storefronts closest to Another Time are all occupied by antique shops and gift emporiums, and further down the street, it's Little Mexico, nothing but yerberias and shops selling religious curios.  The once-bustling Rosenberg railroad station, right across F Street from Another Time, is now a museum.  These days, the freight trains rumble through without stopping, and the business gets done on US 90, an endless string of charmless, mostly vacant strip malls, fast food joints and tumbledown resale shops.

Another Time is an oasis.  The main dining area, with its long, hardwood counter and pressed tin ceiling, is straight out of "It's A Wonderful Life".  The wait staff is unfailingly friendly and energetic, and completely comfortable accommodating a large group.

Now THIS is Old-Timey!

 The walls are decorated with all sorts of mementos, from vintage photos of bygone Rosenberg to train memorabilia to old movie posters to framed newspapers declaring "Victory In Europe" to old advertising signs.  The place fairly drips with nostalgia.

Did you know that in the 1920s, Babe Ruth starred in three feature length films?  That's the same number as Shaquille O'Neal!

 

It's a safe bet that Cream O' Wheat won't be bringing back this ad campaign anytime soon.  Sheesh!

It's all very nice, but as the man said, you can't eat scenery. 

"Enough yappin', man -- get to the burgers!"

First the positives: those who ordered shakes from the soda fountain were very, very pleased: 

The burgers were 1/2 pound patties on a perfectly toasted bun (the buns appeared to come from the bakery next door).  The fixin's -- tomato, HUGE wedge of dill pickle, onion and lettuce -- were all very fresh and very tasty.  The fries were crispy, hot, and well-salted.

The burger, you ask?  It was fine.  A tad dry, but good enough.  The toasted bun and the generous helping of pickle compensated for the overcooked meat.  That's not really the point.  

"Whaddaya mean, 'that's not the point'?  I came to EAT!"

This wasn't the best burger we've sampled.  It was far from the worst (I'm talking to you, Live Oak Grill).  And it was so nice. We had a good meal, in a lovely setting, and for a little while, we enjoyed a time and place when everything wasn't so pressured, so demanding, so busy.  

The Clean Plate Ranger strikes again!

Another Time was exactly what we needed.

Lynda offers her thoughts:

I enjoyed our visit to Another Time in Rosenberg.  The atmosphere was quaint and comfortable, the wait stuff was attentive but not intrusive, and the burger had a lot of flavor, as did the onion rings.  My only complaint was that the diet limeade was very watery and not super cold, and for $3, it was not money well spent.  I would like to go back to this place as it is relaxed and peaceful and friendly.

Sarah, a small town girl at heart, felt right at home: 

Enjoyed our journey to Rosenberg.  Loved the 1940-1950 atmosphere.  The burger was big and a little dry, but good.  The fries were good.  I wished that I had ordered a shake.  Oh well! All in all it was fun and good. 

Erin loved the whole Wayback Machine feel of it all:

I wanted to add my thoughts of our last burger excursion.  Sorry for the delay.  I simply forgot!  

I loved the orange dreamsicle shake and became quite giddy over the ambiance.  The old timey look and feel sang to me and put a genuine smile on my face.  The burger, however, did not.  It was okay and if I was really hungry and tired from a long drive, it would have been satisfying.  After enjoying some of our previous burgers, this one was a bit dry and lacked flavor.  It is a good large size yet disappointing in the actual tasting.  The fries were also weak.  I like crisp and salty fries not limp ones.

But, there are other food items I am willing to try.  Why? Because I love the place, the vintage pictures, the soda fountain, and the small town it is located in.  No one to impress, just a good time to be had, enjoying a simpler time at " Another Time".