A hometown dining adventure

Does this conversation ever happen at your house?  "Do you want to go out for lunch?"  "Yes, but where?" And do you often end up by default at tried and true local restaurants?

On a recent warm springlike day, my husband Wayne and I agreed that we were looking for a new dining adventure for lunch. A flyer had arrived with the morning newspaper, announcing a restaurant and bar in an older area of our home town of El Paso, Texas. The restaurant had the intriguing name of  "The Frutas Avenue Fraternal & Social Club."  

The Frutas Avenue Fraternal & Social Club

The location was part of a historic property that had been established in 1904 as a brewery and had changed owners (and products during Prohibition years) until closing in 1967 as the Falstaff Brewing Company. The flyer explained that the restaurant property was a remodel of a Falstaff VIP party property created as a mock German Village.

Mock German Village

The current restaurant description included a German Beer Garden, which was a patio with shade trees and hanging colored lights.

German Beer Garden

  

 

Outdoor Bar

I was especially interested in the history of the establishment.  And Wayne checked the menu carefully, especially the descriptions of daily plate lunch specials such as Grandma's Pot Roast, Stuffed Bell Peppers, and Homemade Meatloaf.  Sandwiches and desserts were also on the menu.  

We arrived at the restaurant about 1:00 pm on a Monday. Wayne fortunately got the last available plate of pot roast with vegetables, bread and dessert.  My choice was the vegetarian sandwich. We ate a quiet lunch indoors.

Indoor restaurant

Conversations with the owner and an employee reflected a vision of what they intended the Frutas Avenue Club to be - a quiet, welcoming place (no music allowed) with home style food and friendly service.  The free pool table in a back room would be perfect to entertain a bored teenager.

Pool table in former Starting Cellar

I have already "liked" the establishment on Facebook so that we will receive future messages about the twice monthly barbecue offerings in the patio. And we will return on one of El Paso's picture perfect summer evenings. sit in the patio with a glass of iced tea, and solve life's problems with stimulating company and conversation.