Kim Son Restaurant

Interviewers: Sherri Sheu and Andrew Gansky
Location: Kim Son Restaurant 2001 Jefferson St., Houston, Texas 77003

This interview for the Texas Iconic Restaurant Oral History project was produced in collaboration with the Department of American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, and the Texas Restaurant Association. Field Notes by Andrew Gansky.

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Born in Vietnam, Kim Su Tran La (Mama La), her husband, and their seven children, arrived in Houston in 1980 as refugees of the Vietnam War.

Armed with her extensive knowledge of Vietnamese cooking, which was passed down to her from her mother-in-law, Mama La managed to memorize over 250 recipes before opening the first KIM SON Restaurant in Vietnam. The original KIM SON was located in Vinh Long, before it was eventually closed due to the communist takeover in Vietnam. Today, Mama La’s talent in the kitchen has paved the way for the KIM SON Restaurant Group to grow to four full-service restaurants, three banquet facilities, and four food court outlets throughout the Houston area.

 
 

Tao La of Kim Son Restaurant Interview Transcript

Part I

Part II

Blanco Bowling Club Cafe

Interviewers: Kathryn Sutton, Nick Roland
Location: Blanco Bowling Club Café - Blanco, Texas

This interview for the Texas Iconic Restaurant Oral History project was produced in collaboration with the Department of American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, and the Texas Restaurant Association. Project Director: Elizabeth Engelhardt , Field Notes by Nick Roland.

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“ My family wasn’t big into bowling, but I started out as a pin setter and of course every time after we had a little break or little spare time in the evening when we were through.

Roland Bental, who was running the club at the time, would let us bowl so we started out at a pretty young age setting pins and then got into bowling and it was just something I really enjoyed. I don't think since it opened in well, ‘48, I was pretty young, but probably in ‘57 or 8, I started bowling and I don't that I can recall, I haven’t missed league since then.” -JohnDechert

 
 

Matt’s El Rancho

Matt and Janie Martinez opened Matt’s El Rancho on July 7, 1952, in Austin, Texas on Cesar Chavez Street. In December 1986, Matt’s El Rancho moved to their current location on South Lamar Blvd. Janie and her three daughters still run the family-owned business, which celebrated its 60-year anniversary on July 12, 2012. The restaurant enjoyed former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s approval as he used to enter the back door with a Secret Service detail to eat his favorite dish, Chile Relleno.

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Zentner’s Daughter

Betty Zentner was working in a department store in 1974 when she was presented with the opportunity to open Zentner’s Daughter, her San Angelo restaurant. By then, the Zentner name was well known in West Texas because Betty's father, John Zentner (1899-1994), opened a number of popular steakhouses throughout the region. True to the Zentner family tradition, the restaurant primarily focuses on its steaks. The restaurant’s interior pays tribute to the Zentner legacy, with rooms named after Betty's relatives and walls adorned with paintings and pictures of family.

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Blue Bonnet Cafe

This Marble Falls landmark originally opened on Main Street in 1929, and was moved to its current location on Highway 281 in 1946. Upon relocating, the restaurant failed once and changed ownership four times before John and Belinda Kemper bought it in 1981. The restaurant is widely known for its pies and southern comfort food. Although Blue Bonnet Cafe has undergone a few updates since the Kempers began running it, careful measures have been taken to preserve its Texas cafe mystique.

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Joe T. Garcia’s

On July 4, 1935, Joe T. & Jessie Garcia opened Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant in part of their home in Fort Worth, Texas. Upon opening, the tiny house had a maximum seating capacity of sixteen. The Garcias served their famous enchiladas in the front room while they slowly expanded their home over the next few decades to accommodate more customers and their growing family. Today, the restaurant encompasses most of a city block and can serve around 2000 customers on the weekends.

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