 |
Al Badger (r) and Al Badger Jr. (l),
owners of The Golden Pheasant
from 1940 - 1962.
Photo courtesy of Al Badger, III |
Two more stories have been published over on SideDish about Dallas Food History. Story #3 is about
a man named Eltee Dave, who despite an early life of poverty worked very hard, becoming a Dallas barbecue legend. From the 1940's through the 1970's his Dave's BBQ (near the old Love Field) and Dave's Places (various locations) is still remembered by those who ate his cooked meats.
The 4th story was inspired by a foreword written by Caroline Rose Hunt in
Dallas Is Cooking! (Renie Steves, 1992) where she remembers her favorite restaurants during downtown Dallas' golden age. Digging into the
history of The Golden Pheasant restaurant revealed an almost 50 year old treasure, three families owned and worked the restaurant from 1915 until 1962 before it was sold to a man who'd lost his previous restaurant in a fire. Bad luck struck again in 1964 when a fire took down the financially failing Golden Pheasant, killing 4 Dallas firefighters when the building collapsed. It remains to this day the worst loss in the Dallas Fire Departments history and befitting the background of an early 1960's Dallas, mob connections, hit men, and murder.
Enjoy!
