Tuesdays At Jake's

They say nothing ever lasts forever. Whoever "They" is would be correct. I find myself no exception to this rule in my closing days as a South Houston resident. So lately I've been combating my anxiety by seeking out the familiar & routine I so desperately crave, since all of my normal surroundings continue to crumble around me (& then be promptly wrapped in newspaper & thrown in a box).

Which brings me to Jake's Grill, of Friendswood, Texas. Over the past several years I have spent many a Tuesday evening in this cordial eating establishment while gazing at the outside water fountain sparkling in the brilliant sunset, the massive amounts of old license plates clustered together on the wall that proudly form the familiar shape of Texas, & the arcade area that always seems to draw my sons in like flies to honey.

All the while Johny Cash's "Ring of Fire" & The Eagle's "Hotel California" boom softly in the background. In fact, it is only after we've heard these timeless classics that my wife & I feel we have sufficiently concluded our dining experience. No Cash? No Henley? No Exiting the premises! No exceptions! ;0)

But it's not even the relaxed atmosphere, the jumpin' juke box, or the best Chicken Fried steak with mashed potatoes & green beans this side of the Mississippi that make us repeat clientele.

It's the unpretentiousness. It's the great product in a timely manner at a can't beat price. But most importantly, it's the way we are greeted & treated during our visit.

In this age of plentiful heartless corporations, forgettable franchise burger joints every ten feet, & "Chotchkies" type restaurant chains that cult favorite "Office Space" so poignantly ridiculed, we seem to have lost the art of valuing & nurturing the customer to employee relationship.

We all know what it's like to have a pushy waiter smile through gritted teeth & assure us "Oh there's no hurry folks!" when nothing could be further from the truth. So when I stumble on a place that extends even the slightest amount of warmth & honesty to myself & family, well... I'm hooked.

So to all the exceptional employee's at Jake's Grill, in Friendswood, Texas, I say thank you for the wonderful service you have consistently given my family through these lean years of medical school. Rest assured our Tuesday evenings will never be the same. Dios está con usted hasta encuentra otra vez!