A Saint Jo treat

Brooks & Dunn's "Neon Moon" blasts from the halls of The Lazy Heart Grill in Saint Jo, Texas, where it mingles with the rustic chairs and tables of various shapes and proportions. The bar's spirits rise. The walls, which are large rocks that were brought in by horse and wagon, in 1871, vibrate. The door opens and children walk in with their parents. Moments later, they use their utensils in the form of drumsticks as their stomachs possess their minds. "Children, wipe your face" is followed by the savior, the waitress. "Are you ready to order?" As a result, the children begin to calm down as smiles reappeared.

For the next several minutes, waitresses come and go, moving from kitchen to table in a snake-shaped conveyor belt manner. Patsy Kline comes on as a black Chevrolet Silverado pulls up front. The family slams the doors, enters the restaurant and slowly drags the chairs to suit their comfort levels.

According to the Lazy Heart Grill website, the restaurant was influenced by the owner's grandfathers cattle brand. "'Grandy' had an old forged steel branding iron in the shape of a heart that he branded his cattle with," Jack Schoppa, whose other day time job is in real estate, says. "He used the brand with the heart in its vertical position. When my brother and I started in the cattle business we used the same brand but turned the branding iron on its side so that the point of the heart pointed to the head of the cow for my brothers and pointed toward the tail of the cow for my cattle. The Lazy Heart brand." In addition, "we had to remove the old flooring as much of it was in poor condition but we saved a good bit of the old wood and used it in the renovation which adds to the western atmosphere."

Children at the other table feel the hunger coming back and bang the silverware, almost as if they are ready to follow Clark Gable's lead to take over the enterprise (Mutiny on a Bounty). The food comes and the waitress delivers. The banging stops and the moans turn into "yay's!" The taste of grilled chicken and ranch dressing caress the pallet as Schoppa walks in and announces himself in a deep north Texan accent," Hola!" As if he discovered little ones for the first time, he comments on his guests, "Where'd you get the kids?"

After sipping the Ice Tea it is time to make a decision. Dessert or no dessert; that is the question. "Ice cream, what do you have?" The waitress replied, "vanilla, BUT we have chocolate and caramel toppings." The ice cream has melted and the kids are satisfied.

http://www.thelazyheartgrill.com/home.html