It was pointed out to me that I haven't posted anything here for quite a while. I've been writing little capsule reviews on Trip Advisor, Facebook, and Google Maps, but those aren't really worth the effort because they fade into history quite quickly, so screw 'em!
Anyway, The Little Woman and I stumbled on The Bracken Store & Ice House (apparently known to locals simply as "The Bracken") just before heading to the airport to leave San Antonio, or we would have visited more than once while we were there, we liked it so much (sorry to take all the suspense out of it for ya, I'm not on House Hunters, y'know). Our hosts there had spoken quite highly of the place, but we hadn't been looking for it, just taking a ride to see a little bit of the area before leaving, but then VOILA! there it was, a tumble-down little building that looks like one on the set of every Western movie you've ever seen. Bracken is a dusty little town on the northeast edge of the San Antonio area that grew up around the railroad, and indeed there was a BNSF locomotive idling across the street. I half-expected the train crew to be inside the business, but if they were they must have been hiding in the back room because there were just 2 older gentlemen and the beertender in sight inside.
Inside is a clean, cozy, and nicely air-conditioned space (a fantastic find on a 100-degree day) with a large bar with taps for 5 or 6 kinds of draft beer, behind which was a huge array of beverage coolers that contained almost every brand of bottle beer you could ever want, and wine, too! (No booze, though.) The beertender was a handsome woman whose good looks belied her real age, and she gave us fast and friendly service. There were maybe 4 TVs and one pool table with a comfy row of old theatre seats for the players, sharing space with an ancient pinball-like baseball machine that takes quarters. Out back there is large rear patio that is partly covered, where they have live music 3 or 4 nightss a week. On those nights there is a food truck there, too, which I'm told sells some killer grub. Sundays they also have Chicken Sh*t Bingo, a cage with the floor marked off into squares and a live chicken that picks the squares by, well, see the title of the game. All in all this place is freakin' GEM that we would be in often if we lived nearby, and if you get tired of it you can walk over to the Hangin' Tree Saloon next door and play shuffleboard, or go bowling at the alleys across the street where the old dance hall used to be. !Vamanos!
Anyway, The Little Woman and I stumbled on The Bracken Store & Ice House (apparently known to locals simply as "The Bracken") just before heading to the airport to leave San Antonio, or we would have visited more than once while we were there, we liked it so much (sorry to take all the suspense out of it for ya, I'm not on House Hunters, y'know). Our hosts there had spoken quite highly of the place, but we hadn't been looking for it, just taking a ride to see a little bit of the area before leaving, but then VOILA! there it was, a tumble-down little building that looks like one on the set of every Western movie you've ever seen. Bracken is a dusty little town on the northeast edge of the San Antonio area that grew up around the railroad, and indeed there was a BNSF locomotive idling across the street. I half-expected the train crew to be inside the business, but if they were they must have been hiding in the back room because there were just 2 older gentlemen and the beertender in sight inside.
Inside is a clean, cozy, and nicely air-conditioned space (a fantastic find on a 100-degree day) with a large bar with taps for 5 or 6 kinds of draft beer, behind which was a huge array of beverage coolers that contained almost every brand of bottle beer you could ever want, and wine, too! (No booze, though.) The beertender was a handsome woman whose good looks belied her real age, and she gave us fast and friendly service. There were maybe 4 TVs and one pool table with a comfy row of old theatre seats for the players, sharing space with an ancient pinball-like baseball machine that takes quarters. Out back there is large rear patio that is partly covered, where they have live music 3 or 4 nightss a week. On those nights there is a food truck there, too, which I'm told sells some killer grub. Sundays they also have Chicken Sh*t Bingo, a cage with the floor marked off into squares and a live chicken that picks the squares by, well, see the title of the game. All in all this place is freakin' GEM that we would be in often if we lived nearby, and if you get tired of it you can walk over to the Hangin' Tree Saloon next door and play shuffleboard, or go bowling at the alleys across the street where the old dance hall used to be. !Vamanos!
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