Highland Park Cafeteria is closed for good.
We dreaded going on their website, because we feared we would find that Highland Park Cafeteria is closed for good. Their clientele, after all, is very close to the profile of nursing home residents who have been hard hit by COVID-19. And sure enough, “we are saddened to let our loyal customers and community know that Highland Park Cafeteria will not be re-opening.”
To step back, Highland Park Cafeteria has been a tradition in our family for well over 50 years. We don’t get back to Dallas that often but always stopped in when we did. The current management did a wonderful job of restoring the institution to past glory, including a live piano player at peak hours and staff to help you get your pepper sauce if you could not do so yourself.
We’ve written about its history and made our best guesses about their recipes including the squash casserole which is one of the most popular posts on Burnt My Fingers, year in and year out. So it’s good to know that “we are safeguarding the secret family recipes, all 932 of them. So, making no promises — but who knows? Zucchini Muffins may one day make a comeback!”
The portraits of the Presidents are lot #50 in the online auction.
But in the meantime, the physical assets of HPC are being auctioned off online. There are many individual lots of tables, chairs and banquettes so you could recreate the dining environment in your home if you wish. The framed pictures of the Presidents are auctioned as a single lot, #50, with a retail value of $6000. These are not the original portraits commissioned by Mrs. Dewey Goodman; those were donated to Highland Park High School when HPC closed the first time, but the replacements have educated and inspired folks waiting in line for decades now.
“One final word – Highland Park Cafeteria is not just tables and chairs and stoves. It is generations of cooks faithfully preparing special recipes and lovingly serving generations of diners.” That’s from the farewell message on the website. If you would like to say thank you, or just maybe pry loose a favorite recipe, email hpcafe2020@gmail.com.
This is sad, but at least you have memories….HPC was on my list if I had ever visited Dallas…alas I will miss out, but have the recipes that you have posted.
I emailed the owner at the address above and invited him to critique our guesses at his recipes. Let’s see if he responds…
At 46 years old I fondly recall my youth when my mother and would get all dolled up almost every Saturday and going about our weekly ritual of shopping and lunch. Shopping was mostly at Northpark Mall, Loehmann’s (where I would sit in the “back room” quietly reading a Judy Blume book while mother tried on skirt suits. Then we’d traverse our way over to Knox St to our favorite lunch spot HPC. Mom told me stories of how impressed the folks standing in line near us would be at my ability to recite every President by name as we made our way down the line with their pictures hung neatly in a long row. They would be more impressed when I ordered spinach, squash casserole and either chicken or fish with tapioca pudding or cherry cheesecake. This was our “thing” the food always felt like home. The workers remembered us and were each so kind and truly enjoyed being there. I’m so sad that this historic, iconic eatery in Dallas is gone but I’ll always have the memories of my childhood and having lunch at HPC
Thanks for this lovely memory. I too used to order the perfectly baked fish, served with lots of tartar sauce of course. My childhood favorite dessert was chocolate icebox pie. As my tastes evolved as an adult I always got fried chicken on the Choice plate and pecan pie for dessert.