Norma's Cafe Turns 55

This week in restaurant news, all the buzz surrounded the opening of a new In-N-Out Burger, the first one in Dallas. "In and Out" is an appropriate name for a restaurant in Dallas--most come and go faster than we can get out to try them. In fact, the location of In-N-Out at North Central and Caruth is the former home of another burger place, Steak 'n Shake, which opened to similar hype a few years ago. We actually got to go there a couple of times before it went "out." The burgers were great--but c'mon, really. How hard is it to make a good hamburger? A burger's a burger--all the rest is marketing.

Yesterday, we went out for lunch to a restaurant with real staying power, Norma's Cafe, which celebrated its 55th birthday by giving customers a good meal at 1956 prices. We went with friends, who suggested skipping breakfast and heading out to Norma's at 10:15. What a good idea that was! The place was already packed when we got there, so while we waited for a table we entertained ourselves by watching a news crew setting up to interview Ed Murphy, who's owned the restaurant since 1986.

As we were seated, we watched the line grow outside the window. Not quite the traffic jam expected for In-n-Out, but this event wasn't widely publicized, either. You have to be "in the know" to get in on this good deal. We got pretty good service for a crowded day; the efficient wait staff was there to take our order within minutes of our being seated. James ordered the chicken and dressing plate, Linda decided on the meatloaf, and our friends both got Norma's famous chicken fried steak. To be honest, the meal wasn't the most incredible food we'd ever eaten, but it was good enough, especially at $1.79 a plate (which included generous portion of meat with 2 sides, and a huge basket of cornbread and rolls).

If you like good home cooked food at a restaurant that's here to stay, check out the original Norma's next time you're in the 'Cliff. (There are two other area locations, one in Farmer's Branch and one on Dallas Parkway in North Dallas). When you visit, be sure to get on the email list for an exclusive invitation to next year's birthday bash, as well as the celebrations of "National Pie Day" and other food related events throughout the year.

For a video of Norma's birthday bash, check out this report from TXA 21 News: Norma's Cafe on TXA 21.

UPDATE: For an eyewitness account of the traffic jam at In-N-Out, check out this story by reporter Michael Samples at Dallas Business Journal: Kicked out of line at the In-N-Out.