I enjoyed dinner one night this week at Lone Star Tavern.
If you're jones-ing for a good steak, whether it's a sirloin, ribeye, filet or chicken fried, at an easy price, definitely think about Lone Star Tavern this weekend. It's quality, inexpensive fare in a chilled-out, country setting.
It also made me consider definitions of eateries. What is a tavern and how is it different from a saloon? How is a bistro different from a cafe? How do I know if I'm in a deli?
Obviously, I have preconceived notions of what these things mean. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to use dictionary.com to provide an official definition, and then I'm going to offer my own interpretation. If you want to add your own take on any of the items listed or tack on a new one in the comment section, well, nobody's stopping you.
Tavern
dictionary.com: a place where liquors are sold to be consumed on the premises.
CC: a wooden building that serves steak, potatoes and beer within.
Saloon
dictionary.com: a place for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks.
CC: the same as a tavern with the addition that a fake or real gunfight might break out.
Delicatessen
dictionary.com: a store selling foods already prepared or requiring little preparation for serving, as cooked meats, cheese, salads and the like.
CC: a place where I can order a reuben sandwich.
Bistro
dictionary.com: a small, modest, European-style restaurant or cafe.
CC: a deli with a maitre d' —or — a deli with a tile floor and tablecloths — or — a restaurant where I can order a top notch sandwich but also have the choice of a decent steak — or — a deli with a wine list — or — a deli where everything tastes 25 percent better but is twice as expensive.
Cafe
dictionary.com: a restaurant, often with an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the sidewalk.
CC: yeah, I pretty much agree with dictionary.com on this one.
Diner
dictionary.com: a restaurant built like a railroad dining car.
CC: Hmm, I've never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. Also, a deli or cafe where the waitresses wear aprons and call you honey or sugar (I acknowledge that my interpretation here is largely based on the television show "Alice").
Steakhouse
dictionary.com: a restaurant specializing in beefsteak.
CC: a place where your steak will probably be served with a tin of natural gravy.
Chophouse
dictionary.com: a restaurant specializing in chops, steaks and the like.
CC: a steakhouse with a maitre d' and tablecloths — or — a place where you can hope to have the best steak you've ever eaten that also has an impressive selection of whiskey and wine.
Roadhouse
dictionary.com: an inn, dance hall, tavern, nightclub, etc., located on a highway, usually beyond city limits.
CC: a steakhouse that serves peanuts as an appetizer.
Smokehouse
dictionary.com: a building or place in which meat, fish, etc., are curated with smoke.
CC: a place that when you leave there, like it or not, you're going to smell like a combination of smoke and barbecue sauce.
Cantina
dictionary.com: a saloon; bar.
CC: a place where you can choose from multiple flavors of margarita.
Taqueria
dictionary.com: a restaurant or stand specializing in Mexican dishes like tacos and burritos.
CC: the place where you go to eat more Mexican food in order to recover from the trip to the cantina on the previous evening — or — the place where you go to eat more Mexican food in order to recover from the trip to the cantina earlier that same evening.
Pub
dictionary.com: a bar or tavern; short for public house.
CC: the place you want to go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came; when you wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same; you wanna be where everybody knows your name.
