Grease Is the Word

Heads up, gluttons!

Jerry’s Woodswether Café has moved a few blocks south to 1414 W. 9th.

In many ways, the West Bottoms institution is the best restaurant in town. The huge portions of reasonably priced food are delicious. The plate pictured, a massive breaded porkchop with green beans and mashed potatoes also came with a salad, all for $7.99. Most people simply order the burgers and fries, and for good reason. The burgers are huge, and the burly fries are incredible.

I'll miss the Greek restaurant and bar that previously operated at this location. It was dark and imbued with an illicit feel, due in no small part to the full bar against the east wall. And as a friend noted, the Greek owner's daughter who served as a waitress was "smokin.'" The booze is gone now, and the Woodswether people have lit up the space like an emergency room. The new Woodswether lacks the intimacy of its old cinder block location, which made eating at the counter a full-contact sport.

A few words of warning are necessary. First, the Woodswether is a smoker’s paradise, although there’s now a non-smoking section off to the side. Secondly, this is a workingman’s joint. Folks who don’t fit in should steel themselves for hostile stares.

The new mural on the west side of the building misspells Woodswether’s name. The beauty of this classic diner is that noone cares.