Published: March 24, 2008 01:48 am            

Redland Cooking

Palestine resident opens new restaurant in downtown building

Longtime Palestine resident Robert Laughlin has brought his love of downtown Palestine, local history and good home cooking together with the opening of The Redlands Restaurant in downtown Palestine.

Offering “casual dining prices in an elegant setting,” The Redlands Restaurant features a weekday breakfast and lunch buffet in an atmosphere Laughlin hopes is comparable to the dining room’s original use.

“I want it to be a comfortable place for people to come and eat,” Laughlin said. “And I want them to know what this building is all about.”

The restaurant, which housed a Chinese restaurant from about 1979 to 2007, is located in the original dining room of the oldest high-rise hotel in East Texas. The Redlands building itself was built in 1914 as a 114-room hotel with an up-to-date dining area, ice machine, ballroom and orchestra.

In 1919, the building became the office building for the International and Great Northern Railroad, where it was the workplace for as many as 500 employees. In 1977, renovation began for its current use as apartments, shops and restaurant.

Laughlin started renovating the dining area for The Redlands Restaurant right after Christmas, working 10-hour days preparing the restaurant to open March 10.

A newly refurbished kitchen was included in the renovation, with artistic pictures, historic Palestine postcards, newspaper clippings and antiques adorning its walls.

Prior to its official opening, Laughlin invited 260 local business owners and guests for a trial run of the restaurant. Guest diners were asked to critique the restaurant and do a survey of the food, service, etc.

“Our food style includes as much homemade cooking as possible,” Laughlin said. “Our pie crusts are homemade, we serve fresh yeast rolls daily and our meat is ground/prepared in Dallas and is shipped to us.

“We also offer a lot of healthy food selections.”

According to Laughlin, the restaurant already has developed some favorites among the diners.

“City of Palestine’s Main Street Manager Neely Plumb likened our half-pound burgers to a favorite served at his hometown,” Laughlin said. “The burger is served with Belgian-style fries — soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.”

Laughlin, serves as the main cook at the restaurant, picking up most of his skills from a beloved grandmother he visited on summer vacations as a boy.

“She taught me to do everything — cooking, seasoning, canning,” he said. “When the other kids were out playing I was in the kitchen with her. There was always room at her table for another person.”

Laughlin does have plans for the future of the Redlands Restaurant — to remodel rooms in the back to accommodate 20 people, and some office space to accommodate an additional 30 diners.

“I am having so much fun doing this,” he said. “Things are now where I can get out of the kitchen and visit with the customers, and I have been blessed with a wonderful staff as well.”

This isn’t Laughlin’s first endeavor in the restaurant business. He and brother-in-law, the late Norman Mollard, had a restaurant together in the 1970s, and for 10 years, Laughlin owned the popular McLaughlin’s in downtown Palestine.

“McLaughlin’s was well-known for its steaks, which diners could prepare themselves,” he said. “We still have people today tell us how much they liked eating there.”

The Redlands building has been part of Laughlin’s life since he came to Palestine in 1974 with his sister Mary Jean Mollard and Norman Mollard. The trio purchased and renovated the building in 1977 and Laughlin owned an antique store in the building for a few years.

Most recently, Laughlin worked with Norman Mollard as general manager of the Redlands building, which currently is undergoing a second renovation, thanks to Palestine Main Street City status.

“I am extremely excited about what downtown Palestine will become in a year from now,” Laughlin said. “I have two houses in the northern historical district and am pleased to see the city’s desire to make Palestine better.”

Outside of his business endeavors, Laughlin has done a lot of volunteer work including work at the Museum for East Texas Culture and a few city boards. He also has spent time caring for ill friends and has helped Palestine resident Sam Lone Wolf with wolf rescues.

The Redlands Restaurant is located at 400 N. Queen St. in Palestine. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday for breakfast and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays for lunch.

The breakfast buffet includes all the usual breakfast fare plus coffee for $5.95 and the lunch buffet includes three meats, veggies, potatoes, cobbler, a salad bar and ice tea or coffee for $7.95.

        

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