The Warm Glow of Liendo's Beckons From Yesteryear
Restaurant Review

A crackling fireplace where real wood burns is inviting in almost any winter setting, but it can be especially so when coupled with the charm of a historical home and anticipation of a gourmet meal. Situated just off of Business 6 in Downtown Hempstead, Liendo’s Restaurant welcomes you with its warm, classy, country style of yesteryear. Built in 1882, and owned by Will Detering (also owner of Liendo Plantation), the beautiful Victorian styled home has been welcoming patrons for lunch and dinner since 1995. Liendo’s currently serves lunch seven days a week from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and dinner on Friday and Saturday from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Will decided to open Liendo’s despite the fact that he had no background in the restaurant business. He named the restaurant after the plantation of 900 acres that was his boyhood home. Since he was young, Detering has always had a love for cooking and says, “I like to eat…and I like what I like.”
     We like what he likes too. For casual dining or an elegant evening out, Liendo’s is a treasure that survives in a scarcely populated area. (Hempstead, Texas has approximately 4,691 residents.) Lunch is frequented by mostly locals, while dinner is served to many Houstonians (approximately 75 percent of the crowd) as well as folks from the Brenham, Bryan, College Station, and surrounding areas. You know that a restaurant is good when 75 percent of its dinner patrons travel an hour or more to eat there.
     And you never have to worry about variety at Liendo’s as the menu changes daily. At lunch you can find sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers and poor boys, and of course, Liendo’s specials of the day. For dinner, feast on steaks or pasta, seafood or chicken, choosing from grilled concoctions or Liendo’s “Southern Fried Specialties” like Fried Chicken Breast Dinner and Fried Jumbo Shrimp.
     The gumbo at Liendo’s is to be savored, with its thick roux and piquant seasoning. Garden salads are served with minced lettuce.
     The crab cakes are robust, served in healthy portions with chunks of crab meat. Fried shrimp at Liendo’s is cooked to the perfect degree (not rubbery, but still tender), and the pepper-specked batter competes agreeably with the cocktail sauce for the attention of the tastebuds.
     The steak fries are battered, and for those who prefer fries that way they are quite good. All of the entrees were garnished with a colorful fresh fruit array.
     On any given day Liendo’s may or may not have your favorite menu selection. Other typical menu items include grilled Porterhouse pork chops, prime Black Angus ribeye, grilled Jamaican shrimp, yellowfin tuna steak, and grilled salmon steak. Liendo’s serves both domestic and imported beer and wines.
     Children are happily welcomed with a special selection just for them, and you can’t go wrong with the chicken nuggets. Liendo’s even has its own juvenile staff member; Justin helps out on the weekends by clearing off tables and adding a sense of family to the establishment.
     A visitor to the restaurant can easily imagine Victorian era life in the house that Liendo’s Restaurant occupies. Echoes of past opulence abound in the gingerbread trim, the quality of the window and door casings, and the high ceilings. The old home’s natural style and grace are transcendant when compared to the commercial-grade construction that encases us when we experience most restaurant meals. Even if the food wasn’t as good as it is, Liendo’s would still be worth the trip.
     The pace of dining at Liendo’s is relaxed. Expect dinner to occupy at least ninety minutes of your evening. Lunch visitors should plan on extending their lunch hour by a few minutes. The restaurant even suggests that patrons who are short on time should consider calling ahead.
     Just a few miles away, Liendo Plantation, built in 1853, is where proprietor Will Detering hangs his hat. As one of Texas’ oldest cotton plantations, Liendo was originally part of a Spanish Land Grant of 67,000 acres. The home was built in 1853 by slave labor under the direction of Leonard Waller Groce. With over 300 slaves, Liendo was, “sufficient in all its needs; it was a self contained community.” The Liendo Plantation is listed on both the State and National Historic Registers and is open to the public the first Saturday of most months with tours beginning at 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.
     Though no battles actually took place on the grounds of Liendo, Civil War Weekend - held annually in November - is a popular event, showcasing demonstrations on folk life and battle re-enactments of the War Between the States. Liendo was host to Cavalry and Infantry Training Camps, a hospital, and the Headquarters for General George Armstrong Custer after the war.
     Take a leisurely drive out to rural Hempstead, enjoy a fine meal, and tell them you heard about them in CountryStyle, TX. CS