Post #499682 by TheBigT on Thu, Dec 17, 2009 9:27 PM

On 2009-12-17 13:12, bigbrotiki wrote:
Wow, very nice set there, Big T! Please fill us in as to the origin of these artifacts.

With that turban, we are talking Indian/ Borneo Safari, here, Sabu-style...kind of like "The Flame" menu in Tiki Modern, which was also part of that "Tropics" genre...

The Safari served steaks, seafood and some Indian cuisine. I don't know the exact years of operations but they are in the phone books I have from 1964-1973.

Here's another look at the Safari and a quote from one of their ads:

At the Safari, a turboned waiter will guide you to your table near a wall to wall mural depicting the land of the Bengal Tiger. In this epicurean setting of India, dining is extra special.

I understand the Congo Jungle was open for only 10 years and I found them in the 1957 phone book. So I guess their approximate years of operation would be 1947-1957ish. There is some history of the Jamail family and great interior photos of the club in a DVD set (which I don't have) called Houston: Remember When, by the local PBS station.

Here's a look inside the drink menu. Unfortunately it doesn't fit on my scanner and this is about the best photo I could get of it for the moment.