Nicholas and I were running a bunch of errands today and happened to find ourselves near downtown Wharton, home of Rocky’s Pasties. You can pull your mind out of the gutter … it’s pronounced PAST-EES, not PASTE-EES. ;) The little tiny shop has been there since 1924 (!) and is still run by Rocky himself, who slowly shuffles off to fill your order after you place it.
Nestled in a line of row-houses, it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of place. They have a few odds-and-ends grocery items, but are mainly known for their pasties. Traditionally Cornish in origin, they have a wonderful, somewhat flaky, non-sweet crust and are filled with potatoes, onions and your choice of either ground beef or sausage. I love the sausage one, The Husband prefers the ground beef. Unfortunately, there’s no picture of the actual product for you, because they were so deliciously warm from the oven, we gobbled them up before I had a chance to remember the camera.
Wikipedia has a great little bit of history on the pasty. The story goes that these were the traditional lunches for miners way back when, who couldn’t come out of the mine during the day to eat. Since they’re pocket-sized and filling, they were perfect for their needs. Additionally, the pasties crust is rather thick and rumor has it that when warm, it retained its warmth for 8-10 hours, so the miners would keep the pasties in their pocket to keep themselves warm while they worked. The history and origin behind the pasty is actually quite interesting.Nicholas and The Husband went to a baseball game tonight, Nicholas’ first. To say he had a blast would be an understatement. When he came home, he had a huge ear-to-ear grin. They were giving out baseball caps to the first 1000 guests, and they both snagged one. In the middle of the game, the opposing team had a baseball to give away, and Nicholas was the lucky recipient of it, and then at the end of the game, the Sky Hawks’ coach gave him the game ball, signed by a few of the players. Not a bad way to start his love of baseball, that’s for sure! And with $10 box seats, you can bet they already bought their tickets for the next game.
All for tonight. Until tomorrow…
Love the handwritten sign, would like to see old Rocky too!
Lovely experience for Nicholas, I bet he’ll remember that forever.
Oh and kudos to your new jobs:)
Hey,
What is the name of the dish you get on Thai Friday. Sounds good with the chicken in garlic sauce with cilantro and cucumbers. Have any ideas on how it’s prepared. Just started dabbling into Thai food. Can’t get passed the ginger chicken(yumm!!)Let me know what you find out. Thanks.
Angel in Chicago
Mmm, I love pasties! I always get them at this little british tea room nearby. The crust is so flaky and buttery, they’re delicious!
Oh, that’s gotta be Rocky Jr. Even if he were born the day the shop opened, he’d be 82 now.
Maybe even Rocky III. (Wait. I saw that movie. Mr. T. was in it.)
They served pasties in my high school cafeteria! I went to high school in Grass Valley, which is “the heart of the Gold Country.” The Cornish miners brought the pasty with them for all of us to enjoy! If you are ever in Grass Valley, CA, go to Cousin Jack’s – they have the best ones.
pasties rule!!! good for you guys…
Julie – he had such a good time. He’s been counting down to the next game.
Angel – believe it or not, the title is Sauteed Chicken in Garlic Sauce. There are a few slices of cucumber and fresh cilantro on top and it comes with a side of white rice and a Thai Chef Salad with a peanut dressing. I’ve been working on finding a recipe to come close, and as soon as I do, I’ll be sure to share it.
From Our Kitchen – delicious stuff!
CookieCrumb – there’s been four generations there so far. The guy there now is definitely a Rocky, though probably not the “original,” he’s at least in his 70s.
Madeline – sounds like a fun cafeteria. :)
Julie – I totally agree. ;)