Nutshell Eatery and Bakery – A meal with a historical twist.

The Nutshell Eatery & Bakery is a nice place to eat on the old town square of Granbury, Texas.  Located on the Southeast Corner of the square the Nutshell has done a great job using an old building to create a restaurant.

There was a large selection of items on the menu and on the special board for the day.  We enjoy visiting places where you can get both lunch and dinner fair at the same time.  I am partial to breakfast foods and will often order them at any time of the day.  The ladies in my life would much prefer to get on with lunch.

I ordered the Jesse James Special which was a combination of hash-browns, sausage, eggs, and cilantro served with flour tortillas and a side of jalapenos.  The portion size was generous and the food was tasty.

The rest of the family ordered burgers.  They got the Mini Hindenburger and the Bacon Cheese Burger.  Everyone was pleased with their burger and thought that the meet was delicious.  The burgers are served on a homemade hamburger bun that is larger than the hamburger patty, but the handmade fresh bread is delicious so you really do not mind the extra.

We polished off the meal with a chocolate chip cookie, which was probably the highlight of the meal.  It was perfectly baked and just melted in your mouth.

The service was very helpful, yet unique.  You order at the counter and get a number.  Your food is brought to the table for you and I have to say that they young lady running the food and taking care of the front of the house was very good.  She was friendly and very helpful.  It was amazing to see how efficiently she worked and how she anticipated your needs.

All in all this was a positive experience.

Now for a bit of history.  This is location that it is thought that John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s killer, actually escaped to after the assassination.   A man named John St. Helen arrived in Granbury, Texas in 1870 from an unknown location.  He worked as a bar tender at the Gay Lady Saloon which was located in the building where the Netshell is currently located  He was known to get drunk and celebrate every April 14th, the anniversary of the Lincoln assassination.  He also lived for a while in a room above the saloon that is now a bed and breakfast.

John St Helen became ill and on his deathbed he called for a lawyer, whom he confessed to that he was actually John Wilkes Booth and that he had carried out the assassination.  St Helen/Booth survived the illness and when he recovered he fled Texas as his cover was now blown.

For more about this case check out pages 45 and 46 of Oddball Texas: A guide to some really strange places.