Who remembers driving in to The Log Cabin for an 'Underdog?'

Ahh, the old Log Cabin on Hespeler Road.

My memories of this popular teen drive-in go back as far as the '50s, but it's when I think back to the late '60s, when I was old enough to drive, that my nostalgia for this favourite hangout really kicks in.

It was said that it wasn't a true date unless it ended at The Log Cabin. 

The Galt, Preston and Hespeler downtowns were booming back then with shops and entertainment, several movie theatres, teen-trendy restaurants and hotel beverage rooms. 

And, of course, there were other choices back then with Henning's Drive-in on Clyde Road, Brownies drive-in, The Frost Top, Pioneer BBQ, Carl's, the Daisy Belle, Rustler's Roost, Barbers Beach, and the Sunset Drive-In to name a few.

Lots of us teenagers also worked at these drive-in restaurants.

But The Log Cabin was the number one choice for many, where friends would mingle face to face instead of just texting.

I remember my dad saying that the Teather Family lived in the original log cabin house next to a farm orchard at what is now Bishop Street. 

The Teather family later moved to Galt and opened a variety store at 47 Grand Ave. which some of us remember well.

The Young family opened this iconic drive-in 1952 on Hespeler Road (Highway 24) and Bishop back when the highway was only two lanes with farms and open fields.

Their huge neon signage out front that said “EAT” really paid off with people coming to do just that. 

Now, being a new family run business, Arthur and Ruby Young invested in this area and became the first owners to serve drive-in fare on Hespeler Road featuring foot-long hotdogs with specialty toppings at this perfect location.

They served up foot-longs for customers who dined inside, in their cars, or on their car hoods. Ruby was a waitress at the new George's Chinese Restaurant and used her experience there to train students on how to waitress and carhop efficiently. Ruby ran the cash till from a side window seat overseeing all the parking lot and the restaurant dining room.

She ruled that drive-in and was quick to deal with the youths who misbehaved. Fights, verbal abuse, revving engines, popping clutches and squealing tires was forbidden.

If you got kicked out and missed a few nights, when you returned, all was forgotten and you would be given a second chance with a stern warning.

The "Log," as it was coined, was where most of us from that generation went for a night of fun entertainment or a weekend road trip.

Going with friends on bikes, walking, rollerskating, or even riding a horse to see what was happening at the Log was the routine before heading to a party, the arena, the drive-In, high school dance or the Saturday "YWCA" dances.

After driving a few ringers around Galt, Preston and Hespeler's main streets, it was out to the Log for a foot-long "Under Dog '' with fries and shakes.

It was the place to take your first date, where you'd just sit in your car watching the city car club members checking out whose ride was the fastest or had the newest detailing.

Meeting friends and listening to the car radio under the stars and just goofing around was the norm. Lots of us had our first kiss or first sip of alcohol at The Log Cabin. It was where it all happened.

My fondest memory was being with my friend, DJ "Rocking" Hal Tilley, sitting in his old Valiant watching the goings on and listening to the radio skip signals from the U.S. stations like 1510 WLAC Nashville, Tennessee after station 960 CFTJ would shut down for the evening.

This gave us a chance to hear the U.S. DJs spin new tunes of the week before they hit they charts and the bands appeared on television music shows like American Bandstand.

Galt back then was tuned into the new rock and roll along with blues and country. When music was taught in schools there were a lot of local bands playing in the area clubs, schools and beach dance pavilions.

It seemed that everyone knew everyone when getting out and being social was the norm.

Once in a while, the local biker gangs would show up to be seen and heard roaring around the lot and making a menacing scene.

For many of us, an order of fries and gravy with a foot long "Under Dog" was the main staple. The menu offered fries and gravy, onion rings, fried chicken, burgers, meat loaf barbecue sandwiches, chili cheese dogs, and fruit pies for dessert, all washed down with pop, ice cream sodas, milkshakes, and, for some, under-the-radar alcoholic beverages mixed with Mountain Dew. Drinking was prevalent but not seen as a bad thing.

Besides the yummy pies and ala mode, I liked the fried chicken. It was hot and tasty, perfectly fried, crispy brown and served in a basket.. It could be easily consumed while  wandering around the parking lot visiting friends or taken to the Sunset Drive-In and saved for a late night snack.

Some of us even used to reheat the fried chicken by setting it on the car's hot engine block. Their famous underdogs had all the toppings put under the hot dog making it diner friendly. There's nothing worse than getting some mustard relish spillage on your clean threads before heading to the Y dances.

Arthur did all the cooking and Ruby literally ran the car hops.

Sometime in 1971, the Youngs sold their property and a year or two later it was cleared when Bishop Street was extended east through Hespeler Road. 

Arthur and Ruby Young then operated Young’s Restaurant near Highway 97 and Highway 401.

It would later become the new Tu-Lane Restaurant where their style of comfort food cooking could still be had.

Here is that great recipe Fried Chicken that came served at The Log Cabin.

Log Cabin Fried Chicken

8 large pieces of bone-in chicken (about 4 pounds total, preferably 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs)

3 cups bread crumbs

2 tablespoons Kosher salt (divided)

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons white pepper (ground)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 tablespoon black pepper (freshly ground)

1 tablespoon ground mustard

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder for extra crispy

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

2  eggs beaten

Vegetable oil (or peanut, for iron skillet pan or deep frying.

Instructions:

Marinate the chicken legs and bones in the buttermilk for at least a few hours.

In a bowl mix all the spices together and add to the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.

Now remove the chicken from the bowl and set aside. Add beaten eggs to the buttermilk marinade and whisk together.

Set up a breading station with the flour mixture, the egg and milk wash and finish in the bread crumbs.

First dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture, then into the egg and milk wash, then in the crumbs, coating well and evenly, and pressing firmly. Repeat and set on a platter.

Heat the frying oil to 350 F and add some of the crumb mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. Place the first four pieces in the skillet or the deep fryer. Do not over crowd and continue to cook for seven minutes, turning if using the frying pan.

Chef Wayne Conrad Serbu writes monthly for CambridgeToday. The former executive chef also shares recipes and memories from his more than five decades in the hospitality industry on his blog, the kitchenman.