▼ Café co-star, Clyde the orangutan. Corner booths in the dining room are dedicated to some of Arizona’s most influential icons, including former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, the Gammage family, and former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater. Leaning on its history is what distin- guishes The Stockyards from other steak- houses. Over the years, ownership has shunned the kitschy Old West look while remaining true to tradition. Original furnishings and decor exude vintage elegance meant to impress a contemporary dining crowd. It’s a fine line to walk. “People come in and say, ‘No sawdust?’ We fight the boots-and-beans reputation,” Lasko says. “But you’ve got to thread the needle between being really nice and … how it’s always been.” The Stockyards underwent an extensive Steak Out ‘A lot of souls here.’ The haunted history of a legendary Phoenix steakhouse. BY GEORGANN YARA suddenly as she appears. The Stockyards’ eerie tales are just as much a part of the 75-year-old historic Phoenix steakhouse’s character as are its aged corn-fed steaks. The stories, along with personal experi- ences, are something the staff knows well. Veronica Rodriguez has worked at the A Stockyards for 14 years. She’s held many different positions and, at one time, was part of a two-person night cleaning crew. She and her shift partner, Luis, would come in after the rest of the staff had gone home. Rodriguez was responsible for cleaning the areas around the bar, named the 1889 Saloon, and the Rose Room, a smaller private dining room adjacent to the Saloon. One night around midnight, Rodriguez was in the Saloon when she heard the sound of two chords coming from the Rose Room’s piano. “It was like ‘bing, bing,’ and I stayed still.” Rodriguez says, sitting straight up in her chair with her arms at her sides. “I went around the piano to see what it was. I thought maybe it was a critter or some- thing, but nothing.” She asked Luis if he had gone back there while her back was turned. He had not. “I knew he didn’t, but I was trying to make it make sense in my head. And, oh, my hairs stood up,” Rodriguez says. piano that seems to play itself. Lights flickering without reason. Visions of a woman in 1940s formal wear strolling about, vanishing as The Rose Room features original murals of city street scenes hand-painted by artist Kate Patton, elegant wood finishes, and a working antique Sohmer & Co. Cabinet Grand upright piano. The dining room is a popular venue for private functions — and also for the unseen. It’s known as one of the restaurant’s para- normal hot spots. The Saloon also showcases Patton’s original murals in panels along the walls. A prominent figure in the artworks is the Lady in Red, a posh woman in an ornate wide-brimmed scarlet hat, long dark gloves, and a plunging V-neck gown that extends past her feet with a train that spools behind her. Some say the woman is just a character the artist created. Another popular theory is that she’s the canvas embodiment of Helen Tovrea, the woman responsible for the redesign and look of the restaurant after a fire decimated it in 1953, forcing a year-long closure. Helen was the wife of Phillip Tovrea, who was the son of Edward A. Tovrea, a man known as the “Cattle Baron.” The family also owned the famous Phoenix landmark Tovrea Castle. The Stockyards opened in 1947 as a packing house to support Tovrea’s growing beef operation, which at the time was the largest cattle feedlot in the world. Phillip took over the business after his father died. “This was a huge packing slaughter- house,” Stockyards owner Gary Lasko says while standing in the Rose Room. “A lot of souls here.” Georgann Yara 29 Georgann Yara Above: The Saloon connects to the Rose Room, one of The Stockyards’ hot spots. Below: The antique Sohmer & Co. Cabinet Grand upright piano sits in the Rose Room and seems to play itself. The restaurant started as a place to feed the packing house’s workers and has expanded over the decades. The menu still reflects the aged steaks and prime rib it served decades ago as well as the famous calf fries — also known as Rocky Mountain oysters — which are a staple that pre-dates the fire. The Stockyards has been a favorite of visiting celebrities and the Valley’s A-list. In the 1970s, Clint Eastwood dined here with his Every Which Way But Loose restoration in 2004, which led to its place- ment on the City of Phoenix’s Historic Property Register. It was recognized for its architectural style and significant contri- butions to Arizona’s cattle history. The hand-carved custom mahogany bar and cattle tables in the main rooms are reminders of the restaurant’s past. So are the spooky encounters. Lasko has owned the restaurant since 2004. He had his first ghostly experience a year later. He used to go the restaurant on Saturday mornings hours before it would open. One day, he was in one of the dining rooms when he heard a voice shout clearly, “Hello!” He was alone. Or so he thought. “I wondered, how’d they get in? Did I lock the door in the back? I looked, and no one was there. I looked all over and couldn’t see anybody. It kind of freaked me out,” Lasko recalls. On another Saturday, Rodriguez was prepping in the back and heard the sound of feet running up and down the stairs in a rapid and deliberate manner. She knew Lasko was also there and that he usually took those stairs fast, so she thought nothing of it. Minutes later, >> p 30 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES OCT 27TH–NOV 2ND, 2022
