C & G (Chrys') Tap - Newton, IA

A shout out to my good friend Robert Dey Jackson, Jr. who said, "How come you don't have Chrys' Tap in the 'Rest in Peace' category?"

Actually, that was a good tip.  OK, Bob - here you go.

Chrys' Tap was actually C & G Tap in Newton (see map) for a number of years.  Gail Morrow and his wife, Chrystal, bought what was the old "First Chance Tap - Last Chance Tap" a number of years ago.  It was called that because it was the first tavern coming into Newton heading west, and the last place to get a beer going out of Newton heading west. 

Gail and Chrys got a divorce and Chrystal continued to run the place.  Chrystal was a hard, but good woman.  She didn't take any shit off of anybody and when she had something on her mind, she said it.  If you got on her good side, she was a friend for life.  If you got on Chrystal's bad side, don't bother coming in.  And a few people did get on her bad side. 

Fortunately, I was one of the many on her good side and Chrys' Tap (or the Tap, as the locals called it) was sort of a home away from home.  When I moved back to Newton in 1986 from Texas, my good friend Matt Denniston ran the place in the day time, and Dennis (Maynard) Claseman was the long time night time guy.  When Matt went on to bigger and better things, Chrystal's sister, Bertie, came in to run the place in the day time. 

Now, Bertie was possibly harder than Chrystal, but just as kind.  She was a short, large woman who had a sharp tongue.  If you ever crossed Bertie, you may as well just moved out of town. 

And there were days that she didn't feel like cooking.  I would go in for lunch, sort of gauge how Bertie was doing - sitting at the end of the bar, smoking a cigarette and watching TV - and then I'd say, "Are you cookin' today, Bertie?"

Most of the time she'd say, "Oh, sure..."  But every once in a while she'd say, "You want something - fix it yourself."  It didn't happen all that often, but it was kind of fun when she would let us go cook in the kitchen. 

The Tap wasn't too much to look at, but it was the gathering spot for a lot of my friends in Newton.  Once Chrystal sold the place in the late 90's, it just wasn't the same any more.  Bertie stayed on, but died in May of 1999 when Cindy and I were in California.  I'm still upset that I never got to go pay my respects to Bertie.  The last link to the Tap's past was broken.  She was one of a kind.   

As it went through a couple more owners, the Tap - as we knew it - ceased to exist.  Oh, it's still there, but it's not the same. 

I told you that story to tell you this one - the biggest draw for the Tap was their food, especially their cheeseburgers.  Dubbed "Cheeseburger in Paradise" or "Bertie Burgers", the Tap burger was grilled on a flat metal grille and they were always juicy and tasty.  Served with a toasted bun and fries, it was heaven.  But you always got 'em in the daytime, because Maynard couldn't cook 'em as well as Bertie could.      

They had the regular condiments, but if you asked for lettuce or tomato, Bertie said, "Bring your own, next time."  So to be smart asses, a couple guys brought a tomato and a head of lettuce in one time.  Bertie looked at them and said, "Well, if you expect me to cut up those things, you got another thing coming."  She made them go into the kitchen and cut the tomato and chop the lettuce.  Bertie was that way. 

The Tap was a real dive, but one of those types of dives that you felt comfortable in.  People from all walks of life would frequent the Tap - executives from Maytag, insurance agents, factory workers, farmers, sales guys (like me), a whole lot of people that mixed together.  When I would bring people from out of town into the Tap, they immediately loved the place.  Except for my wife, who never understood what I liked about the place. 

It was the burgers.  And the friendship.  And Chrys.  And Bertie.  And the mixing of people from all walks of life.  I really do miss that place.  As do a lot of others.

Comments

[dave and joyce white]

will we got this from grimmy and will proceed to check out other links of yours but feel you really did the tap a good justice

[Nancy Robson]

I now live in Colorado,when I lived in Newton, the tap was my home away from home. I miss it. What you have written is so true. There is no place like the tap here in Denver:-( And now there is no place like C&G tap in Newton,so Sad.

[grimmy]

the Tap was truly a classic place

[burph]

i wish i could have gone to the tap. it sounds like a little slice of heaven.well maybe i did make it a few times and met alot of great people there. it is missed.too yuppy now but the food is good,just not the same

[Jill]

I fell in love with Matt Denniston in the early 70’s and spent many , many days and nights at the tap. The memories will be with me forever . Jill