A mild cheese soup with a subtle kick of hot sauce, popularized in Dallas in the 1970s by Baby Doe’s Matchless Mine.If you lived in the Dallas area during the 1970s and 80s, Baby Doe’s Matchless Mine was a destination: you either went, wanted to go, or had been and disliked it. The food wasn’t always the focus — it was the experience. Ideally you were invited by someone you liked, with a car (a Camaro or Trans Am helped), and who was at least 18 so you could have drinks. In that era, the drinking age was 18 and disco filled the air.
Going to Baby Doe’s was a status moment. You’d tell friends on Monday morning, “He took me to Baby Doe’s!” — it made you feel special, desirable, and a little glamorous.
I was shy in high school, balanced three jobs, and had a quirky reputation that wasn’t entirely true. I worked as an office manager at Corrigan’s, sold artwork in galleries, and did window displays for small businesses. I dated occasionally but I wasn’t the typical girl who got taken to Baby Doe’s.
So one night I went by myself. I drove past the famous waterfall billboard, found the steep road, and nearly missed the turn. I parked my ’77 Monte Carlo in the valet area, flipped my hair like a TV star, and walked in as if I belonged. That night I felt like I owned the place.
The cheese soup was — and still is — legendary. Many of us have tried to recreate it because, aside from frozen piña coladas, it was one of the things the restaurant did well. The steak was disappointing, the menu mostly uninspired, and the service hit or miss. Looking back, I’d be a harsh critic now, but even then I appreciated good food.
I didn’t stay alone all night; I ended up later on Northwest Highway, dancing and watching the clock to avoid a missed curfew. My mother locked the door if I was late, and that meant sleeping in the car.
Over the years I tinkered with a recreation of the soup. Memory and reality diverge after thirty years, so I studied period ingredients and read every reference and recipe I could find online. The balance between cheese flavor and beer was tricky: too much beer overwhelmed the cheese, and too much cheese masked the beer’s character.
I concluded the cheese base likely used processed cheese — Velveeta or Cheez Whiz. The soup didn’t taste like a traditional cheese sauce, so I chose Cheez Whiz for its stronger flavor that could stand up to beer. I remembered a fatty mouthfeel, so I added half-and-half for richness. For beer, Coors felt right for that Texas 1970s vibe; darker beers tasted too yeasty and changed the profile.
This version embraces some processed ingredients to match the original flavor. I often substitute a local amber lager for Coors — I used Rahr Blonde Lager — but a mild, light beer works best if you want the classic taste.
Put on That ’70s Show or Saturday Night Fever, wear your polyester or quiana, and take your favorite person back to Baby Doe’s, even if just in spirit.
📖 Recipe
Baby Does Beer Cheese Soup, Nailed It!
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Ingredients
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 quart half and half
- ⅔ cup good chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Pinch of celery salt (very small)
- 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 12-oz bottle mild beer (Coors, Rahr Blonde, or similar)
- 15 oz jar Cheez Whiz
Instructions
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Combine the half and half, milk, kosher salt, celery salt, hot sauce, and Worcestershire in a heavy pot and bring just under a boil.
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Whisk the cornstarch into the chicken broth until smooth and lump-free.
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Add the cornstarch-broth mixture, beer, and Cheez Whiz to the hot dairy mixture and whisk until completely smooth.
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Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens and the cornstarch “raw” flavor cooks out, about 10 minutes.
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Serve hot, garnished with a dash of hot sauce if desired.
Nutrition information is estimated. For medical or dietary uses, verify with your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested multiple times. Substituting ingredients or changing technique will affect the result.
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