The stars at night are big & bright...

Monday April 21 cont.

After relaxing at the hotel for a few hours, we started the long drive north of the metroplex to the small town of Tioga, the home of Clark's Outpost.


I thought this place would be much more out in the middle of nowhere, but it is obvious that civilization is rapidly creeping closer. There was a Sonic no more than a mile down the road.

Clark's has the look of a place that hasn't changed a thing in decades and has the wonderful, powerful smell of cooked meat that all great barbecue parlors should. There is a big western scene mural in the back dining room and plenty of Gene Autry photos, which makes sense since Tioga is Mr. Autry's hometown.

As an appetizer, Johnny chose the tamales, which I thought was an interesting choice.

I don't think this was the traditional tamales, but covered in chili and cheese, they were terrific. Good choice!

Both Johnny and I went for the combination plates, with brisket and pork ribs. Here is mine, along with sides of beans and coleslaw.

The beans are actually called smoked barbecue beans and they seem to have a good deal of their own wonderful barbecue sauce in the beans. These beans are sweet, with cut up pieces of meat in them and are so good! Johnny was particularly impressed by the cole slaw, which was creamy and not too sweet. He said that is exactly how he likes his cole slaw.

But the sides couldn't compare to the quality of the meat itself. The brisket is incredibly tender and flavorful, with a delicious crusty outside. You could really taste the smoke. Here is a close up:

This brisket needs no sauce and I could have sat there and eaten pounds of this alone!

And even though this is beef country, the big, meaty pork ribs were exceptional.

Now, we both did put some sauce on the ribs, but these could have stood on their own, too.

The most unusual side was ordered by my cousin and is fried corn on the cob, which comes with nails driven into the sides.

Neither one of us had seen this before, but Johnny thought it was quite good.

Despite all the food we just devoured, we still had room for pie. We should have known just how big the pies were going to be. Johnny went for the coconut cream and I went for the dense, fudgy chocolate cream.

The pie was so tall, it reminded me of the mile high pie they used to serve at Stone's in Iowa.

As we were leaving Clark's Outpost, we both agreed that this was head & shoulders our best meal of the trip. I loved this place!

http://clarksoutpost.com/

Since Johnny wanted to stop in at least one Sonic during the trip, we made a quick visit for beverages. He enjoyed his cherry limeade, but my pineapple shake was awful.

Back to the hotel for the night.

Much more to come.....

That pie meringue looks like Elvis' hair man. It's Elvis pie!

Tuesday April 22

At this point, I was a little disappointed at how little sightseeing we had done so far and was determined to fit in as much as possible in our last day in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

We headed for Fort Worth to eat breakfast at the Paris Coffee Shop.

This is a big, crowded place with a great downtown coffee shop feel.

Johnny went for the standard bacon & eggs breakfast, along with some biscuits and gravy.

The biscuits could have definitely been fresher, but this was good, peppery sausage gravy.

I had a large, fine tasting ham & cheese omelet.

We also split a warm, sweet cinnamon roll.


We hadn't planned on trying any of the pies, since we knew they would be from yesterday. But since we are both pineapple lovers, we couldn't pass up a slice of pineapple cream pie, which neither one of us have had before.

If this is an indication of how good their pies are, next time I'm coming back for lunch and trying several others.

Our first stop was the TCU (Texas Christian University) bookstore, where I bought way too much than I could get home. While we were looking around the store, Johnny bought a Dr. Pepper made with pure cane sugar.

I didn't try any of it, but he said it wasn't as sweet as the normal.

Next, we stopped at the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, which is a beautiful old art deco building. Here is me in front of the place.

The doors to the building were unlocked, so we went inside and looked around. The inside is equally as nice.

While we were driving across a bridge into downtown, I had Johnny stop so I could take a photo of this steer head design on the bridge.

Only in Texas!!!

While downtown, we checked out another attractive art deco building, the United States Court House.

Notice all the Tees between the windows.

We did a quick walk through the amazing Kimball Art Museum, which has an impressive collection. I read where they have the second largest budget for new acquisitions of any art museum in the country. I wish I could have spent more time here.

Next was walking around the famous Fort Worth stockyards.

We did enjoy checking out some of the interesting displays and stores in this area.

After working up a hunger sightseeing, we were ready for lunch!

Much more to come.....

Tuesday April 22 cont.

Johnny and I had really been looking forward to our lunch stop, Kincaid's.


We got there just before the big lunch rush, but I think this place is fairly busy all the time. When you place your order, they write everything, including your name, on a white paper bag.

They call your name when it is done, with your lunch in the bag. Now they do have other things besides burgers here, but I didn't hear anyone order anything besides a burger. So here is the most important part of the menu.


Both Johnny and I got cheeseburgers, with all the toppings.

This is a big, juicy mess of a 1/2 lb. burger, cooked just right. Johnny, the burger expert between the two of us, was quite happy.

The inside of the place is a little strange. There are many weird balloons hanging from the ceiling. Much of the eating area is cut down shelves, where you can stand to eat. And since this used to be primarily a grocery store, they are still some canned goods for sale.


Both of us gave Kincaid's a thumbs up!

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=289&RefID=289

Still wanting to see the sights, we headed for Dallas and Fair Park. For an art deco lover like myself, this place is heaven and it was my first time here.

Some photos:




My favorite building was the Hall of State, about Texas history. Here is the Great Hall:

There are fantastic murals behind the columns, but I just couldn't manage to get acceptable photos of them. But, this is a scene which depicts the battle at The Alamo.


We explored the park for about three hours, but just touched the surface of what all is here. I will definitely be back!!!

Much more to come.....

I guess you didn't go into the Women's Museum Cliff? I have heard about this place.

Nancypalooza-
No, we didn't go into the Women's Museum, but I would have if I had time. There was just too much to see in such a short time.

By the way, I loved the Elvis pie comment earlier!

I read a review of the Women's Museum when it opened and apparently it's a very Texas-y interpretation of women's experience, and so I have no idea when I might get to Ft. Worth the next time but now I'm really curious.

Oh the picture of the burger above put me out. (drooool) And tell Johnny I've done the Dr. Pepper Museum, and that's pretty cool too. They have a 'historical sodas' room, or they used to, with an example of pretty much anything ever made.

I love, "all of the above". Re: dessert at Celebration. "buffetbuster", I love ALL their desserts. Just pick one and go with it. You can't go wrong with anything at Celebration.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Monday April 21 cont.

As soon as we were done looking around Dealey Plaza, we went straight to Mecca

for a late lunch. We barely made it in time, since they close early, at 2:30PM.

For some reason, this restaurant just didn't fit into my preconceived notions of the area. It felt more like a Nashville meat & three. The service was super friendly and I knew I really liked the place as soon as I saw bread pudding w/ whiskey sauce listed as a vegetable!


Johnny was eager to try the chicken fried steak

with green bean casserole and especially good made from scratch mashed potatoes. Believe it or not, this was the first time he has had chicken fried steak. Thanks to ChiTownDiner later in the trip, it would be far from the last!

Since I had barbecue for lunch and knew we were having barbecue for dinner, I wanted something without meat for a change. Having only had a cheese pimiento sandwich one time before, I decided to try it.

This was a fine sandwich, but obviously no match for what I ate at Henpeck Market outside Nashville on last year's bus tour. Good fried okra was my side dish.

Being a big vegetable lover, Johnny went for the bread pudding for dessert.

He thought the sauce was a little overwhelming for the dish, but otherwise enjoyed it. I went for the peach cobbler

which was just okay.

I very much enjoyed the atmosphere at Mecca and wonder if I had ordered better, would I have liked it more. Still, I would definitely go back.

After a quick stop at the SMU (Southern Methodist University) bookstore, we headed back to our hotel before the rush hour traffic got too bad.

Much more to come.....

Lucky me, again! I get to meet up with "signman" for lunch at The Mecca on Monday.

Every dessert looked better than the other!! Great, great pictures. Thanks Buffetbuster......

Isn't that meduno made with tripe? I know DD&D's had a segment on this "Mexican specialty" and Guy did not like it. It's more for someone like Andrew Zimmeran.

Those chips and that green tomatillo (sp) salsa looked fantastic.

There's a FatHeads in Pittsburgh.

Clark's provided alot of discussion on this trip as I belive it to be my favorite of all the Texas brisket places. Their pies are a sleeper also!

I've never seen Pineapple Cream Pie either...would love some right now!

Baah Ben-
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, menudo is made with tripe and no, I will probably never sample it again. It isn't that it tasted awful, but the texture just doesn't feel right in your mouth. It feels like you are eating fat soup.

twinwillow-
Yes, you are lucky to be going to Mecca and having lunch with signman. I'm curious.....what should I have ordered when I was there?


I was very impressed that ChiTownDiner not only guessed right away that Clark's Outpost had been our favorite meal, but he has been there around 30 times!

What a trip! The airline will not charge me extra if I fly to the same cities later in the year so i will get a trip to San Antonio and Austin. I just won't get to be on the tour. It looks like you had fun. I ate at Bryce's eight years ago and loved the place. I am surprised you did not visit the Texarkana post office that straddles the state line.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Tuesday April 22 cont.

Johnny and I had really been looking forward to our lunch stop, Kincaid's.


We got there just before the big lunch rush, but I think this place is fairly busy all the time. When you place your order, they write everything, including your name, on a white paper bag.

They call your name when it is done, with your lunch in the bag. Now they do have other things besides burgers here, but I didn't hear anyone order anything besides a burger. So here is the most important part of the menu.


Both Johnny and I got cheeseburgers, with all the toppings.

This is a big, juicy mess of a 1/2 lb. burger, cooked just right. Johnny, the burger expert between the two of us, was quite happy.

The inside of the place is a little strange. There are many weird balloons hanging from the ceiling. Much of the eating area is cut down shelves, where you can stand to eat. And since this used to be primarily a grocery store, they are still some canned goods for sale.


Both of us gave Kincaid's a thumbs up!

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=289&RefID=289

Still wanting to see the sights, we headed for Dallas and Fair Park. For an art deco lover like myself, this place is heaven and it was my first time here.

Some photos:




My favorite building was the Hall of State, about Texas history. Here is the Great Hall:

There are fantastic murals behind the columns, but I just couldn't manage to get acceptable photos of them. But, this is a scene which depicts the battle at The Alamo.


We explored the park for about three hours, but just touched the surface of what all is here. I will definitely be back!!!

Much more to come.....

Wow, you guys were right here in my stomping grounds! I work less than a mile away from the Paris Coffee Shop and I live very close to TCU. You are quite correct, the pies at the Paris are to die for.
I'm glad you went to the original Kincaid's on Camp Bowie, they have several stores now, but that is the traditional best.
If you are in the area again, I would suggest trying the Dixie House Cafe. There are a few of them in the Fort Worth area, all owned by the same people. Everything is homemade there and they have wonderful pies and cakes too.
There is also a candy shop, actually it is a candy factory and they have an outlet store called The Sweet Shoppe. I need to post something about them, high quality candy, handmade on site.
I could go on...

mr chips-
I assure you that you were much missed on this trip. I know ChiTownDiner, my cousin Johnny and I spoke several times of wishing you could be there with us. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but you do appear in the German documentary. If I remember, you are visible in two different scenes.

I'm glad to hear that you will be able to make the trip to Texas later in the year.

dutchgirl-
How lucky are you being so close to Paris Coffee Shop. I can't wait to go back and try more of their pies! And thank you for the tip about Dixie House Cafe.

Tuesday April 22 cont.

After leaving Fair Park in Dallas, we raced back over to Fort Worth for an early dinner at Angelo's.


As soon as we pulled up and parked, you could see a smoky haze from a side door, which we considered a great sign. Unfortunately, the food here did not deliver on that promise.

There is more of a bar feel to this place than a barbecue parlor. This is one of the toughest placest I have ever tried to get good photos, so I will go ahead and apologize now for the quality of my pics. The menu board has a nice variety, with both of us thinking the salami plate was a little odd at a Texas barbecue place.


Johnny went for the rib plate and I for the beef plate.

Here is a close-up of the brisket

and the ribs

Even bathed in the provided barbecue sauce, neither the brisket or ribs had much flavor. The plates came with generous portions of sides, including cole slaw, beans and potato salad, but only the latter made much of an impression.

I did get a sausage sandwich to take back to the hotel room, but I foolishly neglected to put it in the refrigerator, so I threw it out without ever taking a bite.

This place was by no means terrible. It just couldn't compare to the great meal we had the night before at Clark's Outpost or the barbecue shrines we visited on the bus tour. I would like to give this place another shot the next time I am in the area.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=315&RefID=315

Much more to come.....

Tuesday April 22 cont.

After napping in the hotel for while, we were ready for one last meal in the metroplex area. We had to choose between Ranchman's Steak House up in Ponder or Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Fort Worth. Knowing how much driving we were doing the next day, we decided to make the easier trip back to Fort Worth and Cattleman's.

Located in the historic Stock Yards, this place was jumping, even at 9:00 at night. We loved the place as soon as we walked in. The bar has really nice murals of old west scenes

and the dining rooms have portraits of past champion steer.


We were seated in the Branding Room, so I walked up to check out the different cuts of meat on display. Chef Lee was more than happy to pose for me.


The meal started with delicious, sweet dinner rolls

and the salads were sensational, with the house dressing.

I can't remember exactly what the dressing was, but it was some combination of blue cheese, sesame and maybe parmesan vinaigrette. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Obviously, we both went for steaks. Johnny ordered the 13 oz. KC Strip Sirloin, while I went for the 14 oz. Thick Cut Ribeye. Unfortunately, they messed up my order and I also received the KC Strip.

Luckily, this was such a fine quality piece of meat, I didn't mind in the least. Johnny was very happy with his baked potato, while I loved the strong flavored horseradish mashed potatoes that came with mine. The steaks (his medium rare, mine medium) were both cooked perfectly.

I should mention our waitress, who was at least 80 years old and a real pistol. She told us she moved down from Chicago 31 years ago to be near her grandkids. She made the evening even more enjoyable and took real good care of us.

Even though neither Johnny or I are big steak eaters (we couldn't come to Texas without getting steaks at least once), we both loved this place.

http://www.cattlemenssteakhouse.com/

It was back to the hotel for the night and the end of a very busy day.

Much more to come.....

I've always enjoyed Cattleman's and it's the only place I recall with Grand Champion Steer pictures all over the walls. It always seems like they are nodding their apporval at your steak selection! I'm looking forward to your San Antonio side trip.

Wednesday April 23

We checked out of our hotel early and headed south for Austin. Hoping to find someplace for breakfast, we saw the billboards for different kolache places in the town of West, Texas. Needing gas anyway, we decided to check it out.

We stopped at the Little Czech Bakery.

As soon as we walked in and saw this

and this

we both got a BIG smile on our face.

Johnny loaded up on different kolaches and particularly liked the sausage, kraut and jalapeno. I bought a half dozen of the fruit flavored.

The bread is definitely on the sweet side with luscious fruit flavor on top. The apricot was my personal favorite. These were the best kolaches we had on the trip.

They also had plenty of other goodies for sale and I couldn't pass up this good looking peanut butter cupcake.


http://www.czechstop.net/home.php

We stopped at Waco, so I could pay a call on the Baylor University bookstore. While I was shopping, Johnny was checking out the bears in their pen right on campus.

Baylor's sports teams are the bears and these are their official mascots.

We thought about visiting the Dr. Pepper museum in Waco, but we would have had to wait for a while until it opened. So, we decided to keep heading south towards Austin.

Much more to come.....

MORE to come...?!?!?!

Wow again. Thanks for posting the Fair Park pics!!!
FWIW I've been to that Cattleman's in Ft Worth & enjoyed it immensely.

Keep up the excellent work, as ever.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Baah Ben-
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, menudo is made with tripe and no, I will probably never sample it again. It isn't that it tasted awful, but the texture just doesn't feel right in your mouth. It feels like you are eating fat soup.

twinwillow-
Yes, you are lucky to be going to Mecca and having lunch with signman. I'm curious.....what should I have ordered when I was there?


I was very impressed that ChiTownDiner not only guessed right away that Clark's Outpost had been our favorite meal, but he has been there around 30 times!

Re: "The Mecca", I always think one should order what sounds good to them. Not what you think you should be expected to order. From the pic of their menu, I believe the dozen fried oysters (can you believe that price?) and a fried catfish filet with lots of lemon and tarter sauce sounds damn good to me. I'll probably also have greens and cole slaw all washed down with a large "Sweet & Low" ice tea. Gotta watch my carbs. The fried stuff will be my carb load up for the week. Btw, I also love Clark's Outpost. Been going there for well over 30 years now. I loved the (late) original owner, Warren Clark. He used to work for American Airlines and opened Clark's Outpost because he wanted to get out of the "rat race" of corporate America. He was a swell guy and always "visited" with his customers.

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

BB, I have a very good friend who served on The Texas in WWII. That Ship saw a lot of action. He still talks about it almost every day. Thanks for the great Pics.

On a lighter note. While your off galavanting all over Texas, I just want you to know I got your back on the Home front.

Just got back from The South Side

[img]

I had the Double D. I only had one, even though the say nothing beats a pair of Double D's. Sausage, chipped steak, pepperoni, provolone, fried onions, hot peppers and sauce.

[img]

Well I don't want to hijack your great thread but I thought you might be homesick.

Excuse me, did you actually say, "Double D's"? I noticed that while looking at the couple in the picture.

cecif-
Thanks for the kind words as always! I genuinely appreciate them very much. Yeah, I'm only about halfway through the trip report and I can't believe how long it is taking me.

If there's one thing I cannot stand on this site, it is how long some people take to finish their trip reports!

Wednesday April 23 cont.

Before heading into the city, we decided we would see some of the countryside west of Austin. This was my first time in the Hill Country and there really is some beautiful scenery.

We ended up in Marble Falls at Blue Bonnet Cafe for lunch. How about this for a sign?


Pie Happy Hour? PIE HAPPY HOUR!!! Now, this is a concept I could get behind. My name is buffetbuster and I wholeheartedly approve this message! Of course, we were here at the wrong time, but still..... This is an idea that I hope spreads like wildfire!

As you walk through the door, it is impossible not to pay heed to this.

Lunch for Johnny and I was just an exercise to quickly get though, so we could get to the pie. He went for the grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup,

while I ate the hot roast beef sandwich.

The beef itself was so tender, it was more like pot roast. Good fries, too. One complaint.....I hate that they put my salad on the same plate. Now, I'm not one of those people whose food is never allowed to touch, but still, getting gravy on your lettuce is rather unappetizing.

Now for the pie.....they have a fairly large selection and we sure do wish we could have tried more, but Johnny had the coconut cream

and I had the banana cream. The review from Michael Stern raves about the peanut butter pie, so we split a slice of that.

In his review, Michael Stern mentions that they give you a side of chocolate sauce to either pour on top or use to dip. But in this instance, the chocolate sauce was already poured over top for us. No matter, this was sensational pie! Soft, with a strong peanut buttery taste, this may have been the best pie on the trip, which is saying something. Both the coconut and banana cream pies were winners, too.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=499&RefID=499

Since we had much laundry to do, we decided to head to the hotel and see if we could check in early.

Much more to come.....

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

If there's one thing I cannot stand on this site, it is how long some people take to finish their trip reports!

Wednesday April 23 cont.

While driving to our hotel in south Austin, we saw a sign announcing we were in the town of Bee Cave. (When you are driving by or though a place, don't you sometimes wonder how it received its name?) The name sounded familiar, so I started scrambling through my list of Roadfood reviews and saw there was a Mexican place named Rosie's in Bee Cave. I asked Johnny if he had room for one more stop, fully knowing what the answer would be.

We quickly found Rosie's and pulled in.

It sure isn't much to look at, but it has plenty of character and atmosphere. The menu is large and frankly, quite confusing.

The friendly counterman answered some questions the best he could and we sat down and waited for our food. After about 15 minutes, he called us and we went to the counter and picked up our food. We both started off with a taco (sorry, I forgot what kind each of us got)

and one bite in you realize this is no Taco Bell. Fresh, tasty ingredients, this was what a taco should taste like. For our entrees, I got the enchiladas,

while Johnny got the enchilada/tamale combo. This may have been the best Tex-Mex we had on the trip. I wish we had been even hungrier.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=494&RefID=494

After checking in at our hotel, Johnny thought it would be much quicker to go to a local laundromat. Thanks to the GPS, he found one only a few miles from the hotel, but not in the best of neighborhoods. While he was sitting there talking with an older guy, the guy pulled out a long knife and explained to Johnny that he always carries some form of protection. My cousin quickly finished up the laundry and headed back for the hotel.

While Johnny was making friends with the locals, I spoke to the newly arrived ChiTownDiner to make arrangements to meet for dinner later that night.

Much more to come.....

BB and Johnny

We always make time for a meal if we are near 'WEST'. What a neat little community. We will get some sausage Kolache and sit by the RR Station to enjoy our snack while watching the UP RR trains roll thru town.

I love to visit the Czech communites that seem to be so strong in areas near I-35. The pattern of immigration seems to have created a belt about 200 miles wide from Texas to the Dakota's where Czech settlers built their villages. We have visited towns in all of those states and really enjoyed sampling the food in most of them!

Keep up the great reports!

Are those pics from West, TX? If so, I have stopped there at least a dozen times and if you time it right, you can get their kolaches right out of the oven. That is when they are the best.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul-
Yes, those photos are from the town of West, Texas. So what is the best time to show up to get them fresh from the oven. I'm assuming it is early in the morning or do they make them all day long?

Al-
We just stopped at the first kolache place we could find, right next to the highway. I would have loved to have gone into town to explore a little more and grab a full meal, but we were quite happy with what we got. You have to respect how the Czechs really hold on to their traditions.