Of Beer and BBQ

If you are arriving in the middle of this story, you might want to go back and start with Part I.

When last we left the trip through Texas, I was leaving the Avalon Diner and heading west to Shiner, Texas, and the Spoetzel Brewery - the makers of my favorite brewski, Shiner Bock. I remember my first trip to Texas back in the early '90s. One of my college buddies was getting married in San Antonio, and I flew out for the festivities. Every place we went, I would go to order my beer of choice, Amber Bock, and every place I went, I was told "we don't serve Amber Bock, we have Shiner Bock." Not being familiar with the brand - and not being much of a beer drinker to begin with, I moved on to something else. It wasn't until the night of the bachelor party when my friend was still coherent enough to know that he should stop consuming all the beers people purchased for him, that he passed me (the designated driver) one of his Shiners. I guess we could call it love at first taste - because I was hooked.

For all the times I have been to central Texas, I always wanted to visit Shiner and the brewery. Unfortunately, Shiner is about two hours west of Houston, an hour and a half east of San Antonio and about an hour and a half southeast of Austin. Usually, no matter how well I plan, I just can't swing that much drive time on the work nickel to score a trip to a brewery. This trip, though, was my own doing, and there was a group gathering at the brewery as part of the weekend festivities, so the stars aligned properly - for once!

We arrived in Shiner too late for the morning tour and way early for the afternoon gig (note to self: someone should really check to see the tour times before driving two hours!). We had time to kill, so we went - well, where else? The nearest watering hole. Heck, it was after noon somewhere, right? Right up the road from the brewery was a place (which may well have been named "Bar" or "Tavern" for all I know) that sold frosty cold plastic cups of Shiner Blonde for - get this - $1.25. This will do until the brewery tour begins.

The Shiner folks are a little squirrelly about people taking pictures inside the brewery, so I only got some outside shots. The brewery tour is cool (and free!). I learned a lot about beermaking and that Shiner Bock is now the #1 best-selling craft beer in Texas (not really surprising - those yellow bottles are EVERYWHERE) and the #4 best-selling craft beer in all of the United States. Today's trivia - Who are the three ranked ahead of Shiner Bock? Answer at the end of the post (if I could only figure out a way to post upside down!).

You get a few free samples before, during, or after the tour. They offer more than just the bock for tasting, too. I sampled the blonde, hefeweizen, bock and the seasonal dunkelweizen. The first three were good, but the dunkel is an acquired taste that I have not acquired. I thought it tasted a little thick - but, true beer lovers may love it. Me, when I say "Shiner," I mean "bock."

After navigating our way through the backroad Texas speedtraps, the caravan made it's way up to Taylor, TX - home of the legendary Louie Mueller's BBQ. I visited Louie Mueller's about a year ago, and detailed the bulk of my feelings at that time. Still, there was something so noteworthy at this stop that bears specific mention. For all the readers out there in Internet-land who are fans of menus, Louie Mueller's boasts one of my favorites. Scratched out on butcher paper and posted to the wall with masking tape, all of the days offerings are clearly spelled out. You can pretty well figure that most regulars here don't stop to read the menu.

The barbecue at Mueller's is excellent. As big a fan as I am of Williams Smokehouse in Houston (I won't link to the same article again, but if you haven't read the first post in this series, you'll know what I mean), if I had a choice between the two on a daily basis, I suspect that I wouldn't be eating much at Williams. During this weekend, though, we searched out the pinnacle of all BBQ, and while the beef brisket and pork ribs are really solid choices here, we would find some samples of those products to be superior further along in the trip (how's that for a teaser?). But, the single best thing on the menu here are the phenomenal beef ribs. Pictured to the left is the guy in our group affectionately called "The Mayor" enjoying one of these Flintstone-esque brontosaurus - errrr....beef ribs. I may go so far as to say that these ribs weren't only the best thing on the Mueller's menu, but it may have been the single best piece of meat - any style - that we enjoyed the whole weekend. Maybe after the last post, I will do an "awards" post for the best of this trip. The guys at Mueller's are probably going to hate me for posting this, as they told us that they get a spike in business whenever the local food writer mentions the beef ribs - and they usually cannot keep up with the demand on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, the rib shown in the picture was the last one sold for the day - yes, most of us didn't get to order them, as they were sold out. I managed to sample a small piece of the rib meat that someone else had ordered, and I can assure you - this is a serious nominee for best BBQ of the weekend.


Stay tuned...more to come on visits to Lockhart (Kreutz's Market, Smitty's) and Southside Market in Elgin.

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The Lowdown on H-Town, Part II

This is part of a series that begins here.

After returning from Galveston, we made off for dinner at Magnolia Bar & Grill. This was my second trip to this venerable Houston establishment. The last time I was in town, the weather was great and we ate outside. This trip, temperatures dipped into the 40's, so we decided an indoor table was in order. Magnolia has a large and varied menu, but their specialties include a lot of creole seafood. First up on my agenda was this stellar bowl of shrimp gumbo. The picture, as usual, does not do this bowl of spicy goodness any justice. You could not dip the spoon into the bowl without pulling up three shrimp per spoonful. The broth was spicy, but not distractingly so.

My dinner entree was another Texas gulf specialty, stuffed redfish. There were three of us at the table, and two of us ordered the redfish. My other dining companion (the artist formerly known as "Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick") went with the stuffed shrimp, which were also described as excellent. The redfish came with a lump crabmeat stuffing (like the shrimp in the gumbo, you could pick out the large chunks of crabmeat in the stuffing). The mashed potatoes that accompanied the dish were some of the best I have ever had.

Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick also grabbed a piece of their key lime pie, and put away the whole thing. Personally, I liked the fruit garnish, but I am not a fan of key lime pie - and can I just tell you how hard it is to live in Florida and not like key lime pie?

Breakfast the following morning was at the Avalon Diner, which earned a prominent spot on my Best of 2006 list. You can follow along after the jump...

Before departing Houston, "wanderingjew" and I planned to meet up for breakfast at the Avalon. Unfortunately, he ran into some car trouble and had a rough go getting to the restaurant. We ended up in slightly more of a rush than we had anticipated, but the Avalon is a worthy stop for some pre-road trip grub. Located in a non-descript strip mall in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, the Avalon Diner doesn't look like the kind of place that would normally attract my attention. But, one step in the door, and you immediately feel as though you have taken a step back in time. The decor is retro - the traditional 1950's diner feel. I love the oversized soda caps hanging on the wall.



To be honest, my breakfast was unexciting - I ordered the old-fashioned, thin, small-tread waffle, based on a Michael Stern recommendation. It was good. But, just good. Wanderingjew ordered the chicken fried steak (sorry, I didn't get a photo), and I have to admit - he won. This is definitely an instance of "when in Rome..." and when in Texas, chicken fried steak is usually a pretty good option.

The real reason I added Avalon to the Houston recap, though, was to add the photos and the full attention that my previous visit deserved, but was never written. On my last visit, I sat at the counter and observed the inner workings of a tradtional diner from a cat bird seat at the counter. There is nothing like getting the first-hand view of the interaction between the cooks and the servers at the counter. On top of the ambiance, the thin-patty burgers at Avalon are delicious. The crinkle-cut fries are the ideal accompaniment.



The burger, fries and a shake was a great meal, but on my next trip through town, I want to check out their fresh-squeezed lemonade (they also do limeade). This machine makes the magic. You can see the fresh limes and lemons in the background. I watched as they created each glass, as it was ordered. Each lemon squeezed on the spot, a little syrup and sugar added and blended perfectly and served in an old-style fountain glass.



Well fed, we departed for Shiner, Texas, the home of Spoetzel Brewery - the makers of Shiner Bock beer. More on that in the next installment.

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Carnival of Dining Out II - Now With Smell-O-Vision!

Welcome to the Carnival of Dining Out II. I mentioned last month that I wanted to increase participation, and we have about 50% more submissions than last month. I am glad to see more and more people participate - even if I have to weed out a few submissions that are completely irrelevant. Last month, I organized things geographically - but, this month, since I am such a rebel, I am going to shake things up and organize things by type of food.

Fine Dining Experiences

Anne-Marie presents On becoming a gourmet nation...in Vegas posted at Anne-Marie. She shares her experiences with the seven course tasting menu at Charlie Palmer's Aureole - complete with a picture log. I do love other bloggers who photograph their meals - my friends think I am a freak!

I thought that I might get a few submissions from some romantic Valentine's Day dinners this month. Well, if you take the plural out of the last sentence, then I was right on track. Brute Force reports on V-Day 2007: Plouf. The lesson that we should take away here is that people who photograph their food get prime real estate at the Carnival of Dining Out (photo credit to the left)! Check out the rest of Brute's blog at Adventures of BruteForce.

Steve Madsen checks in with Sip Restaurant Review posted at South Bank Projects. Usually, when I am out in the Seattle area, I stay downtown, but Steve makes a good case for making a trip out to the suburbs of Issaquah.

For the Sushi Fans

Jennifer Miner makes her case for The Best Sushi in the Country. If I were the kind of guy who liked eating sushi, I suppose that southern California would be one place I would start if I were looking for the best. But....

...our mileage award (distance from home base here in Hooterville) goes to Jul, an ex-pat living in Zurich who wants us all to know that Seefeld doesn't suck. She writes This non-American Life.

"Man Food" - Pizza, Wings and BBQ

Toby Boyce presents Delaware Ohio's Best: Wing Store posted at Sadie's Take, saying, "Every college town has to have its share of wing establishments and Delaware is no exception. So which is the best? Well..."

My own late entry to the dance is from a trip that I took this month to go eat BBQ in Texas. The Lowdown on H-Town is part one of a multi-part series on my trek through the barbecue heartland. Check back and see the posts that follow, too.

Since I don't know of a Carnival of Dining *IN*, I am going to let KevinL slide on in with Ordering Pizza For Delivery - A How To Guide posted at Pizza Delivery Stories. Fortunately, pizza makes a good addition to a section that includes BBQ and chicken wings! Whenever I get store-bought pizza, I usually pick-up, because I like the pick-up place better than the delivery places, but if I am ever going to phone ahead for delivery, I will make sure I follow Kevin's tips.

Snackie-poos

One of the places on my summer vacation radar is the DC area - one more major league baseball stadium where I have never seen a game, so I am glad that Elizabeth stoppped by to talk about Snickers Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt Blend In at Thomas Sweet (Georgetown, DC), which she has posted at A Daily Scoop: Ice Cream Reviews. While this blog is not quite updated daily - someone call Lionel Hutz - this is the most blatant case of false advertising since 'The Neverending Story!' - there is new content added frequently.

Now, one of my favorite sections - Food in the News!

My buddy Lazy Man always has good takes on finances. This month, he talks about the The $25,000 Meal over at Lazy Man and Money. I don't see the big deal. Come on, Lazy, if I get the plane tickets to Taiwan, you buy dinner? :-)

Matthew Paulson presents Getting Green: Information for Those Who Want to Be Millionaires. posted at Getting Green. I suspect that he would be appalled at a dinner check of $25k for one! But, if Lazy Man is buying, I say the more, the merrier.

Arun tackles the seemingly endless problem of The Assumed Tip at Arun is bringing you...Your Daily Remedy. Having participated in a few food discussion boards over the years, this topic always seems to bring out the best in people. To those who choose to leave comments, please play nice.

savingadvice would never stiff anyone on a tip - and doesn't think that you should, either. As a matter of fact, he wants you to know 5 Great Ways To Leave A Tip. Personal Finance Advice, is loaded with other wonderful tidbits to mind your money, but I don't think anyone can put a price on cool money folding tricks.

This post isn't really about dining out, but it is, at least, about food - well, Food TV personalities, but, it made me laugh - and you really can score extra points with that. While the Travelin' Man does not condone anyone referring to themselves in the third person, no one talks about Rickey better than Rickey. In this case, pour yourself a cup of joe and sit down and read Rickey Henderson's take Rickey Examines The Food Network posted at Riding with Rickey. Thank goodness Rickey can find time to post a blog about Rickey while coaching my beloved Mets at spring training.

The last article warrants it's own section. If I had the time, I would immediately start the Carnival of Bad Carnival Submissions. I would probably have more articles than I could ever manage if all the other carnival hosts sent in submissions. Instead of starting a new carnival, I present to you, my faithful readers, a single-post sub-carnival. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, the first (and I assure you, ONLY) edition of....

The Carnival of Bad Carnival Submissions

Katie presents IMPACT Defense Against Multiple Assailants class posted at KitKat's Critique. What earns Katie a link here is her sales pitch to me. She wrote "Please post this in an upcoming carnival so everyone who's wondered what a good self-defense course against street muggers (which, if you dine out at interesting places, you might be more likely to run into than the average person!) is like can read a detailed description from a student's point of view." Katie, this post clearly is important, but has a place elsewhere....but, you got stones, kid.

Well, that about wraps things up for this month. I hope that you enjoyed what we had to munch on this month. Last month we had 10 posts and this month brought 15. Hopefully, we can continute the upward trend next month with a very, very, very special April Fool's Day Edition of the Carnival of Dining Out, starring Marlee Matlin, Rick Schroeder, and that chick from 'Blossom'. Submit your articles to the next edition of the Carnival of Dining Out using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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The Lowdown on H-Town

This is part one of a series. Part two can be found here.

It occurred to me that my own end of the month deadline for the Carnival of Dining Out is rapidly approaching, and I hadn't written a single thing this month worthy of a spot at my own dance. One of the reasons that my posts were a little light there for awhile was because I took a long weekend to attend the annual gathering of the West Tennessee Glee Club and BBQ Appreciation Society, held Presidents' Day weekend (this year) in central Texas.

I flew into Houston and met up with a buddy of mine for our first meal at my favorite barbecue joint in H-town, Williams Smokehouse. Williams is pretty well known, especially in BBQ circles, but most others consider the more well-known barbecue houses in town (Goode & Co. and Otto's come to mind) to be the best. Heck, President Bush eats his barbecue at Otto's when he's in town, so it must be good, right? I found this list on Citysearch from 2005 that doesn't even list Williams Smokehouse in the Top 10 BBQ restaurants in all of Houston (this is the voice of the people - should be able to rely on that, no?).

I will only say this about that - if you don't think that Williams has the best BBQ in Houston, it is probably because you have never been there. Folks that have been, will generally agree with my assessment. I have spoken to many friends and acquaintances who live in and around Houston, and many of them have never been to Williams. Why? Well, for one thing, it is in a horrible part of town. Most every time I have been there, I have been the only white person in the whole place. It is also in a pretty inconvenient part of town - it is not near the Galleria, for instance, so tourists aren't going to seek it out, and employees aren't going to pack the place around lunch time.

Most Texas BBQ is about the beef. Williams makes a fine brisket, and their sauce has just enough bite to let you know that you are IN Texas. But, the star of the show at this place is the ribs. These are not tender baby backs - rather, these long spare ribs have good amount of meat that needs a good tug to come off the bone. Williams gets it - the meat on ribs shouldn't be "falling off the bone" as many people describe. Ribs that are made as such, are probably overcooked. Not only are the ribs excellent, but at $8.50 for the pictured plate, they are a true bargain. If I didn't have my heart set on the ribs, I would have jumped on the daily special - a sliced beef sandwich, small fries and a drink for $4.95.

Williams is on the northwest side of town, and it is usually my first stop whenever I fly into IAH, as it is somewhat convenient to the airport.

After leaving Williams, we decided to drive down to Galveston for the afternoon. Information on that part of the trip will be below the fold.

Galveston is just 45 quick minutes south of Houston, but for all the times I have been to H-town, I have never made the drive down to the beach. I was surprised at what we found. The city of Galveston is much nicer than what I had envisioned. The water was nice - not completely clear, but not nasty. I understand that there are some issues with seaweed infestation during different times of the year, but this was not evident during our trip. It was a chilly day, so spending time at the beach was not something to spend a lot of time on.

We made way towards the downtown "Strand" district and found LaKing's - a place for homemade confections - candy and ice cream, coffee, etc. I am a sucker for homemade ice cream (I am a sucker for homemade chocolates and fudge, too - just ask the girl who sold me all this stuff!), and LaKing's didn't disappoint. They make small batches of some relatively unique flavors. Some of the flavors that they offered were apple and pumpkin pie, strawberry cheesecake, Banana Walnut, and Amaretto Almond. The young gentleman at the counter encouraged me to try most every flavor they had under glass. I went with the apple pie, and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the picture didn't come out too well. The picture of the largest jawbreakers I have ever seen, however, photographed quite well. This will be part of a series of photos that I will call "Everything Really Is Bigger in Texas!"



By the time we were done at LaKing's, it was about time to head back up to Houston. We had dinner plans on tap. I will cover dinner and breakfast the following day in the next post.

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Deal of the Day - Free Ice Cream

OK...it's been a REALLY long time since I posted a "Deal of the Day," but this is a pretty good one - and just in time for Valentine's Day! Cold Stone Creamery is giving away free ice cream (really it is buy one-get one, but you're not going by yourself, are you?). I do see the humor in offering free ice cream when most of the country is either digging out from serious snow or cranking up the heater in hopes of bringing their house temp UP to about 58 degrees.

Personally, I think Cold Stone is allright in a pinch, but I am off to central Texas next week, where I will be enjoying a stop at my favorite ice cream joint, Amy's! No one can live on BBQ brisket, alone. These are a few pictures of my previous visit....


This Amy's location is situated in a former roadside motel - hence the "VACANCY/NO VACANCY" signage that is used to express when the store is open for business. Even on a chilly, rainy night, Amy's is a great stop!

The flavors at Amy's are just a little on the unique side. I am told that the Guiness selection is sometimes switched out for Shiner! Pumpkin is likely to be a flavor that was available last time, but not next week.

Amy's hires truly outgoing people who love what they do. Sure, you get the wannabe actors at Cold Stone singing on cue, but these folks are true ice cream lovers that will let you sample everything on the menu (remember, the theme was "free ice cream!") and offer up suggestions as to what ice cream pairs best with which mix-ins. "Lucky Charms" here suggested coffee ice cream with Heath Bar mixed in. It was perfect!

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Dining Out: Best of 2006

Consider this post the sequel to last year's Best of 2005 list.

It seems like I traveled more this year than in years past. Unfortunately, a lot of it was to the same places I have been in the last couple of years. That's not really such a bad thing - I don't suppose that I would have wanted to return to the same places if I didn't like it there - but, since fellow ROGUEfooder "wanderingjew" laid down the challenge of only using places that are new this year, I thought I would have a tough time coming up with a Top 10 of just new places. As it turns out, I had to whittle down a list from about twenty. I will deviate from my past rule of only including restaurants recommended by the Sterns. Still, I think that the quality of the following 10 destinations would prove worthy. To rank one ahead of another would be a grave injustice (but, #1 will be considered #1 for those who feel that there should be a definitive "winner."

10) Smitty's; Lockhart, TX

Central Texas is my absolute favorite place for BBQ in the whole country. The picture of my own meal, however, does not nearly sum up the quality of Smitty's the way this picture of one of their smokers in action does. In addition to serving this wonderful food, the staff here was very freindly and cordial - allowing me to take a number of photos, with full run of the place. I enjoyed a plate that consisted of two healthy slices of beef shoulder (brisket) and two pork ribs. I was trying to eat light so that I might also get to Kreuz's Market (and compare the two!), but alas, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, once again. My plan is to make it back to Lockhart sometime in February. The thought of getting my hands on some of that beef is probably what gets me through the next few days!

208 S Commerce St.
Lockhart, TX

9) Tony's Restaurant; Bridgeton, MO (RIP, as of 12/06)

I am glad to say that I made it to this hidden treasure before it's untimely demise in late 2006. This picture doesn't do the size of this omelette justice. If I was told that there were a half-dozen eggs in there, I wouldn't blink. The menu did not mention that this was an item to be served family style, but it fed three healthy adult males with no problem at all. The pancakes, wonderful as they were, had no business being on the table. These two plates made for too much food for three adults. The best part of the whole meal - that cost of that omelette was around five bucks.

8) Grimaldi's Pizza; Brooklyn, NY

This is the scene outside Grimaldi's most of the time that they are open for business. New Yorkers, impatient bunch that we can be, will wait - for something worth waiting for. Grimadli's pizza is one of the things worth waiting for. In my case, excellent company made the wait for a table and the food seem all too short. Don't poke in expecting to grab a slice to go - there are no slices at Grimaldi's. Even calling and ordering in advance may not get you a pie any quicker. Everyone is queued up together, egalitarianism at it's best. Upon completion of your pie, bang a right out the front door and walk a block or two down to the water and grab a fine dessert at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

19 Old Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY

7) Dinic's; Philadelphia, PA

Located inside the Reading Terminal Market, Dinic's is destination food in Philly. Pictured above is the roast pork, served "wet," which is just as it sounds - drenched in it's own juices. A side of locally produced Herr's chips is the accompaniment. It would take you weeks to eat your way around RTM without duplicating any single establishment, but Dinic's is on my list of places to hit whenever I am in town. Everyone may tell you that the touristy thing to do in Philadelphia is to get a cheesesteak from Pat's or Geno's. Let the tourists head there while you get a better meal at Dinic's. Everything pictured above was less than $7 (including the fountain drink).

Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA

6) Pho Van; Portland, OR

This was my first experience with Vietnamese food. I am sure that part of what made this meal exceptional was the company - fellow ROGUEfooder Mr. Chips, and his family - Trudy and Sam. I will be darned if I could remember the name, but the bowl pictured above was my entree, which included BBQ pork, large shrimp, ground pork and veggies in a chicken broth with vermicelli noodles. This bowl followed some excellent spring roll appetizers (well, the bite or two that I managed to sneak in before Sam torched the rest!), and was more than I could finish. What you see pictured above was about $7. I only hope that I didn't set the bar too high with my first Vietnamese experience. The odds of me being able to walk into any other local restaurant expecting to get this same quality is are probably not that high.

1919 SE 82nd Ave.
Portland, OR

5) Puerto Sagua; Miami, FL


The aforementioned "wanderingjew" traveled down to my home state for some baseball and eating, and I met up with him and a friend of his down in Miami. After a sunny afternoon of Marlins baseball, we drove down to Miami Beach to eat some of the best Cuban food served outside of Havana. This picture isn't even my own meal, but upon being served, I immediately regretted not ordering the seafood enchilada.

700 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL

4) Avalon Diner; Houston, TX

Sitting at the counter at the Avalon Diner is like taking a step back in time to the 1950's. I suppose that the 1950's wouldn't have seen the Avalon in as strange a place as a strip mall, but sometimes you just have to roll with the times. A burger, fries, and a shake - All-American comfort food, if ever there was such a designation. In addition to the hand-dipped shakes, the Avalon still squeezes the lemons and limes fresh for their homemade lemonade and limeade, respectively. Seems like every town used to have at least one of these places. Now, they are stretched far and wide.

2417 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX

3) Primanti Brothers, Pittsburgh, PA

When I mentioned to friends that I was heading to Pittsburgh, every single person told me that if I only had time for one meal, that meal should be the sandwich made famous in Pittsburgh - the Primanti Brothers. I will admit to being skpetical - a sandwich with bread, french fries, and cole slaw all slathered on a sandwich together did not really appeal to me. I am a basic fellow - I want to taste the meat in a sandwich, and am usually resistant to any and all condiments. Still, I was told, this slaw is different...the fries add a unique texture....it's an experience. I figued that the worst case scenario would be that I would never have to eat another - and I could claim the experience as done. Instead, the sandwich, and the experience was unforgettable. I was seated at the counter in the original Strip District location, next to two college buddies, in town on summer break. One lived in Pittsburgh his whole life, the other was visiting from NY. For the NYer, this was his "must" experience in Pittsburgh, too.

46 18th St.
Pittsburgh, PA

2) Round Rock Donuts; Round Rock, TX

It is almost hard for me to justify a "Top 10" spot on donuts - but, these donuts are THAT good. I made two visits to the Austin area in 2006. In March, I stayed in Round Rock, and Roadfooder "Bushie" sent me to these fried doughy delights. When I booked my hotel for my October trip, I clearly wasn't thinking about donuts, and booked a hotel on the south side of Austin, near the airport. Waking up and needing a donut fix, I drove about 1/2 hour, in driving rain, to Round Rock to get my hands on these treats. They raised the price from my first visit to my second - up a nickel now, to FIFTY cents a piece. On a recent road trip, I stopped at a roadside Dunkin' Donuts and found donuts had risen in price to 84 cents. I know that it is only 34 cents per donut, but a difference of about 40% in price, for quality that is not anywhere close is a complete injustice. Round Rock Donuts is just one more reason to look forward to that February trip.

106 W Liberty St.
Round Rock, TX

1) Ess-a-Bagel, New York, NY

I try not to throw around the label of "best ever" too often, or it loses its impact. Unfortunately, I don't know any other way to say it - these are the best bagels I have ever eaten. Period. The cinammon raisin that you see right in the middle are fresh and warm out of the oven. I ordered a half-dozen, and walked out towards my hotel. As I was walking, the heat from the bagels permeated the bag and began toasting my hands. Between the physical signs of the warm bagels, and the aroma coming out of the bag, I couldn't resist reaching into the bag and tearing off a hunk of fresh bagel as I walked. The crusty exterior texture blended with the chewy interior to make bagel bliss. My boss often asks me to bring back "real" New York bagels whenever I travel to the Motherland. If she only knew, she would think that anything else I had brought back to this point was absolutely inferior!

831 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10022

As I look back at the remaining restaurants on my 2006 list that didn't make the cut, I could easily make ANOTHER Top 10 list that would rival most anybody's travels. It really was a good year. In the next couple of days, I will try to highlight some of the honorable mentions, some of the places that would have made a Top 10 if there was no "first visit" rule, and feature my biggest disappointment of 2006.

I wish you all good eats and safe travels in 2007!

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Meat, meat, and more meat!

Why would anyone go to Texas and not just gorge themselves on ounce after ounce and pound after glorious pound of red meat? I don't even think that I tried that hard, and I came away from one week in the Dallas/Fort Worth area having packed away steak three nights, barbecued beef brisket three times for lunch, and two of the most phenomenal hamburgers I have ever consumed.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me the whole time, and didn't get photos of the steaks (the best of which was the "Panhandle" at Love and War in Texas) or the brisket. I ate at Spring Creek, Randy White's and Sonny Bryan's - and ol' Sonny B is still the king of Dallas 'Q. However, I did take care of you, all those who seek food porn. Read on, my friends...

Finishing my high school visits in Fort Worth usually means one thing - a trip to Kincaid's. The fact that Kincaid's makes a darn fine burger is not a big secret in Fort Worth. One of the college counselors I met with even seemed a little jealous that I was headed out that way! As is standard for me, I had a hard time finding the place - it is a little hidden, just off Camp Bowie Blvd, just outside of downtown. Once inside, I made my way to the counter to place my order. The staff is sharp, and greets all guests pretty quickly. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with fries, and it was prepared fresh and quickly. Everything is packed and prepared as a to-go meal, but many patrons eat in at stand-up counters and long, family-style tables that are anchored throughout the restaurant. For additional photos, click to see below the next review and then the fold.

I don't usually need to have my arm twisted to go and visit the uber-talented kids up at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, either. TAMS is a residential high school housed at the University of North Texas. I usually meet with one or two students while I am there, and the college counselor is excellent. Still, if I am going to drive 45 minutes outside of Dallas, there had best be a meal attached to this trip, too! About 10 minutes west of Denton is the tiny town of Ponder, which may or may not have a stop-light. I am not going there in search of traffic control devices, though - I am going for one of the best hamburgers in the country.

Ranchman's Cafe serves up some excellent dead cow. They lure a crowd from Dallas, Fort Worth, the mid-cities, and all over for dinnertime steaks. At lunchtime, they lure me back year after year by serving some of the freshest hamburgers, grilled under the watchful eye of an on-site perfectionist owner. I am a little surprised that the Texas Burger Guy hasn't made his way out to Ponder yet. This place would be right up his alley! Being a New Yorker, Texas hospitality always throws me for a little bit of a loop, but the gang at Ranchman's Cafe is straight of central casting for Texas friendly. In addition to making a meal you would want to buy, you will also feel good about spending your money will such fine folks.

Follow along below the fold and see the great pictures of the food (and menus!)....

The exterior of Charles Kincaid's former grocery store. Now, Kincaid's sells only hamburgers (well, there is a limited menu of other items, but who are we kidding?). The car on the right was my rental for the week, a snazzy (if purple) Hyundai Azera - a surprisingly nice luxury car, which is probably somewhat affordable.
This is the bacon cheeseburger I ordered. Actually, this is the replacement for the bacon cheeseburger that I ordered. I neglected to omit the mustard from my order, and when it arrived, I asked the counter guy for a an extra bun bottom to eliminate the bulk of the mustard-y taste, but he insisted on remaking the burger. The standard dressed burger comes with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and mustard. The crinkle-cut fries were tasty, but unspectacular.
A good view of the burger, mid-meal. Note the grease-stained paper, which has already soaked up some ample burger juices.
The interior of Kincaid's. As mentioned before, the seating is all family-style, and some is not seating, at all. The oversized blow-up thingies hanging from the ceiling make for odd decor, but I think I want one of those Shiner bottle-shaped ones for my office!


For those of you who enjoy reading menus in establishments like this.
I have heard Ranchman's Cafe referred to as Ponder Steakhouse, as well. Maybe having two signs with different names on the exterior of the building doesn't help dispell the confusion! :)
Let me assure you...this is a man's hamburger. It is 1/2 pound of freshly ground beef (yes, they do their own, on site). Those fries were an actual potato mere moments before this picture was taken. Come to think of it, the hamburger may have been a cow up until just a few minutes before that. My server (Allison?) informed me that Ranchman's is now serving these burgers as DOUBLES, as well. She told me that they have a regular customer who can put away two of those bad boys in one sitting (no fries, mind you). Most people get a little freaked when they see some dope taking pictures of his food. Not Allison...she actually said that she has the same hobby. She may be my kindred spirit!
If we are going to use the food porn analogy, this would have to be the money shot. The lettuce on this burger was just filler, but the tomatoes, bacon, and melted cheddar were burger perfection. The Mrs. Baird's bun was almost enough to hold this beast together, but, in the end, wasn't quite up to the task. I am not sure there is a bun that WOULD be up to the job of holding this burger together.
The interior of Ranchman's, an exquisite historic building, built next to a bank that was once robbed by Bonnie and Clyde. The doorway in the rear leads to an addition that was built more recently for extra seating. The gentleman standing on the left is Dave Ross, owner of Ranchamn's, who offers first-time visitors an opportunity to sign his guest book, which has entries from around the world.

The only downer of the day in Ponder was that I didn't order the pie. In the past, I have had the apple pie and the buttermilk pie. They were both divine, and I knew that I wanted something sweet. Still, I had been referred to a place in Denton called the Southern Fried Pie Company. My plan was to attend my meeting at TAMS and then seek out some delicious fried pies. I researched the place previously, got directions from the gang at TAMS, and drove out to the middle of town. Unfortunately, the Southern Fried Pie Company is no more, or so I was told by a local, after making three or four passes looking for a storefront that did not exist. Not only was I bummed, but I was also pie-free as I made the 45 minute trek back down to Dallas!

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The Search for Great BBQ Continues...

Proving once again that I need to stay more current on postings, it has now been over a month since I made my visit to Taylor, TX to lunch at Louis Mueller's BBQ. This is going to be a tough post because not only has a month passed, but I have since visited Luling City Market in Houston, TX and Dinosaur BBQ in both Rochester and Syracuse, NY. You'll also recall that I had just visited Kreuz Market just a few days prior, too, so I hope I don't confuse my BBQ tastebuds.

I started my trek north from Round Rock to Dallas with a detour about 15 miles east to Taylor. I felt like a complete mo-mo when I realized that I had driven past Louie Mueller's BBQ not once, but twice! You wouldn't think that a town as big as Taylor would be able to accommodate fine driving like that -- but, I even exceeded my own expectations this time.



Louie Mueller's is destination BBQ -- that which is worth driving X miles off the main highway to enjoy. Folks have been doing just that for quite some time, as Mueller's is legendary Texas 'Q.

The procedure at Mueller's is pretty much the same as the other Texas BBQ joints. Walk up to the counter, grab a tray, and tell the guy with the knife what you want to eat. I ordered a small portion of the beef brisket and a couple of ribs. The cutter hacked me off a sample piece of the crust (some folks call them 'burnt ends') to tide me over until I made it to the table. This reminded me of my favorite NY delicatessen, Katz's, where the cutter always offers up a sample taste. Here, a 1/4 pound of brisket, two ribs, a couple of slices of Mrs. Baird's white bread and a spackle-bucket sized iced tea run right around $9...considering the taste and the atmosphere, a true Texas-sized bargain.



The beef had a great exterior crust -- smoky, with a salt and pepper rub -- all the while maintaining a flavorful, pink interior with just enough fat to keep it flavorful and moist. The ribs were good -- thick and meaty, with a little bit of a spicy pepper kick. The styrofoam ramiken of sauce in the background is a thin, tomato-vinegar sauce, with just enough zest to add the right flavor to the meat. The sauce is light enough to add, without overpowering the intended taste of the meat. I am sure that it was not better than Kreuz, but it was definitely the second best 'Q I had in the last month -- and that actually says something.



One area where Mueller's excels is in decor. The aged wooden tables are adorned with an anique Listerine bottle filled with more of the delicious sauce, some hot sauce to kick up their own flavorings, salt, pepper, and an old Dr Pepper bottle filled with toothpicks. Trust me, you will use the toothpicks, especially if you order the ribs! The tables, themselves, are worthy of mention. Well, not the tables, but the collection of mismatched chairs. I LOVE places like this -- some folding chairs (my grandmother used to call them bridge chairs), some painted, some lacquered, some stained...all a true piece of Americana.

Adding to the scene is this cork board that sits on the wall to the right of the counter. The collection of business cards that are contained therein are a history unto themselves. Some of them looked so aged that they may have been left there when they were fresh off the first printing press. I left a Travelin' Man business card somewhere on there --so, if you make your way to Louie Mueller's, see if you can find me!

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