Eating Out in Texas

Amarillo: TheBig Texan Steakhouse, 7701 I-40 East (exit 175), Phone (800) 657-7177 We ate dinner here simply because we didn't feel like unhitching the truck and the restaurant offers free limo rides to campers and hotel guests along I-40 in Amarillo. The interior decoration is half saloon, half hunting lodge but the staff is eager and friendly. Unfortunately, the cuts of meat aren't all that terrific and the prices are pretty high. I'm sure Amarillo has a lot more to offer in a steakhouse. Not recommended. (5/2007)

Aransas Pass:  , The Big Fisherman Restaurant, 510 Hwy 188, Phone (361) 729-1734  Everyone in Rockport has to go to the Big Fisherman at least one time to try the Tuesday special of all you can eat chicken fried steak for $2.25 (up from $1.99 last year).  That's all you can eat chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, cole slaw and dinner roll--as many plates as you can eat.  Denny ate two.  I had the lunch special of fried fish (pollock) and french fries which had five pieces of fish on it.  Very good.  The service could have been better; Denny actually had to chase down our waitress to remind her to bring tartar sauce and others at our table had similar problems with her.  But the food is amazingly good for the price.  $1 margaritas don't hurt, either. (2/2011)

Columbus: Becky's Cafe, 1237 Bowie St, Phone (979) 732-5553 We had breakfast here, as do some of the locals. My ham and cheese omelet was good as was Denny's ham and eggs although the ham slice was off a processed shaped ham. The breakfast menu is a bit limited. Decent. (3/2011)

Los Cabos Mexican Grill, 2543 Hwy 71 South, Phone (979) 732-9744 Reasonably priced Mexican food. I had the Guadalajara Special, which was a chicken enchilada and a beef taco smothered in queso with a side of beans and a cup of tortilla soup. Delicious. Denny had the Texas burrito which he also enjoyed. There's an ice cream machine in the lobby so I guess that means it's free for the taking as you leave. Nice margaritas, nothing special.(3/2011)

Nancy's Steakhouse,2536 Hwy 71 South, Phone (979) 732-9700 We were prepared to enjoy this restaurant which is decorated in a full out Western/cowboy style. Denny had a Hickory Burger which had bacon, BBQ sauce, button mushrooms (hard to keep on the bun), lettuce, onions—so much stuff that he could hardly get his mouth around it. The hamburger, unfortunately, was relatively tasteless. I had the soup and sandwich special with chicken tortilla soup and half a Texas steak sandwich. The steak pieces were very tender but the chipotle mayo was hard to find so the sandwich was a bit dry. The chicken tortilla soup's texture made me think the cook had added a piece of bread in the pot to stretch the filling—the soup had an odd, thick, grainy texture to it. Not my favorite version by a long shot. We'd pass this one up for lunch. (3/2011)

Schobel's Restaurant, 2020 Milam St, Phone (979) 732-2385 This is the winner, winner chicken dinner restaurant for this town. We ate here four times in two weeks; breakfast, lunch and twice for dinner. The restaurant provides a breakfast and lunch buffet at a very reasonable price as well as offering menu choices and then at dinnertime there is a large salad bar to go with your meal. We had the jalepeno schnitzel and the sausage and sauerkraut (Denny thought the sauerkraut was too mild but he grew up in a family that made their own in huge crocks in the basement) as well as their burgers. Friendly, pleasant staff, full bar, good food. Recommended. (3/2011)

Emory: Y'all Come Back Cafe, 659 W. Lennen Drive, Phone (903) 473-2224 We hit this place for breakfast, as do most of the locals. There's even a “Table of Knowlege” here, which back home we call “The Liar's Table”. Denny enjoyed his chicken-fried steak, I enjoyed my Western omelet. The sour dough bread is good, although like so many places, this restaurant simply slaps the bread on a grill for a couple of moments instead of using a toaster. I wish restaurants would toast bread because I much prefer “toast” to “heated bread”. Reasonable and good. (4/2011)

Fulton: Alice Faye's Restaurant, 106 N. Fulton Beach Rd. Phone (361) 729-6708 Breakfast here was mediocre. They made a boring omelet and had no substitutions for the potatoes and toast. Smeary windows obscured the view of the bay. We were disappointed. (4/2006)

Charlotte Plummer Seafood Restaurant, 202 N. Fulton Beach Rd. Phone (361) 729-1185 We were pleased to be seated near a window overlooking the fishing boat fleet but that was the best thing about our experience here. They do have an excellent chicken tortilla soup and a nice salad bar but all the shrimp in my shrimp sampler were badly overcooked as were the shrimp in Denny's shrimp linguini veracruz. A seafood restaurant should NEVER overcook shrimp, no matter what the form. We were disappointed. Very good bread pudding. (1/2011)

M & M Express Cafe, 3501 Hwy 35N, Phone(361) 727-0498 The proverbial greasy spoon with a great oversized fish sandwich and a small order of onion rings that was more than enough for two of us. Their hamburgers looked and smelled wonderful. Prices on par for the area. (4/2006)

Panhandle: Buffalo Grass Steakhouse, 200 Main St. Phone (806) 537-1010 Norman says they have great buffalo steaks (2006)

Harlingen: Gem's Pancake House, 1925 E. Harrison, Phone (956) 423-7977 Fluffy scrambled eggs, good tender chicken fried steak, quick and efficient service, reasonably priced. We would return. (2/2011)

Judy B's Cookhouse, 1101 S. Expressway 83, Phone (956) 423-4117 Good tender chicken fried steak, fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon. The toast was simply bread slapped on the grill for a couple of seconds so I take points off for that. Reasonable. (2/2011)

New York Deli, 122 N. A St, Phone (956) 425-3500 Great sandwiches, all three of their soups are terrific and while we didn't have the burgers, those we saw looked delicious. A funky little place just off the main drag in downtown (read old) Harlingen. Try it. (3/2011)

Sun Palace, 1610 Midlane Dr. Phone (956) 412-3000 American and Chinese buffet, plus oysters on the half shell and other seafood selections. The sizzle heat is strangely tame for this part of the world, although the hot and sour soup is very good. There is a selection of sushi, salads and desserts also, all for $9.95. If you like basic, non spicy Chinese food then this place is for you. (2/2011)

The Pizzeria, 1610 E. Tyler, Phone (956) 465-1477 Great garlic knots, good pizza. New York or Sicilian style, by the pie or by the piece. There are also calzones, strombolis and Italian donuts. We liked this little place. (3/2011)

Rockport: Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant, 2005 Hwy 35 N Phone (361) 790-8223 If you like spicy, try their hot and sour soup. I had the Szechuan Triple Delight, Denny had the spicy Shrimp and Mushrooms and both were great. Very reasonable, very good. We went back for the lunch special and both our choices were good. (4/2006)

J J's Burger Works and Cafe, 302 Hwy 35N, Phone (361) 729-8787 A favorite with locals, we had breakfast here which was quite good and the experienced was enhanced when the owner shared some of his homemade spicy salsa for our eggs. (1/2011)

Jalisco's Restaurant, 1701 Hwy 35N, Phone (361) 727-0555 The menu is in Spanish with the English translation following. Great chicken fajita chimichanga, great beef fajita burrito, good corn tacos, great rice. Took home leftovers. Would return. (2/2011)

Panjo's Pizza and Pasta, 2744 Hwy 35N, Phone (361) 729-1411 Reasonably priced pizza. We would wish for a little more sauce but that's an Ohio thing. Nice thin crust that was crispy without being dry, decent side salad with a good house dressing. (1/2011)

Ken's Diner (formerly The Diner), 205 Hwy 35 N, Phone (361) 729-4985 Very popular on Sunday for breakfast. Ours was good with the exception of Denny's sausage which was badly overcooked. The waitress adjusted the cost of the meal for that and the price overall was quite reasonable. We'd go back. (4/2006) Edited 1/2011. We tried this place for breakfast again; Denny loved his chicken fried steak, my scrambled eggs were dry which is a major sin in my book. French toast was okay, the bacon was excellent. Very uneven meal.

San Benito: Sabor de Mi Tierra, 415 N. Paso Real, Phone (956) 399-7671 The problem with going back to a restaurant where you experienced your first plate of huevos rancheros is that after ten years it's just not going to be the same. And it wasn't. The decor hasn't changed (although it's very clean and bright inside) but the food is more Americanized. Ten years ago the eggs were poached and laid over over a bed of refried beans that had been covered with fried potatoes and served with salsa and wonderful homemade flour tortillas   The tortillas are still wonderful but now everything arrives on your plate side by side. Sigh. Good, but years ago it was excellent. (2/2011)

The Longhorn Cattle Company, 3055 W. Expressway 83, Phone (956) 399-4400 Very popular with the Winter Texans here.  Chopped and sliced brisket. Denny had a po-boy with briskey and sausage, I had the chopped brisket sandwich. Once I spooned on some of the BBQ (which we had to ask for) the bottom of my sandwich bun became soggy with grease. The sauce itself was pretty tasteless. Sides are extra with the sandwiches, although you do get a cup of soup beans which is good. Not to my taste. (2/2011)

South Padre Island: Dirty Al's, 1 Padre Blvd. Phone (956) 761-4901 There are two Dirty Al's, one on the island and one just before the bridge in Port Isabel. We went to the original restaurant on the island. The sign on the door says "sorry--we're open" but it's all in good fun. The decor is frumpy/funky, the view is of the marina and the fish is great. The shrimp is huge, looking at other people's meals but the fish tacos were also more than I could eat. I finished one and took one home for the next day's lunch. Everyone enjoyed their flounder and you can also buy fresh fish and shrimp as you are leaving. Noisy, jam-packed with Winter Texans when we went, good food. (3/2011)

Parrot Eyes Restaurant, 5801 Padre Blvd., Phone (956) 772-9040 Great happy hour margaritas priced at $1.75 and three times as good as the ones we paid $4.50 for at Boomerang's Bar down the street. Happy hour dinner specials at $5.95 were simply okay. I had the fish and also shrimp (long story). There were only 4 shrimp on the plate and they had an odd taste from the seasoning. Lots of fries, mediocre slaw. The fish was decent. The fish sandwich was flounder which Denny said was very good (the fish and fries plate was pollock). A friend's burger was very thick and nicely cooked although the fries weren't cooked as she requested. I don't think we'd come back except to have the margaritas and maybe try some appetizers. The meal also took a long time to arrive. (2/2011)

Study Butte: Big Bend Motor Inn & RV Park, FM 170 & TX 118. Small restaurant is the only game in town, priced accordingly. Burgers, etc. Lots of interesting stuff on the walls to read. (3/2001)

Willis: Pizza Shack ,115 W. Montgomery St. Phone (936) 856-9780 We visited this restaurant twice over two years and somehow I neglected to add it, which is a shame, because they have terrific pizzas and what we saw of the various Italian dishes that other diners were ordering looked wonderful and smelled terrific. If they still offer bread pudding and the tiramisu, get it. Yum! As long as the restaurant is here, we'll go back there. (2001 and 2003) Added 2/2008. Edited 12/2009: The food is still good, the desserts divine.