Rao’s Bakery. The Voodoo That You Do So Well.

January 30, 2012

Sweets, like silent soldiers, stood at attention awaiting my attack. At Rao’s Bakery, in Beaumont, this morning I couldn’t help but wax poetic about the magnificent pastries on display. Because I was killing time waiting to teach a writing workshop, I was overcome with simile and alliteration … sorry about that. But, I’m not apologetic [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

You’d Be Crazy Not To Try This Cafe

January 7, 2012

Does a sack of flour make a big biscuit? I don’t know for sure because I haven’t tested that theory. I’m told that you really don’t want me to make biscuits for you — biscuits I have made are as hard as rocks and have been termed “lethal weapons.”I can say for sure that Loco [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

An Enchanted Evening At Ancient Ovens

September 7, 2011

I almost didn’t tell y’all about my new discovery, because I’m selfish and wanted it to be my secret. However, you deserve to know about Ancient Ovens; which offers fine dining in Saint Jo, Texas. “Do whut?” you ask. It’s true, although I know you don’t believe that if you have driven through the town [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

My New Favorite Restaurant

March 19, 2011

When I was growing up, in Grapevine, we didn’t have a “delicatessen.” If we wanted food in a hurry, we went to the Royal Dairy, which was our version of the Dairy Queen. That’s about as “fine” as food got for us. I know, I know … it’s a sad story. Even as a grownup, [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Not A Kernel Of Truth

January 9, 2011

This fried corn from Clark’s Outpost should have been delicious. At least, that’s what my television said, and y’all know that the television never lies. The reporter didn’t even get the name of the town right — they pronounced it “Teeoga,” when everyone in these parts knows that Tioga is pronounced with a long “i.” [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Taco-Tex Is As Authentic As It Gets

October 28, 2010

I don’t like trying to find a place to eat lunch early in the day, but sometimes a school schedule doesn’t give much choice. By early, I’m talking 10:30 in the morning … and people, there aren’t many restaurant selections at that time of day. My librarian friend and I agonized over the possibilities. We [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Chip’s Old Fashioned Hamburger is a Top 10

September 21, 2010

Do y’all have a favorite burger place? I’m talking about the one that causes you to salivate when you think about one of their burgers … don’t even try to mention McDonald’s or Burger King. If you do, you will make me weep for you and your pitiful choice of hamburger. When we think about [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Where The Locals Eat

August 5, 2010

What’s your favorite part of traveling? Mine, hands down, is food. I enjoy trying new restaurants … the ones the locals consider good. I look for three things as indicators that it might be a good place to eat: A different kind of cuisine than I can get in my hometown. A line at the [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

The Muse Reviews A Not So Sweet Restaurant

May 2, 2010

Indigestion pains me as I ponder whether to tell y’all about one of my least favorite restaurants in Denton, Texas. While I contemplate giving you the real truth (which isn’t good) about this restaurant off the Square, I hear a voice in my head. It’s my Muse, and she is trying to kick up trouble. [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Cosmic Café Is An Out Of This World Restaurant

May 1, 2010

Now, y’all know that I was born and raised in The Lone Star State. I am 5th generation Texan, and with roots so deep in my native soil there are some things that you can automatically assume about me. No, you can not assume I ride a horse, tote a gun, and am a redneck [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Flaming Fajitas At La Familia

April 25, 2010

You might think that it is absolutely a coincidence that the Fort Worth Fire Department showed up at La Familia Restaurant this last weekend. Is it? Perhaps they know that La Familia has the hottest fajitas in town! Right at the table, the waiters pour tequila over the meat and flames it. This is just [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

You Could Smell Their Pits A Mile Away

March 7, 2010

Not their armpits … their barbecue pits. Our noses told us that Smitty’s Market was near long before we spotted the place. Although the town of Lockhart has four barbecue joints, and calls itself “The Barbecue Capitol of Texas,” we were in search of “Smitty’s.” It had been named one of the top five barbecue [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

A Different Spin On Menus

January 18, 2010

Sometimes restaurants go to great lengths with their decorations to distract you from the fact that the food is inferior. That was not the case on Friday night. Our menus were handed to us encased in old album covers. The menu items were printed on labels that were stuck to old vinyl records inside. Click [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

A Gas-tronomical Adventure at Chef Point Cafe

January 2, 2010

A five star restaurant at a gas station? Yes, you can find that in my neck of the woods. Chef Point Cafe is nestled inside this Conoco Station located on Watauga Road in the Texas community of Watauga … population: 24,005, SAA-LUTE! Oops, my Hee Haw roots are showing. Nowadays, most gasoline stations are attached [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Only Good is served at Café Garibaldi

October 9, 2009

With a name like “Café Garibaldi,” one might think “Italian food.” One might be wrong! The menu includes Mexican food and on Wednesday nights Peruvian food! This schizophrenic little restaurant in Denton, Texas is a hidden jewel. It is my “good” for this Friday. Truthfully, I wasn’t going to tell you about it, because I [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes In Decatur Has The World’s Best Baked ‘Tater

August 22, 2009

Maybe that generalization is a little sweeping, but the baked potatoes at Sweetie Pie’s are darned good! Now, doesn’t that make your mouth water? But, wait! You don’t know how they cook them. That’s the part that fascinated me. See, they have these two enormous vats, with racks to hold the baked potatoes. Chris, one [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Al-Amir Lebanese Restaurant in Addison. I Fell For It Hookah, Line, and Sinker

July 30, 2009

Belly dancers! International music! Hookahs! We missed it all, because we arrived for the lunch buffet at Al-Amir … and that entertainment is only offered in the evenings. Doggone it! Al-Amir is a Lebanese restaurant in Addison, Texas (there is one in Dallas, too) that we found quite by accident. It was a very happy [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

The Shell of A Roadside Attraction in Decatur

July 4, 2009

The rooms at the old Texas Tourist Camp are empty now; the cabins closed their doors to travelers back in the 1970s. The once bustling highway in front of it doesn’t get much traffic since the Interstate Highway was routed around the other side of town. As I walked around to take these pictures, I [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

Kilgore, Texas. Boomtown, USA

June 25, 2009

Kilgore is a tiny town in east Texas that has a big history. I didn’t know that when I drove there yesterday to tell stories at the public library. In my three hour break between performances, I decided to explore “downtown” Kilgore. I was surprised at the treasures I found. At first, it didn’t look [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

I’m So Glad Spoons Cafe In McKinney Is In My Neck Of The Woods!

June 20, 2009

Y’all know by now that I’m a gal who likes to eat. If I find a restaurant I like, I’ll go out of my way to visit. “Spoons,” in McKinney, is one of those places. I had visited it more than a year ago during an Arts Walk night in the town. I loved it [...]

Did that whet your appetite for more? →

← Previous Entries

The Authenticity Pledge