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(From September 2008) If you’re looking for comfort food made from scratch, look no further than this grand old building on the square in downtown Waxahachie. An ambitious menu boasts all manner of salads, pastas, seafood, and steaks; we’re partial to the tasty coconut shrimp with mango-raspberry sauce and the tender pepper-crusted sirloin with sides of crunchy onion rings and fresh green beans. Chisholm also serves a hearty breakfast on the weekends (steak and eggs, omelets, pancakes). Bread, pies, and cakes are made daily in the restaurant’s bakery.

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(From January 2009) What keeps Cushing, a brief distraction on the drive from Jacksonville to Nacogdoches, alive and kicking? The 7th Street Restaurant may be partly responsible. Located in a row of mostly abandoned century-old storefronts in Cushing’s former business district, the locally famous chow parlor puts out the basics with flair. The chicken-fried steak is a must, and under no circumstances may you pass up the creamy, East Texas—style potatoes, mashed with the peels on. Leave room for homemade pie and time to study the impressive wall of license plates, which appears to represent all fifty states (and a number of foreign countries).

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(From March 2009) Texas comfort food is the star at this friendly diner, whether you’re talking about the hot, fluffy biscuits smothered in peppery gravy, the hand-breaded chicken strips and steak fingers fried to a golden crunch, or the sandwiches served up on buttery Texas toast. Even chicken livers are on the menu. Lighter fare, such as the three-ounce burger or the smoked-turkey salad zinged up with sun-dried-tomato vinaigrette, leaves room for a thick, creamy milk shake to finish.

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(From January 2009) At Ma Allen’s, as the locals call it, you don’t order off a menu. They just seat you at a long table with other customers, and the platters and bowls start coming. You get fried chicken and one other meat (sausage, barbecued ribs, meat loaf, or roast beef), and there are a ton of sides (squash, pinto beans, slaw, creamed corn, chopped spinach, sweet potatoes, boiled okra, green pea salad, potato salad, and buttery whole peeled baked potatoes that fall apart at the touch of a fork). You pass the food around, boardinghouse-style, till you’re so stuffed you start to fear for your chair. At this rate, the peach cobbler could be your last dessert, but if so you’ll die happy and have something to leave your heirs, since the price of this remarkable meal is a mere $8.50 per person.

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(From September 2008) Just in time for families counting their pennies this summer is this cool, kid-friendly restaurant located in historic Carrollton. And the last place we’ve had comfort food this good was Grandma’s house. Served family style, simple iceberg salad, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, green beans, corn, and mashed potatoes made our pot roast entrée a candidate for satisfying the whole football team. “Scratch-made” desserts left us grinning from ear to ear. BYOB.

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(From October 2009) Think more than plain ol’ burgers when you take a seat in one of the wooden booths complete with oilcloth-covered tabletop. Our favorite? The cornbread cheeseburger with, you guessed it, a cornbread bun. The bread is so good you’ll want to eat it all by itself. Or maybe dipped in a steaming bowl of the fresh vegetable stew.

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(From January 2009) Kenedy is barely a blip on the road between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, but Barth’s has been a must-stop for more than seven decades. Walk inside and take in the white-and-black-checked floor, the maroon-vinyl swivel chairs at the bar, and the spacious yet cozy booths in the back (smoking section: yes). The chicken-fried steak is mighty fine, but the pies are the showstoppers. We inhaled slices of the flaky-crusted apple and the manna-from-heaven chocolate. When we asked the cashier for a recipe, she just smiled, shook her head, and asked if the kiddos would like a lollipop.

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(From July 2009) A happy young-to-youngish crowd fills this unassuming place in the Heights. The proprietor is Monica Pope, chef-owner of T’afia, so the buzz and popularity are to be expected. We started with an appetizer of melted cheese studded with chiles and pico, then moved on to a gargantuan barbecue plate (only $15 for a couple of ribs, brisket, vinegary shredded pork, and half a link of sausage, plus large sides of coleslaw and potato salad) and a big, juicy burger with cheese, bacon, and onion. To say we waddled out is the understatement of the year. Bar.

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(From January 2009) A waitress pats a customer on the shoulder and says, “I’m so glad to see you!” Big G’s is that kind of place. It hasn’t been in business all that long, but locals obviously like the little roadside cafe, with a buffalo head on the wall and an antique toy scooter and tractor artistically suspended from the ceiling. The barbecue has customers queuing up, and the chicken-fry is far better than average, with a ruffly, toasty crust and peppery gravy. More good marks go to the well-seasoned hand-pressed meat patty on the cheeseburger (though the bun’s mundane). There’s not a lot to do in Tuscola (other than marvel at the Jim Ned High School gridiron, where Colt McCoy learned his chops from his dad), so drive seven miles northwest on FM 613 and poke around Buffalo Gap’s historic village and craft shops.

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(From April 2009) If we were a bit put off by the shacklike exterior, we were so taken with the delicious home-style fare that we soon forgot our initial reaction. The place was SRO at 11:15 on a weekday morning, with locals perched on bar stools and crowded around tables or simply eating from takeout cartons. The waitresses seem well aware they’re serving something special, as they plunk down your food—thick chicken breasts with mushroom sauce, mac and cheese made with real cream and lots of butter, ultrafresh corn on the cob—with little fanfare. This hip hometown diner is a window into Kilgore culture.

February 9th, 2009 at 10:08pm
Ruth says:
Oh my goodness! It’s a "joint" in every sense of the word, but the food is outstanding! Every traveler loves to come across a place like this, delicious, cheap and welcoming. Word to the wise, go early or be prepared to stand in line - it’s always busy!

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