JOINTS: Leona General Store Steakhouse

Texas has a very unique type of restaurant that I don't think you can find in other parts of the country...the small town steakhouse. Most are famous in their own area, though a few (like the Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap) can become world famous.

As I've traveled around the state, I've gotten the chance to sample the wares at these small steakhouses, from the aforementioned Pereini Ranch...to the Steak Shed in Jack County...to the infamous Country Inn Steakhouse in Somerville.

But my absolute favorite would also have to be the closest to me, and that's the Leona General Store Steakhouse, right off of I-45 between Dallas and Houston. Like all good small town steakhouses, Leona General Store is only open Thursdays (catfish night), Fridays and Saturdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, your choices are steak, chicken, and pork chops. The sides include a trip to the salad bar, twice baked potatoes, and hot buttered dinner rolls. And dessert, of course. But that's it.

Make sure you get there early, because EVERYBODY from a number of different towns around the area make this a must. We got there around 6pm, and didn't have to wait for a table. Once you're there, get ready to have some nice dinner conversation, because service is a bit slow, but they always refill your drinks, and if you get a waitress like Dee, you're in for a treat.

This is as typical of a small town steakhouse as you can get, and it has all the country charm. We sat in the "John Wayne Room" which has wall to wall pictures and posters of The Duke. I ordered the 12oz steak, and that's what I got. 12 ounces of meaty delicious goodness, with a fine spicy crust on the steak. There wasn't even any fat or gristle to trim off, and that which was left went straight into my mouth.

The twice baked potatoes are heavenly, with chives, bacon and cheese in them, and the buttered dinner rolls are slippery with butter, perfect for mopping up leftover juices. We finished dinner off with two orders of dessert for our table; some bread pudding with rum sauces, and blackberry cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Leona General Store Steakhouse

FM 977 & Hwy 75 Leona, Texas (903) 344 - 2202
*if you're driving between Dallas & Houston on I - 45, then take the Leona exit (FM 977) and go a short way until you hit Hwy 75. Make sure you get there before 6pm, or you're in for a wait. Only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and only serve catfish on Thursdays.

MY CULINARY TRIP THROUGH AUSTIN, TEXAS

Over the past two weeks, I've spent a bunch of time in Austin, Texas working...and as I'm wont to do...eating. And eating well, I must add. Below are the reviews of three places that I went to while I was visiting the Lone Star state's capitol. Much thanks to my hosts, Lois & Brad, for the grub!

PLACES: Cheesecake Factory

I'm ready to make a confession, right here and right now.

I've never been to the Cheesecake Factory.

It was never a conscious decision not to go, there just isn't one anywhere near me. And I always thought, I'm not really in the mood for cheesecake right now. And if I am in the mood for cheesecake, I get it at whatever restaurant I'm in at the time. I mean, a cheesecake's a cheesecake, right?

Well, I was about to be proved wrong. When I was told where we were going, I again stated, "But I'm not in the mood for cheesecake." Oh, they have more than just cheesecake, I was informed. They have a 40 PAGE MENU. This I couldn't believe, I had to see it with my own eyes, so off we went.

My first impression of the place was like a Vegas casino, but for food...which instantly struck my fancy. We sat down in the bar, and were informed numerous times that they were understaffed. Thanks for the heads-up, but once or twice is enough, pal. Even though our drinks took a long time to get to us, our appetizers came out fairly promptly. Kudos to Brad for picking the Buffalo Blasters, which came with their own sides of bleu cheese and Franks Hot Sauce. I ordered the Chicken Madeira, which their menu states is their signature chicken dish. And the menu IS almost 40 pages long, though half of that is advertisements.

I wasn't disappointed with the C Factory (as I will call it from now on), and will probably be going back. A good point was made at dinner, though. For some people, the Cheesecake Factory is their version of fine dining, and the portions match the price for their dishes.

This chubby kid will definitely be going back, though I hope next time, I'll have a waitress that looks like Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory.

If our waiter had looked like her, I would eat there all the time.

Cheesecake Factory
10000 Research Blvd
Austin, TX 78759-5854
(512) 241-0777

PLACES: Roaring Fork


After a long day of work, we headed down to dinner at the Roaring Fork, located inside the beautiful historic Stephen F. Austin hotel in downtown Austin.

The bar, I was told, is a good place to go if you want to pick up single women who are traveling, and I'm pretty sure this was true. There was definitely more female clientele than male, so I put on my best "I'm a famous blogger" pose and let the ladies come to me.

The place was dark but very cozy. A fireplace was at the end of the bar with small couch-like seats and the bar waitress' were helpful and prompt. There isn't really a way to screw up a Johnnie Walker Red on the rocks, but my companions seemed to enjoy their cocktails and we soon moved to our table.

We were seated (a bit too close and uncomfortably) and told the specials. I wasn't especially hungry (WHAAA?), so I ordered the Crisp Chicken, which came with black beans and tortillas. And that's exactly what I got.

I'm sure that if I ordered something else, I would have been more impressed, but my chicken was so-so, my tortillas were wet and ordinary, and the black beans were just beans. The menu was chock full of good eats, and next time I head there, I'll try something different.

My overall impression of the place was that it was a fancy version of Cowboy Chow, which does the whole Southwest flavor thing a helluva lot better. I'll give it another chance, though, because I hear the Big Ass Burger is pretty fantastic. But as nice and posh as the place is, it's still a chain, and their chicken reminded me of something I could get at Taco Cabana...but TC's would have better tortillas.

Roaring Fork
701 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-3216
(512) 583-0000

PLACES: Z Tejas
As I was about to head home, my hosts took me out for one last dinner, this time to Z Tejas in the Austin Arboretum area. I had to admit, I was in the mood for some Mexican food, being in Austin and all, and my fellow diners extolled the virtues of this place.

I sat down, ordered my usual Johnnie Walker Red on the rocks, and perused the menu. The first thing that came to mind was, this place is a fancy Abuelos, which is a compliment in my book. The menu items were different takes on Mexican standards, and I kept choosing one, only to go back to another one, and then seeing something else that I wanted to try.

I picked the chorizo-stuffed pork tenderloin, which reminded me of the chorizo-stuffed chicken that Abuelos has, and I was not disappointed. Very good, though I think I prefer the chicken more. That's just WAAAY too much pork together for me. Chorizo plus bacon plus pork tenderloin. I'm surprised I didn't oink when I left.

The queso was good too, as were the tostada bites, which were small tostada chips with guacamole and a big fat shrimp on the top. I popped two into my mouth before I even passed the plate.

I ended the night full and not ready to drive the two plus hours home after a long day of working and a delicious meal with good company. But drive I did, and made it home to enjoy the Leona General Store Steakhouse the next night. That review to come later.

Z Tejas
9400 A. Arboretum Blvd
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 346-3506

All in all, a wonderful trip to Austin, with lots of delicious food consumed, good company enjoyed, and a lot of different places that I can go back to to try out different things. I can't wait to go back.

I'm sorry gentle readers (Lois, Beth & Nic, Melissa), but I haven't eaten anywhere spectacular lately. I'm hoping to knock out something this week, though. I'm hoping to make it to the State Fair, and try the food booths for the best (and worst) of the Fair Foods.

And just to be fair (heh heh, get it, since I was JUST blogging about the State Fair, now I've used "fair" in another way), here's the link to the Dallas Morning News food blog EATS. It's pretty good, if you like eating at expensive douchy places like Craft and Loft 610....sigh....I'd love to eat at Craft. Anyway, I'm the other end of the spectrum from that blog, checking out all the mom-and-pop places...with some fancy schmancy thrown in there for good measure.

If you have any requests, or ideas, of places for me to try and review, then let me hear from you, America!

JOINTS: Taco Joint

I wish I could say that I'm not the type of guy who listens to reviews...but I'm the type of guy who listens to reviews. If someone says this place is good or that place is bad, I'll usually take their word for it.

That being said, I had heard good things about Taco Joint on Peak & Gaston in east Dallas. D Magazine said it was the best place for breakfast tacos in Dallas, and a number of friends have also extolled it's virtues. I had planned on going, but never got around to doing it. Till now...

I was driving into work, and finally decided to stop in and see what the fuss was about. Let's not beat around the bush...this place isn't in the best neighborhood. There are crack houses right down the street. But when you walk in, what you find is an open, inviting, and hip eatery. It's like if Chipotle and Freebirds had a kid.

The guy behind the counter was nice and talked to me for a bit (SIDENOTE: I think he thought I was someone else, cause he said, "Thanks for coming in again!" I didn't have the heart to correct him), and gave me a take-out menu and told me that if I call in my order, I don't have to wait in line. Good to know, since there was almost a line out the door.

I was going to try one of their signature tacos (either the Lester or the Sophie) but the sign on the door said they had a Thursday special of Fried Chicken Tacos with beans and rice and a drink. I was sold. I also ordered some chips and queso, since I am a queso connoisseur, and promptly dug into my food.

There's only one way to describe how good these tacos were...I didn't want to eat the second one because then the meal would be over and I'd be sad. That's how good they were. And I can only imagine how good their regular tacos are. Or their breakfast tacos.

This is the kind of place that is worth the journey to get there. Forget Urban Taco or Taco Diner. This is the real deal, and won't break your budget either. I got a massive amount of food for $12. And I over-ordered.

I think I found my new favorite taco place.

Taco Joint
911 N. Peak St.
Dallas, TX 75204
214-826-TACO (8226)

ps-I totally stole these pictures from another blog's review. I know, I'm horrible, but they're much better than the ones I took with my iPhone.

Tomorrow, I'm head to beautiful West, Texas for the annual Czech heritage festival, WESTFEST!!! Now, what does this have to do with food, oh Chubby one? I'll tell you.

There is a TON of delicious vittles all over Westfest. Beer bread sandwiches with sausage and sauerkraut. Homemade cheeseburgers from the Baptist church. Spudzillas dipped in cheese and BBQ sauce. And of course, kolaches by the ton!

This is one of my gastronomical trips that I look forward to throughout the year, and my stomach is already rumbling thinking about it. If you're in the area, check it out. It's a small drive south from Dallas, a short drive north from Waco, and a bit longer drive north from Austin.

JOINTS: Madden's Casual Gourmet

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've been busy working and trying to find work, since I'm not supporting myself as a blogger...yet. Be sure you check out my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/chubby_kid. I'm always updating that. Now, onto my review!

Yesterday, Moms and I were having a nice mother / son bonding day in College Station, and decided to go to lunch at a place that she suggested. Located across the street from the Lasalle Hotel, Madden's Casual Gourmet is tucked into the corner of a specialty gift shop with a bunch of stuff that I would never buy...maybe the huge elk antlers they had hanging on the wall. The restaurant is very quaint, with half walls going up to the beamed ceiling, and a old, scuffed dark hardwood floor that reminds you that this used to be a warehouse at one time.

I ordered the tenderloin and portabella quesadillas with cotija cheese, which turned out to be our waiter's favorite. Mom got the crab and avocado salad, which came out in the shape of a hockey puck, with the crab on top and the avocado on the bottom. Both dishes were presented very nicely, like something you would seen done on Top Chef. While this doesn't impress me much (taste does), it tickled Mom pink. Fancy!

All in all, the food was good, but it wasn't "knock my socks off" fantastic. Maybe it as the quesadillas...I didn't know whether to pick them up and eat them by hand, or eat them with my fork like a civilized human being. So, I did both. But Mom's crab was some of the freshest I think I've ever had, and that's saying something, coming from over 200 miles inland from the coast.

I'll go back to Madden's and try something different, but there are a lot of new restaurants and bars in the downtown Bryan area, and I'll probably try one of them first. If I gave stars, I'd probably give Madden's three, but I don't so I won't.

Madden's Casual Gourmet
202 South Bryan
Bryan, TX 77803
(979) 779-2558