24 replies to this topic

[irnscrabblechf52]

Going to be in Texas soon on a road trip. Definitely going to Dallas, Waco, and Lockhart. Considering spending time in western parts of the state, Austin, and Houston. Is there anything that I absolutely should not miss? (My point being that there's a ton of good barbecue etc in Texas, but if one only had 5 days or so, what would be stupid to skip?)

[foodie52]

Going to be in Texas soon on a road trip. Definitely going to Dallas, Waco, and Lockhart. Considering spending time in western parts of the state, Austin, and Houston. Is there anything that I absolutely should not miss? (My point being that there's a ton of good barbecue etc in Texas, but if one only had 5 days or so, what would be stupid to skip?)

There are some good food recommendations in the Texas forum. If you only have 5 days, I don't think you'll get to all those places. This is a huge state.

Nothing in Waco. Lockhart has only bbq. Austin has the food trailer culture - literally a thousand of them, plus some world class restaurants such as Uchi and Uchiko. Franklin bbq (ask Steve R about that: we had a good meal , but you have to wait in line). I don't know Dallas well. There was a thread recently about that, wasn't there?

[Peter Creasey]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

[irnscrabblechf52]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

I would probably go to Montrose/Rothko Chapel--but I haven't done very much research into sightseeing stuff, since now I'm thinking about spending more time in western Texas.

I'm not doing any high end on this trip, nothing 'modern,' 'creative,' 'innovative,' 'inspired,' or 'imaginative' or informed by a hipster ethic. Otherwise, I'm open to pretty much anything, any neighborhood. Safety/comfort is not a concern. Some names that have popped up so far: Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, Lankford's Cafe, Avalon Diner, and La Mexicana.

eta: especially interested in regional specialties/oddities. That's what I mean by must not miss--things that can't be gotten elsewhere.

[Daniel]

I really like the Brisket at Coopers.. Stands out in my memory as one of my favorites.. Make sure they don't trim the fat!

[Nathan]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

I would probably go to Montrose/Rothko Chapel--but I haven't done very much research into sightseeing stuff, since now I'm thinking about spending more time in western Texas.

I'm not doing any high end on this trip, nothing 'modern,' 'creative,' 'innovative,' 'inspired,' or 'imaginative' or informed by a hipster ethic. Otherwise, I'm open to pretty much anything, any neighborhood. Safety/comfort is not a concern. Some names that have popped up so far: Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, Lankford's Cafe, Avalon Diner, and La Mexicana.

eta: especially interested in regional specialties/oddities. That's what I mean by must not miss--things that can't be gotten elsewhere.

Five days? you're not going to the western parts of the state....that takes ten hours to get anywhere...you mean central Texas...you can hit Dallas, Austin and San Antonio comfortably in those five days. Lockhart obviously. Cooper's is good (but not better) but Llano is a bit out of the way. In contrast, Louie Mueller's (my favorite) in Taylor can easily be hit on the way from Dallas to Austin. Franklin bbq if you have the time. Austin does not have great food (it has some good food but probably bats below its weight overall...and the service is uniformly poor (and the dudes behind Uchi actually agree with me on all of the above)) and there's some good stuff in the trailers but nothing unique to you coming from NY. definitely some Tex-Mex in Austin or San Antonio...heck, even the Trudy's or Chuy's chains are light years better than any Tex-Mex outside of Texas. bar food and cocktails at Bar Congress are good. whatever you do avoid the El Fenix restaurants in the Dallas area...they are horrible. Vietnamese or Mex in Houston. Feast and Reef if you want to go more upscale. Anvil is the best cocktail bar between New Orleans and the west coast.

Dallas is 3.5 hours north of Austin. Houston is 3 hours east of Austin. San Antonio is an hour south of Austin. Lockhart is in between Austin and San Antonio. There's nothing between Austin and Houston.

eta: regional specialties/oddities...well bbq (stick to the big 5 plus Franklin...there is a lot of mediocre bbq) and tex-mex. in central Tx they'll often push vaguely German and Czech heritage food (well, the Czech heritage is restricted to koloaches for some reason)...you can see the German in the bbq of course (there's a reason why Texas bbq is so popular in NY...it's also Ashkenazi food)...but the actual German restaurants generally are pretty poor. lots of steakhouses in Fort Worth (a town you should visit...in some ways more interesting than Dallas...and the art museums for sure)...but the meat isn't that good...you're better off in NY.

[Peter Creasey]

Okay, in Houston, some that come to mind are:

Seafood - Reef or Goode Company Seafood

Mexican - Ninfa's (only on Navigation) or less preferably El Tiempo (on Richmond)

Chinese - Qin Dynasty

Turkish - Pasha

German - Charivari (and they currently have white asparagus...wienerschnitzel also recommended)

Italian - DaMarco (quite upscale)

Etc.

[irnscrabblechf52]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

I would probably go to Montrose/Rothko Chapel--but I haven't done very much research into sightseeing stuff, since now I'm thinking about spending more time in western Texas.

I'm not doing any high end on this trip, nothing 'modern,' 'creative,' 'innovative,' 'inspired,' or 'imaginative' or informed by a hipster ethic. Otherwise, I'm open to pretty much anything, any neighborhood. Safety/comfort is not a concern. Some names that have popped up so far: Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, Lankford's Cafe, Avalon Diner, and La Mexicana.

eta: especially interested in regional specialties/oddities. That's what I mean by must not miss--things that can't be gotten elsewhere.

Five days? you're not going to the western parts of the state....that takes ten hours to get anywhere...you mean central Texas...you can hit Dallas, Austin and San Antonio comfortably in those five days.

Thanks for the detailed info. The trip itself is 10 days and I'm not rigidly structuring it. Planning on moving down through Kansas, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City into Texas. Would you consider the Amarillo - Lubbock - Midland axis western? I'm not planning on getting anywhere near El Paso etc. The general idea is OK City ~ Dallas/Ft Worth (squiggly line indicating that a straight path there is unlikely, western drift a possibility) - Waco - Austin - Lockhart - Texarkana by way of Houston? (this part is still sketchy)

[Nathan]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

I would probably go to Montrose/Rothko Chapel--but I haven't done very much research into sightseeing stuff, since now I'm thinking about spending more time in western Texas.

I'm not doing any high end on this trip, nothing 'modern,' 'creative,' 'innovative,' 'inspired,' or 'imaginative' or informed by a hipster ethic. Otherwise, I'm open to pretty much anything, any neighborhood. Safety/comfort is not a concern. Some names that have popped up so far: Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, Lankford's Cafe, Avalon Diner, and La Mexicana.

eta: especially interested in regional specialties/oddities. That's what I mean by must not miss--things that can't be gotten elsewhere.

Five days? you're not going to the western parts of the state....that takes ten hours to get anywhere...you mean central Texas...you can hit Dallas, Austin and San Antonio comfortably in those five days.

Thanks for the detailed info. The trip itself is 10 days and I'm not rigidly structuring it. Planning on moving down through Kansas, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City into Texas. Would you consider the Amarillo - Lubbock - Midland axis western? I'm not planning on getting anywhere near El Paso etc. The general idea is OK City ~ Dallas/Ft Worth (squiggly line indicating that a straight path there is unlikely, western drift a possibility) - Waco - Austin - Lockhart - Texarkana by way of Houston? (this part is still sketchy)

eat Vietnamese in OKC (ditto for Houston...Tien Ho asserts that's the best food in Houston) and go to the National Cowboy Museum if possible (it's actually a terrific museum).
Midland is west but you can go straight from OKC to Dallas/FT Worth on 35 (or detour through Lawton and Wichita Falls on the Bailey Turnpike (this would allow you to see a bunch of wild buffalo by Lawton). the area around Midland is really really bleak. The rest of your plan makes sense. El Paso/Las Cruces are actually well worth seeing but too long a drive to be worth it... the Hill Country is quite pretty but Fredericksburg and so forth are actually really awful (total kitsch, bad "antique" shops and are solely aimed at tasteless senior citizens (note that I mean "tasteless" as a modifier of "senior citizens" not as a quality of "senior citizens")

[Nathan]

Okay, in Houston, some that come to mind are:

Seafood - Reef or Goode Company Seafood

Mexican - Ninfa's (only on Navigation) or less preferably El Tiempo (on Richmond)

Chinese - Qin Dynasty

Turkish - Pasha

German - Charivari (and they currently have white asparagus...wienerschnitzel also recommended)

Italian - DaMarco (quite upscale)

Etc.

agreed on Reef (see above)...haven't been to the others. my thoughts on the DaMarco menu here: http://mouthfulsfood...ost__p__1191456 . I'd emphasize the Mexican...I imagine he's looking for things he can't get better in NY. and reiterate Feast...it's an offal-head's dream restaurant.

[Peter Creasey]

my thoughts on the DaMarco menu here: http://mouthfulsfood...ost__p__1191456

Nathan, DaMarco is widely considered the best restaurant in Houston, never mind what someone might think about their menu presentation.

[Nathan]

my thoughts on the DaMarco menu here: http://mouthfulsfood...ost__p__1191456

Nathan, DaMarco is widely considered the best restaurant in Houston, never mind what someone might think about their menu presentation.

obviously menus certainly don't tell you everything...but here's the utterly conventional corporate DaMarco menu:

http://www.viewmenu....menu?ref=google

here is the menu for Reef:

http://reefhouston.c...ents/dinner.pdf and Caswell is well-respected outside of Houston.

and the Feast menu:
http://sites.google....e/feasthouston/

[Peter Creasey]

obviously menus certainly don't tell you everything

Nathan, Agreed!

Especially when, like at DaMarco, a chalkboard menu is brought to the table with the daily specials that usually include 3 or so extra appetizers and 3 or so extra entrees. Plus, if one knows to ask, they often have off-menu items that are off-the-charts good.

No guarantees, of course, but DaMarco gets justifiably very high ratings.

[joiei]

Considering spending time in ... Houston.

I, Houston has an unbelievable diversity of cultures and ethnicities and, thus, varied cuisines presented by hugely talented culinary teams.

Give some idea what type of cuisine you are interested in visiting in Houston and some replies should be forthcoming.

I would probably go to Montrose/Rothko Chapel--but I haven't done very much research into sightseeing stuff, since now I'm thinking about spending more time in western Texas.

I'm not doing any high end on this trip, nothing 'modern,' 'creative,' 'innovative,' 'inspired,' or 'imaginative' or informed by a hipster ethic. Otherwise, I'm open to pretty much anything, any neighborhood. Safety/comfort is not a concern. Some names that have popped up so far: Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, Lankford's Cafe, Avalon Diner, and La Mexicana.

eta: especially interested in regional specialties/oddities. That's what I mean by must not miss--things that can't be gotten elsewhere.

Five days? you're not going to the western parts of the state....that takes ten hours to get anywhere...you mean central Texas...you can hit Dallas, Austin and San Antonio comfortably in those five days.

Thanks for the detailed info. The trip itself is 10 days and I'm not rigidly structuring it. Planning on moving down through Kansas, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City into Texas. Would you consider the Amarillo - Lubbock - Midland axis western? I'm not planning on getting anywhere near El Paso etc. The general idea is OK City ~ Dallas/Ft Worth (squiggly line indicating that a straight path there is unlikely, western drift a possibility) - Waco - Austin - Lockhart - Texarkana by way of Houston? (this part is still sketchy)

I can give you some ideas for Tulsa, OKC, definitely the Asian district has several possibilities. There is also the grilled onion burgers in El Reno outside OKC. BBQ in Tulsa, two places, Burn Co, across the street from Univ of Tulsa. Get there early to get some ribs. When they run out of food they close, lunch only. The other, Buffalo BBQ in Sperry, a little north of Tulsa. Donnie Teel is the pit-master and he competes every weekend on the KCBS competition circuit. If I know when your passing through I can hook you up with a bbq competition to check out. By all means check out the koloaches when passing through West. Louie Mueller's in Taylor, if you get there at 10:30 when they open you can technically have first lunch and miss the line. I recommend the fatty brisket, get one rib and if they have it the chipotle sausages. Very good iced tea also. I like sitting on the screen porch when I drag my family there. Have fun.

[irnscrabblechf52]

thanks everyone for the recs/advice (@ joiei--just saw your post, wish I had seen it on may 20th before I left!)

Louie Mueller was easily the highlight of the trip.

some other places relevant to this thread-- Johnnie's in El Reno, Black's, Smitty's, and in Houston, Saigon Pagolac, Bodard Bistro, Go Go Ice, Inversion Coffee, Black Hole Coffee, Christy's Donuts, La Guadalupana Bakery. oh and in okc pho lien hoa.