The Hanging Tree - Goliad, TX

Indulging our summer wanderlust, Chicken Fried Father and I hit the road to explore the culinary bounty of south and east Texas. This summer, we took Highway 59 north and south - Laredo to Texarkana.

Our love of Texas history matches our love for Texas vittles, so we stopped in Goliad for a lesson in Texas history. Nestled in a wonderful town square, we took lunch at The Hanging Tree, named for the actual tree where those found guilty of capital crimes outside the courthouse, which is across the street from the restaurant.

I had the chicken fried ribeye and it didn't disappoint. Pounded thin and packed with flavor, the CF'R' was tender (almost fork tender) and coated with a unique thin crust. The crust was more crispy than crunchy, a perfect compliment to the tender steak, anything more dense would upset the balance of textures. The broccoli was terrific - fresh and flavorful. The mashed potato, covered in the same gravy as the CFR, had great potato flavor and was well seasoned.

Although an unconventional choice, try the $3 upgrade to the chicken fried ribeye. There is more to 'chicken frying' than top round.

(Excuse any errors! I'm testing a new blogging by phone app.)

The Original Fried Pie Shop - Buffalo, Texas

Fried. Pies. Even one of those two words should easily convince you to travel a few hours to Buffalo to partake.

Attached to a Mobil gas station, the Original Fried Pie Shop has lovely homemade pielets (you can see them rolling out the dough) which you can fill with savory or sweet (even options without sugar) options.

We chose the full octane sugar apple and lemon flavors. The pies were moist and perfectly flaky. This makes them wonderful but hard to eat in the car. The filling was flavorful but not overly sweet so that it obscured the fruit flavor. They stayed warm in their little packet for the 10 minutes we navigated traffic (and could manage to pretend like we didn't want to eat them right away).

Ken Martin’s Safari Grill ― Bryan, Texas

About a year ago, I visited Ken Martin’s Safari Grill and had a bad experience. A thoughtful comment from Ken Martin (the owner) in the comments section cordially invited me back:

Dear friend, I'm sorry you were disappointed with our chicken fried steak and homemade gray. This is my 40th year serving folks in the Brazos Valley and am grateful they have been more pleased than you. Our cutlets are fresh from Ruffino Meats and hand breaded every day and our gravy made from scratch, making our own rue and using chicken base and seasonings. You didn't mention it but I hope you got one of our hot, homemade rolls to sop up the gravy with; most folks really enjoy these! Nonetheless, I am sorry for your disappointment but glad you got good service; we work hard on that, too. Please come in again. Feel free to ask for me or my manager, Joe Ruiz, who has been with me 38 years. Sincerely, ken martin.

Returning to Ken Martin’s, I was curious to see if I would have the same experience. Patterning my trip the same as the first, I arrived for an early lunch, ordered the same dish (yellow gravy with a side of okra and mashed potatoes).

The dish was better! The CFS arrived steaming hot and the texture was great. Plus, the mashed potatoes and fried okra were excellent. The waitstaff were friendly and efficient, as with the first visit.

But, I still didn’t care for the gravy. I’m not beholden to traditional white gravy but the yellow gravy didn’t do it for me. It needed a touch more salt and a bit more pepper. It needed to be more savory and stand up against the saltiness of the CFS.

The upside is that I’d go back. There was much to like and it’s certainly my kind of place.

Brady’s Restaurant -- Brady, Texas

EDITOR’S NOTE: Embracing our wanderlust in the summer of 2010, Chicken Fried Father and I set out on an adventure to traverse the “Amarillo Highway,” a stretch of road that runs from Port Lavaca to Texline (on the border of New Mexico) and immortalized in a song by Terry Allen. The following entries chronicle our trip, food-wise at least.

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“The Duke” approves. Brady’s Restaurant, located just off Highway 87 in the little town of Brady, is a tidy little roadside place (if a bit over decorated with western style motifs and John Wayne pictures).

Dizzied by traveling many miles from Amarillo and hungry for some classic road food, we started with an order of jalapeno poppers with a blue cheese dressing for dipping. This was a mistake, as the poppers were clearly store bought. They also came out with the fiery heat of a hundred volcanoes. Famished by road hunger, I bit in and was scalded with a scorching blast of processed cheddar cheese. The memory (and scar on the top of my mouth) still haunts me.

Seeking a bit of a change, I chose chicken fried chicken over the chicken fried steak (Chicken Fried Father ordered the steak). It was a good choice. The chicken was well seasoned and pounded very thin (very, very thin). It was so thin that it ended up curling up into a winged origami shape. With a tasty gravy, we’d be all set. Unfortunately the gravy was too soupy and with very little taste. Even a liberal dose of salt and pepper could not bring this CFC back to quality. The chicken fried steak, on the other hand, was also pounded thin but was flavorless. Coupled with the flavorless gravy, there wasn’t much good to say about it, except that I was pleased I hadn’t ordered it.

The CFS was accompanied by green beans, which tasted tinny and were clearly from a can (a tin can), and the CFC was sided by corn, which was also from a can but was less offensive. The mashed potatoes were actually quite tasty. They were lumpy with the skin on and a good garlic flavor. A perfectly buttered and toasted Texas toast was the saving grace for a meal that didn’t satisfy in terms of quantity.

A few tweaks and the CFC would be a good dish. As it is, ask for the gravy on the side.

Turning Point Café ― Lamesa, TX

EDITOR’S NOTE: Embracing our wanderlust in the summer of 2010, Chicken Fried Father and I set out on an adventure to traverse the “Amarillo Highway,” a stretch of road that runs from Port Lavaca to Texline (on the border of New Mexico) and immortalized in a song by Terry Allen. The following entries chronicle our trip, food-wise at least.

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Turning point indeed. As the textured fantasy of hill country gave way to the isolated beauty desert and plains, we strode into the Turning Point Café for sustenance. Several (old) locals were eating a late lunch at this café-come-diner which was rundown but not in a charming way.

CFS ($7.99) only came with mashed potato and a house salad. The CFS was very, very tough. There were times where I had to stop myself from eating to give a few extra chews. I certainly made for an uninteresting lunch companion as my mouth was constantly closed (manners, you know) to continue masticating. The gravy was unremarkable and without much flavor. Not enough salt, pepper or love in this dish.

The salad was a sad little offering, with store-bought lettuce and ranch dressing. The dressing had that acrid taste that defines store bought salad dressing. The mashed were under seasoned and without much flavor. It also had an odd soapy taste as well.

Overall, it was a sad little place, not unlike the rest of Lamesa which seems to be on hard times. It made us lament the decline of small towns like this, and the concurrent decline of little diners that we so love.

Brenda's - Flatonia, TX

Brenda's is a prototypical cafe hidden behind the mega highway. Serving good food and good cheer, it's worth seeking out a little hideaway like this. The decor on the inside was eclectically Texas: cowboy hats, rodeo pictures and clippings of local high school gridiron glory. Overall, very comfortable. The place was packed with locals talking about weekend trips to San Antonio and local sports.

The CFS was an interesting change for me. It was a central Texas snitzel-style, fitting as we were in the center of Czech Texas. It was a bit overcooked as the meat was tough and difficult to chew. The gravy was a very thin but tasty drizzle but not thick enough for my taste.

The sides, however, made up for everything. The handcut french fries were hot an salty. Beautiful. The Texas toast was grilled to perfection and perfectly soft on the inside.

So, hop off I-10 and find Brenda's. Or one of the other hundreds of similar places. You'll be hapy you did.