I've already posted this in the Q thread but am slightly reformatting it to start this off.

I dunno about the rest of the country, but if you're not eating Q, or fried catfish, and are hungry in Texas, you might be eating chicken fried steak.

This thread is to help each other find good joints that don't serve the processed, pre-breaded, frozen hockey pucks that, yes, even in Texas, some joints try to pass off as a CFS. Don't settle, search for the real deal.



I had to go to Center Point, Tx last week to pick up a canoe I bought and it made for a long day....nearly a 1000 miles round trip. Left just before 7 AM and rolled back home just before 12.

At any rate, not to waste a chance to try a new place, I took the supposed shortest but slower route by Strawn, Texas.

Strawn is a community about 4 mi N of I-20, about 75 mi W of Ft. Worth. Be aware that as I drove into town, the speed limit drops, and there was a local yokel sitting there. Luckily, as a Texan, I am well aware of the small towns propensity to raise revenue off passers thru, so I usually stick pretty close to posted limit. This time I was over, but apparently the fine amount for the small amount over wasn't worth the effort to stop me, I suppose. Or, maybe he was asleep.

With no insult to the fine citizens of Strawn, about the only claim to fame it has at this time is.......

#1) Mary's Cafe, 119 Grant Ave., Strawn, Tx, which is right on 16, the hwy in from I-20, just S of downtown Strawn, all 2 square blocks of it. My overall grade ***1/2 stars/5

Mary's is often mentioned as having the finest chicken fried steak in Texas and, since like any Texan, that is a dish near and dear to my heart (not to mention arteries), I have been looking forward to visiting Mary's for a while.

Got there about 11:30 and there was a fair, but not large set of customers inside, to be joined by more as I ate. They have beer, etc but since I had miles and miles to go before I slept, I ordered Iced Tea. Consulted with waitress (very cute high school aged girl) and asked whether I should get the small, medium, or large CFS at $11.50, $15.50, and $17.50. She said small was about size of dinner ticket, that is 6x4 or so, etc. I, in a weak momemt of sanity, decided I'd only order the medium, but then as I was ordering the sides, changed that to a large. "WTH," I thought, "it's only $2 more." So I added a salad and a baked potato to it, along with the two pieces of Texas Toast.

I'd really like to say it was wonderful, but it wasn't. The breading was not crispy, which is the style I like, there was no real spice flavor, including salt in the breading or in the gravy, which came in a soup bowl full of white gravy. They put it in a soup bowl because if they put it on the CFS, if the customer wanted it that way, they'd have to serve it over a garbage can to catch the run off.

This pic is off the net and this CFS is not as large as what I was served, this may be a medium, or maybe I got a larger sample, but you get the idea.





I mean, GINORMOUS, just begins to describe the platter full of CFS I received. It was substantially large than the 9x11 magazine I was reading. I wish I'd taken a picture, but didn't have a camera and have forgotten how to use the pic thingy in my antique flip cell phone. I didn't have a tape, but I'd put the 4 Large pieces of CFS on my plate as being about 12 x 15 inches. Not to mention the very large, but not giant baked potato. The salad was disappointing, slightly wilted lettuce, I took a bite and decided I had enough to handle without eating poor rabbit food. Without exaggeration, I feel certain that a family of five, with normal appetites could get along just fine on one Large CFS with maybe a spare set of fries.

Steak was dead tender, well cooked, and some people might think it is wonderful. It was not crispy and not well spiced enough AFAI am concerned, but maybe they are used to Yankees stopping by. I'd certainly go back but all in all I give it 3 1/2 stars and can say, without doubt, for me, it ain't the best CFS in Texas, but the search is the object, n'est pas?

OTOH, if you're driving W on I-20, take your camera and order the large CFS. It is worth the stop.

They also supposedly have a huge and very good hamburger, but I wasn't looking around and can't comment on that, but, judging by the CFS, you'd better be hungry if you order one.

BTW, 16 running S from I-20 to Kerrville is a really pretty drive.

My Daughter had a scrimmage volleyball game in Detroit, Tx which is about halfway between Clarksville and Paris on 82.

After the game, not to miss an opportunity, my wife and I drove West on 82 about 8 more miles to eat lunch at.....

#2)Weezy's Restaurant, 204 W. Front St., Blossom, TxThis is in a red building on a corner at the W end of "downtown" Blossom on the N side of 82. Far better than the typical small town restaurant but not a lot of room inside, so it can be busy at main dining hours. For the Chicken Fried Steak, I give it a ****1/2 stars and it might be better than that. This steak will be hard to beat, especially when you factor in the price.

Weezy's is pretty well known in the area for good food and good value. It has both.

We ate the "all you can eat" fried catfish ($9.95, not sure but probably Fri and maybe Sat only) which was very good, great batter, not served quite as hot as I'd like, but still fine. A tremendous value for the money.

We ordered the large CFS plate, a best buy at $8.95, which, while not as large as the one at Mary's, was plenty large enough to fill up all but the hungriest of NFL linemen. Comes with choice of two sides. This time we had fried okra, and a salad. Great batter, very crispy. The way I like it. Pic late when I can get my better half to DL from her phone.

[/IMG]


Not to be missed if you're traveling on 82 E of Paris.

BTW, the Fish Fry in Paris has some mighty fine fried catfish ($14.50 all you can eat) and is worth a stop if you're a fried catfish fan. Highly recommended. Usually will be a wait if you arrive at prime dining hours. Will take reservations.

You caved! Thank you, sir!

I will add Bubba's by SMU in Dallas (technically University Park) and their sister restaraunts, Babe's. Babe's is a family style restaraunt. Bubba's is more of a short order place. Huge CFS with good batter.

The one I had at the Omni during a DSC conv. was HUGE & very tasty.
Sometimes it's more about the gravy than the CFS itself.

I haven't been back to Texas (my home state) since 1971, except for short visits or college reunions.

When I was at A&M & went home to my folks' place in Dallas, we'd drive through Mexia and Groesbeck.

Both towns had little independent diners that served great chicken fried steak with two sides.

I wonder if any of those places are still around? Probably not.

Gato, for those who cannot find a CFS for miles what cut of steak would you start with.

You can put this under the "Anywhere" column. The last chicken fried steak I believe I've had was in the Lago Bar Restaurant in Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela. It was large, and excellent. You had to ask for jalapenos if you wanted them as they always held back a jar for Expats but didn't use them in dishes as the locals couldn't stand them. We used to go there at least once a month for the CFS. Always messed with the heads of the locals as they couldn't understand why it wasn't made from chicken if we were going to call it chicken fried steak.

quote:

Originally posted by J_Zola:
Gato, for those who cannot find a CFS for miles what cut of steak would you start with.

I guess it depends on how desperate you are. The "classic" sources are round steak, bottom round, eye of round, sirloin tips, or cube steak. Of those, I would much prefer sirloin tips. We normally make our CFS at home from deer. No one who has tried my wife's deer CFS doesn't love it. Ask Butchlambert. That said, the better the meat, the better the result, within reason. No use in using ribeye for CFS. We recently found a local sale on sirloins for $3.99/lb. That would make good CFS. We bought a supply to use in Chinese food.

At any rate, the key to good CFS, TO START, is to either have a tenderizer or to pound the hell out of it with a tenderizing mallet. My wife typically starts with 1 inch cuts and pounds them down to about 1/2 inch, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

It's not a family secret, if I can pry it out of her, I'll post her batter and cooking method. For many, it ain't the CFS, it's the gravy. I like gravy, but for me, that's kind of like barbecue sauce. If the CFS won't shout, "Damn, I'm good!" without gravy, then it ain't.

It sounds so simple that I hesitate to post my wife's CFS (usually deer) recipe but here it is:

Whisk enough eggs for amount of meat to be cooked.

Roll pounded meat pieces in egg.

Roll in regular flour which has been seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, Cajun spiced seasoning (typically Tony Cacherie) and, depending on who you are cooking for, maybe garlic powder.

Then she simply chicken fries it in a black skillet with about a 1/2 inch or more of oil in it.

She makes gravy out of pan drippings.

This is not a really crispy batter but is good. Meat must be well pounded (tenderized).

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
You can put this under the "Anywhere" column. The last chicken fried steak I believe I've had was in the Lago Bar Restaurant in Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela. It was large, and excellent. You had to ask for jalapenos if you wanted them as they always held back a jar for Expats but didn't use them in dishes as the locals couldn't stand them. We used to go there at least once a month for the CFS. Always messed with the heads of the locals as they couldn't understand why it wasn't made from chicken if we were going to call it chicken fried steak.

Considering the state of Venezuela these days, that ain't anywhere, it's nowhere.

How's the lack of a pancreas treating you?

I'm not much on BBQ, but I love a good CFS and the best I've found so far is at the Rockett Cafe on FM 813 in Rockett, midway between I45 and I35 about 20 miles south of Dallas. Supposedly, they cut their steaks daily and if anyone decides to try it out, let me know and I'll try and meet you there.

quote:

I'm not much on BBQ

Still trying to get permanent residency status in Texas, I take it.

Rockett CFS will be on my near term "gotta go" list. Thanks.

Gato, Thank you.
I've been on this quest for years !
It is my belief that the modern version of the Texas CFS is nothing like the ones I used to get at the Stallion in Hockley!
There are places that lay claim to "the best" in 'the area' that are weeeell, modern and not real. Pre-battered or frozen. NOT for my very talented tastebuds !
The quest continues.

The Hitchin Post Steakhouse, just off Interstate 10, on the west side of Ozona, Texas is worth the stop.

G

I'm finding a missing gall bladder hasn't changed me much. Having said that, I haven't tried BBQ, Indian Food, Mexican Food, pizza or alcohol yet. Before the end of the month I hope to get a little more adventurous.

Thanks for asking.

Gato sweet talk the wife out off the recipe. The north east lacks BBQ and CFS so if you want it you make it.

Charlie,that is my recipe as well although I add paprika to the dry mix.I generally cut mine into strips + make a large batch for when the kids + their families come over to eat because EVERYBODY wants to take some home.Can't beat it with mashed potatoes + gravy.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
G

I'm finding a missing gall bladder hasn't changed me much. Having said that, I haven't tried BBQ, Indian Food, Mexican Food, pizza or alcohol yet. Before the end of the month I hope to get a little more adventurous.


Thanks for asking.

Kensco

If you feel like eating Indian you need to try Himalayas in Houston.

http://himalayarestauranthouston.com/

It is probably the best Indian restaurant - better than the high end places in NYC, London or India.

The chef is very good - a med school drop out.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/s...ets-26983030972?aff=

I wish I could get country fried steak in Florida that is any good.

I think Texas has the best food in the US and for me the world (I don't eat seafood).

Mike

I was thinking, how would I get to Himalayas and avoid Houston until I read some pretty crappy reviews on tripadvisor. Good reviews don't sway me much, who knows if they are paid, friends, relatives, whatever, but bad reviews are usually the real deal. The guy charges for rice with an ordered dish?

And, $125 for a meal with a few beers. Not me.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I was thinking, how would I get to Himalayas and avoid Houston until I read some pretty crappy reviews on tripadvisor. Good reviews don't sway me much, who knows if they are paid, friends, relatives, whatever, but bad reviews are usually the real deal. The guy charges for rice with an ordered dish?

And, $125 for a meal with a few beers. Not me.

He is good. His restaurant is packed. He allows you to bring your own booze.

The reviews I don't follow much for enthic food cause a lot of people just don't know it or have weak expectations.

Also the guy is a bit of an eccentric - maybe it comes with being a chef. He can be like the soup nazi in the Seinfeld episode. But his food is great and his quantities generous. I don't think making max $$ is what drives him.

He also has a strong reputation in the Houston and global culinary scene. When Anthony Bourdain came to Houston he went to Himalaya - that was from pure word of mouth in Houston food scene. He should be on his show in the near future.

Google the chef Kaiser Laskhari. The $125 per person think is for a charity event. His regular meals are 10-15 a dish - his quantities far more than he should provide. When I eat there it is $35 w/ tip (he includes it - he is a little esoteric) for 2 people.

Mike

I don't get to Houston much. Our go-to place in North Texas is Kebab N Kurry in Richardson.

http://kebabnkurry.us/

I like the owner, a Sikh gentleman, that always spends a little time with each customer, if for no other reason than to thank you for visiting his restaurant.

The other big plus is that KNK is BYOB. I like enjoying one of my own wines with a great meal. My favorite dishes are the lamb entrees; Ragan Josh, Lamb Korma, or Lamb Vindaloo. We always add a good nan, and black (Makhani) dal. It's a killer meal.

He doesn't do chicken-fried, but if he did, I'm sure it would be excellent, with a kick.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I was thinking, how would I get to Himalayas and avoid Houston until I read some pretty crappy reviews on tripadvisor. Good reviews don't sway me much, who knows if they are paid, friends, relatives, whatever, but bad reviews are usually the real deal. The guy charges for rice with an ordered dish?

And, $125 for a meal with a few beers. Not me.

His review

https://www.yelp.com/biz/himal...and-catering-houston

The trend is negative reviews like his food but hate his service and attitude.

Zagat likes the food - https://www.zagat.com/r/himalaya-restaurant-houston

I don't think he is going to change his personal interaction skills anytime. His food is excellent.

Houston is a mess - los Angeles with pickups.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
I don't get to Houston much. Our go-to place in North Texas is Kebab N Kurry in Richardson.

http://kebabnkurry.us/

I like the owner, a Sikh gentleman, that always spends a little time with each customer, if for no other reason than to thank you for visiting his restaurant.

The other big plus is that KNK is BYOB. I like enjoying one of my own wines with a great meal. My favorite dishes are the lamb entrees; Ragan Josh, Lamb Korma, or Lamb Vindaloo. We always add a good nan, and black (Makhani) dal. It's a killer meal.

He doesn't do chicken-fried, but if he did, I'm sure it would be excellent, with a kick.

I'll try this one. At least it ain't in Houston.

FWIW I've eaten Indian food many times over the years, among others at some supposedly great places in Las Vegas. I remain unimpressed. Not bad, just not all that good.

OTOH, that was a long time ago and maybe my tastes have matured. I know I've matured, if I get any more mature, I'll be dead. I'll report back when I try it.

The standard Indian-food dish for Expats (in India) that hadn't acquired a taste for Indian food yet was Murgh Makhani and black dal. KNK's version is Chicken Tikka Masala. Not the same, but close.

http://thefoodweeat.typepad.co...chicken-makhani.html

KNK's Black Dal is Makhani Dal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal_makhani

If you see Murgh on the menu it refers to chicken. Makhan or Makhani will refer to butter.

If I have a choice of good Indian food restaurants, I look for something indicating it is Punjabi Indian.

I had Indian crews working on my rig operating for ConocoPhillips off East Timor in the Timor Sea. The Australian caterer seemed to be able to find green or yellow dal, but never black. The Indian cooks would always get excited if they saw my name on the manifest. They knew I would be bringing about four kilos of urad in my bag. We would have black dal three meals a day.

Be sure at KNK's to have nan or bread of some kind available when you're done. I mop the leftover sauce from the Chicken Masala bowl and the same from the Makhani Dal bowl. My wife thinks I have very bad manners, but I can't waste that stuff. It's my dessert.

Regular dessert would be the Pista Kulfi (hockey puck looking ice cream) or Gajar Halwa (a mushy carrot cake more or less). A lot of the Expats like the Gulab Jamun. I can take it or leave it.

Meandering a little from cfs.

I only like yellow dal. I never eat the black dal - taste vary and I like diversity of taste.

Indian food is very complex to prepare cause spiced are mixed into the base and not added on like thai food.

It is also very difficult to consistently cook Indian food. In NYC I ate yellow dal (lentil) for lunch for a week from one of the top restaurants - it was never exactly the same. Repeated again from another one - not consistent - did it with 4 places over 6 months. I had seamless web and the food was delivered to my desk.

Best Indian food - I won't say india cause unless you are local it may take 6 months getting ones constitution to eat it. Best Indian food is London but I would say Houston is nearly as good (better than NYC).

North Indian - Punjabi food is probably best suited to western palates and Indian one too. There is little difference between Indian and Pakistani food - all North Indian Punjabi food.

Mike

CFS

Old Jody's in Temple used to be great

Maxine's in Bastrop

Peabody's in Goldthwaite

I'm told the Cactus is now closed in San Saba -- to bad, was known really for TexMex
but had a great CFS

I was at Ken Oehler's for a week chronograph school when I bought the M43, the pressure testing model chronograph. He took us two places in Austin. One had the best barbecue I'd eaten, and the other an awesome CFS. Both were family owned forever, but I cannot remember the names. Give him a call if you are ever in the Austin area.

Indian detour again.

We were back at Kebab N Kurry last night with a bottle of Unánime. My wife had the Shrimp Korma. I had the Murg Musallam. The shrimp were cooked PERFECT, and in an excellent sauce. I finished the Murg Musallam for lunch today with what was left of the nan. The chicken/lamb dish tasted even better than last night. Between that and the tacos I had for lunch yesterday, I gained two pounds. (I couldn't help myself.)

I double batter mine and use very hot peanut oil for crispness. I season the meat with steak rub and season the batter with various spices. I make the gravy from the pan drippings using a fine coat of grease, then add flour to make a roux, add milk and heat to thicken, add salt and black pepper to gravy. People are always full and happy afterward. I only use whitetail. Cube steak would be my second choice.

The Hoot Owl Cafe in Sandpoint Idaho. I just returned from a summer at my place up there and it, as well as all offered for breakfast or lunch, was fantastic as usual.

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:
I'm not much on BBQ, but I love a good CFS and the best I've found so far is at the Rockett Cafe on FM 813 in Rockett, midway between I45 and I35 about 20 miles south of Dallas. Supposedly, they cut their steaks daily and if anyone decides to try it out, let me know and I'll try and meet you there.

Karl

i get up that way every now and then. Will try to touch base, sounds like fun.

3) Rear of the Steer 800 E. Main St, (a couple of miles E of the intersection of 67 and 259 on South side of 67, about 10 mi from I-30) Omaha, Tx
They also serve BBQ (by commercial standards small smoker behind restaurant) which I hope to try another trip. But, in this thread, many of the restaurants also are steakhouses, etc., the "Stars" are basically for the CFS factoring in cost, ambiance, etc.
****1/4 Stars

We were in Omaha, home of the Fighting Brahmas of Paul Pewitt HS, for a HS VB tournament yesterday where my daughter was playing.

We'd driven by this place many times, but on a friend's recommendation, we went there for lunch and the recommended CFS.

We ordered the same as at Weezy's above, a large platter of fried catfish, and the CFS. Both were $10.95.

Both were very good or better, the catfish was a bit better than at Weezy's and the CFS, while a very close call, was a small bit worse. The fries that came with the catfish were not as hot as I'd like them to be. Probably set out while the fish was frying.

CFS was fairly large, good batter, but it was "loose" on the steak and not quite as flaky as I'd like. Still a VERY FINE product. I thought the spices in the batter were better than Weezy's, not as bland. Unless you like your CFS covered in gravy, (I don't, preferring to dip my bites when I want some gravy), be sure to tell them you want gravy on the side. Obviously we forgot to do so in the above Weezy's pic.

Very friendly staff and owner, but you order by the cash register and they bring your food out. Not really standard waiter/waitress type service.

This is in a kind of "dead" area for food between Texarkana and Mt. Pleasant on I-30 and with the exception of a really good Thai restaurant, Thai Lanna, in Mt. Pleasant, and Two Senoritas, a good Mexican joint, there ain't much in Mt. Pleasant either.

If you wanted some good home cooking style food, I'd consider driving down to Omaha and the Rear of the Steer.

Ditto on the double batter.

Also you can't eat CFS without mashed taters....reserve some of that water for the gravy.

As far as deer meat is concerned, I'm much more of a fan of the rollover with ketchup rather than gravy.

We had to go to a volleyball game in Mt. Vernon so we left early to eat Thai at Thai Lanna (highly recommended)in Mt. Pleasant. They were closed after lunch until 4:30. We were there just after 4, so we rolled a mile or so W to....

4) Two Senoritas, 2601 W. Ferguson Rd (just North of I-30), Mt. Pleasant Tx While well known locally for their Tex-Mex, in the interest of science, I ordered one of the "hand breaded" CFS plates for $8.59. Considering that it comes with all the chips and salsa you can eat, I easily can rate this one a BEST BUY.
*** Stars

Steak was small, medium sized, and came with fries and a couple of pieces of Texas Toast. Batter was not fluffy, but was well seasoned, more so than the gravy. A solid product, which would make a great sandwich, but not in the really good CFS category.

Worth a stop for the Tex-Mex or the CFS if that is your choice.

Buying American food at Tex Mex places usually is good eats as they make the stuff from scratch and to order and not that frozen Sysco dogshit most diners use.

quote:

Originally posted by FMC:
Buying American food at Tex Mex places usually is good eats as they make the stuff from scratch and to order and not that frozen Sysco dogshit most diners use.

So true.

They have opened a costco business center in orlando that is primarily focused at restaurants.

There is frozen ready made bagged stuff for everything. Its scary if anything is actually cooked in a restaurant instead of simply reprocessed. I am pretty sure all the stuff at the fast food places just rolls out in 5 gallon buckets.

Mike

Anyone gone to Babe's, in Texas, for their chicken fried steak?

http://www.babeschicken.com/

I've never been to a Babe's, but may get a chance shortly. Babe's are supposed to be chicken specialists. We'll see.

Kensco,

I've been to the original Babe's in Garland and Roanoke. They've popped up all over since. However, I hear they're still good. Try the one in Frisco.

I had lunch at Babe's in Frisco today. I was very impressed. The chicken fried steak on a scale of 10 was about an 8.75 to me. Chicken fried steaks can tend to have gristle tying the thing together like fishing line sometimes. Babe's was very tender without almost any of that stitching. The corn and mashed potato sides were excellent. The biscuits were a 10+, with your choice of gravy, honey, or blackstrap molasses. The green beans were maybe an 8, but then I'm not really keen on green beans. The desserts were excellent, and I tried three or four of them.

I get a kick out of their menu. There is no menu. They have chicken about three ways, catfish, or chicken fried steak. That's it. The prices are the same except for the catfish which I think is $1.00 more. I paid a little over $17.00, and definitely got my money's worth. Their sweet tea was very good and service was homey and first rate.

This is home-style cooking, so don't expect phoo-phoo presentation.

Something different - will try it next time I am in Houston in October on my way to some Hill Country whitetail hunting.

http://www.papercitymag.com/cu...restaurant-himalaya/

Mike

Had a very good Chicken Fried Steak last night. It was called a Chicken Fried Ribeye at Sweetie Pies Ribeyes in Decatur.

http://www.sweetiepiesribeyes.com/

It was fork-tender with a thick crust, and absolutely no connective tissue to deal with.

The side of Mac-n-Cheese was good, but nothing special.

The Sautéed Mushrooms WERE special, as were the dinner rolls, and the service. The best of small town friendliness and comfort food. I would have liked to have had dessert, but I was stuffed.