Looking for good restaurant on 290 between Austin and Houston

Lisa C. wrote:
>

>2) Biggers BBQ in Elgin - haven't eaten there myself, but I have
>heard many good things about it.

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Biggers gets their sausage from Southside.

Terry in Pflugerville

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Steve P. wrote:
>
>My wife and I often drive between Austin and Houston on 290.
>We have yet to find a good place to eat along that route.  If
>you have any suggestion, please email it, along with a brief
>description of the type of food the restaurant serves.

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I have to go along with the guy who said Swan's BBQ in Hempstead! In 30+ years of driving between Austin and Houston(including a lot of college years of exploring small bars and restuarants--Swan's is the best on that road.

(unless you count the trip or two the the Chicken Ranch for their hors d'oeuvres(i'm not sure if that's a pun intended or a Freudian slip)

No, I'm not. I have eaten BBQ in just about every small town in Central Texas, so I know what I'm talking about. If you want good BBQ, forget Elgin.

Terrymoore wrote:
> Steve P. wrote:
> >
> >My wife and I often drive between Austin and Houston on 290.
> >We have yet to find a good place to eat along that route.  If
> >you have any suggestion, please email it, along with a brief
> >description of the type of food the restaurant serves.
> >
> >Steve
>
> **********************************************************
>
> Well, it looks like no one is going to mention the 290 cafe
> in Manor so here goes.
>
> It's on the south side of the highway just east of the traffic light.
> That's only a hop-skip-and-jump from Manor Downs. I've eaten there
> more times than I care to admit so I can attest that they are consistent
> if nothing else.
>
> How's that old story go? If you want good hay, you gotta pay a good
> price for it. If you are willing to accept recycled hay, that comes
> quite a bit cheaper.
>
> I strongly suspect that the stables at Manor Downs provide much of
> the raw material that the 290 Cafe serves. It's not bad if you like
> re-cycled hay.
>
> Terry in Pflugerville
>
> ********************************************************************
My mother has also recommended the 290 Cafe in Manor.  She's pretty picky, but says that the food is excellent and the portions are large.

There's a terrific place in Hempstead, right on the way.  It's called the Hempstead Inn.  It's on Hwy 290 (during the little jog 290 takes along Hwy 6 through Hempstead).  As you approach Hempstead from 290 (coming from Austin), ordinarily you have to take a right onto Hwy 6, which 290 follows along; then you have to drive about a mile or two and then turn left, back onto just plain ol' 290.

Hempstead Inn is just before that left turn back to 290.  It is on the right, and it is in an old two-story house.

The food they serve is home-style country fare, served in a boarding-house fashion (i.e., they seat a bunch of people at a long table, and then bring out a series of dishes until you're completely stuffed!).  It's REALLY delicious, and I HIGHLY recommend it.  The prices are a little high, but once you eat there, you'll probably go back again and again.

Check it out!

Adam S. wrote:
>
> Terrymoore wrote:
>
> >Steve P. wrote:
> >>
> >>My wife and I often drive between Austin and Houston on 290.
> >>We have yet to find a good place to eat along that route.  If
> >>you have any suggestion, please email it, along with a brief
> >>description of the type of food the restaurant serves.
> >>
> >>Steve
> >
> >**********************************************************
> -snip-
> >I strongly suspect that the stables at Manor Downs provide much of
> >the raw material that the 290 Cafe serves. It's not bad if you like
> >re-cycled hay.
> >
> >Terry in Pflugerville
> >********************************************************************
> Are you suggesting it? .............. ;^)
>
> Try Mrs. Beaver's in Chappel Hill, just across from the water tower.
> Catfish, chicken, incredible pies.
> Used to eat at the Blubonnet Hills east of Brenham. Haven't been there lately.
> Also, Cactus Jack's Mexican in Hempstead has moved or is moving to Chappel Hill.
> Ron and Faye Franklin run it. Faye is Charlie Lung's daughter (as in the
> Houston restaurants). Good Tex-Mex.
>
> --
> H. Adam Stevens
> [email removed]

From [email removed] Sat Aug 24 01:41 EDT 1996
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>Right on! But it IS an interesting question.  Let's suppose you had to
>pick just one joint for that last plate of barbecue.  Where would you
>go?
>
No contest.  I would go to the Country Tavern for a good plate of ribs.  It is located on the Tyler - Kilgore, Texas highway just south of Liberty City off I-20 in East Texas.  The ribs are by far the very best i have ever tasted.  They will make you slap your mama.

Glenn

From [email removed] Tue Aug 20 16:25 EDT 1996
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John,

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
2202 Inwood Rd
Dallas, TX   75235
214-357-7120

Classic is the sliced beef sandwich & onion rings (not frozen///prepared fresh). Very limited seating, maybe 15 or so old school desks. Sawdust floors. Not uncommon to see people eating on the hoods of their cars in the parking lot. Lunch only! Go early!! When they run out they close!!! This place has been a Dallas staple since I was a kid & I still eat there when I am in Big D. Take Inwood exit off of I35N & go east.

Angelo's Barbecue
2533 White Settlement Rd
Fort Worth, TX   76107
817-332-0357

Stationed at Carswell when I was in the Air Force & this place was a weekly ritual. As with Sonny's, the sliced beef is out of this world. Anytime I am in FW I stop by here. Haven't been there in a couple of years, but they were always open for lunch & dinner. Long picnic tables & large dining room. Longnecks available. Not far from downtown, just west of the Jacksboro HWY (I think 199).

You will be in BBQ heaven if you are able to stop by either place.

Bruce Yates
White Oak TX

At 02:59 PM 8/20/96 -0400, you wrote:
>I'm going to be in the Dallas/FW area (mostly in FW) for a few weeks in
>September.  While there, I want to experience some of that famous Texas
>brisket.
>
>My  question is simply...  where is the best place to go?  Where is the
>Mecca, the Valhalla, the Nirvana of Texas BBQ in the area?  Thanks in
>advance for your suggestions...
>
>BTW, thanks to all of the list members for their BBQ advice and stories.
>Being a NC native transplanted to Florida, I was unable to find the good
>Eastern NC stuff down here, so I decided that I had to start making it.  I
>had read a lot of books, but didn't start really cranking out respectable Q
>until I began surfing the Net for techniques, recipes, and advice.
>
>

From [email removed] Sun Aug 25 03:25 EDT 1996
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>Kit:
>
>    The problem is, of course, that most of the seafood here is
>warm water seafood... The shrimp taste 'muddy'... They don't
>have that cold-water 'cleanliness' to them, or if they DO come
>from the Northeast, they've been frozen...
>
>    Yes, I've found quite acceptable seafood, but it doesn't match
>going out on the boat with my brother, pulling in traps, diving
>for scallops that weigh about 1/6 lb each, going home, getting
>half tanked, then eating till you bust...
>

Well, for crying out loud, you didn't say that was your usual way of dining on seafood.  Of course, nothing beats that. When I had my charter sailboat in Seward, I used to get fresh shrimp with eggs attached from some of the boats.  Steam the shrimps, scrape the eggs into a nice sour-cream dip with a little onion, and mix thourougly.  Eat the shrimp, dip the shrimp eggs with water-crackers!  Wash it down with cold beer.  That's the way to eat!!

I do take exception to the "muddy" reference.  I don't know where you've been getting your shrimp, but good Gulf (pronounced guf, in Texican) Shrimp are from deep, cold waters, and are so succulent as to be orgasmic.  Try Willy-G's in Galveston during any month without an R in it.  You'll be a happy camper.

Bill

Mac Consultant, handholder, sailor
Specialties: NetStuff, Ad Agencies, Graphic Artists, Architects, Video, Audio Kailua, on the windward (prettiest) side of Oahu, Hawaii Murphy was a *raving* optimist!!!! Very cute Scotty, now beam down my clothes!!!

From [email removed] Thu Sep  5 09:56 EDT 1996
To: [email removed]
Subject: Hondo, the name
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      -------------Long ramblings of Nuts---------------

    (This is not big on Qing or Q. Just sort of related stuff.)

Although I have never "officially" heard this, I believe the New Braunfels Pro. Smoker was named after Hondo Crouch.  Years ago when I first heard of a Texas BBQ pit company (New Braunfels Smoker Company) selling a pit called the Hondo, only one person came to mind, Hondo Crouch. Legendary Texan and one time owner of Luckenbach, Texas.

With Hondo's family strill around, it would not surprise me if the connection were denied.....roylties and such. I know that Hondo's daughter has republished his book(s), there might be some finanical considerations involved...who knows.

Hondo was the only man I have ever met or known to *own* a town.  The town's slogan, if you will, was/is "everybody is somebody in Luckenbach".  Like so many  wonderful little country town hangouts, this place has to be seen (experienced) to believed.  The whole town, back in Hondo's days, had a population of about 7, my sister and brother inlaw were/are two of them. Lukenbach was an absolute "must stopby" every Friday and Saturday night as the "boys" out on the town lookin for "girls" and FUN.

The town consisted of two buildings. One was a very small dance hall with the side walls that lifted up for air flow and passing of beer to minors outside the hall area.  There may be a little first "hand" experiences here :)). My older sister had to take me on many of her dates, or she did not go out. I learned a lot from my big sister, Barbara.

The other building was a small U.S. Post Office, country store, BEER JOINT, card/dominoes playing place, bullshitting parlor, pickup joint, with guitar/banjo playing trees and stumps to sit on while you got drunk pickin and singing with the rest of who ever showed up that day or night.  (see picture of this place, website below)

Over time, "whoever showed up" became a lot of people, i.e. like Willie Nelson, who says he never heard of nor been to Luchenbach before he recorded "Luchenbach Texas". My sister will tell you different on that one.  She tells of his big old touring bus pulling up with funny smelling smoke barreling from the doors as they opened. And all long before his top-of-the-charts country hit song made him millions and cost the rest of the town folks their town. (It isn't one sided, some area people made out like bandits too. )

The place is now Willie's 4 of July hang out, he and 90K other people. The ENTIRE country side for mega miles is SOLD as overnight camping rounds for a July 4th picnic. Iam told that it brings in a LOT of buck-a-roos for a lot of good causes. Who knows. I don't think my sister and brother inlaw, Barbara and Billy, sell or rent their land during the hubbabaloos. They always did like the beat of a different drummer. Good hard working people. They just do things THEIR way or not at all. They don't bitch or make a fuss.

If you want good BBQ, just pass by Barbara and Billy's place (1mile west of Luckenbach center). Billy is often out front by an open cinderblock (sp) pit, under a tree smoking chuck roasts, briskets, and chugalugging Pearl Beer.  They don't sell Q, they just cook it and people stop in and have a good time.

Although I have mixed feelings about everybody getting on the web these days, Luchenbach is no different..take a look:

http://www.lnstar.com/mall/luchenbach/index.html

You'll see Hondo Crouch and the Post Office/store building I talked about above. The picture of the building is of the FRONT, the real fun happens Behind the building. If you look closely, you can see a white refrig. on the right side of the building. Just before that frig. is a set of steps that goes into the Beer Joint part of the store. The back of the building opens up so that you can be served beer from inside or back.

To help you get a feel for the size of the "parties" that happen at Luchenbach, the Loan Star Brewery keeps at least one and most of the time two 18 wheeler trucks of beer ON-SITE all the time. They just pick one up and deliver another full one.

Wow...and all of this ramblin' from someone's post on the difference between the Hondo and the Black Diamond. Sorry about that. I sort of miss it all, now and then.

Nuts