Road Trip #9

Greetings!  I apologize for the delay in posting. Work took me out of state for the week. Here we go!

Highway 46 was the home of HTF Road Trip Number 9.  First off, Antler Cafe, which has two signs but one location.  When you see this one, you’re in the right place:

There is a subtle theme here; try not to miss it:

We had a large group so I called earlier in the week to see what needed to be done.  The lady on the phone told me they do not take reservations but if I called ten minutes before arrival, they would start setting aside tables for us.  I did just that but talked to someone who didn’t seem interested in that information so when we got there, there was a wait.  The place was jumping and all the inside tables were full.  There is a nice patio, half covered, outside which apparently not part of the seating list inside.  After putting us on the list, I found two HTF superstars had gotten there ahead and snagged three tables outside.  The point of the story is check outside if crowded.

The menu is not extensive but they certainly know how to cook what is on it.  (Numbering needs a little work though.  When did the number 3 become superstitious?)

Team HTF rose to the challenge and covered a good portion of the options:

Frog legs – Despite the trouble before, I went for it.  This time, somebody was truthful about their cooking skills.  Perfectly cooked, light and white!  Clean flavor with simple melted butter as a dunk option (every third bite or so). I peeled off the fried breading…

Chips and Salsa – fresh chips, smokey salsa puree.  Not a matter of good or bad, just of preference.

Stuffed Jalapenos – reports were solid on these, although be warned they were filled with cheese of the cheddar family, not cream cheese.

Chips and Queso – leaned more towards the whiter queso variety, which I prefer.

Chicken Fried Steak – good report here, maybe a little over battered (a very common problem)

Chicken Strips – was too busy stuffing my face to get a report on these but they looked good!

Pork Chops – really delicious!  Cut of meat a little thin but the seasoning was exactly right and the cooking technique spot on.  I am not a big fan of pork chops generally, but these were very tasty.

Hamburger Steak – quite scrupulous!  Jalapenos were fresh and complimented the fried meat well.

Ribeye – a thinner cut of meat than preferred by the recipient but reportedly well cooked.

Hamburger – I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Special shout out the mac and cheese which had little bits of jalapeno and was fantastic!  This place is a bit sweet on this pepper, so don’t be afraid to ask for items without, if you’re not into jalapenos.

And if you can’t finish it all, don’t worry.  There is a nibbler beneath your feet…

So, when the food had disappeared and the belly rubbing commenced, we walked literally across the street to Texas 46 Bar & Grill.

Two main rooms make up this place.  The entry is the bar part, with tables and the Bar.  The other room has a dance floor and a small stage.  Several people were eating when we came in.

Karaoke was the (unintended) treat for the evening.  Everyone was mike shy except one local future American Idol contestant and a very spunky member of Team HTF.  This is her in action (I am truly sorry you missed it!).

We all enjoyed this place.  Small town vibe; people are glad you came but don’t feel the need to sit down at your table & chat.

On to Anhalt Hall!  At the risk of sounding like my grandmother, What a treasure!  Places like this are the reason everyone should support Texas dancehalls and get out there!  Turned off the road, drove down through dirt, gravel and darkness to this grand building.

Inside boasted amazing architecture details, hints of the past and friendly folk who just want to dance!

Someone forgot cash, so they let her write down her number and gave her cash, trusting to run it later.  History is rich here and the people are happy to talk to you about it if you’re interested.  The dancing floor was huge and great acoustics for the Cajun band we saw.  Going strong since 1875, bands play more than once a month.  No air conditioning or heating, and cash only but they do have MGD 64 and Shiner.  Cheers!

Thanks to everyone who came out!  Special thanks to official photographer extraordinaire A.R.  Check out the rest of the pictures on Facebook!

 

Spring flowers make HTF happy trivia:  “In 1901, the Texas Legislature adopted Lupinus subcarnosus as the state flower, but this was amended in 1971 to include L. texensis and “any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded.” At least four other species of bluebonnet grow in Texas: L. havardii, L. concinnus, L. perennis, and L. plattensis.”  (Thanks Texas Highways!)

Road Trip #8

We roadtripped the HELL outta New Braunfels/ Gruene!  Great group, good times!

We’re missing six here but you get the idea:

After herding into several vehicles, we arrived at our dinner destination, Cooper’s BBQ.  Order at the pit, get your fixin’s (and chopped bbq sandwich, if you are so inclined) and round up a drink.

Don’t pay for a pickle and don’t pay for beans; they are free for all next to the soda fountains.  Bread is also available against the far wall.

Pricing is pretty standard for bbq, which is not saying it is cheap but you do get quite a bit of meat.  Big winners were the Prime Rib and Pork Ribs, and apparently the coleslaw and pecan cobbler:

I would recommend steering clear of the chopped bbq (peppery but otherwise bland), the sausage (greasy and ho-hum) and the beans (there is a reason they are free).

The place is large and rightfully equipped with long picnic tables, adorned with paper towels and giant jars of jalapenos.  Not a big crowd that night; I have been a couple of times at lunch and it has been noticeably busier.

After dinner, we loaded up and drove about three feet to Billy’s Ice House, a converted drive-thru beverage barn.

This place was mostly empty except for a crowd at the bar when we got there, which made it a bit difficult to order a beer but not a serious issue.  One pool table, which was having technical difficulties, electronic darts and patio heaters.

Beer was in the $3 range, the bathrooms were large and well kept.  Due to the acoustically-challenged metal siding and cathedral ceilings, it did get very loud inside once the band started.  Most of the tables were full upon our departure.

Next, we headed to Tavern In the Gruene which was just a hop, skip and a jump away.

I wasn’t sure what to expect on this one, as the website has one lone picture of the inside and no one from the venue returned my email (ahem).  The building is composed of one main room with a bar and several side rooms.

We ended up behind the fireplace at a large table, were able to hear the music and still chat.  A good amount of people were there to hang out and/or to see Drew Kennedy.  Noise level was tolerable, bathrooms were well maintained and beer was around $3+.  Competent bartenders, which are always appreciated!

Thanks again to everyone who came out!  Great chatting with all of you!  Special thanks to the convoy drivers and, of course, the official photolady of HTF!  See yall on March 24th at Anhalt Hall!

Who ever heard of such a thing? trivia: Until the mid 1800′s, marshmallows were made using sap of the marshmallow plant.

Road Trip #7

What a big night in Adkins, TX!  We got a little lost, and almost in an accident but it was all on the call of the road.

First we ate dinner.  Loop 107 Burgers Bakery & More blends a little bit into the neighborhood but it well worth the uncertainty.

I had initial concerns due to the lack of blazing lights inside and not a single car to be seen in the parking lot.  We did show up about 45 minutes before they closed, but were welcomed.  Basic inside, with hodgepodge furniture.

In either an insight of genius or murphy’s law, I forgot my lactaid pills.  This was good and bad.  Good, because it prevented me from ordering the special like everyone else and the blueberry cream cheese fried pie.  Bad, because of the previously noted reasons.  If cheese and creamy are your nemesis also, take some pills because most menu items had some form of dairy.  Two of us had sandwiches.  The patty melt and southwestern grilled chicken breast options were very tasty.  I had the chicken; with fries, it was fulfilling and well-cooked.  Double points for crisp jalapenos with just the right heat.

And then there was the special:

Chicken fried chicken with minimal breading, homemade mac and cheese and green beans, which tasted canned but that was the table’s 2:1 preference.  Overall the food was well-constructed, clearly individually-made and delicious.  Crafted food at its simple finest.

Try to save room for one of these softies:

or

Quite possibly the best oatmeal raisin cookie I have ever nibbled!  You know what those cookies needed to taste better?  Nothing!

Swell place.  Low-key atmosphere but very accommodating service.

Next, we tooled over to 4 A’s Sports Bar.

Small and square interior with clean bathrooms and a friendly bartender, this was a perfect intermittent beer stop.  We watched the locals play pool, consumed $2 beer and haggled the TV and each other.

Finally, we moseyed on down to Kicaster Country Store. 

This place is out in the bushes but an enjoyable venue.  The inside was filled with bar patrons, i.e. people watching baseball and chatting.

Outside had the band, dance space and a better set of bathrooms.  We chose outside.

Small dance floor with tree in middle, the crowd was mostly locals and family friendly.  The band and setup need some fine tuning but the place was great for chatting amongst friends.  Cheers!  Special thanks to the drivers and official HTF photographer.  Thanks for coming out!

Seriously pointless trivia: The Playboy Bunny costume is the only non-service uniform to have been granted a U.S. Patent.

Road Trip #6

Last Saturday, we hit Hwy 281 and headed to Albert, Texas, with a pit stop in Blanco.  We dined at the Redbud Cafe, which is right off the main square in town.

Great old building with the last hundred years of rainfall recorded on the wall, courtesy of the Blanco Lions Club, although someone dropped the ball in 1999 and it rolled away…

It is set up deli style, taking orders at the counter and the staff brings items out to your table.

This system proved to be a wee bit disorganized but the place was busy so it must not be too much of an issue.  Also serving as a pub, beer is available on tap and in bottles, plenty of Real Ale, as it is brewed right there in Blanco.  I ordered the seasonal Devil’s Backbone tripel, delicious!

I ordered the special, which was a hefty black angus burger with homemade pimento cheese and bacon.  Wow.  Genius was the pimento cheese on a burger idea.

All parties were in consensus the food was delicious.  Judgments were based on the items below, which include roast beef, tortilla soup and Portobello mushroom sandwiches.  And Mexican cokes, which really, how can you do wrong?

Potato salad was trying too hard to please everyone and, therefore, didn’t knock anyone’s socks off.

The slice of chocolate cake will set you back $4.50 and is more than tasty.

It’s dense and not super sweet, with just the right amount of chocolate and awesome.  And a special thanks to my friend K.A. who always manages to find room for dessert.  For research purposes, of course!

On the way out of town, we went the wrong way and happened upon a quaint little biker bar, WB Saloon & Cycles.

Rumored to stand for “Wicked Bastard”, they had a wide selection of beer and a nice setup.  Definitely has its regulars and more likely than not, probably gets a hair rowdy as the evening goes on.  A good place to have an afternoon beer on the side of the road.

Then we did the honky pokey and turned ourselves about, back the right way towards Albert.  A lovely, relaxing drive to ‘town’.

The town of Albert has roots in 1877 and keeps going from there.  The town is named after Albert Luckenbach, who was apparently so awesome he has TWO towns with TWO legendary dance halls named after him.  A young Lyndon Baines Johnson attended school here.   The Albert Dance Hall was built in 1922.  In October 2007, the town was put up for sale and purchased in 2009.

Here is the dance hall:

This is the ice house:

This is a picture of both buildings:

The dance hall is for dancing and the ice house is for drinking.  While the dance hall serves beer inside, it is more expensive than at the ice house.  The ice house has plenty of stools, tvs and overlooks the beautiful pasture, dark but nice bathrooms and the 600 year old tree.  They take cash and cards.

The dance hall is an open set up, with windows (read: no air conditioning) and has off-floor seating only, which is nice to be out of the fray.  Cash only.  Plenty of room for dancers both good and bad, old and awkwardly young.

What a great place this is!  Two Tons of Steel was the perfect sound for the space

and were fine listening next to the stage, outside the door and over at the ice house.

I can not recommend this place enough.  Very nice, native Texas facilities that exudes a rich history of good times amongst solid people.  Everyone was very friendly and the HTF regulars all had a delightful time.  Albert is a little bit out of the way but it is well worth it!

See how happy it made us?!?

Special thanks to my photo gal, A.R. who drove her ride.  Thanks to A.S. who carted me around, and to K.A., D.S. and J.F. for making HTF what it is!

HTF will be taking a short break to get married and escape the oppressive summer heat.  See yall again in the fall!

Maybe not a coincidence? trivia:  May 26th is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day and National Sorry Day.

Road Trip Number Five!

Kendalia Hall is located about 45 minutes outside of San Antonio on Ranch Road 3351 in beautiful Kendalia, Texas.

“Kendalia Halle was built in 1903 by the Nicholas Syring Musical Club, as a place to perform and entertain the small community.  Years ago the small portion to the right of the stage was fenced off with chicken wire. This is where the non-paying customers would sit and watch while not being allowed to dance.   The paying customers would use this part of the hall to bed down their children while they continued to dance. Dances would begin during the day and last until the next morning, with everyone bringing food to share with one another.  The oak tree out front was used to chain unruly customers if they were fighting or causing problems. They were usually released after they had sobered up.  The red fir wood used to build the dance hall was shipped from Oregon by railroad to Boerne, Texas. It was then brought to the site by horse drawn wagons.”

Kendalia Halle usually hosts dances and live music on Saturday evenings once a month.  At the regular events, free Bar-B-Q is provided with the normal cost of admission.  Be fairly warned this means a brisket and sausage taco with sauce, not a plate of meat with sides.

The sausage was the better of the two but both were quite good.  Also available are onions, which were sweet and tasty.  I tried the homemade green sauce on one taco and it was serious, delicious heat! BBQ is served in a separate building to the left:

Parking is in the back in a grassy area but most people, including ourselves, parking on the street.  There is one set of plumbing bathrooms and a couple of port-o-potties, which are apparently “not bad”.  These are located by the front gate.

The building itself is homey in its simplicity and definitely one of my favorite places yet.  It was open and airy, yet intimate and a source of community pride.  Windows were propped open to catch the breeze although there seems to be duct work for air conditioning.

Tables are easily reservable, just call a couple of days ahead and talk to Judi.  Get there before 8 and your table will be saved.  Beer was a little expensive at $3 each but they were always cold.

Acoustics were great, Billy Mata sounded perfect and the dancers were whirling around the dance floor.

This place was classic Texas honky tonk.  Dead animals mounted on the walls, good music, cold beer and people happy to see each other.  In addition, we saw the most interesting mount yet and had a brush with a celebrity look-alike.  Yea!

Thanks to photographer AND driver A.R. and always willing participates, K.A. and J.G.!

It killed the Romans, and now its killing me fact:  At least one cash machine in the Vatican has a language option as Latin.

Road Trip Number Four

On a grey and misty Saturday afternoon, we embarked on the Fourth HTF Road Trip.  Out to Coupland, TX (pronounced Cope-land), a town of about 1,000 people. Home of The Old Coupland Inn and Dancehall and not much else.  We bedded at a Holiday Inn Express in nearby Elgin, which was very nice and great service aplenty.

The Inn and Dancehall also houses a restaurant so we took advantage of the convenience.

The service was friendly and the place was not crowded, although we were quite early for dinner.  Salad bar by the door was very basic but sported five kinds of salad dressing, all creamy in nature.  Menu was standard fare ranging from hamburgers to seafood, with some oddities thrown in.

Here is what was ordered: Steak – Nice taste to the meat but fatty, Shrimp, Alligator – cooked well and tasty, Brisket – good flavor but fatty & Chicken BBQ, Frog Legs – see below, Hamburger steak – good but fatty (see a theme?), Fried Oysters and Chocolate Mousse cake – delicious.

I ordered the frog legs because I love those little creatures from the lagoon.

Not often do eateries have them so I leapt (!) at the opportunity.  Typically, the problem with this inclination has been disappointment because they were out of froggers.  New adventure this time: kitchen had no idea how to cook them.  Quick lesson for all non-frog leg eaters: the meat should be very white, like chicken and have the texture of chicken.  Consider them chicken of the swamp.  This order was not white and had the consistency of fish, more fillet, therefore, not done.  I sent the order back and it came back with crisper skin but same translucent, flaky flesh.  The meat itself was also not the highest quality.  Ultimately, I would have preferred they just admit frog legs are not their strong suit.  It was taken off the bill though.  Overall, the restaurant is not a place to make a special trip to eat.

Buying tickets in advance allows for early entrance into the dancehall (separated from the dining room only by a curtain), although we got barked at by a staff person when we tried to come in at the designated time.  About 15 minutes later, we were allowed inside.

Behind us is the bar, immediately to the left of the front door.  Beer prices were not horrible but not hole-in-the-wall cheap either ($3.75 for domestics) and the bartenders were not gruff but definitely not cheery.  We chose some high tables on the left side of the dance floor, correctly guessing that people would cluster on the right side of the room.

Here were the highlights: there is a shoe shine stand which costs $1.00, the men’s urinal has a beer holder, there was some awesome dancing which included feet high above the floor and someone in the group got her ear licked by an engaged man.  The band, Turnpike Troubadours, was rockin’.

The crowd was mixed and a good amount for the space.  Credit cards are accepted at the bar.

Sunday morning, rather, early afternoon, we headed out and made it all the way to Hunter, TX when we decided whistles needed to be wetted.  Hunter is the home of Riley’s Tavern, previously mentioned in the blog in May 2010.  Despite the neon Open sign a-blazing, they were having a staff meeting and shooed us away.  Fortunately, there was another bar right down the road called The Happy Cow (The Udder Place).

Great hole in the wall place, displaying really neat relics without being over stuffed, cheap cold beer and a super nice bartender.  Cool old baseball pinball machine that is worth a look.

The reason we will definitely be back is every third Saturday of the month, they have Belt Sander races!  I just can’t make this stuff up!  Here are some of the hardcore competitors:

Here is their track, out back.  The orange ropes are extension cords on shower rings that hover above the track and keep the juice flowing.

Here is a YouTube video of those little power tools that could.

Whew!  With that, we could take no more awesomeness and wandered home to nap.  Great, great trip.  A rousing success for the first overnighter.  Special thanks to AR, the official photographer of HTF, RKA for driving and AS for also driving.  And to the Daniels for being awesome.  See yall next time! (More pictures on the Honkytonkfoodie Facebook page.)

Bovine fact: Some lucky cows in India have their own nursing homes called goshallas.

Road trip Number 3

What a fantastic group we had for the third road trip event for Honkytonkfoodie!  With the exception of two other photo-reclusive people, this was us:

The only minor kink of the evening was we didn’t actually go inside the Bexar Bowling Society and Club.  Bowling only commences on the third Saturday of the month and the Hall was having a private party.  Being without gifts, we decided to freestyle the itinerary and see what we could find in the area.  Before we left, however, our fearless photographer snapped some evidence.

Fortunately, we found just the place to calm our wanderlust:  The Double Ringer, which was about 7 seconds away.  I fell in love before the vehicle had rolled to a stop.

Inside, from the front door:

This is the porch:

This was our lovely bartender Larie:

This place has all sorts of history including magazine articles, celebrity drop-ins and a historic airport down the road.  A couple of friendly patrons chatted with us and gave one lucky lady of the group a ride in his military truck, purchased off Ebay for $3,000.

Ain’t America great?!?  I also flipped through this gem on the table.

Beer prices ranged from $2 – $2.50.  Cash only.

Apparently, the place can get pretty busy.  Saturday was low-key though, with a few people in and out.  Regardless of the night, I loved the atmosphere and the no-one-is-a-stranger attitude.  And that I got to go behind the bar.  And beer was cheap and cold.  Oh!  And the outhouse in the back.  Okay, I just loved this place in general.  Even the (indoor) bathroom was nice.

My stomach had plans for us though, so we pressed on to Catalano’s in Cibolo.  Fortunately they let all eight of us in, even though they were 30 minutes away from closing.

As the only people in there, I can not comment on the speed of service normally but our waitress was a slightly awkward high schooler who was very nice and did not rush us or demonstrate how pissed off she was that was prevented her from going home on time.  Menu-wise, I went the safe route and ordered spaghetti marinara, had a slice of pepperoni pizza with extra pepperoni and sauce, and discussed the chicken Parmesan, a supreme pizza and the meatball version of my own dish.

The pasta itself was well cooked; the sauce lacked imagination but was good.  As for the meat version of my order, I understand the balls were dry (snort!).  The chicken was okay but the winner here is the pizza: more specifically, the pizza crust.

A clean taste, light texture and the perfect amount of crisp.  It was a tad greasy but it also had extra pepperoni.  All the pizza-having people were quite pleased.

From there, we waddled over to The Blue Bonnet Palace in Selma, known to locals as the NEW Blue Bonnet Palace.

The door process is cramped and the women’s restroom situation needs some serious re-structuring but otherwise it is a nice venue.  Size-wise, both inside and outside spaces are well done with plenty of room for dancing.

Security was around and of course, standing right behind me when I put down a beer bottle on the slanted railing, which then spilled on the chair of the lady sitting below us.  Jake Hooker and The Outsiders put on a fine show, as usual,

but the sound system needs some tweaking.  A large reunion was happening behind us so a range of patrons filled the place.

Another great road trip!  Thanks to everyone for rolling with the change of plans and coming out, to A.R. for photoing, and to G.R. and J.M. for driving.  See you next time!

Music fun fact:  The first music CD released in the United States was Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.

The THIRD Honkytonkfoodie Roadtrip!

Its been planned…

Bexar Bowling Alley & Social Hall

and

Blue Bonnet Palace

October 2, 2010

Saw-this-on-the-weather-channel-at-1am-so-it-must-be-true fact:  Some arctic animals have no blood, as it would freeze in the extreme cold.

The Second Honkytonkfoodie Road Trip!

After some pre-road trip pool time, I loaded up some of my favorite people into a giant diesel pickup truck and headed out.  Of course we hit some traffic and map reading was essential,

but we made it to the Devil’s Backbone Tavern.  Technically in Fischer, TX but really just on the side of the road in the Hill Country, we posed to take a picture.  The bartender opened the window mid-click and yoo-hooed us inside for some cold beer.

The bar part is small and not centrally air-conditioned but we made a spot of ourselves by the front door.

We were the only non-locals but everyone was very friendly.  So friendly in fact, a bearded man with mirrored sunglasses gave us a bag of chili hot dogs.  It seemed a little sketchy, so we let the man of our group eat the first one.

Better than peanuts!

I had some curiosity about the rest of the building so the bartender showed me its contents:

A haunted pool hall!  I am disappointed there are no orbs in the picture but all the ghosts were probably sleeping off the long night of scaring the cast and crew from Ghost Hunters, who were apparently there the night before.  I got the impression this section is rarely open but maybe that is just in the sweltering heat of summer.

Really enjoyed this place, despite the warm air inside.  Beer was CHEAP and COLD.  People were very friendly to us strangers without being too nosy.  Make sure you head out there in the daylight to see the beautiful drive.

Hitting the road to New Braunfels, we maneuvered through swim suited flesh that saturates town this time of year and hit up the  Huisache Grill.

Sitting outside had no wait, so we took it.  The patio was nice and quiet.  A little warm and dark which is better than really warm and really dark.

The menu was varied and made choosing difficult.  I decided to go between light and heavy with the Grilled Salmon Sandwich.  It was delicious and plenty filling.  The salmon was cooked perfectly and was well-proportioned to the bread.  Herbed cream cheese added a nice texture.  We were all starving and did not remember to take pictures until the feasting had begun.

The lettuce was the only flaw, but as previously mentioned, I dislike lettuce on sandwiches, especially hot ones.  See those pickles?  They were homemade and had a delicious heat.  Yum!

Other plates ranged from salad to steak and everyone was very pleased with their meals.  Also, the table bread was warm sourdough and a quality palate cleanser.

With full bellies, we headed out like a herd of turtles to Hoity Toit Beer Joint.

This place is not easy to find, as it is in a residential neighborhood.  Even from the outside you could tell it had a sense of humor about itself.

Its divided into two sections, the front being the main part, which is neon lit as the ‘Asshole Section’ and, probably not by coincidence, where karaoke was happening that night.  We sat in the back, played pool and darts and people-watched like you can best in a small town bar.

It did get a little crowded and loud.  And piercing when the Tina Turner impression occurred.  I would like to try this place at a more low-key time, like during the week or earlier in the day on a non-summer month.  Beer was Cheap and Cold!

What a super group!  Thanks guys!

And a big THANK YOU to the official photographer of HTF, A.R.  My pictures are always blurry and this blog would suck without you!

This-ain’t-Rhode-Island fact about Texas from Wikipedia:  Texas is 10% larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan. If it were a country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile and Zambia.

Keep your panties on

Working on the post about The Second Honkytonkfoodie Road Trip…

Here’s a preview:

Random Wikipedia fact:  The continuous Fly Geyser of Fly Ranch began during 1916 water well drilling that accidentally penetrated a geothermal source.