Smitty's Cafe and Bakery: Brenham

Smitty’s Café has become our new go to place in Brenham.  Located in an out of the way location near the Brenham High School, Smitty’s Café serves hamburgers and comfort food with daily specials.  Large cedar benches and tables wait for you to sit awhile.  Service is young and vibrant.  Smitty’s offers baked goods that change daily, and sometimes, they are completely absent.

On this Saturday, we stopped in for a hamburger.  My husband says this is the best burger in town.  It is good, but for my likings, the thick beef patty tends to be on the dry side.  I order the Firecracker burger with queso, jalapenos, and pico de gallo.  Served on a sweet home style bun, the heat, the meat, and the sweet combines beautifully into a mouthful of happiness.

BUT, the real winner at Smitty’s is the home made potato chips.  They are perfectly fried and perfectly dried- not greasy at all.  They are given a dash of what tastes like Tony’s seasoning salt.  Unfortunately, in recent visits, they have coated the chips with too much salt.  You might want to encourage just a dash.

Other notable dishes that I have tried yet forgot to photo have been the chicken tenders.  The tenders are huge with the lightest batter ever- it barely stays on and it fries up deep brown.  Very good.  I didn’t care for the cream gravy- not a lot of taste to it. 

The side dish of okra and tomatoes ROCKS.  It tastes just like my mom’s- lots of black pepper and bacon.  The side dish of green beans is great too.  More like haricot veins sautéed with onions and bacon in bacon grease- though I like to think it’s olive oil.

Overall, we really like Smitty’s Café.  The food is always good though we would suggest that they purchase a heat lamp.  We have had some cold plates come out, but they have always been happy to rectify the situation.  Plus, I would encourage the staff to quiet down about the karaoke from the night before.  It makes me laugh to hear yall laughing and giggling and belting out songs, but not everyone finds it as entertaining.

So, the next time you are in the Brenham area, use your GPS to find Smitty’s Café.  It is a little hidden gem that will make you smile.

Smitty’s Café & Bakery

1600 North Park Street

Benham, Texas 77833

979/277-1133

www.eatatsmittys.wix.com

Rusty Taco: Tyler and Longview

So, taco shops have been a crazed for awhile.  Now, they're moving into East Texas!  Rusty Taco has locations in Tyler and Longview!  I've given it two chances, and I'm not a fan.

First, I stopped into Tyler's South Broadway location for the usual breakfast taco- bacon, potato and cheese!  I got their green/tomatillo salsa, and I will admit that I do like it.  It's sweet enough yet it has the slightest of a bite.  These tacos are very small, and they are not brimming with ingredients either!  This morning, the diced potatoes are undercooked and crunchy- just gross!  Overall- these tacos are a nonevent!  For breakfast tacos, I would rather go to a BBQ place than to come back to Rusty Taco.

OK, second chance for a late lunch in Longview- I actually think my husband calls this Suppa!  I chose the beef fajita and chicken fajita  tacos!  Once again, these tacos are tiny, so make sure you get some chips and queso or something else!  You can hear and smell the sizzling meats on the griddle.  With such anticipation, I was irked when the chicken fajita taco was cold!  Served on a corn tortilla with pico de gallo, white and dark chicken chunks (not my favorite) were another nonevent!  Please note the amount of dos salsas that I have used!  Hint Hint.

The beef fajita was the better taco- cubed beef with onion, peppers, and cilantro sat in the warm corn tortilla that didn't hold together.  Basically, another nonevent!  
Overall, I was really disappointed with Rusty Taco in Tyler and Longview.  I'm so done with this taco place- don't waste your time.  There are too many other taco shops in East Texas, and trust me this one is VERY RUSTY.

Rusty Taco
http://www.therustytaco.com/

The Original Fried Pie Shop: Buffalo, TX

This year, my work area expanded, and I’ve been spending a lot of time in East Texas.  I keep passing places with Fried Pies.  Every time I see on a building “Fried Pies”- Hank Hill is saying it in my mind.  On this day driving home, I decided to stop at the Original Fried Pie Shop in Buffalo, Texas.

Located on the end of a gas station, I pulled up to the drive thru window.  There wasn’t even a menu, but luckily, I had looked on their website.  Now, my idea of a fried pie was the Ms. Baird apple pies in the blue and white packages that we would eat when I was younger.  

According to their website, the Original Fried Pie Shop has been making these family tried and true recipes since 1893- originally from the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma.  Now, the Original Fried Pie Shop has over 15 locations throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri.  Taking pride in their hand made tender, flaky crust, the Original Fried Pie Shop strives for “quality, service, and homemade tastes that only Grandma could provide.”

Today, I picked up an apple from their fruit and nut pies and a lemon from their cream pies.  There is a meat section that brings the “concept of a ”pot pie” to your hand and savory flavors to your mouth.”    Additonally, you can combine the fruit flavors with the cream pies for a piping hot, custom made fried pie in just four minutes.

As I bite into the fried pie- yes, I am driving down I-45- the lemon cream is beyond delicious.  It isn’t that bright yellow lemon curd that makes your lips pucker.  I believe it is a mixture of lemon and lime because it is light and fresh.  Yum!

Now, I got the apple pie for my husband, but for some reason, the pie fell out of the bag, and broke open- that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  The apple pie filling tasted like canned filling- too sweet for my liking, but chunks of apples.  Once again, the pie crust was flaky, tender, and perfect. My only suggestion would be to dust the pie crust with a slight coating of cinnamon sugar. 

Overall, I like fried pies.  These pies are quite large- enough to be shared- if they make it home.  Next time, I may have to venture into the Meat section- I’m curious of the Tex-Mex or Pizza Fried Pies- but probably not the Comfort Food Fried Pie.   If you get the chance, stop in and try the Original Fried Pie Shop.  Grandma would approve!

The Original Fried Pie Shop

2431 E Commerce Street

Buffalo, Texas

903/322-1788

www.theoriginalfriedpieshop.com