Old Towne General Store: Nacogdoches

Today, I find myself in downtown Nacogdoches looking for a place to eat an early lunch.  My first choice had a mechanical issue, so they were closed for the day.  I stumbled on Old Towne General Store on the Square.  If you have never been to downtown Nacogdoches, you’re truly missing out.

You walk into a revived old building with little trinkets in the front like candles, jarred goods, and t-shirts.  The deli is in the back of the building, and you can smell the baked potatoes as you walk up.  There is a glass cold case with sweet temptations, and a cauldron of chili crying out to you.

Choose from the menu on the wall.  Your choices range from stuffed spuds, soups, salads, and sandwiches.  Today, I try the grilled pimento cheese sandwich on my choice of bread- sour dough.

The panini like sandwich comes out with a pickle spear.  First off, the bread doesn’t taste like sourdough, but more like a honey wheat- it is sweet not sour like sourdough.  The pimiento cheese is strong on the mayo and lacking pimentos, but it has a nice blend of cheeses.  Overall, it is pretty good, but not the best!  The pickle spear is awesome.  It has a nice dill taste with a peppery kick.  It actually tastes like it is home made.

To top off the lunch, I go back for a sweet.  I grab a chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie to go.  I was extremely disappointed in the cookies- they were hard and tasted old.  Save your money, and skip the cookies.

Overall, I liked Old Towne General Store.  It is an eclectic mix of tattoos and sorority girl.  It would be a great place to meet up before heading out to the numerous shops on the square.  Check it out if you get a chance.

Old Towne General Store

205 E Main Street

Nacogdoches, TX  75961

936/560-3210

Boil-N-Go: Lufkin

If it’s a Thursday through Saturday, I’ve got the place for you to go.  Boil-N-Go in Lufkin is a hit as well as a must.  Parking is tight if there is any.  You walk up to a trailer bustling with people and boiled goodies.

Place your order which is written on post its, and just watch the process.  Looks like a family affair.  Boys are working the caldrons.  Girls are weighing out the goods from the coolers for the round trays.  Kids are delivering your food all the time screaming out your name.  It’s actually quite entertaining.

Tonight, I am tired, so I get a pound of boiled shrimp and a sausage link to go.  I walk out with a plastic grocery bag of hot shrimp and sausage. 

 

I couldn’t get to the hotel fast enough.  The shrimp were awesome.  They were spicy but not overwhelming.  They were a good size- not too big and not too small.  Overall, they rocked.  The sausage link was just fair.  If you do not like boiled sausage, then you can skip it.  I wished that I had gotten some potatoes and corn!

In the end, Boil-N-Go is just a great place.  It would be a great place to go with a 6 pack of beer and lots of friends.  Picnic tables grace the corner parking lot.  Other boiled options include corn and potatoes, snow crab legs, and of course, crawfish.  It's definitely an experience that you must try if you are in Lufkin.

Boil-N-Go

1202 Chestnut Street

Lufkin, TX 75901

936/366-3648

La Unica Tortilleria: Lufkin

The reviews were all positive for this Lufkin eatery, so I needed to check it out.  Located in not a great area of town, La Unica is a dive.  A very limited menu leads you to the basics like enchiladas, fajitas, tacos and tamales.  Voted as best tamales in Lufkin, I was obviously taking a dozen home with me.

Tonight, I tried the cheese enchiladas with rice and beans.  You place your order at the counter, and wait.  Do not look into the kitchen when you get your drink- just trust me.  Once seated, a lady delivers chips, salsa and pico de gallo.  The yellow corn chips are hot and light.  The salsa was so-so, but the pico was to die for.  It was super fresh with a lot of lime-definitely a winner.

My plate arrives with the cheese enchiladas, rice, lettuce- tomato salad, and charro beans.  I don’t know what they do to their rice, but it was the best rice that I have ever had.  One secret is the basmati rice.  The charro beans were just so-so, and the cheese enchiladas were just greasy cheese enchiladas.

I did get a dozen tamales to go- I was afraid of the grease seeping out of the paper bag.  However, the tamales were outstanding.  They were spicy, moist, and filled with pork- another winner.

In the end, I will probably try La Unica again.  It is more authentic than the other Tex-Mex places in town.  The employees are not the friendliest, but the tamales, rice, and pico make up for that shortcoming.  If you are heading up into East Texas, stop on in, and check out La Unica.

La Unica Tortilleria

1614 N Raguet St

Lufkin, Texas 75904

936/ 632-1680

Dairy Burger: Alice

After a long drive from the Valley, I was craving just a good ol’ burger.  Coming into Alice, Texas, just West of Corpus Christi, I stopped into Dairy Burger.  It’s after 2, and it packed at this location.  I had read the reviews, and for the most part, positive.  One even called it a Dairy Queen knock off.  As I walked through the door, I did a double check because it does resemble a Dairy Queen.

You order at a counter from a menu filled with burgers, chicken strips, and tacos.  Today, I’m trying a cheeseburger combo.  The cheeseburger came out looking a little lame, but the fries were small cut like shoestrings. 

The cheeseburger was pretty good.  The patty is very thin, but the veggies were ample.  The mayo was the sweetest that I had ever tasted while the mustard juxtaposed it to a tee.  The real winner was the shoestring French fries.  They were perfectly cooked with the slightest of salt on them.  They totally rocked.  They reminded me of Belgium Frites!

In the end, I would come back to Dairy Burger.  The people were extremely friendly.  It’s a place where you can hear the locals talking about their dating issues- these locals were 70 plus seniors.  I have never laughed so hard, but I guess some things never change.  If you get a chance, stop on by because I hail Dairy Burger as the best Texas French fry!

Dairy Burger

314 N Johnson St

Alice, Texas 78322

361/664-2117

Delia's: Pharr

After criss-crossing the Rio Grande Valley, it is only right to find a local place specializing in tamales.  Even though Delia’s was my second choice for dinner and a change in cuisine, I am glad that I chose Delia’s!  This location in Pharr is in a tiny building with even a smaller parking lot, but they do have a drive thru.  The menu consisted of tamales: chicken tamales, spicy pork tamales, and sweet tamales, etc.  Basically, if it can be a tamale, Delia’s makes it.  With four other locations scattered across the Valley, I would say Delia’s has gotten the tamale business down.   

Tonight, my choice is the spicy pork tamales.  The tamales were filled with a lot of pork and a lot of spice.  The masa was perfectly moist and super tasty.   The only negative comment is the tamales are a little greasy.  The salsa was incredible- super fresh tomatoes and lots of cilantro.  If I could get a bottle of it, I would take some home.

If you are in the Valley, check to see if Delia’s is close by.  If not, check online because they ship too!  Just remember to take cash because they don't take credit cards or personal checks.

Delia’s

825 W Ferguson Street

Pharr, Texas 78577

956/783-7799

www.deliastamales.com

HU DAT Noodle House: Corpus Christi

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on the road, and tonight, I find myself back in Corpus Christi.  Since our house is a very strong meat and potato menu, I enjoy venturing out into the food that the hubby won’t eat.

I’ve blogged about Drunkn’ Noodlez, but tonight I wanted to try HU DAT Noodle House.  There are multiple locations, so I settle on the South Staples location.  You walk into a very dark place- this scares me because it’s harder to see if the walls are moving not to mention your food.  The service was slow at the beginning, but by the end, they were very attentive and going over and beyond to cater to their guest.

I tried my usual Spring Rolls.  Shrimp, lean pork, vermicelli and fresh vegetables fill these large rice paper rolls- they were quite tasty and very fresh.  The peanut sauce was quite uneventful until I poured half a bottle of Srichacha into it.  My mouth was on fire after that, so when they brought out the House Specialty Pho Xao, I had to wait awhile to try  it since my taste buds were in shock and awe!

Pho Xao consisted wok-fried noodles sautéed with fresh cabbage, bean sprouts, and your choice of meat.  I chose chicken- by the way, it had the taste of a piece of paper- blah.  Overall, I was really disappointed with the Pho Xao.  There was nothing special about it at all.  The portion was huge- almost a bottomless plate.  Overall, I was VERY disenchanted with the Pho Xao.

By the way, you can order your dish from Mild (1 Pepper), Medium (2 Peppers), or Spicy (3 Peppers).  And, they are serious about the Pepper Criteria!  I ordered Spicy and there was literally three different types of peppers in the dish. 

In the end, there are plenty of other places to try in Corpus Christi.  What’s That?  I can just say it ain’t gonna be HU DAT the next time!

HU DAT Noodle House

6418 South Staples Street

Corpus Christi, TX 78414

361/906-1111

www.hudatnoodlehouse.com

Arturo's Bakery and Cafe: Austin

Arturo's Bakery and Cafe is one of those little tucked away gems in Austin.  They serve what I would coin Eccentric South-Central-Mexican Fusion Food.  They are open for Breakfast and Lunch.

When you step into Arturo's, be prepared because you will be arm and arm with the next Joe.  The menu is above the counter on multiple chalk boards.  It's a little overwhelming at first.  On this day, my counterpart ordered a Chicken Salad while I went for Chicken Quesadillas.  In short, it was super yummy.  Just look at the photos below!

Chicken Salad

Chicken Quesadillas

Arturo's Bakery & Cafe
314 W 17th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
512/469-0380