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One man’s steak is another man’s salmon patty, as they say, which you’re surely discovering as you begin that hallowed annual tradition of fall — the football road trip.
It hardly matters if the game is high school, college or pro. The supreme challenge is finding a spot to eat before and after the game that everybody agrees is suitable.
You might think chicken fried steak would please the most finicky of diners. And it should. But those of us who are heart challenged might not make it to kickoff after the third bite of battered round steak. Thus, we opt for grilled chicken breast. Or a salad.
I have my favorite pregame cafes — there will forever be a special place in my gut for the B&G Cafe in Saginaw — and you have yours. Yours, at the moment, happen to be more important, since I asked you this week on Facebook to weigh in on the topic.
The eatery winner, by avalanche, was Jake & Dorothy’s, Stephenville’s gift to the chicken fried kingdom. I used to joke that when a waitress seated you at J&D’s, she gave you a choice of cigarette smoke ... Chesterfield or Lucky Strike.
And now I am being told that the place has a small no smoking section. What’s next, a nonsmoking Waffle House? Without further ado, here are snippets of what you said ... better, I might add, than I could possibly have said it.
Some of you tied a memorable meal to a memorable, or less than so, football game.
About the world famous Elite Cafe on the circle in Waco, former Austin sportswriter Bud Kennedy wrote, “Ate breakfast with Lou Maysel at the Elite on the way to cover a 6-6 OU-Texas tie in the ‘spygate’ game. ‘Nuff said.”
Brad Allen cast aspersions on the late, seldom great White Elephant Truck Stop in Cisco. The Elephant had strong coffee and thus was a popular stop for weary writers between Abilene and Fort Worth. As far as its food?
“The worst place was the White Elephant truck stop on I-20 coming home from the ’86 Hereford at Shotwell,” Allen wrote. “Maybe it might have been the game that made me sick.” Good chance.
Gary Steinberger, an old high school chum, remembered what it was like to be young and a University of Texas student and hungry for filling grub.
“Lockhart on the way to a Rice-Texas football weekend in Houston,” he wrote. “Kreuz barbecue ... great some 40-plus years ago.”
Still is, we’re told.
David “Boomer” Moore got the award for best post. We’ll let his prize be a slice of pie at the Koffee Kup Kafe in Hico.
“Once came close to openly weeping at Heitmiller [near Waco] at the thought of not being able to finish my chicken fried in one sitting ... one of my last meals with my dad as we were scouting in Clifton for the Lady Zebras and haven’t been back since.”
And now the honorable mention posts, and we sincerely thank you, one and all, pass the Tums:
Robert Dagley: “Can’t go wrong with the Hard Eight and Jake & Dorothy’s in Stephenville. Zentner’s Daughter in San Angelo and the Lowake Steakhouse between Ballinger and San Angelo. Both of those places had great onion rings and steak!”
Don Rinehart: “Heitmiller Steak House on IH 35 in Elm Mott. S&D Oyster Bar on McKinney in Dallas. Darios Mexican food on East 6th in Austin.”
Danny Fisher: “In Godley it was Macs Place ... before home games in 1990-91 season I regularly ate a burger there ... still one of the best burgers I have ever eaten ... wish it was still here.”
Brad Mead: “Never could go wrong by starting your day off at the Paris Coffee Shop [Fort Worth] on the way to watch a triple header at Texas Stadium.”
Russ Pate: “The Hard 8 in Stephenville. Just like Cooper’s in Llano, and a great picture of Dan Blocker [Hoss Cartwright] in a Sul Ross football uniform. Eaten at the Lowake after a Dove hunt. thumbs up. Eaten at both The Sheds’ in Edom and Wingate. Edom has great merangue pies like my grandmother’s, and Wingate is another good steak in the middle of West Texas.”
Brenda Kay Roden: “I know I’m probably prejudiced but I loved eating at my brother Bill Roden’s place, Big Bubba’s BBQ, down on South Main back in the early ’80s before home games.”
Bud Kennedy: “Fort Griffin Mercantile in Albany [“the Beehive”] ranks up there with Lowake. Sulak’s in West, too. We could get dinner, a Czech beer and a haircut all in one stop.”
Travis Parmer: “Without question, the best thing about Waco was Leslie’s Chicken Shack. Never failed to stop when driving to or from Austin.”
Joel Blalock: “Jake & Dorothy’s in Stephenville is a great greasy spoon. I love the waffle fries.”
Ted Reynolds: “How about Zentner’s Daughter in Abilene? Trail Dust Steakhouse in Dallas?”
Rose Nunn: “The Flying Fish is really great!”
Mark L. Kennedy: “Ole Jax Drive Inn in Lovington, N.M. ... Pancho Burger, double meat, double cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and smothered in green chiles!”
William Harris: “In Houston, Angelos seafood was fantastic. Still the best hamburger and onion rings are at Ray’s Drive In, Lufkin.”
Adam Horton: “Joe Allen’s in Abilene was the best. Coach Cody always bribed us with McDonald’s ... we thought it was a treat back then.”
Kim Krause: “Another vote for Jake & Dorothy’s! This is the best stop after Stephenville Yellowjacket home games for a short order of chicken fried steak and waffle fries. Yummy!”
Could be. We were always eager to get out of town.
