Chad Conine

Chad Conine

We reached for our cameras before we reached for our forks.

My friend Becky Murphy took me to lunch at Hotel Indigo's Brazos Bar & Bistro on Friday. It was a nice change of pace after subsisting on greasy hamburgers all week for Burger Week. She ordered the crab martini and I chose the stuffed avocado. We were happy with our selections and, then, jubilant when our food arrived.

Monday, 21 May 2012 17:48

BJ's Brewhouse opening in mid-June

After almost a year of anticipation, BJ's Brewhouse will be opening in Waco on June 11.

I spoke with general manager Dave Lorenat and his associate Joey Bodnar this morning at the BJ's hiring center. They're buzzing as they await what they expect to be a huge opening.

Friday, 18 May 2012 15:36

Burger Week: Oriental Fried-day

I wonder what people from outside of Waco say about dining in Waco when one of their friends is coming to our town.

I know that I have places I'm likely to recommend whenever a friend travels to Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas, Lubbock, St Andrews, Scotland, Breckenridge, Colorado, Llano, Texas, South Padre Island, Chicago … you get the point.

Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:35

Burger Week: George's

I put George's in Hewitt in the Burger Week rotation for one specific reason — the George's folks take preparing great burgers seriously.

Back in October, George's Hewitt manager Kyle Citrano told me he was experimenting with a new way for George's to cook its burgers.

I'm pleased to say that at the end of a day when I finished off a double-double burger from Captain Billy Whizzbang's, I managed to feel like a healthy person.

I worked in a work out Tuesday afternoon. I'm not saying I'm an Iron Man or anything. Far from it. But I pushed myself hard enough to wonder whether or not the double-double might make a comeback.

And then I kept the momentum going by making myself a chicken salad sandwich with a side of sweet potato hummus from Crav at Gourmet Gallery. This was carefully planned. I stopped by Crav for all the fixings you see on the plate in the picture, save for the bread.

Wednesday, 16 May 2012 17:07

Burger Week: DUBL-R

I don't subscribe to the usual "Best of" hype.

I downed two amazing hamburgers this week — the first at Cafe Homestead and then at Captain Billy Whizzbang's — before arriving at DUBL-R today. But if I saw a "Best of" list that selected DUBL-R as one of Waco's favorite burger joints, I wouldn't have an issue with it.

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 18:24

Burger Week: Captain Billy Whizzbang's

I went into lunch on Tuesday … Wait, I'll back up. I went into Tuesday with the best intentions of being healthy.

My plan, as I set out for lunch, involved ordering a double-double at Captain Billy Whizzbang's for photo purposes only. I planned to eat only about half of it. Maybe not even half.

It feels like it's about time to do a week. It also seems like I would have done burger week by this point, but I haven't.

In the 13 months that WacoFork has been around, we've had barbecue week, Mexican food week, sandwich week, Asian food week, we've even had a week when we ate on the porch or patio all week.

There's plenty more weeks to do. Pizza week for example. But before I go on with anything else, it's time to do burger week.

Anyone else noticed how BJ's Brewhouse rises out of the landscape as one drives on from Woodway into Waco on Waco Drive beneath the Highway 6 bridge?

If you haven't, I've provided a photo.

Thursday, 10 May 2012 16:34

Sophisticated foodie takes everyman turn

In a way, it doesn't seem fitting to show you a picture of Stephen Evans eating a chicken fried steak sandwich.

Don't get me wrong. I love a chicken fried steak sandwich. When I lived in Fort Worth, the restaurant across the street from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram featured a chicken fried steak sandwich special on Wednesdays. So that's where my boss and I ate on Wednesdays. But a chicken fried steak sandwich sort of indulges my baser food instincts.

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