As predicted, I consumed steak like a coyote that died and went to heaven.
Like Ron Swanson on Fat Tuesday.
Like a man who brought a cardiologist with him, just in case.
Ever wonder what this blog is about? Is it a food blog? Is it restaurant news? What is he trying to do? Well, let me clarify.
I reserve the right to write about anything in this blog that relates in any way to dining out in Waco, and that includes writing about people whom I enjoy bumping into whenever I'm out and about.
Two of the people at the top of that list — actually, up to five people — are Brett and Emily Mills and family. Along with being friendly and fun, Brett and Emily combine their wealth of musical talent with an enterprising and unapologetic approach to Christian ministry.
My boots crunched in the gravel parking lot, the cool October breeze blew across my face, carrying the aroma of steaks on the grill and I knew I was home.
I love Texas. Perhaps one of these days I'll live outside of this state again, but I'll never stop wanting to be here.
Few places, if any, embody Texas like the steakhouse in Bellmead called Lone Star Tavern. It's not just because the beer signs on the wall take the shape of our state. It's a little bit because they serve up chicken fried steak the way your mama would. But it's also because your filet or rib eye or chopped sirloin come with a tin of natural gravy, and because the juke box has a Johnny Paycheck record on it.
A bunch of us Waco folks took over an Austin institution on Wednesday night.
That is to say, the Waco products and Waco-proud boys in the David Crowder Band headlined the opening concert of their current tour at Stubb's Barbecue just off 6th Street in Austin.
And a big group of Waco fans enjoyed the show from among the sold out crowd in Stubb's back yard.
Right now, I'm sitting in downtown Columbus, Ohio thinking about the fact that this is not a food blog.
It's a restaurant blog. Perhaps even a lifestyle blog. But today, it IS a Foo blog. That's because I came here to visit my friend Zach McFarlen, a Robinson High School graduate, and see the Foo Fighters tonight. So, see, Foo blog.
And I realize there's a picture of fajitas featured along with this blog. And I realize that has nothing to do with Ohio or the Foo Fighters. But it's because I flew out of Texas relatively early this morning and so I stayed the night at a hotel by the airport.
Football season begins on Friday. Yep, already. It's what they call Zero Week in high school football and I'm keenly aware of this as I like to cover high school football games for newspapers and such.
The good folks at the Waco Tribune-Herald sports department have brought me on board again this season, which means I'll be found at high school football stadiums on Friday nights. I must remember to write about the touchdowns and tackles rather than the concession stand food.
I'm currently sitting in the world's best golf pub, which is located in St Andrews, Scotland, and has become my home away from home.
The Dunvegan Hotel, that is.
It's a place where hundreds upon hundreds of golfers from around the world, particularly Americans, cycle through every summer. It's a place that has served food and/or drink to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Arnold Palmer, Tom Lehman, Jim Nantz … you name the golfer or golf-related personality and there's a pretty good chance they been here.
The Texas hill country does two things very well — deer and barbecue.
It's possible that the hill country does other things well, too. They play pretty good football in Goldthwaite, Brownwood and Richland Springs. I know people who like to hike at Enchanted Rock State Park.
For me, ordering a chicken fried steak is the dining equivalent of picking a fight.
You see, like many of you out there, I've already eaten as good a chicken fried steak as I'm ever going to eat. Those past steaks of lasting glory were prepared by my mother and my grandmother. They were perfect in that the breading perfectly combined with the steak. There was absolutely no negotiating in order to keep the entree in one piece. That's the whole trick, but it seems to be a difficult one.
I have to say my eyes were opened Wednesday afternoon.
Before Wednesday afternoon, I knew of the Gospel Cafe because it was a restaurant in our restaurant listings within the cafes and diners directory. It's located on the corner of South 10th Street and Cleveland Avenue. It has not been rated or reviewed yet, so I didn't know much more about it.
I figured the name Gospel Cafe was just a name, a positive association for a restaurant.
It turns out, it means what its name states. Like Gospel as in "Come follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people (Matthew 4:19)."
