Normangee – If you’ve never been through Normangee, you’re not living outside the norm. Located a few miles off I-45 in between Dallas and Houston, this town of 772 folks moves slower than most. But right on the edge of town is The Place, which has become a popular destination for folks to eat in town.
Candy Tinkham owns The Place and has lived in Normangee since 1996. When Candy purchased this old house in 2018, she did something she sometimes can’t even believe. She opened a restaurant.
Candy had the faith it would work out. Candy said, “if it wouldn’t have been for that, I would’ve quit or maybe never even started. It was a process that God just took all the way through.”
One of the most unique aspects of The Place is that it doesn’t look like any place at all. It simply looks like an old home on the side road, and some people in town still think that’s all it is. “It’s amazing how many people in town still don’t know because they don’t go any further than the grocery store,” Candy said. “We’re on the edge of town.”
Fortunately, Candy has a great support staff of local women that always keep things positive and uplifting. “We have a lot of fun and if it gets stressful, Lynn makes us stop and pray, like this morning. If it gets crazy, we’ll turn on the radio, start singing, dance a little bit,” Candy reflected. “We pray every day. That’s a must, yes.”
Daisey Garner is one of the cooks at The Place and she put together two sandwiches that this place is known for – the chicken bacon ranch and the pimento cheese.
Daisey got going on the chicken bacon ranch by toasting a sub roll while grilling marinated chicken and bacon. Mozzarella is melted onto the sub roll, and then comes the ranch. Bacon, avocado, and sliced chicken complete the Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich assemble.
This sandwich is probably their most popular, and I can see why! It was awesome with so much flavor and it even smelled amazing. The mozzarella was extremely cheesy and combined with all the other ingredients, it made for an incredible sandwich.
Next, the Pimento Cheese sandwich starts off with a toasted jalapeno sourdough bun that gets topped with a large helping of homemade pimento cheese. Throw on some bacon and avocado and that puts it all together.
The pimento cheese was everything you’d expect – salty, gooey, and delicious. Another great sandwich!
“It’s hometown good,” said customer Mary.
If you’re looking for a place that’s got the perfect pimento cheese sandwich or a nicely sized chicken bacon ranch, coming to The Place in Normangee is the right place to be, right here on The Texas Bucket List.