Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Rise in Dallas

by

Dallas – When it comes to French food in Dallas, there are a few options. But if you’re seeking a serious soufflé, a stop on the edge of the Park Cities at Rise is where your journey takes flight.

“Once you taste it, you will find that it’s an addiction,” said owner Hedda Gioia Dowd.  Dowd is a self-proclaimed Francophile all thanks to several summers in France visiting her grandparents when she was a little girl. Hedda would hang out in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother making soufflés, and that’s when a serious love set in. The only problem was, Hedda couldn’t find soufflés in the Lone Star State that were anything like the ones her grandmother made, so she created Rise.

“There were a lot of people that thought, ‘That is not going to work, and it certainly will not work in Texas,’” Hedda said. But the biggest hurdle she had to face was showcasing soufflés that offered a more satisfying purpose than just something sweet.

“Many folks are used to a dessert soufflé, chocolate, Grand Marnier, or a fruit soufflé, but not many people have been exposed to savory soufflés,” she said. “It’s a category that we have really taken and expanded.”

These soufflés are so sought after that even heads of state seek them out. For George Bush, eating here is like getting a W. Hedda said that he and Laura have been so supportive of Rise ever since they left the White House. They come in as if they were eating at their own home.

With so much variety, from crab meat to ham and cheese to cauliflower and brie, Rise has it all. Melinda, a loyal customer, said, “It’s like nothing else. You’re never going to find anywhere else like this.”

Hedda was adamant that I try two savory soufflés, one with chili and cheese and another with ceviche. “You happen to be the recipient of the Texas Frito Chili soufflé that no one on this planet has ever seen or tasted, but Shane, you are about to.” Oh, that’s exciting, “It’s very exciting.” I don’t know if putting chili and Frito’s in a soufflé is bringing things down or taking things up a notch. “Oh, it’s going to take them up a whole notch,” said Hedda.

Chef Alberto Solis has been whipping up soufflés at Rise since 2015 and it all starts with egg whites and a pinch of salt. Once it’s whipped up, Alberto mixes in the other ingredients for the particular soufflé – in my case, chili and cheese for one and shrimp, cheese, cilantro, and more for the other. While those were baking, I got the chance to make a dessert soufflé, but Alberto whipped my behind.

Once they were done, I got to enjoy each soufflé. The flavor was fantastic! Pillowy and perfect, rich and filling. All around sensational.

So if you’re looking for sensational flavors that come from across the sea that happen to have a little Tex and a little Mex in them, come into Rise to get the soufflés. This is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – Be Blessed BBQ in Nacogdoches

by

Nacogdoches – When it comes to BBQ in the Lone Star State, you can find fantastic offerings in all sorts of places. But for folks just getting started in the restaurant industry, food trucks are a great first step to see if your food has what it takes. At Be Blessed BBQ in Nacogdoches, they shouldn’t be in a trailer for too long.

Jeremiah Moss is the owner of Be Blessed, but BBQ isn’t all he does. Jeremiah is also a pastor. He believes that Be Blessed BBQ is blessed to be a blessing, and barbecue has given him a way to be able to do that.  “There’s only two things that I know, that’s Jesus and barbecue.”

Jeremiah started his BBQ venture to raise funds for a mission project and he was divinely pointed to his first pit.  “Man, I was carrying a group to Nicaragua, and we were doing a mission trip there and prayed and said, “God, we need the funds to do this.” And I felt like the Lord told me, “I already gave it to you.” And what I saw was, over at our building, there was this old barbecue pit, man. It was broken, bust, disgusting. It had a tree grow up to the fire box. And I felt like the Lord said, “I gave it to you.” I said, “If this is coming for you, it’ll be gold plated, angel singers, not this.” And we yanked it out. I had never barbecued before then. Didn’t know anything,” said Moss.

The ol’ BBQ pit pulled through and helped with several mission projects before Jeremiah got a surprise donation. “Eight months after doing that, I got a new pit to deliver to me. Now it did look like it come from God. It was brand new; it was nice. Had a sign on it that said, “Be blessed, love God.” And that’s when Be Blessed started. And they’ve been barbecuing ever since

“Anybody that puts Be Blessed on their sign and has a business, then you know it’s going to be a good business and going for something good,” said customer John.

Pit master Joshua Henderson has been working with Jeremiah since 2020. He helps smoke the brisket for 15-16 hours and it is incredible. The brisket has a great bark and flavor, but Jeremiah wanted to make a signature sandwich. That’s when a friend recommended that he make a brisket sandwich with peanut butter and jelly. Jeremiah wasn’t sold on this idea, but one night, he decided to go ahead and taste the forbidden fruit, and it was like being born again. He put it on the menu the very next day!

I love peanut butter, so I wanted to see what this sweet and savory concoction was all about, so Joshua got started by toasting the bun. Grape jelly is added, a chopped brisket on top of that, and then comes the peanut butter, which is more like a peanut butter sauce.  Sort of like what you get with spring rolls and most Vietnamese restaurants.  The comes barbecue sauce, onions, pickles, and jalapenos, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

After taking a few sniffs my nose didn’t know what to expect but after I took a big ol’ bite, I found out that this sandwich is so good, it almost felt sinful. “If you don’t like peanut butter, you may not like it,” Jeremiah said. “But if you like peanut butter… you’ll probably hug me when we get done with this.” The sweet, the savory, and then those pickles bring in a little sour. This sandwich has got it all.

If you’re looking for a crazy combination in barbecue sandwiches, one with peanut butter, jelly, jalapenos, pickles, onions, and delicious barbecue, coming to Be Blessed BBQ in Nacogdoches is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“I just want to live life pleasing to Christ and to be a blessing. And if I die doing that, I’m happy, brother. I’m fulfilling my purpose in life,” said Jeremiah.

The Texas Bucket List – Five D Cattle Company Steakhouse in Avinger

by

Avinger – In the far northeastern corner of the Lone Star State, you’ll find Avinger hidden amongst the tall trees of Texas. But this tiny town in the ArkLaTex is able to bring in hundreds of hungry Texans thanks to one popular place to get the perfect cut of meat.

Darlene Jacobs is the owner of the 5D Cattle Company Steakhouse and Meat Market. Darlene’s parents, Doug and Demeris Jacobs, started this beef business back in 1997.

“Everybody for a hundred miles, because my mom and dad knew a lot of people, said, “You’re crazy. What are you doing? Why are you doing that in Avinger?” Because that’s home,” Darlene said. Being in the cattle business helped make this dream come true too. Doug cooked up this idea thinking the 5D would raise the beef it served but the place’s popularity made that a bit of a problem.

Dave, a frequent customer of the place, said, “You come in here on even a weeknight, every table will be full in a little town of 444 people.”

On any Saturday night, 5D serves approximately 650 people. The town plus some! It can be hard to find a parking spot, so much so that it almost puts you out of town on both sides!  Considering town consists of only a few blocks.

If you’re wondering what makes the steaks in Avinger a cut above the rest, Darlene’s answer is “hand cutting, aging, in-house, making sure that quality steak is what hits the plate.”

And with 6 generations of Lone Star State lineage, Darlene likes to keep things in the family. She said, “All my children have done time working here. It’s a requirement to carry the name.”

We got to check out the famous porterhouse steak. It was hand cut and aged there, and Jacob, Darlene’s son, got it to the “perfect done ness.”

Not only do they have the tools, but they have the experience. With grill masters and people that have been doing this for over 25 years, Darlene and her team certainly know how to cook a steak. We didn’t even have to tell Jacob medium rare, he just knew exactly how the steak should be cooked.

“If they order it cooked more than what would be… medium. It’s not a problem, we want everybody to be happy,” Darlene said. “If they order a medium well or well done, we’re going to make sure that it’s taken care of, but we also want to make sure and serve it while it’s still juicy and going to carry the flavors of that aged and hand cut steak.”

The flames lick the steak just right and after several minutes of sizzling on each side, the steak gets plated up with a side of cowboy potatoes. Cowboy potatoes are a diced up potato, sauteed in butter, garlic, bacon, and onion.

The tenderness of the steak is what really sets it apart.  After melting in mouth, it went down extremely easy and finish off with a fantastic flavor.

So, if you’re looking for a fine steak in the far northeastern corner of our state, coming to Avinger for the porterhouse or for that matter, any steak, is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“Texas is about eating a good steak and you’re not only going to get a good steak here, you’ll get a great steak here.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Maceo Spice and Import Company in Galveston

by

Galveston – With a name synonymous with Galveston history, The Maceo family keeps the family business alive and well, 100 years since it became so entrenched with island lore.

“When I was growing up, the Maceo history, the past of Maceo’s on the island was something that they kind of wanted to put behind them. So they didn’t want me to really know, and I’m the youngest of all the cousins,” said Concetta Maceo-Sims, owner of the Maceo Spice and Import Company.

Concetta has a family connection to Sam Maceo, the man who ran things on Galveston Island from the 1920s until the 50s. Gambling, bootlegging, and organized crime were a few of his endeavors. “My grandfather’s generation, he was the last of anyone that had anything to do with the Balinese Room. So it was like hush hush, we didn’t talk about that stuff,” Concetta said.

But Concetta’s father, Ronnie, knows.  While she can tell you all about spices in the food and the place, she refers them to Ronnie when people come in wanting to talk about the history of the Maceos. “He’s a wealth of knowledge about the island, about our family history. He’s a great cook. He brings such a cool aspect to this place that not many places have,” said Concetta.

Ronnie’s grandfather, Frank, immigrated from Italy to New Orleans in the 1900s and Sam brought him to Galveston to help out with the family business. Ronnie said his grandfather was born on Bourbon Street, and they lived on the corner of Royal and Du Main with Tony Lavoi. Tony is Ronnie’s great great uncle, and he believes Tony invented the popular muffuletta sandwich around 1901, not the popular New Orleans eatery, Central Grocery, which claims the invention of the sandwich in 1906.

While we’ll never know for sure, the one thing I do know is the Maceo’s use an olive dressing that is a family recipe, as is the bread. But the most important part to Ronnie. “It’s made by Maceo,” he said.

The Maceo Spice Company was started in 1944 by Ronnie’s father, Rosario, who got tired of slinging spice in the 80s. Ronnie said Rosario wanted to quit, and that’s when Ronnie started coming down every day to work with him. That’s when Ronnie convinced his father to bring the family’s sacred sandwich back to the menu. “There’s a lot of Cajun cuisine influence on our family and our style of cooking,” Concetta said. “The red beans on the menu, that’s my mom’s recipe. The gumbo is my dad’s recipe but we had to bring in a little bit of something other than Italian.” It’s a unique combination.

Then I got the chance to see how the Maceo muffuletta is made. First the bread, which is Tony Lavoi’s recipe, was cut nice and level and Ronnie added some olive oil and a mixture of Maceo seasoning. The first layer is Maceo’s famous olive salad. Four layers of polish ham and Geneo salami get placed on top of that. Ronnie adds some more olive oil, provolone cheese, another layer of olive dressing, and heads for a streamer that toasts the bread. While the sandwich finished up, Ronnie combines the muffuletta with homemade gumbo.

The bread, the olive dressing, and all that melty cheese creates a heavenly smell. I’ve been to New Orleans many times for the muffuletta there, but this one blows it out of the water. The gumbo was incredible. I didn’t know you could get gumbo like this in Texas.So if you’re looking for a find sandwich, a delicious cup of gumbo, come into Maceo’s Spice Company here in Galveston Island. It is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Terlingua Chili Cook-off in Terlingua

by

Terlingua – Over the years, I’ve been blessed with bountiful bowls of chili at some incredible places like the Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfels, the Texas Chili Parlor in Austin, and of course, Tolbert’s in Grapevine. Tolbert is a name synonymous with Texas chili thanks to Frank X. Tolbert.

Back in 1967, he helped create the most famous chili cookoff in the Lone Star State, the Original Terlingua Championship Chili Cook-off. “The experience in the desert with the chili out here is just special,” said Patrick Ryan, Frank X. Tolbert’s grandson.

“It’s my middle name. It’s Tolbert.” Really? They gave you his middle name. “Yeah.” Interesting. Had to keep that history going. “Yep. My mom insisted upon it.” And with lineage like that, I can understand why!

Patrick’s grandfather wrote for the Dallas morning news for 40 years, so he knew lots of people and even featured them from all over in his column called Tolbert’s Texas. Sounds familiar! Frank and CV Wood and a New York journalist decided they wanted to have a cook-off between Yankees and Texans to see who could make the best chili.  So in 1967, they came up to desert to hold the event.  In the end, they tied, so they had to do it again, year after year. It became a tradition, and now happens the first weekend of November every year, in one of the most desolate destinations in the whole state. “There’s dancing and there’s a little bit of drinking, a lot of chili tasting. We’re in Texas!” said competitor Steve Gaconnier.

“You’re graded on your aroma, taste, consistency, and color,” Christine Knight said. Christine has been coming to the Terlingua Chili Cook-off since 1998, and in 2010, she took the title. In order to get into the cook-off, you have to have won in the past which gives automatic qualification going forward, or you have to compete at cook-offs year-round in order to rack up enough points so you can qualify to cook. While most cooks compete all year to get this level, Steve Gaconnier doesn’t take your typical path to get to this chili cook-off. “I’m too lazy to do that, so they have what’s called Last Chance Chili, which means, yesterday we could cook, and if we get in or win the top 10, we get in the big show today,” Steve said.

After lots of ladling, sampling, and deliberating, competitors turn their chili, sit, and stew while a team of judges, including yours truly, sample the final entries allowed at the hallowed final table. As the final votes are tallied, a crowd starts to form, eager to hear who will take the title. Steve placed 12th and Christine placed 4th! The first place winner was Gene Moffett with his 48 Volt Maxdale Special Chili from Temple.

As the final night of the Terlingua Chili Cook-off wraps up, Gary P. Nunn takes the stage to put the perfect night cap on a fun-filled weekend. Gary has played at least 40 of the 50 Terlingua Chili Cook-offs, according to Patrick. His iconic chili song really gets the crowd going along with the fun atmosphere with the nice Terlingua sky and delicious chili.

So if you happen to find yourself free the first weekend of November, make your way to Terlingua to experience the largest chili cook-off in the country.

Why do you think so many people have been coming to this for so long? “It’s the camaraderie. It’s the spirit of the people that come out here and run the cook-off. It’s the local community that accepts us with open arms that come out here and drink beer in their desert for a week. And it’s a lot of things,” said Patrick. Viva Terlingua!

The Texas Bucket List – The Munster Mansion in Waxahachie

by

Waxahachie – Ellis County continues to grow as a suburb to Big D but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the country feeling out around Waxahachie.  Just northeast of town, that once desolate farmland is starting to turn into neighborhoods but there’s one structure that stands on its own.  A brown, two story mansion that sits on the sits on the side of the road surrounded by a spooky gate.  Some folks tend to avoid this mysterious looking manor but if you’re brave enough to make your way to the front door of this familiar looking façade, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you meet owner Sandra McKee.

“Come on in. Welcome to the Munster Mansion,” said Sandra as I walked into the mansion.  With cobwebs, spooky stairs, and a fire breathing dragon all in the front foyer to meet you, it sets the tone of the Munster Mansion.

In case you’re not familiar with it, The Munsters is a 1960s TV sitcom that showcased what life was like for a couple of kookie film staples that just happened to be a family. Their small family included Herman, Lily, Eddie, Grandpa, and the family pet, Spot, the fire breathing dragon hiding under the stairs. “Pretty much everything in here is just like the show,” Sandra said. “We reproduce the draperies, the sofa, the coffee table, the electric chair, the clock, things all the way down to the show.”

This house is as impressive as the haunted mansion. Sandra and her husband built this house from the ground up. Sandra said, “I’m an old soul. I liked old Victorian houses and cars and things like that. And the thing about the Munster house to me is you could travel from room to room without turning around having to go back. I love the flow of it.”

The crazy part is Sandra and her husband never even had the house plans. Sandra watched all 70 episodes over and over to see the layout of the rooms. She would watch how many steps it took Lily to get to certain parts of the house and that’s how they determined exactly where to put things to make this house a replica. They lived in this home for 20 years, but now she’s constantly giving tours of her terrific terror trophy house. “It really touches your heart because people come in, they appreciate what you’ve done and they’re living part of their past like you’ve lived,” Sandra said. “I’m at the age where I grew up with it but I have people that come in and they’ve never seen The Munsters before and then they’ll email me and say, ‘I went home and watched The Munsters. It’s really cool. I can’t believe the house is so much like The Munsters.’”

It’s very important to Sandra to have everything they had in the show. From dishes on the table to big furniture, it makes a difference for everyone’s exquisite experience. They even buy a lot of small props that were actually used in the show. But one thing in particular Sandra is missing is the floor Tiffany lamp, so if anyone knows how to make one, be sure to go talk to Sandra!

Of course, our experience would not be complete without something going bump in the middle of the day. Is that the wind? “Could be.” Is the Munster house… haunted? “Could be.” Are there monsters in the Munster house? “Oh, I wish.”

So if seeing this not so scary house dedicated to one of America’s frightening favorite families intrigues you, a trip to the Munster’s House in Waxahachie is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – Port of Brownsville Boat Tour on South Padre Island

by

Brownsville – It’s not often you get an extremely foggy day down on South Padre Island but that was exactly the case when I arrived on SPI to take a tour of the Port of Brownsville.  Despite the dense cloud cover, it doesn’t keep James Woodrow Wilson from boiling up some shrimp because he’s busy preparing a feast for a few folks wanting to take a ride on his boat.

Once the crowd is settled, Captain Woody, as he’s called, takes the sightseers on a carefully guided journey through the Port of Brownsville. Woody is the captain of the Breakaway Cruises Port of Brownsville Tour and he has one interesting past, that all starts with his name. “Well, I get a lot of grief about it. And I’m still waiting for my check for Toy Story,” joked Woody. “I was original, boots and all!”

While being a cowboy is every young boy’s dream, being behind the wheel of this ship is where Woody belongs. “Love driving boats. I love being on the water. It’s just been a passion of mine ever since I was little. And just meeting everybody. You meet everyone from all over the world, I’ve met on this boat.”

Shannon Cherrington helps Captain Woody on the tour, making sure things flow smoothly along the waters of the Brownsville ship channel. “There’s so much to see out there and it’s so rich in history,” said Shannon.

While trolling down the port, you’ll see massive offshore oil rig platforms being repaired. There are also ships being built and massive military ships being decommissioned. “This was an old aircraft carrier that, if I’m not mistaken, it was the Bonhomme. It was one that succumbed to arson by one of the crew members. And the damage was worth, basically a total loss.” Oh, wow. “It would cost more for them to repair it than it was worth. And it’s worth more in scrap than it would’ve been for them to repair it,” said Captain Woody.

If space is more your speed, a pass by Space X will light your engines. “Seeing all the rockets, whenever they’re getting ready to launch and all that, sitting out on the launchpad, it’s amazing,” Woody commented. “Watching them take off and being able to land, 40 years ago that would’ve been unheard of. But just seeing technology advance with what they’re doing over here, it’s just mind boggling to me.”

Not only do you get to see some amazing things on the sightseeing tour, but you also get the chance to enjoy some of Captain Woody’s shrimp which is an old family recipe – and it’s delicious.

If taking a unique tour with a unique captain who happens to cook is something you’d like to see, sailing with Captain Woody on the Breakaway Cruises Port of Brownsville Tour is definitely a unique stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – Texas Through Time in Hillsboro

by

Hillsboro – Texas has always been a popular place for earth’s inhabitants, even long before the Lone Star State became a state. Evidence of the biggest beings to roam the planet have been discovered in places like the Waco Mammoth Site and Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glenn Rose.

Conveniently located between both those sites is the Texas Through Time Museum in Hillsboro and it’s where you’ll find Andre Lujan digging through the dirt. “Texas is really unique because just about every geologic time period is represented in our fossil record. We had a flying reptile with a 40-foot wingspan, a flying reptile the size of a jet. We had some of the largest living land animals that ever walked the planet Earth. Amazing stuff.”

Andre is a self-taught paleontologist that put together this prehistoric place dedicated to telling the tales of Texas’ ancient past. From spiny creatures with sharp teeth to ancient alligators, Texas Through Time runs through the gamut of gargantuan and not so gregarious things that roamed these parts. “We’re really leaving no stone unturned. It doesn’t matter if the fossil’s the biggest or the best, if it’s found here in the state, then it’s part of our story. And they’re all important,” said Andre.

Getting to experience unique places like this is what we pride ourselves on showing here on The Texas Bucket List, but Andre has a different list he goes by. “Finding things that are on your bucket list. I found a saber cat skull when I was in the White River Badlands in South Dakota, and it was just so surreal,” he said.

Research and restoration takes place around the clock at Texas Through Time, and it’s work that you can actually witness. The prep lab is where the work gets done and where a lot of the dust gets made that you see on cases out front. Some fossils are displayed still intact with the rock in which they were found.

One of their trophy pieces at the museum is a cretaceous shark found in Uvalde. According to Andre, to find a skeleton of a shark is extremely rare, and to find one covered in skin is even more rare. This particular fossil represents the finest example of this type of fossil found in the universe, and it was found right here in the great state of Texas.

Andre’s expertise and passion for our prehistoric past has even made him an expert appraiser on Pawn Stars. “My knowledge of paleontology, which a lot of it’s been gained through experience and reading as much as I can, has kind of made me an expert in a lot of areas. So I’ve been called on as an expert for the History Channel and the other places to come out and share my knowledge and help them solve problems,” Andre mentioned.

But Andre’s biggest goal is to inspire the next generation of dinosaur diggers. He said, “when I have young people coming in here, kids that want to be a paleontologist, and I can put a fossil in their hand, and they can go in the lab, it becomes real for them. It’s no longer a dream, and that’s really cool.”

If you’re looking to learn more about our prehistoric past and want to see some cool fossils along the way, be sure to check out the Texas Through Time Museum. And just maybe, you’ll find as much interest in it as Andre, who will do this until he is also a fossil.

The Texas Bucket List – Walburg German Restaurant and Biergarten in Walburg

by

Walburg –When fall finally finds its way to the Lone Star State and October rings in the festival season, there’s no shortage of places to raise a pint or liter at. But up on the north side of Williamson County is Walburg, a small German community that’s got a reputation for having a good time. “You can bring your entire family from one to 99 out here and everybody’s entertained,” said customer Deborah.

Ronald Tippelt, the owner of the Walburg German Restaurant, hails from Munich, Germany. Ronnie said his parents made sure he stayed in school so he didn’t end up as a restaurant owner. But here he is, ending up with a restaurant anyway.  “all my family’s in Munich. I’m the only defector. They feel sorry for me. I feel sorry for them,” joked Ronnie.

To say Ronnie enjoys owning this restaurant might be an understatement. This German party started off as an adventure for him back in 1987. It was then that a 27-year-old dude from Deutschland decided he wanted to start off an adventure in a German town that wasn’t in Germany.

What makes Ronnie’s place really unique is the authentic Bavarian buffet on the weekends, a boat load of German beers, a beautiful beer garden, and the fact that Ronnie himself sings to his customers. If you guessed yodeling is his specialty, you guessed correctly! Ronnie never thought his singing skills would pay off in the Lone Star State. “I played a few gigs and the people liked it. I said, “Well, I’m going to start going that. There’s actually money in it,” Ronnie said.

Craig Bond is the head chef at the Walburg German Restaurant, and he happens to be English. Turns out he married a girl from Texas who got him to leave jolly ol’ England for the finest place on the planet. Craig has been working in the kitchens for about 18 years, but he had a specialty for seafood. Thanks to Ronnie relinquishing his recipes to Craig, he’s now serving up sauerkraut and schweinebraten. He said, “Food makes people happy and this is the perfect setting and environment for people to do that.”

We always talk about bellying up to the bar, but for the first time on The Texas Bucket List, we decided to belly up to the buffet. The buffet had a combination of German and Texas favorites, and after putting together a plate the size of Neuschwanstein Castle, I was ready to chow down.

I headed straight for one of my favorite things – sauerkraut. With the nice vinegary taste and rye seeds, it was fantastic. Then onto the schweinebraten, wiener schnitzel, and finally, the brat. Everything was top notch and made my German meal complete!

If having some incredible German food or just toasting to the day is something you’re looking to do, coming to Walburg is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – The Place in Normangee

by

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.