Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

The Texas Bucket List – Mary’s Cafe in Strawn Earns the Title of Bite of the Season

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Season 13 of The Texas Bucket List has been filled with many delicious stops, but only one eatery can take the title of Bite of the Season. Chicken fried steak, barbacoa and birria burrito, beef steak, BBQ and chili are all the foods that find themselves as finalists. After reflecting on the top 5 bites, it’s time to crown the winner of The Texas Bucket List Bite of the Season!

Click on the images or titles below to watch more about each of these delicious stops.

Bite #5- Underwood’s BBQ in Brownwood

#5: Since 1946, Underwood’s has been known for serving up southern meals with savory BBQ and a substantial amount of sides. This old-school cafeteria is full of smoked meats, sausage, sides, and cobbler, making it a must taste stop on The Texas Bucket List.

Bite #4 – Texas Chili Parlor in Austin

#4: Known for its famous Texas chili, Mad Dog margaritas, being in movies and songs by Guy Clark, the Texas Chili Parlor is a legendary stop to add to your bucket list! Visit to get a taste of true Texas chili from an Austin icon that has been a part of the Lone Star State lineage for over 40 years.

Bite #3 – Ponderosa Restaurant & Motel in Snyder

Bite #3: In the small town of Snyder sits a Mexican restaurant with sizable portions. Ponderosa Restaurant & Motel is owned and operated by Luis Conteras, who is known for his memorable meals and making sure his customers get their money’s worth. Ponderosa’s large portions and incredible taste make it well worth a stop on any Texan’s bucket list!

Bite #2 – Henderson & Kane General Store in Houston

Bite #2: On the corner of Kane and Henderson in the historic 6th ward of Houston is a small general store with a surplus of savory BBQ. Along with their delicious BBQ are breakfast tacos, baked goods, and coffee, making for an incredibly tasty combination! Henderson & Kane General Store is a stop that doesn’t disappoint!

Bite #1 – Mary’s Cafe in Strawn

Bite #1: In small town Strawn, sits a little café with a big reputation for legendary chicken fried steak. Mary’s Café is owned by Mary Tretter, the lady behind the massive meals that bring in big crowds. The café serves over 50,000 pounds of chicken fried steak every year and over 200,000 pounds of potatoes! It is easy to see why Mary’s Café has earned itself the title of The Texas Bucket List Bite of the Season!

The Texas Bucket List – Eiffel Tower in Paris

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Paris—In the town of Paris, the Lone Star State’s version of the city of love, the square reminds you of it’s distant cousin to the east. Such a peaceful part of town with fragrant flowers and a subdued fountain spraying into a dry Texas day. That European feel continues on the southwest side of town at tower dedicated to the namesake of this city in the Lone Star State.

“Welcome to Paris, Texas. This is our Eiffel Tower,” said the town’s Chamber of Commerce President, Paul Allen.

Paul was born and raised in Paris, TX, so he understands the importance of embracing their connection to the town that sits 4,833 miles to the east.  (That’s like driving across Texas six times!)

Fittingly you can find the tower at the Love Civic Center. 

“It all works. It’s perfect,” he said.

Now we always boast that everything is bigger in Texas, but this version of the Eiffel Tower checks in at 65 feet tall, nearly 1000 feet smaller than the one in France. On American soil however, Paris has the second largest version of the tower with Las Vegas taking the top spot and Paris, Tennessee taking third.

“At one point in time theirs [Tennessee] was taller and when the cowboy hat was added, we surpassed Paris, Tennessee… And we became number two,” said Paul.

Built in 1994, the tower was donated by local welders and pipefitters who thought it was fit for the city of blinding lights in the lone star state to have its own towering tower.

“A lot of it was done at BMW and then those pieces were brought out here, but a lot of that welding was done here as well… Volunteered their time and volunteered the pipe, material and [built it] piece by piece,” explained Paul.

“I have been to Paris, France. I’ll tell you, I’d rather be in Paris, Texas than Paris, France any day of the week. Because I’ve seen it and I’ve been there, I’ll take this one,” he said.

While it may not be the biggest in the world, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas can put a big ol’ feather in its hat for one big reason—it’s in the town with the biggest heart!

“It means a lot to me and it means a lot to a lot of people that have grown up here and don’t want to be anywhere else,” concluded Paul.

The Texas Bucket List – ShangriLlama in Royse City

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Royse City—  Royse City may not have rolling green hills and rainbows, but out in rural Rockwall County is a really big residence that’s right out of Ireland.

Coming from California, Sharon and her husband, Paul, were looking for something kooky because they needed a home with lots of space for their whole furry family.

“We checked it out and didn’t know, oh, it’s also a castle. It’s like, okay, where’s the decision here? A llama castle?” said Sharon.

Llamas are what this woman loves. Not exactly what you’d expect from a retired ghost writer.

“I thought I’d just be chilling, watching movies, and going to ladies clubs. I did that for a little while, and then I got bored,” she confessed.

Sharon’s son, Tommy, was allured to llamas too. He was infatuated with these curious creatures after a school trip to a zoo. Before long, their curiosity became a reality as they opened ShangriLlama to share in the love of llamas.

Having such unique pets patrolling their Irish palace is already peculiar enough, but Sharon went above and beyond by giving her fuzzy friends funny names.

“Dalai Llama was something kind of mystical, magical, creepy, whatever, eyes, you know, something that draws your attention… Bahama Llama, some llama that’s just chill. His personality is just laid back… Drama Llama, a dramatic looking guy… Pajama, just because we needed for the Llama Llama Red Pajama story book to have a namesake for that… Then we’ve got Como T. Llama. Now, he’s a funny dude,” continued Sharon. “He was the star of a show called Llama Cop. Serious. I know. It totally sounds like I’m making this up.”

The life of a Llama is a curious one full of unique facts. Native to South America, they can each carry up to 100 pounds and the hierarchy in their pack is curious to see.

“The pack mentality is fascinating…. A higher-ranking llama gets to boss around their lower-ranking ones, and the lower ones aspire to be higher ranking. So there’s that friction there, but it gives them something to do,” said Sharon.

Taking pictures is another thing that comes naturally to llamas.

“They’re very social. They like people. They don’t like us hugging them the way a dog does, and that’s surprising to most people. You can see the whites of their eyes, take pictures, take a selfie with them, but once you start hugging them and hanging on them, they do pull back…They have their bubble,” she explained.

That bubble goes away when you have crackers. Sharon holds the Triscuits between her teeth for the llamas to grab.

“They like Triscuits. Just the plain ones.. It looked like a kiss, but he didn’t,” she said as Drama Llama ate the cracker from Sharon.

“They’re both beautiful and goofy in the same moment. Usually you’re one or the other, but they’re beautiful to look at, and then you’ve got this head on a long pole and these big eyes, and they’re looking around, and it’s just an interesting combination,” she said.

So if peace and tranquility combined with a crooked smile and crazy selfies is what you’re looking for, Shangrillama achieves nirvana on The Texas Bucket List.

“People rarely get to be around a pack of llamas,” she continued, “pure joy when they come in and see a room full of these beautiful animals, and that’s why we do it.”

The Texas Bucket List – Oliver Saddle Shop in Amarillo

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Amarillo—Up in Amarillo there is a saddle shop that does things the old fashioned, all while passing along their family traditions.

Early every morning Richard Oliver is busying hammering out his latest saddle.

“Quality and maintaining what we stand for,” said Richard.

It takes about a week for Richard to create a basic saddle and he’s got years of experience.

“Our customers take pride in owning something that’s made here,” he said.

For Richard, making saddles is more than a job, it is a family legacy. It all started in Vernon, Texas when his grandfather C.W. Oliver opened the family’s first saddle shop in 1917.  Richard’s father, Bill, followed in those footsteps and today Richard is carrying along the rich tradition of tack.

“A lot of these old tools that I still use are some that my dad and granddad had,” he said.

Bill brought the business to Amarillo in 1960 and Richard joined in after college in 1970.

“Every one of our saddles is done by hand, it’s all drawn off. This fellow, being from New Mexico, he said, ‘Can you put something on there a little bit different?’ I put a yucca and some prickly pear on there for him. It’s fun to dress these things up and customize them for somebody,” Richard said.

The craftsmanship and quality of Oliver Saddle Shop keeps his customers coming back.

“So many of our customers are third and fourth generation customers. I’ve built saddles for grandkids of guys that I built their saddles. I’ve built three generations saddles before, some instances, even four,” he said.

That goes for the Oliver Saddle Shop as well. Richard’s two sons, Bryan and Zeb, make up the 4th generation of saddle makers in their family.

“There’s something about the shop that draws us in, and we enjoy, part of our lives, part of the DNA, I guess,” said Richard.

“I actually grew up in this room,” confessed Bryan.

“From an early age, dad would bring me down here. Grandma would babysit Bryan and I. We’d take naps down here, play down here, play with the leather, do it all,” recalled Zeb.

“It’s just a wonderful feeling to see the boys this close and being there for them too,” said Richard.

The Olivers are always hard at work, making sure the family name keeps its reputation among the cowboys and cowgirls of cattle country.

“Most working cowboys want something that’s a little more durable than a factory-made saddle, and that’s where we come into play,” explained Bryan.

“The Western heritage is still alive in Texas. That’s our roots, that’s our base. Cowboys are still out there working just as hard as they ever did. Proud to be a part of it, proud to be a Texan, proud that we’re still in Texas,” expressed Richard.

There is even another generation getting lessons on what it takes to sit tall in the saddle. Richard’s grandson, Andrew, is one of those potential keepers of the flame.

“Having both of them here and my grandkids able to come down in this shop, and work in the shop just as I did and grow up and start understanding small business…the values that a small business can give family, the work ethic and the values and everything, very important,” said Richard.

“Watching him develop and showing an interest in certain aspects of it, it’s a great joy… it’s just so great and knowing my dad’s values that he’s passing down to my son is just phenomenal,” said Zeb.

“If my kids want the opportunity to work in here, then I want them to know that it was handed down. This is how we did this, this is how we do this,” explained Bryan.

For now, the family focuses on the day to day task of saddling up as many ropers, riders, and ranch hands as possible with the hope that Oliver made saddles with be sitting on steeds for some time.

“I can’t even imagine down the road, how many years this shop will be in business, and if he went into it, another 40 or 50 years at least…. We’re unusual to have made it a hundred years. For him to go into it, that’d be wonderful. My granddad and dad would be amazed and thrilled, I think, to know that it’s still going, what they started,” said Richard.

“There is some preservation to the craftsmanship that I feel obligated to. I’m doing the same things that my great-grandfather did, there’s something to that,” said Bryan.

Richard knows that he can’t stay in the saddle forever, but he doesn’t plan on giving up the reigns any time soon.  These times together is what this ride is all about because his field and his family are too important.

“I enjoy my customers, I still enjoy making saddles. I still enjoy my work. I still enjoy the comradery of the shop…I’m still productive, and I just don’t want to retire. I still haven’t made my best saddle yet,” said Richard.

The Texas Bucket List Receives Two Lone Star Emmy Awards

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Three-Time Lone Star Emmy Award winning TV series, The Texas Bucket List, is recognized for its commitment to excellence in creative work and storytelling in the 2019 Lone Star Emmy Awards

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognizes excellence in television with the distinguished Lone Star Emmy Award. On Saturday, November 16, The Texas Bucket List was presented with two of these prestigious 2019 Lone Star Emmy Awards. Since 2013, the show has received a total of twelve Lone Star Emmy Award nominations for outstanding achievement, including winning an esteemed Lone Star Regional Emmy Award in 2018. The Texas Bucket List is now a three-time Lone Star Emmy Award Winning TV series with a record of excellence in telling the stories of Texas.

Founded in 1957, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the TV industry. The Texas Bucket List is a member of the statewide Lone Star Chapter, which serves all 19 television markets in Texas.

The Texas Bucket List received Lone Star Emmy Awards for the following categories:

 

Religion – Program Feature/Segment/Special – The Priest With Pups

Magazine Program – Feature/Segment – Mom’s Musical Memories

The Texas Bucket List – Cave Without A Name in Boerne

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Boerne—Kendall County sits on the Edwards Plateau and has some of the most quintessential hill country in the state, but below the beauty on the surface of our state, lies a cavern with another incredible landscape.

“We’re in the middle of the hill country and it’s great,” said Jesse Hilger.

Jesse Hillger built bombs for the air force for 14 years, but today explores this explosion of exquisiteness known as the Cave Without A Name.

“I love it. It’s great… You can easily spend two, three hours down there and think it’s only 30 minutes,” said Jesse.

The second longest running showcave in Texas, the Cave Without A Name, was officially discovered by James, Harold, and Mary McGrath in 1938.

“They didn’t expect to discover an amazing cave down there, but they did,” Jesse explained.

In 1940, the Cave Without A Name took the title of Cave Without A Name after a local contest was held to name the cave.  One 9-year-old boy claimed the cave was too pretty to have name, so it has been known that way ever since.

The McGrath children first encountered the cave while chasing a lost sheep, and the first few feet down they came across a moonshine shelter.

“We’re pretty sure that this was the area. If you look on the ceiling here you can see a lot of discoloration….Probably would have been for quite a few years as well…to get so much soot on the ceiling,” said Jesse.

Just a bit further down in the dark was something much more impressive.  Keep in mind, the kids who discovered it did not have a nicely constructed stairway to get there.

“So we’ve gone down about 126 stairs, and here’s our cave,” Jesse said.

80 feet below the ground are six massive caverns with all sorts of curious features that have formed over thousands of years.

“When the limestone was created, that was in the early Cretaceous period and dinosaurs were actually still roaming the earth at that time. They couldn’t actually roam right over this area though, because this used to be the seafloor,” Jesse explained.

This marvel made over time almost looks man made, until a closer look is taken at the incredible formations formed over millions of years.

“So over here we have two really cool formations. The white formation right there is a really unique, a stalagmite. We call that one Modern Art, because people see different things, and some of the different things people normally see are mushrooms or jellyfish… Now this formation that’s in front of it, that one kind of looks like a nativity scene,” Jesse pointed out.

A little further down the line sits the throne room, a subterranean brook, and pools of water surrounded by sediment basins.

“So in this room we have some more stone rim ponds…These lower ponds actually fluctuate with the amount of rain that we get,” said Jesse.

Along with these beautiful pools is the best food reference found below ground.

“We have what I’ve been told is the longest piece of cave bacon in Texas. It measures over 20 feet,” said Jesse. “My nephew came down here a couple of spring breaks ago. He was about four years old at the time, and he told me he didn’t think he could eat a full piece of it.”

So if you have a hunger for some subterranean adventures, The Cave Without A Name is well worth getting below ground for on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – La La Land Kind Cafe in Dallas

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Dallas—Every morning in Dallas’ Lower Greenville you’ll find a fine coffee shop looking to make your day a little brighter.

“We genuinely want to make you happy,” said barista, Clio Rizo.

Housed in this 100-year-old house is the La La Land Kind Café, a bistro that goes above and beyond with all organic offerings and toast with tons of toppings, including avocado of course.

“It would definitely start your day off way better,” added barista, Kadee Randle.

A jolt of java really does the start the day of right, but it’s the friendly faces that make the biggest difference.

“When you walk in here, our main goal is to have you walk out a lot happier than you were when you walked in… If we can make you smile, and you leave here more positive, that’s a big win for us,” said Francois.

Francois Reihani is the young entrepreneur behind this bold concept in coffee.

“We love getting into the creative stuff… making things reminiscent of your childhood. Whether it’s French toast or s’mores, it all ties back into this brand of La La Land becoming a place where you feel a sense of happiness,” he said.

But that sense of happiness he helps create isn’t just for the customers.

“Coming into this, and being able to come into work, and knowing that I’m making a difference every day that I wake up, I think that’s what life is about,” said Francois.

Now it’s not the hot coffee or extreme expressos that are making the difference, it’s the people that work here, because a few of them are fresh out of the foster system.

“How this business even came about was, first, what do we open where we can hire foster youth? It wasn’t, ‘Let’s open a coffee shop and hire foster youth.’ It was, ‘What do we think would be the best environment for them to grow in?’ Coffee is very happy. It’s a fun job. Even if they don’t stay with us here forever, they can go to a lot of different places and make a real income. So, that was big for us,” he explained.

Clio Rizo and Kadee Randle are just two of those former foster kids who have loved working at La La Land.

“Francois has become like my big brother, honestly,” said Clio.

Her long journey to La La Land started a long time ago and she’s lived in a lot of places.

“I’ve moved 47 times. I turned 19 in July, so 47 times in 19 years, quite a lot. So, I don’t really have a place that I call home,” she explained.

From the ages of three to 18, Clio was never able to find a forever home and when she aged out of the system she walked all the way from Tyler to Dallas. With nowhere to turn and no one to lean on, she became homeless.

“I found the strength to keep going, and it was really hard for me daily. I was homeless for about three and a half months,” she said.

She finally found help at the Transition Resource Action Center in Dallas, a program that helps foster kids make the transition to independent living. That is where she kept hearing about a place called La La Land.

“I was at a transitional living program, and they were like, ‘Hey, La La land reached out to us. They want to work with some of us,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, if three different people are telling me about this place, clearly, there’s something great about it. Clearly, I have to go,'” said Cleo.

Her first interview was nerve wracking but Francois made her feel at ease.

“When I first met him, I was very anxious because it was five people interviewing me, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is… I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to be okay,’ but he reassured me that everything was okay, that, ‘Just take deep breath. You’ve got this.'”

“We don’t want to just throw them in and say, ‘Hey, good luck.’ There’s a big mentorship part. We show them, to train them… as time goes on, maybe that youth becomes a lot more comfortable and more stable, and once they know that they can do this on their own, no matter what, then we can bring more in,” Francois explained.

“He always tells me, ‘You’re number one, Cleo. You’ve got this. You’re the best,’ and he’s always so very uplifting and positive. Even when I’m having one of my moments of, ‘I can’t do this. I don’t feel like I’m enough right now,’ Fran’s always right there like, ‘Hey, you’ve got this. Give me a hug. Give me a high five. Get back out there. You’re doing great,'” said Cleo.

That sort of support, that person to lean on, was something new to Clio.

“The last thing we ever want to do is bring a youth in and have them go through another failure in their life. I mean, that would be a complete failure to us,” said Francois.

“I was told for a very long time I’d never be anything. I’d never graduate. I’d never make it to 18. So, I use all the ‘you will nevers’ to drive me farther, to make me want more from life. I’m doing everything I do to defy the odds because I don’t want to be another statistic. Even though, technically, I can never … I’ll always be a statistic,” said Cleo.

“When they’re signing up, when you’re hiring them… you give them their emergency contact form, and they’re sitting there and they call you and they say, ‘I don’t know what to put.’ Here’s a 18, 19 year old kid that has no idea, not even one person to put as their emergency contact,” said Francios.

No matter how much coffee can perk you up, when you hear sobering stories about the situation former foster kids like Clio have to deal with, it completely breaks your heart.

“It’s kind of really hard, emotionally, to think, ‘Wow, either my parents didn’t want me, or the state thought they weren’t good enough to want me, and now nobody wants me,'” expressed Clio.

“These are kids that go through their entire life alone, and we’re all just sitting here, going about our day, saying, ‘Good luck.’ So, who is going to care? That’s the question,” said Francois.

“The holidays are really hard because I see everyone with their families, and then there’s me by myself. Never really getting to enjoy the little things in life is what makes me want more, makes me push harder, and work harder, and have a better work ethic, and just makes me want to be a better person because I know that, eventually, I will get to that point where I can enjoy the little things. Maybe if I have a family of my own, I can make sure that my family has what I didn’t have as a kid,” said Clio.

“The only people that are saying that they’re taking care of them is our government, and that’s the worst kind of care you’ll ever see in your entire life, right? It’s a slide by. Nothing’s fixing anything. So, if we don’t step up as their brothers and sisters… then what’s going to happen to them?” said Francois.

So he fights on. Finding foster youth to fill his fancy coffee shop while bringing hope and happiness to those who dearly need it.

“Keep pushing. It’s really hard, the things that we go through as a foster youth. That’s not just with staff, but emotionally and mentally, but I can say keep pushing. It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to want to give up, but if you keep pushing, then more doors will open, and you’ll have better opportunities. You just have to find it,” said Kadee.

“If I were to say anything to any foster youth out there watching this… it’s to keep fighting, because it does get better. I know that’s such a cliche thing to say. I was like, ‘It never gets better. It never gets better,’ but if you have the right mindset and the right attitude, if you think it’s going to get better, it will get better because you have that extra determination, that extra drive,” said Clio.

“There’s so many different ways to help. There’s so many different avenues that we should all be putting a little part in, and if people really did realize that, our whole world would be completely different,” said Francois.

So wake up and smell the coffee because there’s more ways than one to brighten your day.

“We want you to feel that sense of euphoria, that high on life from coming in here,” said Clio.

“I love waking up, coming to La La Land, talking to people, making them smile,” said Kadee.

“Most people will tell you that when you’re helping someone, you feel your best,” remarked Francois.

“We are more than just a coffee shop. It’s awesome. I love it here,” said Clio.

The Texas Bucket List – Mary’s Cafe in Strawn

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Strawn— If you ever find yourself driving between Fort Worth and Abilene, a stop in Strawn may not seem like something to steer for, unless you like Chicken Fried Steak.

“Oh my gosh, I was like, ‘I got to show you this chicken fried steak,'” said customer, Megan Cronkright.

“We always stop in and get chicken fried steak,” said another customer, Bob Nichols.

“I’d had no idea that it would be anything like this,” confessed Mary Tretter.

Mary is the reason people trek all the way to this small town for something a bit more sizeable than the city—massive meals.

“You never know [about the weekend]. I always say, ‘My business is like a man, it’s unpredictable.’ I always tell people that. It is, it’s crazy,” said Mary.

Considering she serves over 50,000 pounds of chicken fried steaks and over 200,000 pounds of potatoes every year, I think business is moving along just fine.

“They’re famous for their chicken fried steak,” said Megan.

“They just make good chicken fried steak,” confirmed Bob.

Mary got her first job at the only other restaurant in Strawn after the 8th grade. In 1984, she started working here at the restaurant when it was called the Polka Dot. By 1986, she owned the place and changed the named to Mary’s Café.

“It was tough. It was hard. I will tell you that. I’d wait for the restaurant across the street, for their overflow to come over here, and if I had five or six tables that night, I was excited,” explained Mary.

Things have certainly changed. Today there is a long line of eager eaters looking to fill their bellies.

“It’s incredible that she has maintained actually, I think that her business is probably stronger now, as strong as it’s ever been,” said customer, Bobby Schuman.

Mary is a very hands-on kind of owner—she does it all, so much so that people don’t even realize that she is the fabulous and famous Mary.

“They’ll stick their head in and they’ll say, ‘We want to meet Mary.’ And they’ll look at everybody but me, I’ll go, ‘I’m Mary,’ and I’ve got flour from head to toe, and they’re going, ‘Oh, you’re Mary?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I’m Mary,'” she said. “Sometimes I’ll walk by and I’ll hear somebody say, ‘I think that’s Mary.’ And I don’t say anything, because I’m just like them, just another worker… And if they go, ‘Can we have your autograph? Can we have your picture?’ I’m going, ‘Oh my gosh.'”

Mary was willing to showcase her signature dish, but she didn’t stop there.  She is also very proud of her two pound burgers.

Now, there have been a lot of burgers on the Texas Bucket List, but this is the biggest one yet.

“I’ve had some big ballplayers, him and his friend, they were both big guys. And they come in, they ordered a burger and an order of fries, they split it,” she said.

Since it takes about 30 minutes to cook the burger Mary got to work on a chicken fried steak right on the flat top.

“Right now, I’m [going to] just fill the grill with what I have. I don’t know how many will be on here. Probably enough for about four large maybe,” said Mary.

At Mary’s Cafe, the chicken fried steak doesn’t touch the deep fryer, Mary has her own methods.

“It’s too much batter. It is, just batter that you’re getting when you have chicken. We deep fry our chicken fried chicken, but that’s about it,” she commented.

The chicken fried steaks are finished off with a few final touches. Some butter is splashed on top along with a very secret seasoning.

The burger is topped with cheese and toppings while the chicken fried steaks gets a massive side of real mashed potatoes.

Although one would never expect such a gigantic hamburger to have such good flavor, at Mary’s the secret seasoning is the touch.

On to the star of the show, the chicken fried steak. The flavor, texture and taste of this Texas treat is totally terrific.

“They know how to cook one,” said customer, Bob Nichols.

Chicken fried steak, flipped on a flat top, has a much different texture than you would get out of a deep fryer. Not as crunchy, but just enough crunch to make it incredible. It sure keeps her customers coming back for more.

“Usually, chicken fried steaks are super breaded and it’s not as healthy. And I’m not saying this is healthy, but you know what I’m saying,” said Megan.

“The crust is right, and the meat’s not over done, and it’s just a very well cooked chicken fried steak,” added Bob.

“It’s word of mouth, reputation. Everybody knows, that’s ever eaten here, they remember,” commented Bobby.

Over the years, we have seen plenty of quality across the Lone Star State, and plenty of quantity, too. But Mary, she is the queen of both, making Mary’s Cafe in Strawn well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List.

“As long as I know, and that man upstairs knows I’m doing my best, that’s all I can do,” said Mary.