Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Simmons Bank
  • About
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Map
  • Blog
  • Where to Watch
  • Contact

The Texas Bucket List – Curbside Bistro in Odessa

February 20, 2022 by Shane McAuliffe

Odessa – When it comes to finding unique food stops in the Petroplex, I’ve been looking far and wide to strike it rich. But as soon as I stepped foot into the Curbside Bistro, I could tell this stop is something special. “It’s like a best kept secret,” said customer Kim Stewart. “It’s crazy. It really is crazy. People love to eat here,” said owner Alejandro Barrientos.

Alejandro and his wife Stephanie are the foodies that founded the Curbside Bistro back in 2014 but this business is a far cry from working in the oil field. Alejandro knows firsthand. “Being in the oil field, you kind of have some downtime and start seeing what you want to do, your passion for it. And I’ve always had a passion for barbecue, and it wasn’t until I started researching, you could make your own barbecue sauce. You could make your own barbecue rubs. So I started experimenting and I started cooking,’ explained Alejandro.

After attending culinary school, Alajandro took a leap of faith and started out in a food truck but it wasn’t any run of the mill food truck. “I saved up money. Me and her [Stephanie], we bought a box truck. I used an oil field box truck. Completely gutted, there was nothing in it. And then, one paycheck I would save up and then we’d buy the fryer and then, okay, we scratched that off our list. And then what do we need now? We need a hot water heater. How much is it? This much. All right, let’s start saving. So me and her, we would save, we’d put our money together and we bought it slowly, but little by little,” explained Alejandro.

Those closest to Alajandro were somewhat encouraging. “You know, we tell family and friends, hey, we’re opening a food truck. They’re like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. What kind of tacos are you going to sell?’,” joked Alejandro.

Taco wasn’t what was on his mind, instead he wanted to create crazy concoctions of serious sliders and freaky fries full of flavor. It wasn’t long before folks were fond of his food truck but the next step would be even bigger for Alajandro and his wife. ‘You want to take this leap of faith with me?’ She goes, ‘Yeah let’s do it.’ So we both kind of quit both our jobs and dove head first into this. And haven’t looked back,” said Alejandro.

That courageous leap of faith was pretty daunting to Alejandro and Stephanie. “Oh yeah. It’s very scary. You go from knowing you’re going to get a paycheck every Friday benefits, stable job, to hey, we don’t sell these burgers we don’t eat. But you know, no risk, no reward. We knew something was calling us into us. God was moving us and opening doors for us, and we knew this is what we had to do,” expressed Alejandro.

His most sought-after slider, the Tejano Borracho. “It’s a blended mushroom patty topped with pulled pork, kickin’ bourbon sauce. We add a little alcohol in there, a fried jalapeno corn fritter, cilantro ranch, queso and all sandwiched in a brioche bun,” said Alejandro.

 Holy moly! This slider is so sensational, it’s made it all the way to New York City! “That one actually won us the James Beard Foundation competition, where we went to James Beard House in New York city. We had to represent West Texas,’ stated Alejandro.

Let’s go cook a Drunk Texan! Alejandro starts off with a patty that’s 70 percent beef and 30 percent mushrooms and while the sliders sizzle up, Alajandro gets started on my side. “Wait til you see the Buffalo fries. You’ll be like, oh this is awesome,” joked Alejandro.

Fresh marinated chicken is battered and fried while fries are topped with cheese, the chicken, cilantro ranch and buffalo sauce. The small sized burger is topped with pulled pork, bourbon BBQ sauce, fresh jalapenos, pickles, some cilantro ranch, the jalapeno corn fritter and a bit of jalapeno queso.

As soon as I sat down to enjoy the meal, I knew Alejandro had hooked us up with one insane plate. The Buffalo fries are over stacked. The sliders are trying to hold things together and somehow we’re going to devour this. “I come for this and I don’t deviate,” said Kim.

The marinated chicken with that house made ranch and Buffalo sauce just takes things to a whole other level. “We always get the full order, cause go big go home,” joked customer John Stewart.

Now I understand why the Buffalo fries are so popular! “I don’t share. I get the full order and it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. And I do this once or twice a week with my husband and without,” joked Kim.

I guess we should go ahead and slide on into the sliders. Never has one bite provided so much fantastic flavor. “You can’t get it anywhere else. This is the only one here in West Texas or in existence,” said John.

Well, if you’re a fan of rich flavors that bring out the biggest and boldest taste that we love here in Texas, coming here to the Curbside Bistro in Odessa is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “I cut my teeth in the restaurant business here in Odessa, and for a lot of young culinarians, they want to go to Austin, Houston, go to big name chefs. And I said, no, I want to make this my home, this is where I was born and raised, I got my family and friends. I want to represent Odessa and show them that, ‘Hey, we can be just as good as those guys or not better.’ And I wanted to show young culinarians that are getting their start in culinary school that, ‘Hey, you can make it here too.’ You don’t have to go to these big cities,” expressed Alejandro.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – Brick Vault Barbeque and Brewery in Marathon

February 12, 2022 by Shane McAuliffe

Marathon – Brewster County is the biggest county in our state, covering over 6,000 square miles! It’s home to Big Bend, Terlingua, Alpine and Marathon. The whole county has three BBQ joints and the Brick Vault is one of them.

“There wasn’t much. I don’t really know of any other place other than us. There’s a good spot there in Marfa, Convenience West is good, but other than that, there wasn’t any barbecue out here,” said owner Phillip Moellering.

Moellering didn’t mull over the idea of opening a BBQ joint in this desolate destination because it seemed like the perfect fit in the eclectic destination that is Marathon. “Yeah, it sounds crazy. It’s not like the hill country where you can get the barbecue in every town.  It’s so quiet. The mountains, it slows down out here. I mean, there’s not much traffic, it’s peaceful and it’s a place where you can just lose yourself and get away,” expressed Phillip.

Just steps from the Gage Hotel and the White Buffalo Bar, some of my favorite stops in the whole state, the Brick Vault gets its name from a brick vault in the back that was part of the original building built in 1886. In 1927 the building burnt down but the brick vault survived and it’s still smoking today. ‘It is a smoker. It’s a cold smoke, it doesn’t put off a whole lot of heat, which we don’t want. We’re just trying to get the smoke on there for the bacon,” said Phillip.

The rest of the BBQ is cooked in an offset 1000-gallon smoker and that includes the inhouse made sausage. “We try to do a different sausage every week. We try to do our play on a Queso Flameado, which is Asadero cheese, and we, kind of like a chorizo, and we just stuff it all in there,” explained Phillip.

Souped-up sausage isn’t the craft offering you can cash in on at the Brick Vault, there’s also craft beer. “For me, it like checks all the boxes. It’s physically demanding. It’s creatively demanding, and it’s mentally demanding,” said brew master Amy Oxenham.

Oxenham attended the prestigious Siebel Institute of Technology, has a degree in Biology, and previously worked at Big Bend Brewing. “All of that together. I like to think I’m a pretty well-rounded brewer,” joked Amy.

Her beer recipes resonate with the region.  From a crisp Mexican Lager to a sweet pecan porter and her beers pair perfectly with Phillip’s BBQ. “She has the ability to do whatever she wants in regards to her beer profiles, and that’s what I think attracts people here,” said Phillip. “There is just so much craftsmanship and passion and design that went in to that one meal,” stated Amy.

Phillip got started pulling things off the pit for my plate and that’s about the time I noticed, there are not very many cows or wood in these parts. Pretty much anything you need in this neck of the woods has to make the journey to get here. “We get our wood from our family spot there in Fredericksburg. We get a delivery from my cousin every six weeks. He brings about four cords every six weeks,” said Phillip.

Brisket, turkey, ribs and three different styles of sausage took up our entire tray.  I decided to start with the house made specialty sausage.  It looks amazingly coarse and once you taste it, it’s beautifully spiced. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a big sausage fan. I’m a fan of this sausage,” said customer Janis Jobe.

From there we’ll do the Jalapeno Cheddar which is stuffed with cheese and it’s just as tasty as the original, just spicier and cheesier. And finally, the Queso Flameado Sausage. A good spicy sausage, not as coarse, but just as cheesy and delicious!

We went to Phil’s ribs and they had a nice vinegary finish and were delicious. “The ribs are huge and full of meat,” said customer Eloise Haynes

Finding barbecue turkey that moist in the Chihuahuan Desert. That’s a find! “Goldmine. I mean, it really is. It’s just a gold mine,” said customer Tony Currer.

And finally the brisket, smokey, sensational with that salt and pepper finish! “Super yummy food,” said Eloise.

You shouldn’t be able to find barbecue this good in West Texas. “It’s really that good. It really is. And I mean it seriously. You can’t really explain it until it just hits your mouth. And then once it hits your mouth, you’re just like, wow. That’s good barbecue. That’s great stuff,” said Tony.

Well, if the love of your life is looking for that romantic trip out to Marathon, we’ve got some good news for you. There’s a place for beer and barbecue and it’s called the Brick Vault. And it’s well worth the stop on The Texas Bucket List! “Like nothing you’ll ever taste,” said Eloise. “It’s fun. It’s a lot of hard work though. I mean, it’s long hours. It’s hard work, but at the end of the day seeing someone enjoy their meal is what it’s all about,” expressed Phillip. “There is a lot of incredible work that goes into curating this experience. And I think we do a good job, honestly,” said Amy.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – Naaman’s Championship BBQ in Texarkana

February 5, 2022 by Shane McAuliffe

Texarkana – When traveling around Texarkana, sometimes it’s hard to know where Texas ends and Arkansas begins. But when you smell the sweet smoke of BBQ through the air coming across the state line, you grin and bear it while sneaking across the street into the Bear State to try Naaman’s BBQ.

Darby Neaves is the owner of Naaman’s and there’s no question where his allegiance stands. “Well, I was born in Texarkana, Texas but I grew up in Ogden, Arkansas. Now, if all hell breaks loose, I will be in Texas,” joked Darby Neaves. And his BBQ? “Yeah, absolutely it’s Texas style,” stated Darby.

Turns out it doesn’t matter what side of the line you’re on as long as you have good BBQ. “This is a stop every time we’re here. Every time we’re here,” said customer Chuck Holle from Brenham. “It’s the best barbecue in the whole world,” said customer Irene Chin.

Now this all started when Darby went to his first BBQ cookoff. “Me and my pastor went to Arkadelphia to a barbecue cook-off just to see what it was like, and they let us be judges that day. I had some of the best barbecue I’d ever had in my life and then I had some nasty stuff, and we swear to you, you couldn’t swallow, you had to spit it out,” said Darby.

After chewing on it for a while, Darby decided to start a team. “I got obsessed with it. We just went all in,” stated Darby.

Darby’s team went on to win several cookoffs. “Had a lot of people, a lot of good cooks, take the time and show me a lot. Some of them will tell me almost the truth and I’d have to figure the rest of it out. But that’s competition, isn’t it,” said Darby.

Darby first opened a food truck before opening the restaurant that bears his son’s name. “Naaman’s, Narmon’s, Nearman, I don’t know. It’s different every time,” joked Darby’s son Naaman.

Back then Naaman was just a kid. “I’ve been in this for almost 10 years now,” said Naaman. “I’m very proud. He’s still a kid in so many ways, but at the same time, he’s not,” expressed Darby.

Naaman’s is known for a sizable sandwich that might as well be another one of Darby’s kids, except he calls this one the “Red Headed Stepchild.” Naaman got things started with a buttered bun that gets topped with torn up brisket. “Yeah, you just rip it apart so it’s easier to chew because burnt ends are kind of tough,” explained Naaman. “In Texas most of you don’t have chopped anything. I used to have a saying, ‘Chops are for people who don’t know how to cook’,” joked Darby.

Then comes the pulled pork. House made sausage is stacked on top of that, then comes the coleslaw, and two kinds of bbq sauce. It is a beautiful, big, old sandwich. All sorts of meat, coleslaw, sauces.  Such an incredible assortment of flavors. Much like the Ark-La-Tex, you got three different things coming together to make one incredible dish. “It’s my top five,” said customer Chuck Holle.

It’s kind of like when you finish your three-meat plate and you got a little bit of coleslaw left, and all those meats, you just have to scoop them together and put them in a slice of bread, and it’s amazing. “Good sandwich. It was a mixture of everything that’s on the menu, just about,” said customer Brian Talley.

Well, if the Red Headed Stepchild was in my family, this would be the favorite. “I’ve eaten a lot of barbecue, and this is the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten,” said Irene.

“The brand of names, the brand means more to me than money. It’s my son’s name. He was three when I started competitions. I had no idea that it would ever turn into something like this. That’s not my name to ruin. I want that name to mean something. Quality,” explained Darbey.

Well, if you’re looking for a bite that brings together the people of Texarkana, just come to Naaman’s for the “Red Headed Stepchild.” A big, old sandwich that brings together Texans and folks from the other side of the state line and it’s well worth a stop.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week, Food

The Texas Bucket List – Texas Roadstand in Cedar Creek

January 10, 2022 by Shane McAuliffe

Cedar Creek – If you’ve even traveled between San Marcos and Bastrop, you know how crazy Highway 21 can be. Sometimes you just want to pull off the highway to take a break from the ever-growing amount of traffic on this two-lane road.

The Texas Roadstand is the perfect place to do just that, just be sure you don’t accidently pass up this little place on this precarious road. “I actually passed it on the way and I’ve been here before,” joked customer Rebecca Birdwell.

“The sound of traffic is the sound of money. But the sound of traffic is also… I live here. So the sound of traffic is really, it’s very loud,” said owner Marian Barrett. Marian is a Jersey girl that had enough of the Garden State and got to Texas as quickly as she could. “Even though I’m not perfectly Texas, I try to be,” joked Marian.

After getting a culinary degree and Walnut Hill College, she worked in restaurants from France to Philly but wanted her own place. So in 2016, she found 7 acres with a small building on the side of the road in Cedar Creek and opened The Texas Roadstand. “It was an old vegetable stand. Just sitting on the side of the road and everybody knew it as the vegetable building because it said “Vegetables” on the front. And when we painted it over, people were mad. They were like, ‘Why would you do that? It’s a landmark?’ I’m like, ‘It’s something new now,” explained Marian.

Being from New Jersey, Marian wasn’t ready for the reception she received when she turned on the grill and started making food for the traveling masses. “People were very, very excited about helping. They were just like ‘What can we do to make you succeed?’ I was like, that restored my faith in humanity. I was like, ‘Wow. You know, they really are. They really want to help people out here. They really want to see you succeed. That whole independence thing is like awesome,” expressed Marian.

In order to continue that success Marian had to have good food and we don’t just show up for anything. First and foremost are her famed pickles. “People really like pickles out here. I learned that,” stated Marian. “She makes her own pickles too. The pickles are really good,” said customer David Rice. “I added this kind of as an afterthought. And this was the best afterthought I ever came up with,” joked Marian.

Cut up cucumbers, dill, rosemary, proprietary pickle seasoning and jalapenos are added to her brine mixture and allowed to ferment over a week. “I grew up eating east coast pickles, kosher dills. And it is based on an east coast kosher dill pickle. It’s just something different,” explained Marian. While these cured cucumbers tickled my pickle, I was here for something a little more hearty, her hamburgers.

“Make sure you get me the one with the crunchy onions,” said Rebecca. Known as the Podcast Burger, this crunchy creation might have a new name once we’re done featuring it.

As the fatty meat and cheese cooks, Marian gets the onion strings fried up and the bacon jam heated up to perfection! “I have a vegan that comes once a year. And this is the only burger that she’ll eat,” said Marian.

Marian takes her house made rolls and creates this monstrously sized burger with a massive amount of onions on it. The Podcast Burger, which is like a bacon jam burger, just on steroids and with one bite you can definitely tell that burger is a ride through texture town. “Instead of mustard and ketchup and stuff, it just is a whole different taste,” said David. “It’s just so juicy. And I mean, it’s a good hamburger,” said Rebecca.

Well, if you’re looking for a really good burger that happens to be on the side of the road, come into the Texas Roadstand in Cedar Creek. It’s well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List! “This has been an absolutely life-changing experience for me, getting to know the people and my customers and how beautiful and how pure souls these people are. I’ve never experienced that before. I’ve never had people who want to see me succeed just to see me succeed,” expressed Marian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – Old Central Firehouse in San Angelo

November 30, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

San Angelo – On the banks of the Concho River, you’ll find this nearly 100-year-old firehouse taking tons of calls. But those cries aren’t for help with fires but rather help with hunger.

Michele Babish and her helicopter pilot husband Jodi purchased the Old Central Firehouse back in 2017. Together they converted the old Trost building into one of the hottest hot spots in San Angelo, the Old Central Firehouse Pizzeria and Taproom. “When we saw it, it was a little bit neglected. It didn’t really look like a firehouse but we had seen some old pictures and just saw a vision,” said Michele Babish, the owner. “So cool that they preserved the history yet they made it into a really hip place,” said customer Jaymie Williams .

Known for their pizza pies and cold beer, the Old Central Firehouse is also known as a place to rest your head, because they have rooms you can stay in right above the restaurant. “It is a lot under one roof, but it works so great, it really does. It works very well,” stated Michele.

While you can live out your childhood fantasy of being a firefighter or Ghostbuster, you can pour your own pint on their unique self-serve suds wall. It’s never been easier to cool off your thirst for a tasty Texas beer but could their pizza keep up with the heat. We headed to the kitchen to showcase three unique pizza pies. “Today we’re going to do the Brisket Pizza. And we’ve got a Spicy Pickle pizza that we’re going to do and the Street Taco pizza,” said Andrew Owen as he brought us back into the kitchen.

Andrew Owen is the General Manager and did he say pickle pizza? I might have just gotten myself in a pickle. First off the Brisket Pizza.  Andrew prepares the dough that’s made in house. Sliced mozzarella, a parmesan, basil, parsley mix, and marinara starts things off. Fresh jalapenos and red onions complete a fine ensemble before it hits the fancy fire. A 720-degree oven with a spinning stone that cooks pizza in 90 seconds. Cilantro and a BBQ sauce drizzle complete our first pizza.

On to pizza number two, the street taco pizza has no sauce and is topped with sliced mozzarella, the mix, and marinated skirt steak.  Once baked it’s topped with minced red onion, chopped cabbage, cilantro, queso fresco, guacamole drizzle and limes.

On to pizza number 3, the Spicy Pickle Pizza gets mozzarella, the parmesan mix, alfredo sauce, extreme hot pickle bites and jalapenos. And then it’s topped with dill cream sauce. Let’s stuff our pie hole.

There is so much Texas flair in the brisket pizza. It just makes you want to lasso the west Texas wind. “I’ve had all of the pizzas here. I love the meat on it. It’s cool because a lot of people don’t put barbecue brisket on pizza, but this is Texas, so why not? Right,” said Jaymie.

From there we’re going to go south of the border to the street taco pizza. It literally smells like a taco. Once I take a bite, it does not feel like you’re eating a pizza at all. It has such a unique flavor. Almost like eating a taco with a really soft, warm shell.

Finally, the one you’ve all been waiting for the Spicy Pickle pizza. We’ll try to find one that has an equal ratio of pickles to jalapenos. This is pretty darn unique. San Angelo you have surprised me! This Spicy Pickle Pizza is sensational! “Pickles on pizza, two favorite things, got to get it,” said customer Heather Burelson.“We thought we’ll put it on and kind of see… Sounds weird. But then we tasted it and it’s amazing. And our regular customers… I mean, we sell it all the time, so we’ve kept it on and we’ve never taken it off the menu,” explained Michele.

Well, if you’re into pickles, this will tickle your pickle. “I love pickles. I think you have to love pickles to like the pizza. If you don’t like pickles, I wouldn’t get it, but I love it. It’s good. And with the dill sauce, and the pickles, and the cheese, it’s perfect,” explained Jaymie.

Well, Peter Piper may have picked a peck of pickled peppers, but if he came to St. Angelo, Peter Piper would pick a Spicy Pickle Pizza. “It’s really good. Throw a little bit of ranch on it and tear it up,” said Sean.

If you’re looking for a pizza place with some incredible Texas flavors and things you wouldn’t expect to find, or just looking for a Lone Star State beer, or even just a place to rest your head, come into the Old Central Firehouse in San Angelo Texas. It’s well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List! “I’m a big pizza fan. I don’t think there’s a better pizza place here in San Angelo,” stated Heather.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week, Bizarre

The Texas Bucket List – Culture ETX in Tyler

November 18, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

Tyler – Chef Lance McWhorter, owner of Culture ETX, can be a little eccentric from time to time. His far-out food and loud way of life has been sort of a surprise for the town of Tyler. “We haven’t had a chef like Lance in town before,” said customer Jordan Sword. “Lance is the best thing that ever happened to us,” said another customer, Tiffany Gilliam.

Is he straight forward? Yes. “Been waiting for you guys to call for a while,” joked owner Lance.  Does he like his music a little too loud? Of course, he used to be in a band!. “There’s people that don’t dig my style, or don’t dig me, or don’t dig my music, or whatever, and that’s totally fine,” said Lance.

Being a rock star might be the most boring thing Lance ever did. “I’ve been a soldier, a sailor, firefighter, and a medic, a guitar player in a rock band. Now I’m a chef and I own a restaurant,” said Lance. “At first I was like, ‘Man, this guy’s totally lying ’and then you just kind of start putting pictures together and pieces of the puzzles together, and it’s like, ‘Man, this guy’s telling the truth, he’s lived all these different lives!’ And then here he is here. So he’s really cool to get to just kind of talk to. You don’t run across guys like Lance that often,” said customer Ryan Sword.

own restaurant, back then Lance didn’t know what to expect from life because he was living day to day. “Definitely not the best kid, definitely not the worst kid, but just things didn’t work out at home so I wound up kind of house hopping and staying with this friend, staying with that friend, living on the streets. I remember I lived in a deer blind in Carrollton while I was working at a Little Caesar’s Pizza,” explained Lance.

That’s when Lance decided to join the Army and that was only his first branch of service. “I was in the army. I was in the Navy. I was a high threat security contractor for the state department. Basically, the Benghazi guys, I did exactly what they did during that time, except I was in Baghdad. And I was actually on my way back to Baghdad, I was on a plane when that whole Benghazi thing happened. And then the next year I said, I’m going to be a chef. Let’s do something really crazy for a living.” said Lance. “I came home, got a job at a restaurant, took a $185,000 a year pay cut, which was absolutely asinine. But it was chasing a passion. It was doing something that I really wanted to do that I really thought that I needed to be doing,” expressed Lance.

Lance worked in fine restaurants all over Big D, learning everything he could. “That was kind of my whole deal so I just needed to get out and just be a sponge and absorb everything that I could from these people. And then as soon as I did that, I was like, ‘All right, I’m ready.’,” explained Lance.

Lance and his wife Bailey settled on taking their talents to Tyler and Lance combined his worldly travels with Texas taste buds. “Being in those really formative years, I was traveling all over the world. I think that’s where I really kind of developed that passion for different flavors and things that weren’t necessarily what my East Texas grandma was cooking at home. It wasn’t rice and beans, gumbo, and chicken fried steak, it was a lot of exotic stuff going on there,” said Lance. “Things from Latin America. A lot of things from Africa, Middle East, of course, far east, there’s a ton of Asian influences in my cooking,” stated Lance.

“Man it’s cool, it’s like nothing that’s ever been here, really,” said Ryan Sword.

“It’s like I wanted kind of high end in food, but I never wanted it to feel high end. I never wanted it to feel like it was stuffy, or that you’re underdressed, or that you have any reason at all to be uncomfortable. I want it to feel like you’re coming and having dinner at my house,” explained Lance.

Well we couldn’t wait to hear what extravagant dish Lance would be dishing out and turns out to be…a pork chop. But this isn’t a boring boar dish, this little piggy has its own story. “The entire pork chop dish is completely composed from something that really happened,” stated Lance.

When this little piggy came from the market, it was raised on an east Texas farm in the forest, where it could roam freely amongst the shaded trees and cover itself in the rich soil. Talk about living high on the hog. “You can see the color on these things, it’s a lot more red than what you’re normally used to seeing in basically grocery store pork,” said Lance as he showed us the slab of pork.

Lance takes the perfect piece of pork and puts it in a hot oil bath, then butter, thyme, garlic and green onions get sauteed with the swine. It’s finished off in the oven and then plated to present the circle of life, back when this fella was living the life in forests of east Texas. Lance lays down a layer of harissa to represent the soil, he then puts the pig in the mud and covers it with the lush landscape represented by green onions, zest of lemon, and Baby Red Frills Mustard Greens. “They’re super expensive, but they’re super worth it. Like we were saying, get the best ingredients you can afford,” said Lance.

And finally, there’s Fennel pollen to make you feel you are in the middle of a flowery foliage. “The flowers in the air, you’ll be able to smell this as it falls,” said Lance.

When the heritage pork chop hit the table, the smell coming off of that fennel pollen is amazing and I cannot wait to cut into it! The pork chop just cut so tenderly, I was trying to make sure I got meat. After one bite, I knew I’ve never experienced a pork chop like that. “I never order a pork chop. I never order a pork chop. And especially at a place like this. When I had it, I was kind of blown away. I mean, I was like, ‘Wow, I had no idea that a pork chop could be like that.’,” said Ryan.

Well, the flavor of the pork chop is fantastic. The harissa has an underlying tone, but then it also does hit you with a big bam. And then that lemon zest on top of those mustard greens mixing in with the sauce below that pork, little crispy green onion on top of that, fantastic. We have been all over Texas trying unique flavors and this one, it ranks right up there. “Every single bite is the same, everybody’s composed. It’s just one of those really… It’s just decadent, it’s really good,” said Lance.

“He gets it all the time. My husband loves it. And so that means I get a little bit of it every time, which is great,” joked Tiffany.

“It’s crispy, and it’s tasty, and it’s flavors you would not normally put together that work so well together, and it’s great,” stated Jordan.

If you’re looking for a little culture in your cuisine, come into Culture ETX. It should be on your bucket list because it’s well worth the stop! “You’ll always find something that you love, you’ll always try something new, and you’ll always be surrounded by some of the best people that you’ll ever meet in your life,” expressed Lance.

 

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week, Food

The Texas Bucket List – Meme’s Kleen Kitchen in Del Rio

October 23, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

Del Rio – Whenever we’re on the road, we always look for unique places to feature.  When it came to driving around Del Rio, it didn’t take long to find Meme’s. Carolina Gonzalez is the senior sibling that helps run this little chicken shack that happens to be across the street from a really big grocery store. “I’ve had people say, ‘Oh, you can smell Meme’s. Forget the groceries. We’re going to have to go order Meme’s.’,” joked Carolina.

Meme’s Kleen Kitchen takes two things very seriously, cleanliness of course and family. “I’m here with my sister, so we’ve raised our kids together. I have three and she has one and we’ve been pregnant at the same time. We’ve raised them together, and Del Rio is home,” said Carolina.

“I am completely honored to be able to run the business and manage it along with my family,” said Azalea Gonzalez.

Azalea Gonzalez has been here since her father Joey Gonzalez bought Meme’s. Owning Meme’s was a dream of Azalea’s and Carolina’s dad for a long time and after a long career on the railroad, Joey got to purchase the place that’s been a part of Del Rio since the 50’s. “Meme’s is something that he had always wanted, and he says, ‘ Meme’s is a family business, so I won’t be doing it alone. Everybody’s going to do it.’ And literally, that’s exactly what has happened,” said Carolina.  “We all do a little bit of everything here to continue the legacy that my father started,” expressed Azalea.

When Azalea says “we all”, she means we all. Turns out the Gonzales’ already have the next generation filling orders and helping around the family business. “When we say that Meme’s Kleen Kitchen is a family-owned business and we’re all in it together, we are literally all in it together. He’d be very proud of them. He’s proud of them that they’re all in here doing a little bit and learning the business. That’s what he wanted,’ expressed Carolina.

Joey passed away in 2013 but the family keeps the clean kitchen ticking. “It’s pretty awesome to be able to share the experience that my dad shared with us, with them and our kids,” said Azalea. “We always remind the kids that their grandfather was a man of his word. He lived by his word. It was integrity. And that’s the kind of man he was, so here we are,” said Carolina.

Now the clean part of this equation is taken very seriously because customers can see everything going on in the cleansed kitchen from all sorts of crazy angles thanks to windows on just about every side of the kitchen. “People have come to the window and said, oh my God, y’all are busy, but it’s always so clean. And we’re like, well, we take pride in that as well,” stated Carolina.

With their history, their reputation, and their food.  Meme’s Kleen Kitchen truly is close-knit to this community and surrounding communities as well. “I love this spot. I’ve been coming here since probably before I was born. So I was in mama’s womb eating at Meme’s, so now that I’m out of it and driving it myself, I get here as much as I can,” said Frenchy.

Azalea got us geared up for an assortment of their goodies.“We have our own batter. We have our own secret little ingredients that go in there. The ladies who make the chicken, it’s a gift. It really is,” said Carolina.

Chicken wasn’t the only thing on the menu at Meme’s. The battered fries are a big thing here. And jalapenos come with every order. Azalea made sure we got a little bit of everything here, so we have a few things to go through and I’m going to start with those incredible battered fries. I’ve seen a lot of fries across the Lone Star State, but I’ve never seen anything like it, and they are delicious!  “The greasiness, you bite it in your mouth. I just love it,” said Josie.

As for the chicken, it is good a greasy and full of flavor.  Just be sure to add a jalapeno slice to each and every bite to get the full authentic experience!  “Crunchiness, juiciness, delicious,” stated customer Chelo Luna. “I can’t even describe it, man. I just get emotional thinking about it. It’s awesome,” joked Frenchy.

Well, if you’re looking for a rare bird in Southwest Texas, coming into Meme’s for some fried chicken at this Kleen Kitchen is well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – Lucy’s in El Paso

September 21, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

El Paso – When it comes to experiencing the culture and flavor of the west Texas town of El Paso, some say that Lucy’s should be first in your line. “That’s what El Paso’s all about. It’s a different blend of flavors and traditions,” said customer Hugo Arreolar.

“The Mexican food here in El Paso, it’s evolved from Chihuahua, Juarez and everybody has their own special types that they do. And, so here in El Paso, all Mexican food is really, really good. I think we should be like the Mexican food capital of the world,” said owner Albert Lepe.

Albert, his five siblings, and his son Josh, are in charge of keeping the family business afloat. You see, it was Albert’s mother Lucy who got this little business started in the 70’s. “She’s very well known here in El Paso. A lot of people know her. A lot of people love her. And, so it’s very enjoyable to follow what she started and keep her legacy,” said Albert.

That Lepe family legacy includes a few of the most famous dishes in the far west corner of our state. “We are the founders of Lucy’s famous Machaca and tacos Antonia.  I think it’s one of the best dishes El Paso has,” said Josh Lepe, Albert’s son.

The Machacha and Tacos Antonia have been bringing in business like nobody’s business since 1978 and since 1981, Lucy’s has been in the same location next to one of the most divine dive bars in the Sun City, King’s X. “They’re iconic. King’s X it’s iconic. They’ve been here for over 60 years. And, so we’re glad that we’re right next to them,” stated Albert. “Back in my college days it was a good place to hang out. We’d come after the football games and stuff like that and it was always packed. We used to have live bands and stuff. It was just a fun place to be,” said customer Karen Mathis.

“It means so much to me. It’s everything about me. It’s my livelihood. It’s kept my family fed for all these years, generations. And, we’re just trying to keep that going,” expressed Josh. Albert’s son Josh got things started in the kitchen with their famosos fine offering. “Tacos Antonio and Machaca, bro,” stated Josh.

First up is breakfast, or lunch, or dinner just depending on when you want the world famous, traditionally first meal of the day. Josh starts us off with the machaca. Once this combination of pot roast brisket, eggs, onions, jalapenos and tomatoes is finished, it’s topped with tons of cheese. We’re not done yet because next up is the Tacos Antonia which starts with the same beef brisket and caramelized onions and the plate is a tortilla that gets hardened up. “Once it flips over, we’re just going to put the special seasoning on the taco shell,” said Josh. Throw on some sour cream, avocado, a citrusy cabbage salad and cilantro and we’re all set.

Once I got a bite of the Machacha, it was easy to see what everyone is so excited about in El Paso. The flavor is amazing. The queso with the beef and the tomatoes and the onions and the peppers make for such an amazing homemade flavor and a great breakfast in El Paso.

As for the Tacos Antonia, named after Aunt Toni, the tacos are an incredible mixture of beef, avocado, and that salad Antonia. Simply an amazing, light, crispy taco. The salad mixes so well with the beef and the avocado and then a little hint of the spice from that taco shell is amazing!

After finishing the tacos, I feel like Tacos Antonia might just be some of the best tacos in Texas. “It’s just stayed consistent. It’s the same, it’s comfort. It’s comfort food,” said Mary Mathis.

Well, this Lucy’s has no explaining to do. For an iconic taste of El Paso and a flavor you’re sure to love, come into Lucy’s to get the tacos Antonio and the Machaca. “We’re going to make you happy,” stated Albert.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – The Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin

September 12, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

Seguin – When it comes to getting a bite at the Burnt Bean in Seguin you better jump to it because this place is popular during the four days a week it’s open. “I always say lines, don’t lie. If there’s a line, there’s a reason it’s good barbecue,” said owner Ernest Servantes.

Ernest is the pitmaster that turned the pot on high to create the Burnt Bean Company, a BBQ joint that sometimes gets misidentified. “So what kind of coffee are you going to be selling? That’s such a great coffee name. Are you going to be like a Starbucks,” joked Ernest who is originally from Uvalde.

Ernest opened the Burnt Bean Company in January of 2021 and it didn’t take long for the restaurant to get a really good reputation but that might be because Ernest already earned his. “My claim to fame is Competition Barbecue.  I’ve won 45 to 50 grand champions, 18 times state champion, I won everything you can win in Texas and then went all the way all over the country to prove that Texas has the best barbecue,” said Ernest. Ernest’s accolades don’t stop there, he’s been on shows much fancier than The Texas Bucket List. “I’ve been on about eight shows like Chop Grillmaster Champion, Tournament of Champion, Barbecue Pit Masters, Barbecue Pit Masters: All-Stars, Barbecue Crawl, barbecue… Oh, so many barbecue shows,” said Ernest.

Back in his competition days, Earnest had one competitor that always gave him a run for his money.  A competitor, he trained himself in the ways of the BBQ master, David Kirkland. “He used to get mad at me because he would show me the process and then I would use it and beat him and then he was like he didn’t want to show me anymore. He’s like, ‘All right. All right. All right. That’s enough of that.’,” explained Ernest. Now they’re partners and co-owners of the Burnt Bean. “I taught him everything I know and so everything that’s put out, if I’m not in the pit he’s on the pit. He’s the only two guys that run those pits,” stated Ernest.

Now enough talking about it, I wanted to try one of these infamous plates! Earnest got things started on his Texas Trinity plate. First up is brisket, which I got to sample during the preparation of the plate and it is amazing.  Smoky, peppery, and perfect. Then came the ribs and sausage. “Our sausage is a three-day process and all we honestly use and I’m proud to say it is, we use our own brisket trimming. So we’re using prime beef instead of scrap meat or anywhere else that a lot of places do,” explained Ernest.

Then came the sides and I had no idea how big a thing these are at the Burnt Bean. I got a taste of the Brisket Cowboy beans, Mississippi Style Green Beans, Jalapeno Street Corn Pudding, Bacon Ranch Potatoes, and Hot Cheeto Mac and Cheese.

After sampling the smoked meats and all the sides, it’s safe to say this is one my favorite BBQ joints in the whole state.  Truly magnificent flavor no matter what you order.

“The first time I tried it, it’s pretty awesome,” said customer Sammy Lopez.

“He can turn anything into something good to eat,” stated customer Tom Dodgen.

“We want Seguin to be proud of us,” stated Ernest.

“This will be a destination spot much like some of the other well-known established barbecue places around the state,” said customer Tom Dodgen.

Well, if barbecue is your thing, then I’ve got a place for you in Seguin, it’s called the Burnt Bean and it is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“The Burnt Bean Company is a dream that I never thought would ever happen. And it’s like, “Now I don’t want to go to sleep because the reality is better than my dreams and I’m in a good place,” said Ernest.

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

The Texas Bucket List – Slab BBQ & Beer in Austin

August 26, 2021 by Shane McAuliffe

Austin – Over in the Capital City, there’s a BBQ stop that specializes in sandwiches called SLAB.  “Having fun. Making barbecue. Slinging sandwiches,” said owner Mark Avalos.

Avalos is the pitmaster with a particular fondness for sandwiches. “I’m that guy that goes to the restaurants, and barbecue restaurants, and grabs a meat and grabs a bread and makes a sandwich. And then in just one day I was like, I had this vision. I was like, ‘man, I’d love to create a place just based on barbecue sandwiches.’,” explained Mark.

Mark started off in a food truck but it didn’t take long to curate a cult following for these stacks of sauce and Q. “I wanted to be different from everyone else. And then the two meat three meat plates, because I figured there’s a lot of those. I wanted, again, since day one, it was just going to be about barbecue sandwiches,” said Mark.

Mark is a self-taught barbeque man and he didn’t just master the ways of Texas, he took the time to learn every region’s style of barbeque and made each into its own style of sandwich. “I learned about Memphis. I learned about Carolina, I learned Alabama style. And so I just learned the different ways. And I was like, man, there’s a lot out there and there’s. I think I can create sandwiches based on the different regions,” explained Mark. Each sandwich has a very unique name. “The Notorious P.I.G, the Texas O.G, The Texas Trill. The Chicken W.A. I mean, it’s just a lot of play on,” said Mark.

The grinder we’re getting down with is the McDowell, a rib sandwich that has a huge connection with the class 1988 flick Coming to America. “Coming to America is huge. I mean my generation, right? And so we played on them, McDowell and the whole concept,” stated Mark.

Mark got things started by pulling off a rack of ribs. “So we get them to the point where it’s kind of… I’ll take those out. So we’re going to make sure that everything stays intact. Now we’re going to slide the rib meat to the sandwich. So we’ve got a Backyard Red, which is our traditional red sauce and then our gold sauce, which is a mustard based sauce called Gold Rush. And that’s going to make the Soul Glo. A combination of the two. So then we’re just going to finish it off with some pickles and onions. Simple. But, good. And there it is. That’s the McDowell,” explained Mark.

Well it may not have a Sesame seed bun, but the McDowell looks pretty darn impressive. It’s dripping all over the place. After carefully taking a bite of the boneless ribs, sopped up in sauce is safe to say my love for this sandwich rivals Akeem’s love for Lisa.  The tenderness of the rib meat is ridiculous. Just like it falls off the bone, it falls apart in your mouth.  Then, every once in a while, you run into bark and it just creates a whole new texture and the sandwich.  It’s truly tangy and terrific and I definitely feel like I’m sowing my royal oats with this sandwich.

“Just sauces and things that they put on their sandwiches. That really makes a big difference,” stated customer Ben Naughton.

“It’s just fresh. It’s just rich. It’s just fall off the bone kind of meat,” said customer Jillian Keeper.

“I just wanted to let people know that there’s some other things out there that are really good too. Let me show you on the sandwich,” expressed Mark.

“You can go anywhere, and everybody claims that they do barbecue the best and that they’re the hands down original, OG barbecue place. But this is definitely, I think, the top tier place to come to in Texas,” Well eating like a king or a prince is easy to do at SLAB BBQ in Austin. All you have to do is order the McDowell because it is well worth a stop on the Zamunda… I mean on The Texas Bucket List!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Videos, Bite of the Week

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 9
  • Next Page »
go to the top
Copyright © McAuliffe Productions, LLC. Website
Made in Texas by Drift