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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

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!

 

 

 

 

Palestine – Over in picturesque Palestine of all places, there’s a pub with some serious sandwiches called the Pint and Barrel Drafthouse. “A lot of people told us we were crazy, but then they can’t imagine the town without us, now,” stated owner Chris Keller.

Chris is the crazy man behind the Pint and Barrel Drafthouse in the old town part of Palestine and his place is pretty unique. “It was built as a garage for the Palestine Electric Company, so it’s a garage, it was a barn, and we’ve managed to de-barn it a little bit, but it’s still pretty barn-y,” joked Chris.

Chris moved to Palestine to pour his soul into this watering hole found by his father-in-law a few years back. “He sent me a text of this building, for the picture of this building, and said, ‘Hey, you want to put a pub here?’ Why is this not a pub,” explained Chris. After years of searching for the perfect place, this nearly 100-year-old building turned out to be the perfect place for a plethora of pints.

Chris has had a fondness for frothy beer his whole life and has worked from the sales side to even brewing beer at St. Arnold’s in Houston. “Still, after running the business for almost seven years. Yeah, brewing was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s a lot of physical labor and I mean, imagine doing a triathlon and having to stop in the middle of it and do math, right,” said Chris.

Now he gets to enjoy a cold beer amongst the trees of east Texas while surrounded by at least half a dozen churches within half a mile of his place. “There are a lot of churches in this town.” That church right there, actually, I had to measure my front door to, and we had an extra 20 feet.” Just to make sure. But, come to find out, the pastor, I met him actually at the bar, he was sitting with his wife up there at the bar,” explained Chris. Fortunately, the faithful and found a place of fellowship at their friendly neighborhood pub.“We went to the Church, and all throughout the pews were our regulars, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I know you people. That’s great.’ I didn’t have to meet very many people for the first time going over there because I already know them,” joked Chris.

Now it seems Chris knows just about everybody in town. “We’ve become the living room of the town, really this is exactly what a pub needs to be, a place for the public to come up here and meet and talk,” stated Chris.

But then there’s the food and that’s what takes the Pint and Barrel to a whole new place. “I’ve never had anything that was bad here,” customer Dollinda Toole.

Now the reason the food is so fine here has to do with head chef Scotty Mick. “Whatever Scott wants to do, I’m like, “Just tell me how much it costs, so I know how much to charge, that’s all I’m going to say,” said Chris. “I love to cook and please people, and feed people, and make peoples’ bellies happy,” stated Scotty.

Scotty wanted to feature two of his famous dishes, the Green Grilled Cheese and Three Little Piggy. “You got to get yourself a three piggy. That’s our pulled pork sandwich, with fried spam and bacon,” stated Chris.

Scotty first cooked up the green grilled cheese by toasting two pieces of sweet sourdough bread, spreading on some mayo while adding muenster cheese, onions and tomatoes.  On top of that is their house made spinach and artichoke dip. That’s covered with provolone and allowed to melt all together. “You just want a real good melt on that cheese, you want it all to ooze out of it,” said Scotty while heating up the sandwich.

Then it’s time for the Three Little Piggy. While toasting the buns, Scotty busts out the pork he’s proud of. “This is my baby right here. I smoke usually every day, except Mondays and Tuesdays. So, what we’re going to do is, basically put a nice, healthy amount of meat on the sandwich.”  That heap of meat ended up being nearly three quarters of a pound!

After warming up a preposterous amount of pork, Scotty starts slamming the sammich together. “We’re going to shoot a little bit of this, this is my world-famous secret barbecue sauce that I make almost daily. Nobody even knows, not even my wife knows the recipe on this,” joked Scotty.

Then comes the fried Spam. And that’s topped with three pieces of bacon. “That’s the three piggy, and that’s what you’ll get when you come here, you will get that sandwich exactly like you see it right there,” said Scotty.

Well, we obviously have a preposterous amount of food here in Palestine, and we’re going to start with a smaller offering, the green grilled cheese. Looking so nice and quaint next to that big old pork sandwich, but this is not lacking in any flavor.  “Something totally different that I’ve never had before, and the soup that goes with it. It’s to die for,” said customer Dollinda Toole

Onto the star of the show, The Three Piggy. Well, I’ve got the perfect escape hatch, my mouth. So many different textures when you bite into that sandwich, the pulled pork, nice and soft, the spam, a little grilled, and then that crunchy bacon. That is the most ridiculous pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever seen or eaten. “I can’t do the three piggy, that would take me like a week to eat,” said Dollinda. “I like their sauce, and it’s just really slow cooked, it’s tender and juicy and melts in your mouth,” said customer Sheila Staples.

Well, after you have The Three Little Piggy, you’ll definitely huff and puff, you’re not going to blow any houses down either.

“It’s in Palestine, it’s a small community, you just have to come, you have to experience it,” said Kay.