Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

The Texas Bucket List – The State Fair of Texas Fair Food

by

Dallas – The State Fair of Texas is synonymous with having a hodgepodge of insane eats. You’ll always find good ol’ reliable fair food here like Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, but you can also start with something ludicrous, such as one crazy concoction created by 34-year fair veteran Tom Grace at Pizza By the Giant Slice. “Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger,” said Tom. “That’s it.”

For some reason, it’s difficult to wrap your mind around this idea. Just imagine a burger filled with gooey nacho cheese and surrounded by funnel cake, powdered sugar and all. Being presented with this burger was a bit tricky. “Try to hold it together,” said Tom. “It’ll try to fall apart on you, but you got it.”

It didn’t take long to see why this was a Big Tex Choice Awards winner in 2017. It may not seem like queso and funnel cake would go together, but when you combine the two to make a bacon burger you get a mix of sweet and savory that’s as balanced as it is ridiculous.

Next up was Chef Greg Parish from Gourmet Royal. Greg has been working at the fair since 1985. “Big Texas, my babysitter,” said Greg. “I’m a fair baby. Born and raised out here. Just in my blood.”

His Deep Fried Seafood Gumbo Balls took home the Big Tex Choice Award in 2021, and these, too, are amazing. “It’s a rice ball filled with roux, andouille sausage, Gulf Coast shrimp,” said  Greg. “Blue crab, lump crab and stewed chicken.”

Another unique combo can be found at the Delicious Candies Pickles Factory booth, where owner Heather Perkins has one heck of an infatuation. “I’ve been around pickles and candy my entire life,” said Heather.

Heather isn’t afraid to introduce her two love affairs, and one creation that brings them together is her Fruity Pebble Pickle. “So, pretty much you have the Fruity Pebbles and the Fruit Roll-Up all in one,” said Heather. “So we have the pickle, wrap it in Fruit Roll-Up, put sugar drizzle on there, and we shake up the Fruity Pebbles onto the pickle.”

The combination of these flavors is hard to comprehend, even after the fact. “Yeah, it tastes pretty good,” said Heather. “It’s a great combination. Is it breakfast or lunch or what? What is happening?”

From there we get back to the savory offerings at Holy Biscuit with owner Isaac Rousso. “The item that we’re talking about today is our Deep Fried Cheesy Crab Tater Bites,” said Isaac.

The name of this dish tells part of the story, reeling you in with the promise of crab and cheese, but there’s so much more to this fantastic fried food. “We’ve got onions and peppers and garlic, and we saute all those things together and then we throw some crawfish into that, and then from there we marry some cheese in there and kind let it all stew and come together,” said Isaac. “There is a little heat there. And that is our proprietary sauce and seasoning that we’ve worked with to make for the Holy Biscuit and for the Cajun Cowboy that’s outside.”

The Most Creative Winner for the 2023 Big Tex Choice Awards could be found at Texas Holy Fried Ribs and Fusion BBQ, where Lauren Hays introduced the Bourbon Banana Caramel Sopapillas. “We toss in the cinnamon sugar, and then we’re going to top it — it’s a vanilla caramel sauce that we put sliced bananas in,” said Lauren. “On top of that, it’s going to have candied pecans, a little crushed Nilla Wafers. We’re going to drizzle a little bit of our maple bourbon syrup, and then he’s going to top it with our fairy dust, which is also known as powdered sugar.”

Finally, you can’t take a trip to the State Fair of Texas and not stop by Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs. “After 81 years, we have become a little synonymous with The State Fair of Texas,” said Amber Fletcher.

Amber’s grandfather started this staple of the state fair back in 1942. “I love to tell people it’s so cool because it’s a family tradition for us, getting to serve other families in their tradition of coming out here,” said Amber. “We do everything the old-fashioned way here. Everything is hand stuck, hand dipped, into the fryer for three minutes at 365 degrees. A lot of this can be done mass-produced, but we still want to do it how Papa Neil did it. He always said, ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ So we haven’t changed a thing.”

During the fair over half a million corny dogs are consumed. That’s enough for 1,500 gallons of mustard! The classic flavor of these delicious breaded sausages lingers in the memory of anyone who gets a taste, and it’s a must try at the State Fair of Texas. “The iconic thing is to come to Big Tex so you can get your photo of Big Tex and your Corny Dog at the same time,” said Amber.

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Maniac’s Mansion in Wichita Falls

by

Wichita Falls – Downtown Wichita Falls is full of fantastic stops on The Texas Bucket List. Progress and Provisions, the World’s Littlest Skyscraper, Gidget’s, and the Elvis Always store are a few of the places we’ve checked off the list. But I got all shook up when I heard about an arcade in the Falls that’s fond of another great time in history, the 80’s and 90’s.

Marcus McGee grew up in Wichita Falls. Marcus has an obvious obsession with arcades, and that’s why he opened Maniac’s Mansion. Instead of going back in time, Marcus decided to bring the past back to the present with his unique arcade for kids of all ages.

Over the years Marcus has worked at game stores, arcades, and even the ancient video rental store. In 2010, he bought his first arcade game and started collecting these machines that made so many memories. So Marcus took his nickname from school, Maniac McGee, which happened to be one of his favorite books and combined it with one of his favorite games, Maniac Mansion, to create, well, Maniac’s Mansion.

When dealing with machines this old, it’s inevitable that something’s going to break. Marcus says that each game has its own personality, and it takes a special kind of tender love and care to keep each one running. On the other hand, sometimes all it takes is simply turning them off and back on again.

Now we’ve seen our fair share of old arcades around Texas, but Marcus wanted to make his standout, so he added a snack bar unlike any other we’ve seen. A cereal bar, complete with all sorts of collectible boxes, different sorts of milk, syrups and toppings.

Marcus had his mind set on creating a cereal concoction dedicated to The Texas Bucket List, and decided to go with a red, white and blue theme. Strawberry milkshake frosted flakes and waffle crisps are the cereal base, and those get a pour over of blue milk. That gets topped with whipped cream, strawberries, fruity pebbles syrup and blue sprinkles, and one spoon later you’re ready to chow down on the sweet taste of Texas.

Playing the games of our youth, surrounded by the signs of those times, while chowing down on some seriously sweet cereal definitely takes you back in time. It provides a nostalgic feel that Marcus is happy to manifest.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Fat Floyd’s Barbeque in Cleveland

by

Cleveland – There’s nothing better than the smell of smoked meat here in the Lone Star State and for Terrance Levi, this is something he didn’t even know he had in him. “I was literally shocked the first time I tasted the ribs,” Levi said.

Now that he knows what he’s got, he’s not shy about it. “I make good-tasting food and the barbecue just happens to be great,” said Levi. “I didn’t plan it that way. It just happened like that, you know?”

Before Terrance found his calling for cooking, he’d been called to another purpose in life, pastoring. “Bro, pastoring is my main thing,” said Levi. “I say this is my extremely huge side hustle.”

But this side hustle known as Fat Floyd’s BBQ in Cleveland does more than just feed the masses.  “We opened it to generate revenue to be able to do community outreach,” Levi explained.

When Terrence started Fat Floyd’s, he conscripted the help of his family. His wife Lori, his son Isaih and his daughter Desiree stand by his side as he serves up some serious Q. “Man, I love working with them most of the time, right? But they’re my kids,” said Levi. “Most of the time it’s great. They’re great workers. I couldn’t do it without them.”

What makes Fat Floyd’s unique is what he does with his BBQ, putting it on a pizza pie. “I think it’s the greatest thing that we have,” said Levi. “And it took people a little while to catch on because they come in, like, ‘Barbecue pizza?’ The meats that we smoke in the back, this awesome world-class brisket that I’m talking about, that goes on the pizza. Sausage that we smoke in the back, it goes on the pizza. The sauce that we make from scratch with 22 ingredients, it goes on the pizza.”

Desiree got down with the dough to show us how the Mad Max pizza is put together. “First thing first, so that my dough doesn’t get stuck to my pan, put a little butter on there,” said Desiree. “Then I take my dough and I’m going to stretch it. It’s as simple as that. Then this is our in-house barbecue sauce that we make here.”

After adding some cheese to the pie, it was time for Terrence to take out the meat so that Desiree can place it perfectly atop the pizza. “So we do about four to five ounces of the chicken,” said Desiree. “It’s smoked. Then we have sausage, we do smoked sausage. We do the same, about four to five ounces of sausage. Then, of course, can’t have a barbecue pizza without our brisket. 17 hours in the smoker. Our rub, fresh off the pit. Nice and hot. We chop it up and that is going to go on our pizza as well. Then you got your bacon because bacon’s great on everything.”

With the quartet of meats soundly in place, it was time to finish up the pie with jalapenos, red onions and even more cheese. “Straight in the oven,” said Desiree. “It’s going to do its thing for about four to five minutes at 470 degrees.”

After what feels like much longer than five minutes with all these wonderful smells in the air, the pizza gets some final touches. “I’ll take this butter right here,” said Desiree. “I’m going to butter this crust. Yeah, I want it to be nice and buttery. This is our spicy barbecue sauce. We call it the Pepe sauce. And that’s it. That’s our Mad Max.”

So now the pizza is complete, and the smells coming off it are incredible. From the fresh baked dough to that wonderful BBQ and even a kick from the jalapeno, you know this is going to be good even before the first bite. The flavor is absolutely on-point, and it feels like you get something new with each bite. The slices are heavy but stick together surprisingly well, and they even have a non-spicy version if peppers aren’t your thing.

Well, if you’re in the mood for barbecue and maybe a little bit of pizza as well, coming to Cleveland and having Fat Floyd’s Barbecue Mad Max Pizza is definitely well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. Despite his success with savory food, Terrence will always consider this his side job because his higher calling is number one on his list. “No matter how much success that I obtained with the restaurant, people, the God and people business is my main thing,” said Levi. “Everything in my life has been about helping people turn from a destructive path into this good, sustainable path that’s only, to me, sustained by God. I couldn’t do it myself. Seeing people’s lives go from one place and they’re hopeless and sometimes it a suicidal situation, to being, ‘Man, hey, life’s becoming great.’ I love that more than anything in the world.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Café Texan in Huntsville

by

Huntsville – Since 1936, Café Texan has been sitting on the corner of the square in Huntsville and it’s considered the oldest café in Texas. “When they approached me I said ‘A café in Huntsville. Tell me more,’” said Tom Mangos.

Tom isn’t from the Lone Star State, but his expertise was sought out by owner Vance Howard when he bought the building Café Texan calls home in 2020. The café was a victim of COVID and shut down for three years before being totally revamped by Howard, but some locals wanted the old Café Texan back. “We’ve thought about making T-shirts that say, ‘We love the Café Texan,’ and making equal as many that says, ‘You ruined the Café Texan,’” said Tom.

With a whole new look and new attitude towards taste buds, Tom got a chance to make the café his own with a few guidelines. “Vance asked me to keep a couple of things,” said Tom. “One, he said, ‘I always want to be proud of it.’ Two, he promised me that I’d always be having fun, which is unheard of in my business. And three was we would have chicken fried steak.”

More on chicken fry in a few. Before you get to the meal, you can’t help but notice the museum connected to the café. “This is actually a not-for-profit,” said Tom. “Vance has the museum next door, which is always open when the café is open, free to anyone who wants to come see it. And then all the proceeds from the café go to local, state, and regional charities.”

“We made sure that we didn’t overbuy anything because we knew it was going to be a small space,” said Savanah Davis. “So everything has a very specific space.”

Savanah is the museum curator and this free museum has some amazing artifacts like historical samurai suits, signed letters from George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Davy Crocket. Gladiator Masks. And even Napoleon’s actual dueling pistols. “They did not want to sell us those because they didn’t believe that we were a real museum at first,” said Savanah. “But we went ahead and signed a contract with them that said if we ever decide to sell them again, that we’ll sell them back to them. Yeah, most of the stuff in here we get from Sotheby’s or Christie’s auctions.”

After appreciating the artifacts, your appetite is primed for a Texas-sized breakfast. Luckily you can order chicken fried steak to start your day at Café Texan. Tom gets things started with the beef. “So this is an eight-ounce cubed steak,” said Tom. “It’s already as tender as can be. It’s already been pounded out, passed through the knives. And then we bread it with our seasoned breader here, and then it goes in the buttermilk. And then we’re going to put it back in the breader, and then we’re going to put it in the fryer. This isn’t a frozen, chopped, formed product. It’s actual whole muscle beef. Best quality we can get, right, for sure. Nothing but stuff from scratch here at the Café Texan.”

When there’s chicken fried steak you know there’s got to be gravy to go with it. “So we use cream gravy, and our cream gravy does not have meat drippings in it because some guests may not eat pork or they might,” said Tom. “So we make it with clarified butter, all-purpose flour, fresh cracked pepper, kosher salt, and heavy cream.”

A few fried eggs and haystack potatoes complete the ensemble. And don’t forget the biscuit! “Big biscuit,” said Carson. “A biscuit’s a meal in itself.”

Oh, but we’re not done yet. Tom wanted to showcase the sweeter side of breakfast with their candy bar French toast. “We have a mascarpone and cream cheese mixture that we put Milky Way bars in,” said Tom. “So you get four pieces of bread made into two sandwiches. It’s almost like a Monte Cristo would be, right? With all the goodies inside. This is better.”

Once the toast is grilled up, it gets plated with spicy meat sticks. “So we’re going to do jalapeno bacon today with this,” said Tom. “So that’s our super spicy jalapeno bacon. It looks a little dark, but that’s because it’s cured. It just has that coloring to it. We fresh whip our cream every morning. A little bit of powdered sugar on top, just in case it wasn’t sweet enough already. And we’re going to put a nice sploosh of mint, and we sell that to our guests.”

Well, when it comes to breakfast in Texas, chicken fried steak is always acceptable. So we’re going to start with that, and just cut off a piece and go to town, because who doesn’t like chicken fried steak for the first meal of the day? The breading on that chicken fried steak is fantastic, crunchy, and delicious. That gravy is out of this world. And the tenderness of that steak? I think Elvis would sing about that one. “I’m not a big connoisseur of chicken fried steaks, I will say, but I do love it,” said Savanah.

We’ve had a lot of chicken fried steaks across the State of Texas, and this one is right up there. “There’s a lot of meat and not too much excess batter,” said customer Richard.

That’s enough of this chicken fried steak. We’re going to move on to breakfast dessert. Smells like French toast with a candy bar in it. Whether or not you’re a sweets for breakfast type of person, this is just straight up good. Well balanced, and that Milky Way comes through in a big way on French toast. Bringing even more balance to the force of the French toast, the jalapeno bacon. You mix it in with that jalapeno bacon, and it’s the perfect combination. It’s like a sweet, savory symphony. “It’s just the perfect amount of spicy, where it goes really well with eggs and hash browns and everything else,” said Savanah.

Well, whether it’s chicken fried steak for breakfast, lunch, or dinner or a sweet, savory breakfast, coming to the Café Texan in Huntsville is definitely well worth a stop on the Texas bucket list. “To come here and have not only the service in this beautiful building and see our museum, the food is lights out,” said Tom. “It’s delicious. You’re not going to be disappointed.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Denton

by

Denton – Since 1896, the Courthouse on the square in Denton has seen all sorts of things sprout up around it. Education is the cornerstone of this town, as it’s home to the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University, and North Central Texas College. But these kids need a study break and what’s better than ice cream? Fortunately, folks in this town don’t need to fret because right on the square you’ll find Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.

Margaret Rich has been a part of Beth Marie’s for 20 years, and her responsibilities involve more than just the ice cream. “I am the area supervisor,” said Margaret. “Slash babysitter. All of these kiddos every day. I have thousands of children in this town by now. I can tell you that.”

Of course anyone who’s worked in ice cream before knows all about the forearm of fire. “I tell every one of the kids the first two weeks that you work here, you’re going to feel some pain in your arm,” said Margaret. “I don’t care if you play softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball, all them balls. You don’t use this one until you scoop ice cream.”

Well if it’s gonna burn, it better be worth scooping and at Beth Marie’s, it is. Since 1998, Beth Maries has been a fixture for ice cream thanks to their assortment of insane ingredients that make up 276 different flavors. “Yes, because we keep creating these crazy flavors,” said Margaret. “There’s not many ice creams that I don’t have.”

Some of these flavors go well beyond your wildest imagination. “We did an heirloom tomato ice cream one time and that one did really well, I would say,” said Margaret. “The corn one was a flop, unfortunately.”

Beth Marie can experiment as much as they want because they make it all themselves. “I truly believe it’s the fresh cream,” said Margaret. “I know we don’t have the big machines either, that a lot of your large companies have. It’s more fresh, it’s more quality. When we’re producing it, it is produced four boxes at a time, which equals up to a five gallon batch.”

This small batch made ice cream is made with 14 percent butter fat and when they add ingredients to the ice cream, they’re all made here too. “This morning though, we did make our apple pie, so you have to bake this,” said Margaret. “We bake everything fresh. Except Oreos. I don’t bake apple pies. I bake my own little creation of an apple pie ice cream. So, we put all this stuff together, we bake it, and then it comes out. We got to let it cool down before we can put it into the cream, and the apples into the cream, so we have apple pie ice cream.”

Ice cream is always a visual experience between all the different kinds, but this selection is crazy. You’ve got the full spectrum of the rainbow here. “We’re going to try the Baa-Baa Blackberry, which is a blackberry swirl with goat cheese and thyme,” said Margaret. “Yes, that is the thyme on top. And I would barely touch that just so you don’t get too much, because you just want that little bit to make it taste.”

That’s a good, not overly sweet, but nice and creamy. And that thyme right at the end, just a nice little hint. That’s really good. I was worried about that one, but that’s good. I feel like I need to finish the book.

The next flavor up got even crazier. “We do have a Hatch Green Chili ice cream,” said Margaret. “We did it with a prickly pear background, and I can say that it’s pretty tasty. It’s got a little bit of a bite to it, but it is pretty tasty. Hatch Green Chili and Prickly Pear. Something a little different here at Beth Marie’s.”

The hot and cold combo of pepper and ice cream works well here with that pear flavor. “You get a little bit of spice in there,” said Margaret. “I have a lot of people talk about how at the end the chilies have a little bit of crunch to them and they like that flavor. I try to stay away from the iciness in the ice cream, but they like that part, so I’m like, all right, we’ll keep it.”

There was one last fantastic flavor to try out of the lineup. “The Texas Honey Whiskey ice cream,” said Margaret. “It is a local made honey whiskey ice cream. The honey is local as well. It’s very popular right now. I have customers say ‘I’m going to get drunk off of that bite.’ And I’m like, oh no, it’s not going to happen. I won’t let you do that.”

Now if you want to get crazy with Beth Marie’s they have a sundae that is too much for most sweet tooths but like they say, everything is bigger in Texas. “We do a crazy Sunday, the K.W. Extreme. So it’s eight big scoops of ice cream,” explained Margaret. “Eight large scoops of ice cream, two brownies, a banana, two cookies, eight toppings, and it comes in this bowl that your whole head can fit into. And I do have people challenge each other to eat this ice cream. And I’ve seen them do it too. When they get the syrup at the bottom and all, I’m like, ‘oh boy.’ There are people out there that can eat a lot of ice cream.”

So if you’re the adventurous type looking a crazy ice cream creation or just looking to cool off with a classic treat in the summer heat, this is the stop to make. “Oh, you find a lot of different kinds of ice creams at Beth Marie’s, which you thought you would never find anywhere else,” said Margaret.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Licon Dairy in San Elizario

by

San Elizario – Many Texans think of El Paso as a city in the middle of the dessert with a mountain smack dab in the middle of it, and they aren’t entirely wrong. But if you venture toward the border and head Southeast of town, you’ll find a few farms and ranches making use of every drop of the Rio Grande that they can. That includes the Licon Dairy, which has been sitting in San Elizario since the 60’s.

Angel Licon and his family are continuing a tradition that started with his grandmother, Isabell Martinez, making asadero cheese on the stove back in the 50’s. “Well, back then there was more agriculture here, a lot of farms, and they planted a lot of alfalfa,” said Licon. “The farming was a lot more than what you see now.”

Asadero cheese is a light, easy-melting cheese that originated in Mexico. “A Mexican string cheese similar to mozzarella is the best that we can kind of explain to customers of what it is, and the tendency, the texture is a lot different than other cheese,” said Licon. “It’s not as strong and bitter as cheddar cheese and other cheese. Asadero is really big in Villamar, Mexico. It’s only a few hours from El Paso in Mexico, so it’s really known for the asadero, which is a Mennonite cheese.”

In the 60’s, Licon’s grandfather Eugenio Licon Sr. got the cheese wheels turning by starting the Licon Dairy. “We’d like to say it’s a taste of history because we’ve been here for so long,” said Licon. “They started off with only, I think it was about 10 cows, and they would milk them by hand. Just enough milk to produce enough to make enough cheese just to sell within that day. Slowly and gradually, my grandfather started growing his herd, purchasing a little bit more of the cattle, a little bit more, to where at the end he was milking about 125 here in San Elizario.”

Today, the cows are gone and in their place is a petting zoo that’s very popular with El Pasoans.  But the cheese making is still their bread and butter. “Every day they got to pasteurize all the milk because it’s all raw milk,” said Licon. ”Roughly, we’re processing anywhere from 400 to 500 pounds of cheese daily.”

Today, the Licon family is led by Angel’s father Gene.  They both fondly reminisce about their time working with Eugene Sr., and so does another employee named Hector who’s practically part of the family. “Not many people that are going to work like him and he doesn’t miss a day. It’s very rare that he calls in,” said Licon. “My grandfather would help him out and he would actually live on the property. He had his own little space that he used to stay at, and he’s been able now to put his kids through college and they’re all successful. They all have their own businesses and their own jobs. But it was good to see him actually survive through here and prosper on his own. My grandfather made sure that he tried helping everybody that was supporting him.”

The cheese making process goes quickly once it’s all cooked down, as the next step is dividing the cheese into even portions. “They got to make sure that each ball comes to about one ounce,” said Licon. “Each package contains 10 slices, So it’s 10 to 12 ounces roughly is what we’re trying to get at each package.”

Licon Dairy’s cheese is mostly sold in slices, but there actually isn’t any slicing involved in their process. Instead, they use a machine that was built for pressing tortillas. “A lot of the time they look in and they think we’re making corn tortillas,” said Licon. “And that’s what initially this machine was made for. We converted it to try and make the asadero.”

The Licon’s have been making cheese for a long while, and today they have the process down to a science. “We’ve kept the same recipe for 75 years, so we haven’t changed anything, and we find out that it’s probably the best way to keep it simple, and that’s how we’re able to have our doors open,” said Licon. “They’re making 500 packages and there’s 10 slices in each one, so you can imagine doing the math. They do it seven days a week.”

Making asadero isn’t always easy cheesy, but continuing the tradition that’s been a part of their family for so long is what keeps the Licon’s coming back every day.

“For us, it’s just exciting to see that the legacy is continuing through generations,” said Licon. “Even though it’s a lot of work and it changes through each generation, but we’re trying to each instill our mark on the business as the generations pass.”

The Texas Bucket List – Lei Low Tiki Bar in Houston

by

Houston – In a town known for towering buildings, concrete, and the occasional cow in a random place, you never know what you’ll find in Houston. But if you’re in need of a tropical getaway, heading over the Heights for a few cocktails at the Lei Low Tiki Bar is just the evening you’re looking for.

“Tiki is something that I think everybody should experience in their life,” said Russell Theode.

Russell was born in Houston and opened his tavern with a tiki them back in 2014. Why a tiki bar, you ask? “Well, I like rum,” said Russell.

Russell’s colorful bar really does put you in a tropical state of mind despite the fact the front facade looks anything but inviting. “Oh yeah, you can say what you… It looks sketchy,” said Russell. “We get that all the time. We have people send their husbands in and they open the door and they look and they’re like, ‘Okay, it’s safe, babe. You can come in.’”

A bartender most of his life, Russell really had a thing for libations that celebrated the island lifestyle. “Anywhere I worked, if somebody came and asked me for a bartender’s choice, I’d make them some sort of rum drink, like a Planter’s Punch or a Mai Tai or something like that,” said Russell. “Then I found Don the Beachcomber.”

Originally known as Ernest Gantt, Don the Beachcomber is the godfather of the tiki bar, he invented it, and he happens to be from Texas. “He was a lover of the tropics,” said Russell. “He, in true Texas style, sort of told tall tales. He told tales of him and his grandfather spending time in Jamaica. His grandfather was a bootlegger, even though his grandfather died before he was born. I guess back then, he didn’t think one day we have genealogy that you could look up.”

Funny enough, prohibition was the catalyst for Don’s journey to becoming the Beachcomber. “He got involved in bootlegging,” said Russell. “He was an expert in rum. At one point, the rum industry gave him an award, called him the Ambassador of Rum. They said that at Don the Beachcombers, single-handedly sold more rum than anywhere else in the world.”

Don started his bar in Hollywood back in 1933. “It was supposed to be the day after prohibition was lifted,” said Russell. “That’s what he told everybody. But they had already been sort of operating as a speakeasy for a little while. They were doing something that was fun. They were sort of not making fun of themselves, but laughing, having a good time, creating things, being real creative, putting on a performance, if you will. A lot of times we say in the bar business, that’s what we’re doing is we’re putting on a performance. So it was just sort of like a natural thing for me to kind of progress down that hole.”

Russell wanted to show off his skills and school us on some drinks invented by Don the Beachcomber, so he started with something called The Zombie. It consists of three different types of rum, a syrup made of cinnamon and grapefruit, lime juice, falernum, bitters, and absinthe, a first on The Texas Bucket List. “So I’m going to give it a little bit of shake,” said Russell. “For as much rum that’s in it, it’s actually pretty balanced and really crushable. Best food and drinks are a whole body experience, right?”

Next up was Don’s Own Grog. Made with Texas Rum, blackberry brandy, house made grenadine, lime juice, bitters, mint, and a lime wheel with a high flying Texas flag.  This drink is worth ordering just for the decorations. “That’s one of the things that drew me as a bartender was when I started making people tiki drinks,” said Russell. “I’d make somebody a Mai Tai and I put an umbrella in it. They light up. Their face lights up. They think, ‘Oh, man, this is so special.’ It’s unlike any other drinking experience or dining experience you can really get. I mean, you can be transported, I guess, to Mexico at a Mexican restaurant, but I feel like Hawaii and Polynesia is a much better place to go.”

Back to the task at hand with the Pearl Diver which starts with “tiki butter,” a mixture of vanilla ice cream, butter, brown sugar and caramel. “It’s a lot like creme anglaise, the dessert sauce,” said Russell.

Two different types of rum along with a spice blend and lime juice are added before Russel pours it in a big shell and tops the drink with a pearl. “So Don the Beachcomber would put a pearl in every fifth drink and you got a prize if you got the pearl,” said Russell. “Well, we use gumballs, It’s not a real pearl.”

Getting a chance to experience this unique atmosphere and libations is the reason people come to this place and the most popular question they get here. “People ask, ‘What’s the best tiki bar in Hawaii?’” said Russell. “Well, there’s not really a good tiki bar in Hawaii because you’re in Hawaii. You don’t really need a tiki bar. You’re there.”

No need to head to Hawaii, just head to Houston to visit the Lei Low Tiki Bar, a tiki-riffic stop on The Texas Bucket List. “This is such a great place to come to work every day,” said Russell. “It’s fun. It’s colorful. Yeah, I don’t think I would enjoy doing anything else, no.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – Season 22 Bite of the Season

by

As Season 22 of The Texas Bucket List comes to a close, it’s time to wrap up our top five favorite bites of the season! Season 22 of The Texas Bucket List was packed with all sorts of creative and flavorful dishes as well as classics that have been perfected across the Lone Star State, and it was no easy feat to narrow down the list to our favorites. But listed below are the top five spots to grab a bite on Season 22 of The Texas Bucket List!

#5 Livi’s Mexicue in Laredo

Down in the Gateway city, Livi’s Mexicue’s blend of traditional Texas barbeque techniques with Mexican spices and flavors proves to be a winning combo. Their beef rib pasta plate earned 5th place on this Bite of the Season ranking.

 

#4 Mia Marco’s Pizza in Selma

In a suburb of San Antonio, Mia Marco’s Pizza is offering world championship winning pies deep in the heart of Texas, proving the state can really do it all. Their classic margherita, pepperoni jam, and grandma style pizzas earned 4th place on Bite of the Season 22.

 

#3 Wagon Wheel in Eagle Pass

Back down to the border, the Wagon Wheel in Eagle Pass serves excellent Texas grub from beautiful smoked brisket to a preposterously sized chicken fried steak. This local fixture cemented it’s spot at #3 on the Season 22 Bite of the Season list.

 

#2 Tuscan Pig in Longview

Bet you didn’t expect East Texas Italian to make the list! The Tuscan Pig in Longview their cheesy handmade lasagna, and their pesto Tuscan pork gnocchi solidified their silver medal on Season 22’s Bite of the Season rankings.

#1 Roegels BBQ in Katy

When a BBQ joint stands out on The Texas Bucket List the way Roegels did this season, they have to take the cake. They gave us a trio of sandwiches to try out, and the brisket cheese steak, house made bologna and Cuban sandwiches all helped Roegels take the number one spot on  this season’s Bite of the Season!

 

The Texas Bucket List – Desert Door Sotol in Driftwood

by

Driftwood – The landscape of west Texas can be pretty darn desolate. With the Chihuahuan Desert sprawling across this part of our state, it’s hard to imagine being able to harvest something out here.  But if you learn about the natives that lived here thousands of years ago, you’d realize that there is substance all around you. “This plant has been here for 10,000 years,” said Brent Looby. “Think about all of the atmospherics that it has gone through in its life, and it is still here to this day.”

Brent has a vested interest in this little plant that some mistake for a cactus. “Once you see them, you can’t stop seeing them,” said Brent. “But it’s like, once your eyes get tuned to it, you’re like, ‘Oh, that hill is covered in it.’”

The sotol has been an integral part of native life for as long as man has traversed the desolate desert and at his ranch in Dryden, Texas there is plenty of it. “It was a source of sustenance,” said Brent. “They would eat it like an artichoke. They would make unleavened bread with it. They would dethorn the leaves, use it as a source of material for weaving baskets, hats, sandals, mats. There’s even evidence of caskets. They would use the stalks as a source for weapons or tools. And then right here we’ve got evidence of a pit hearth oven. You had to cook with what Mother Nature gave you. And out here, there’s an abundance of sotol plants.”

Brent isn’t making any kind of clothing with these crazy looking plants. Instead, he’s making one of the earliest spirits made by man. “We make our spirit specifically out of a sotol that grows in Texas,” explained Brent. “It’s the Dasylirion texanum, and what cooler than to make a spirit out of a plant that has Texas in its Latin name?”

Desert Door Sotol might start out here in the west Texas desert, but it’s created in a distillery down the road from Austin in Driftwood. “It’s a spirit that predates mescal, predates tequila,” said Brent. “It’s the first alcoholic beverage consumed in this part of the world.”

Long before he was a purveyor of this firewater from long ago, Brent served in the Marines for 21 years. “This country and the Marine Corps trusted me enough to fly gray jets all over the planet,” said Brent. “I flew Prowlers.”

After retiring in 2017, he decided to pursue a degree in business. “What if I go to business school and learn how to communicate with the private sector?” Brent asked himself. “Then I can translate those experiences that I’ve had into some format. And then I met my two partners. They’re also veterans. And we took this class called New Venture Creation. It’s an entrepreneurial class. And what would become Desert Door where we’re sitting today was our class project.”

The transition from idea to actual product was fast and furious. “So you pitch your idea to a panel of judges, and then one of our judges came up and asked us afterwards, ‘If you guys are serious about this, me and my husband want to talk to you about investing,’” said Brent. “And that’s when we looked at each other, and ‘I don’t know, is anybody serious about this?’ So we bought a still, and we started learning how to moonshine, and then we had to figure out how to cook, process, ferment, and distill this plant into what would become what you’re sitting in today.”

And Desert Door is committed to sotol. “We are the first commercial distillery in the United States that all we do is make sotol,” said Brent. “All of our sotol is 100% Texas. It’s ranch to glass. So the predominant sources for ours are either Terrell or Crockett County, sometimes out of Pecos, but mostly Terrell County is where all of our plants come from.”

This whole process all starts out in the desert. “All of our plants are wild harvested, meaning there is no water, there is no fertilizer, there is no herbicides, there’s no pesticides,” said Brent. “We go out and we take Mother Nature’s bounty. The plant is so abundant that we’ve got some arrangements with ranchers out here that allow us access to come and take the plant from them.”

The idea of using the natural environment to make booze is nothing new, and the techniques that Desert Door use have been around for centuries. “As early as 800 years ago, archeologists surmised that they had discovered that natives could take the cooked plants and add water and that it would ferment,” said Brent. “Archeologists believe that they were using that plant as an intoxicant during ceremonies 800 years ago.”

But Brent has the process running much more efficiently these days. “Five years ago, it took us approximately four plants to make one bottle of Desert Door,” said Brent. “And now to this day, I get about four bottles per plant. So I’ve completely inverted it.”

After realizing that there are plenty of sotol to go around, I was ready to take one down and pass it around. “What we’re going to start with is our original, what we call our original, 80 proof clear spirit, unaged, and it’s the foundation for everything we do here,” said Brent. “If tequila had a smoother, more flavorful, sustainable cousin from Texas, that’s what Desert Door is. So on the nose, it’s going to be very familiar, bright, grassy, herbaceous. But the finish on it takes you out to the ranch, which you’ll notice it’s got a nice, sweet, creamy, earthy finish.”

There’s even an aged sotol. “With our barrel aged here, you’ll notice first the color of it, which comes from the barrel,” said Brent. “Very interesting is that in both of our offerings, there’s no added sugars, artificial flavors, or colors. So everything you’re tasting is from the plant. And with this, where it goes in a virgin oak barrel, very similar to what you would a bourbon barrel, where it stays in there almost two years. And so on top of those earthy vegetal components that we just had, now you get the layers of the barrel. One, you get the color, you get the coffee, the caramel, the vanilla, cinnamon, all spice, those types of other nuances. Sips a little bit more like a cognac or a bourbon.”

Whether drinking it straight or in fancy cocktail, sotol is a unique way to pay tribute to Texas’ past and while enjoying a unique flavor you’ll only find in the Lone Star State. “It’s the backside where you realize that you’re not drinking grape or corn,” said Brent. “You’re drinking west Texas.”

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Roegels Barbeque in Katy

by

Katy – Whenever you first see the sign for Roegels Barbecue, it usually takes a few tries before getting the pronunciation right. That didn’t deter Russel Roegels from naming his BBQ joint after himself. “A lot of people in barbecue have funny names,” said Russell. “You take Feges, Micklethwait, there’s quite a few of them and I told my mom we’re going to call it Roegels and she said, ‘Don’t do that. Nobody can pronounce it and it’ll confuse people.’”

That is unless you have delicious, sought after, and renowned BBQ like Russ has. “You’ve got to make sure that you’re doing good every time, and that’s what we strive for every day,” said Russell.

Roegels has been a fixture in H-Town since 2014 but before this BBQ joint bared his name, Russ was making smoked meat for most of his life. “I started doing barbecue full-time while I was going to college and, just something to get me through, pay the bills while I’m in college,” said Russell. “I had no plans on ever doing this for a living.”

After serving in the Air Force for five years he ended up at Bodacious BBQ back in ’95, and in 2001 he was hired on to manage the Baker’s Ribs in Houston. After a few years, he started to notice something. “At the Houston Barbecue Festival, I see how everybody else is doing it,” said Russell. “I’m like, ‘Man, our stuff’s not all that good.’”

So he set out to learn at the extremely popular Camp Brisket at Texas A&M. “Dr. Sable and Dr. Griffin and Ray Riley all came around and I met them and I said, ‘Hey, I want to get involved in this camp that y’all are doing.’” said Russell. “And he said, ‘Well, we’re full right now, but we will keep in touch.’ Well, I emailed him the next day and called him and I was like, ‘Dr. Sable,’ basically says, I told him, ‘Hey, I’m coming.’ And so I’ve been to every barbecue camp since then. Great deal, great program. I love going to College Station and being there and being able to help.”

In December of 2014 the switch to Roegels became official and people officially weren’t relishing in Russel’s dream. “Sometimes people don’t like a whole lot of change, and so we started seeing our sales just trickle on down,” said Russell. “We were struggling. When I say bad, we were about to close the doors and Misty said, ‘Do you think we messed up?’ And I said, ‘No. I believe in what we’re doing. I believe in our product. It’ll happen.’”

One good write up in a local newspaper changed everything. “We got just lucky getting some press and we just wanted to make sure that it lived up to what they were saying we were,” said Russell.

BBQ was booming and things were hustling and bustling, but 10 years later… “We were the cool kids once,” joked Russell. “We were the new guy on the block, and a lot of people are always looking for the new guy. They want to break that story. So I kid with people down like, yeah, We’re just called has been barbecue now. We’re the old guy that people, ‘oh, he used to be cool, but he’s over here now.'”

So Russel pivoted again and started making things like BBQ brisket pastrami and other amazing sandwiches. “It really is something that blew up in our face and we were like, ‘Wow,’” Said Russell.

“The sandwich I never thought I would enjoy and then I had it one time and I was hooked on it,” said one customer. “It’s just yummy.”

Then it’s settled, sandwiches it is. But which ones should we do? “The Cuban is more labor intensive, so I know my guys back there,” said Russell. “They’ll be like, ‘Don’t feature the Cuban.’”

Check. “We just call it a brisket cheese steak,” said Russell. We’re not going to call it a Philly cheese steak because the Yankees would get mad. ‘That’s not a real Philly.’ Or something like that. Yeah, I don’t know how they do it. I obviously don’t have a northern accent.”

Sure, let’s do that too. “Would bologna be too crazy? We make it,” said Russell. “It is crazy. You’ll try it and you’ll be like, ‘No way?’”

I think we have our three contenders. “All right, we’re going to start with our brisket cheese steaks,” said Russell. “So first thing we got to do is grab our roll. Got to get a couple pieces of this provolone right here and I’m going to throw it right on the grill.”

Things only got cheesier from there. “We’ve got some cheese sauce that we have that we’re about to pour over the top,” said Russell. “And there we go. We’ve got our brisket cheese steak. We call it a cheese steak because we’re not from Philly. We’re from Texas.”

Next up is that bologna sandwich that’s a clear cut above the one you’re probably used to pulling out of the lunch bag. “All right, next what we’re going to do is we’re going to do our in-house made bologna,” said Russell. “So this isn’t a regular bologna like you get in a grocery store. It’s a coarse grind and it’s made with brisket and pork butt. We smoke it, we throw it on the flat top, put a little scald on it. We put some lettuce, tomato, and mayo on it and make it just a old school bologna sandwich, but with new school bologna. That’s the Roegels bologna sandwich right there.”

There was one more spectacular sandwich to put together. “So next what we’re going to do is we’re going to do a barbecue and it’s our play on a Cuban sandwich, but it’s done with smoked meats,” said Russell.

With a French baguette buttered and pressed, Russ grills up sliced ham and Swiss cheese on flattop. The baguette gets cheese, homemade pickles and mustard sauce and is topped with the ham and chopped up. “Not a traditional Cuban,” said Russell. “It’s a Barbecuban. It’s our play on it.”

So here we have three fantastic sandwiches from Roegels and we’re going to go straight to the bologna and that’s no bologna, because when you hear about a bologna sandwich, you got to see what that’s all about. The coarseness of the bologna, the saltiness, and the savoriness along with that smoking makes it sensational. “It’s real thick so you can really taste the bologna and oh, that is yummy,” said one customer. “I love the bologna sandwich. I do. That’s one of my faves.”

That’s definitely not the kind of bologna sandwich my mom used to make. Onto the brisket cheese steak. That cheese is just all over that smoked brisket. Of course it’s stuck itself to the paper. Oh, go for the pepper side. Well, they might be a fan of their Phillys up in the northeast, but down here in Texas we do things different and this would definitely take the series. “You get that smoky sort of more flavor that you don’t necessarily get, let’s say, on a true Philly cheese steak,” said another customer.

Hey Philly, we got the trophy and your sandwich. Finally we’re on to the Barbecuban and I’m a huge fan of Cuban sandwiches, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. Oh yeah, that pulled pork, that mustard. It’s obvious that this is going to be good. Boy, that pulled pork is just full of flavor. You mix it in with that ham and those pickles and that honey sauce. Oh yeah.  “They do it right,” said a customer. “They do it consistently and they just do a heck of a job with their cue.” Hey Yordan, if you want to taste the home with little Texas twist, this is the place for you, buddy.

Well, whether you’re looking for some old school barbecue or some of the most sensational sandwiches I’ve ever had on the side of Interstate 10, coming to Katy to Roegels is definitely well worth the stop on the Texas bucket list. “My last name on it means my name’s on every plate that comes out of here, so I want it to be right every single time,” said Russell.