Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Boss Burger in Nederland

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NEDERLAND, Texas — This week we’re in downtown Nederland, at a burger joint I’m told is the boss: Boss Burger.

The first time you walk into this legendary local eatery, it doesn’t take long for owner Joe Oates to give you a hearty welcome, and it’s safe to say he’s a bit boisterous.

“I say it’s dinner and a show with Joe, you know,” Mary said. “So never a dull moment.”

Mary is Joe’s partner in life and together they started Boss Burger out of trailer but decided to make it destination in downtown.

“Years ago she was a maid of honor at my first wedding in 1989,” Joe said. “I knew she was going to be the one when we had a motor cycle accident our second week dating. We took the bike and ran it off and slid it off into a ditch, a muddy ditch. She said ‘chalk this off to the bucket list.’”

Born on the east coast, Joe has come a long way over the years after spending the majority of his life offshore, cooking for fishing vessels and off shore rigs in the gulf.

“You get compliments by 45 guys, three times a day and good job and I’m getting paid to do what I like to do, which is cook,” Joe said.

But when he came back to shore, Joe didn’t really have a place to call home. Eventually he got his life together thanks to his faith, friends, and food.

“There was a time in my life, if I walked into the police station they wanted to take my picture and today I walk into the police station and they want to have their picture taken with me,” Joe said.

Now Joe is very passionate, especially about his food and we’re here for a burger topped with of all things.  Apples.

“The one constant in the world that will keep a man in everlasting ignorance is contempt prior to investigation,” Joe said.

Who am I to say no, so we start with prime rib and chuck roast. Once we got our half pound patty, Joe throws it on the grill. A not so fancy bun is toasted, and once it’s cooked, Joe’s own recipe known as the Berkley sauce is busted out.

“Now this is our maple flavored bacon, Granny Smith Apples, sweet yellow onions, pure maple syrup,” Joe said.

Freshly ground beef with that apple, bacon, Berkley sauce and cheese. Just a simple burger with an incredible topping we’ve never seen on the Texas Bucket List. An incredible combination of flavors with that sweet apple with that savory bacon mixed in with those onions mixing together with that freshly ground beef. And the bun? Don’t worry about it, because it’s all about what’s in here.

“It’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever had,” Daniel, a Boss Burger customer said.

“I’ve never belonged to anything, you know,” Joe said. “Now I’ve got a girl, we’ve got a house, a couple of dogs, a business. Belonged to motorcycle organizations, chamber of commerce, a couple of churches. We drive through the town and people honk and wave. Oh my God. All because of hamburgers.”

The Texas Bucket List – Jaspers Cafe in Bluff Dale

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BLUFF DALE, Texas — Smack dap between Stephenville and Granbury sits this grandiose grill on a small hill and it’s a place to get your fill.

In Bluff Dale on top of the bluff at a burger joint with some fancy burgers. We’re at Jaspers Café. John Lenz got the home fires burning on the hillside after a serendipitous trip with his horses to a local ranch.

“While we were at the clinic just two and a half miles from here, we had to drive back-and-forth to the hotel and here’s this little place perched on this hill here and we’re looking at and looking at it and it had been empty for two years,” John said. “Kinda run-down, you know. Then we took a look at it and thought ‘This is it, it’s a great opportunity, this is beautiful.’”

So John and his wife took a chance and moved from Medford, Oregon to see if they could repeat the success they had at their burger boutique in the great northwest.

“We love what Texas is, we love where it’s headed,” John said. “The culture, a church on every corner. It’s good stuff so we made a run at it, we got it.”

They’ve got some berserk burgers but here it’s all about the meat and that doesn’t necessarily mean beef.

“With the exotic meats and stuff that’s available, I think that’s where people are like, ‘Hey, I gotta go check this out,’” Mike said.

While you can always get a beefy burger here, you can always opt for something different.

“We have the New Zealand Axis deer,” John said. “We have a free range Bison, the free range Elk. We have Wild Boar, Kobe. We bring in that beautiful heartland beef. It’s a Kobe Wagyu, Texas Wagyu, we use that as well. And those are unique meats.”

John’s step son Joe prepared us for wild meat roulette. A thick patty of beautiful bison hits the burner. Next comes the blue part of the burger and it starts with parmesan. This is the Wild Blue Yonder.

“The tricky part of this burger is going to be the grill fried cheese crisp that you’re throwing on the top,” Joe said. So the way I do it is I need to get the parmesan down first. I gotta get a nice crisp on there because if I try putting blue cheese on the grill it just mushes right out.”

A separate patty made of hash browns, jalapenos, and corn known as a tumbleweed gets fried up while blue cheese hits the top of the parmesan. The toasted bun gets layered with siracha cream cheese. Green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and huckleberry onions, and we’re ready for takeoff. With untamed flavors running wild along the plains of my palate it is perfect.

Well the first thing that stands out is the flavor. As soon as you bite into it you get a little but of the spice from the sriracha, but then you get into the blue cheese which obviously overpowers a lot of things and then the more you chew, the more everything starts mixing in together, making an incredible flavor.

“First time I got one I just had a half because I’m thinking, ‘Just in case I really don’t like it,’ Teresa said. “But I just scarfed it all down.”

Well if you’re looking to take a sky high flight into the wild blue yonder right here in the Lone Star State, Jaspers in Bluff Dale is well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List.

“These are epicurean burgers, I mean they don’t get any better than this kind of burger right here,” Mike said.

Eight Quintessential Christmas Stops on The Texas Bucket List

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Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays, especially when home is in the Lone-Star State! With world famous holiday themed eats, festivals, light displays, and hotels unique to Texas, there’s a little something to get everyone in the yuletide spirit. The places, experiences, and treats featured in this list will have you saying merry Texas Christmas in no time!

Wassailfest – New Braunfels, Texas       

The lights in downtown New Braunfels shine like a beacon for Santa on the first Thursday of December, but the real treat here is the old world wonder boiled up by the folks in this part of the Lone-Star State at Wassailfest. Downtown New Braunfuls has been the place to taste this Christmas tradition since 1992. Some wassails are more spirited than others at this event featuring good food, award winning wassails, and family fun.

Watch now: New Braunfels Wassailfest

German Christmas Market – Tomball, Texas

During the second week in December, you’ve got to mossy on to Tomball. Here, you’ll find a huge Christmas market that’s been bringing together Christmas cheer and the German tradition of Oktoberfest since the 90s. Festivities kick off with a huge parade in which an official Christmas keg tapping is the grand finally. This Christmas celebration is also a cultural celebration; a chance to raise a glass to one of the many nationalities that has made Texas what it is today.

Watch now: Tomball German Christmas Market

Trail of Lights – Austin, Texas

This trail of lights has been burning bright since 1965 in the capital of the Lone-Star State. The Lights that line Lou Neff Road become a beacon of Christmas spirit in the live music capital of the world each December. With 2 million lights and 41 displays dedicated to the season, you’ll find some story time favorites, Texas themed treasures, religious displays showing the true meaning of Christmas, and far out favorites that represent what Austin is all about. However, the crown jewel of this trail just might surprise you.

Watch now: Austin Trail of Lights

Gaylord Texan Resort – Grapevine, Texas

Nobody celebrates Christmas quite like the Gaylord Texan Resort in the Christmas capital of the Lone-Star State. Over half a million visitors visit the Gaylord during the seven weeks that make up the holiday season to experience their take on a Lone-Star Christmas. No corner of the 125 acre Christmas themed paradise is untouched by the holiday spirit thanks to a talented group of artists who hand make each and every piece of decor. A snow slide, 14,000 foot ice exhibit kept at a wintry nine degrees, and a life size nativity scene made out of ice prove that everything really is bigger in Texas, even Christmas.

Watch now: Gaylord Texan Resort

Collin Street Bakery – Corsicana, Texas  

Oh what fun it is to ride to the Collin Street Bakery for some holiday delights. This little bakery in Corsicana, Texas works year round baking up a Christmas treat that’s not just a tradition in the Lone-Star State, but all over the world. Since 1896, the bakery has been getting a rise out of customers with their world famous fruitcakes. A product of the fall harvest, the one million fruitcakes sold by the Collin Street Bakery each year feature pecans, pineapple, cherries, and raisins.

Watch now: Collin Street Bakery

 Riverwalk Christmas – San Antonio, Texas

When the lights come on along the San Antonio Riverwalk, Christmas has officially begun. This light display, that is truly unique to Texas, has been spreading the joy of the season since the late 60s when the Riverwalk was built. Lights start being hung strategically during the first week in September on more than 180 trees. The grand total of strands in this display is 1,687, that’s over 21 miles of illumination. The Mexican tradition of luminárias, lit candles in sand filled bags intended to light the way for the Holy family, add to the magic.

Watch now: Riverwalk Christmas

Dickens on the Strand – Galveston, Texas

For more than 40 years, Dickens on the Strand has provided a unique Christmas experience to Texans and world travelers alike. Thousands of Charels Dickens fans make their way to Galveston to experience Christmas as it appears in the famous English author’s work. Costumes, historical buildings, and activities all fit the time in which Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” would have taken place. Galveston’s design, which parallels London during the Victorian period, makes it the perfect place to pay homage to a beloved author and his classic Christmas tale.

Watch now: Dickens on the Strand

Santa’s Wonderland – College Station, Texas

Each December hundreds of people voyage to south College Station to visit a Texas Christmas village known as Santa’s Wonderland. Millions of twinkling lights highlight what it’s like to celebrate Christmas with a Lone-Star State twist. Sprawling across 37 acres, this park has it’s own town, Santa’s Town, dedicated to the season. Sweet treats, savory eats, holiday gift shops, live music, Marshal Frostbite, a petting zoo, fine wine, fires to warm up with and cook s’mores on, and Texas Santa himself can all be found in Santa’s Town each and every night. It’s a true Texas Christmas experience.

Watch now: Santa’s Wonderland

The Texas Bucket List – Chico’s Tacos in El Paso

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EL PASO, Texas – El Paso, a  part of the Lone Star State that has its own identity. Closer to Phoenix than it is to San Antonio, El Paso has an amazing southwestern Tex Mex style and nowhere is that more evident, than the food.

Chico’s Tacos is the go to taco joint in this part of the state that is literally on the border, or at least a few blocks away from it.

Maribel Martell has been a part of the Chico’s traditions since 2005.

“A lot of people love it,” Maribel says. “A lot of people from out of town that leave El Paso come back. This is the first place they stop.”

Since 1953, Chico’s Tacos has been a part of life in El Paso.  Started by a local boxing promotor Joe Mora, the menu was simple, cash was the only form of payment accepted and nothing has changed.

“Started making tacos in like a little shack,” Maribel informed us. “They would put out the food through the little window, make burgers and tacos, and they got big.”

Now these tacos aren’t the type of tacos most Texans are used to.  These rolled up refreshments resemble more of a taquito than a taco.

They’ll go, ‘I ordered tacos.’ I’ll go, ‘Those are the tacos,’ and they ask but I want those hard shell ones. I’m like nope. I convince them. I tell them, ‘Try them,’ and they’re convinced and they love them and come back,” Maribel said.

These little tacos are covered in a sauce that simply put is stunning. Esteban Ortega is one of the cooks that puts together this simple dish.

It all starts with some freshly fried up tacos filled with beef, onions, and spices put in a boat and bestowed with boiling hot sauce.

So what’s in the secret sauce? Apparently, that’s going to remain a secret.

“Yeah, nobody’s going to get it,” Esteban informed us. “No.”

At least they’ll let you have it any way you want it, including in cup. Some even order the sauce like a bowl of soup.

“They dip their fries in there,” Esteban says. “They use it as a dip.”

Once we had learned all we could about the sauce, it was time to check out the whole taco.

These little tacos are just sitting here soaking in that Chico’s sauce almost like a hot tub for these beautiful tasty treats. These aren’t taquitos. They’re tacos, keep that in mind. They are just soaked with that sauce making them nice and soft.

Over 60 years of history sort of hit the palate all at once when I took that first bite, and it was like a big warm embrace.

The sauce is money. The taquitos very good, but it’s definitely the sauce that’s soaking into that taco and getting all that spicy flavor soaked into the taco to make it terrific.

“Got to admit, it’s not the fanciest, but it’s that what make it even better,” Chico’s regular, Omar, says.

 

The Texas Bucket List – The Leona General Store in Leona

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LEONA, Texas – When it comes to featuring Texas beef here on The Texas Bucket List, burgers are usually our forte.  But a big steak in the middle of nowhere got us to pull off the road to try something a little different at a hole in the wall in Leona.

Smack dab in between Dallas and Houston, you’ll find the little town of Leona. Not much happens in this small community about a mile off Interstate 45 but every Friday and Saturday afternoon people start lining up outside the old Leona General Store.

Conversation usually revolves around food, because that’s what people are here for, steaks to be precise.

Jerry House bought the Leona General Store in 1998 and he was very familiar with what he was getting into. Jerry’s family has some lineage in Leona, going all the way back to his great, great grandparents.

“Leona was so important to our dad growing up and to the House family,” Jerry explained. “So this is how we look upon our contribution to making Leona a little bit better place than perhaps it was.”

Jerry and his family turned the old general store, that was built in 1921, into a must stop steak spot that only serves up ridiculous sized rib-eyes on Friday and Saturday nights.

“We don’t have linen table cloths, we don’t have the best salad bar in the world, but it’s a place that if you want a steak and a good rib-eye steak cooked on charcoal outside like you would at home this is the place to come,” Jerry says.

Being in the business of beef was a new endeavor for Jerry. Prior to his pursuit of the perfect steak, his place in the world was on a pulpit.

“Its kind of like being a minister of a church,” Jerry informed us. “You work hard to prepare your sermon. So, you get up and you go to church Sunday and you say to yourself, ‘I wonder if anybody’s going to show up today, because nobody has to.’ I feel the same way here. What if nobody shows up?”

But people do, and when they arrive they are greeted by just about the whole House family.

“I couldn’t do this without my wife,” Jerry says. “It is a family thing. Cynthia runs the cash register, our daughter Laura is a cook, our son-in-law Don runs the cook shack, and then we have a daughter Emily who comes in every other week and is a waitress. Then we have a son who is the senior minister at Christ United Methodist Church in College Station, and he prays for us. So that’s his contribution. It’s a family deal.”

Even the Mayor of Leona comes to the General Store, but not to eat.  He works here.

Mayor Bubba Oden has been cooking rib-eye on these oak pits for 19 years.

“You can’t go anywhere and get the mayor to cook your steaks,” Mayor Bubba says.

Now when it comes to ordering your steak in Leona, first you select your size.

“We don’t have a menu,” Jerry explained. “Our philosophy, really when we started, is to do something like we would do at home if we had guests at our home.”

Basically, you order by the ounce and trust me, it’ll be bigger than you think thanks to the steak houses unique method of measuring.

“We never weigh them,” Jerry says. “We just hand cut them, and we cut them about that thick. As a matter of fact, we finally weighed one about a year ago, and our 10 ounce steaks are actually 16 ounces.”

Keeping that in mind, we ordered a nice big cut of beef, asked that it be prepared medium rare, and headed back to the grill to watch this meaty Texas sized treat heat up to perfection.

“Over the course of the year it comes out to something like 46,500 pounds of rib eye,” Jerry informed us. “We’re doing our part to help the cattle industry, I guess.”

After just a few minutes, it was time this beef to get in my belly. We ordered a 12, but it looks like we got about 20 ounces of a true Texas treasure. When we cut into it, we found that the steak was cooked just like it should be here in the Lone-Star State, and the smell was absolutely amazing as it came straight off the oak charcoal.

“It’s the country,” Frances, a regular here, says. “It’s what country folks love to eat, and it’s done well. It is fantastic.”

If you happen to be driving between Dallas and Houston and looking for a big ole steak, Leona is well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List.

“Texans eat steak, and if you want a good steak you better come here to get you one,” Leona Steak House regular, Joe says.

The Texas Bucket List – Atkinson Candy Company in Lufkin

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LUFKIN, Texas – You don’t have to travel the Milky Way to find pieces of candy that have a connection to our great state.  You don’t have to spend 100 grand getting there either, because in Lufkin you’ll find the Atkinson Candy Company, and they’ve got a big hunk of good candy.

Eric Atkinson runs the candy factory his grandfather, B.E. Atkinson started during the Great Depression. You see, Eric wasn’t the kid in the candy store growing up; he was the kid in the candy factory.

“A relative told him that he ought to get into candy distribution, because nobody had any money, but everybody had a nickel,” Eric informed us.

In 1938 Atkinson started production on their own candy, and according to Eric East Texas had about 450 candy companies at the time. Today Atkinson Candy is the largest family based candy company in Texas.

“Even though we manufacture candy, what we make is happiness,” Eric says.

Known for their Chico Sticks, Peanut Butter Bars, black cows, and long boys Atkinson makes an assortment of candy that could please the palate of just about any Texan. You might even say Eric is the Willy Wonka of Lufkin.

While at the candy factory, we got transported into a world of pure imagination to see how this candy is really made.  The first thing you notice, the temperature.

“In a candy factory you want your kitchen to be warm, so it’s not necessarily at a temperature that everyone would prefer, but the candy loves it,” Eric explained. “It keeps it from getting too hard while we’re processing the candy. As long as it’s in this room, the product stays above about 260 degrees. That makes it soft and malleable, although damn hot. We’ve made candy like this since day one, 85 years.”

From bubbling hot caramel to peanut butter bars being stretched and formed, these big blobs of sugar don’t look like candy until they get to the end of the line. It’s amazing to see such a big piece of candy continue it’s way down the line.

“You look at the batch and you think, ‘How on Earth are you going to get that batch into that little bitty piece?’” Eric said. “ This is how right here. They take in that rope of candy, they give it it’s final diameter, they cut the candy off in its final shape or length, they feed in film, wrap the film around the candy, cut the film, twist it not once, but twice, and spit it out at around 750 pieces a minute on this machine.”

The entire process is like an orchestra dedicated to the sweet sounds of well, sweets. While watching this symphony that serenades the taste buds, the one question that churned in my mind was how’d the name of the Chick-O-Stick come to be.

“The single most asked question I get,” Eric said. “I wasn’t alive when that came around, so I don’t have first hand knowledge, but here’s what I do know. Candy like this back in the day was originally called chicken bones. In about 1950 when we started selling outside the state of Texas is when we learned what a trademark was, and somebody had the trademark for chicken bones, so we had to come up with another name for our candy. Somewhere in that process we came up with the Chick-O-Stick, and my best guess as to why they were ever called that is because they kind of look a little bit like a piece of fried chicken.”

Now enjoying this Texas treat is easy and inexpensive, you can find it just about anywhere in the country but you can also come to the factory and visit the candy kitchen for a chance to get treats that didn’t quite make the cut at wholesale prices.

Every piece of candy that comes out of here has something to be proud of.

“This is candy that was born here in the state of Texas and built for Texans, built for the heat that Texans experience everyday in the summer time, so therefore it’s candy we should all enjoy,” Eric said.

For Eric, being a part of this family tradition that has lasted so long in East Texas is a source of pride.

“Oh it becomes a part of you,” Eric said. “It’s a since of pride that we have been able to succeed and take something that my grandfather brought up from the ground and make it a player in the world of confection in this country.”

The Texas Bucket List – Double Trouble Burgers in Carrizo Springs

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CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas – When it comes to finding the best burgers in the Lone Star State sometimes you have to look in places you wouldn’t expect, like a desolate trailer park on the outskirts of a South Texas town.

Once we found this trailer know for terrific food, we didn’t wait one hot minute to get a burger birthed out of brotherly love.

Jacob and Jason Rodriguez are, you guessed it twins. Since 1979, these brothers have always been there for each other.  From their high school days in Carrizo Springs, to playing football together in Kingsville, and now owning a business back home. The brothers are close and have their parents to thank for that.

“Our parents busted their butt for us, so it was good,” Jacob explained.

Their parents’ commitment to each other taught these two a terrific lesson. The brothers are so close in fact; they wear the same right in honor of their connection to their faith and their fraternity.

“You have to have not only faith in each other, but faith in whoever it is that you look up to,” Jacob said. “When you have that good foundation at home I think the sky is the limit.”

The duo known as Double Trouble also makes darn good food in Dimmit County. Baked potatoes and burgers are their specialty, and that’s something a bit different from what you’d normally find here. When you look at restaurants in Carrizo Springs, the offerings are pretty limited.

“It’s either you eat Mexican food or you eat Mexican food,” Jason informed us. “So I think we bring a little bit of variety.”

So, what’s the most popular burger at this unique little joint packing double the trouble? The answer may not surprise you.

“Our most popular is our double trouble burger, and it’s our double meat, double cheese with bacon,” Jacob said. “It will put you to sleep.”

With all the driving we do, we were ready for a nap, so Jacob got things cooking.

“I try to keep my food simple to where people go back to just fresh food,” Jacob said. “Just nothing too complicated and throwing all kinds of stuff into it.”

Two 1/3 pound patties topped with salt and pepper got the trouble started in the kitchen. The buns were toasted, bacon placed on the grill, and in came the cheese. The double was stacked, the typical Texas Toppings garnished, and just like that the double trouble was done and it was time to eat.

The smell can be probably be sensed all over South Texas. This burger just emits that incredible bacon cheeseburger flavor that I’m sure is traveling down 277 all the way to Eagle Pass for people looking for a bite to eat.

We don’t drive all over Texas just to get smells of these big old burgers; we want a taste. After taking a double take on our bite, we doubled down. Double the patties, double the fun, nothing goes down like a Double Trouble burger here in the South Texas sun.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Top of the Hill

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BENCHLEY, Texas – Just a few miles north of Aggieland on the original El Camino Real, or Old San Antonio Road, you’ll find a small hill with one heck of a hamburger joint.

Retha Valero bought this old store from the 70s back in 2002.  Today, groceries are not as big a part of the business plan.

“We found out the grocery store, it just wasn’t making it for us,” Retha explained. “We saw more people are coming for the greasy burgers. When you pick up your burger, you want to see the juices run out in that paper. I know I did a good job when I see that.”

So Retha focused on what beckoned burger lovers from all over the Brazos Valley.

“I really enjoy seeing people eat and enjoy that food,” Retha says.

Retha works with her son Vick and if you climb up to this place once or twice, they’ll know exactly what you want.

“It’s like walking into the bank,” Retha explained. “They know you by name. Well, that’s pretty much what it is here. They know you by a burger here.”

We went with one of the original and most popular offerings on the menu.  The Superman.

“A lot of the burgers where named after customers when we first opened, and that fella used to come in with a Superman shirt on all the time,” Retha shared. “So once we saw him get out of the vehicle we said, ‘Op, one Superman.’ So we knew.”

Now that we know the background behind the burger, it’s time to get a behind the scenes look at the making of the Superman.

Retha gets things started with a hand pressed patty that’s huge to say the least.

“It’s a third pound, and you’d be surprised,” Retha said. “We use, you know like your big coffee can, the lid of it is what forms that.”

With the local meat cooking away, the buns are toasted while bacon and house made jalapenos hit the grill.

“One flip, and don’t mash it,” Retha said as she flipped the patties. “Oh my god, it hurts my heart when I see somebody mash the fatage. Either you’re squeezing out the blood or the juices. One or the other.”

Next she stacks the Superman together, and we’re ready to leap over the hill in a single bite.

Right off the bat that smell is incredible. You get all that black pepper coming off it just covering that local meat with jalapenos and cheese. Oh, this just looks like a good old-fashioned cheeseburger.

You ever get that feeling of being completely powerless against something? Well, the Superman at Top of the Hill is definitely my kryptonite.

As Arthur, a Top of the Hill regular says, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that hamburger. That’s just perfect.”

With that greasy bread, bacon, cheese, and jalapenos, and all those veggies mixing in, it definitely provides a supper flavor. They may call it the Superman, but I’m pretty sure that with this size and flavor it could feed the whole Justice League.

If you want to feel what it’s like to soar through the sky like the man of steel himself, a burger at Top of the Hill is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“It makes us a living, and God smiles on us every day with what we have,” Retha said.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Beethoven Maennerchor in San Antonio

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – San Antonio, the city of splendid, beautiful color. Every day is an adventure here thanks to a plethora of particular things to do. Over in the Historic King William District, you’ll find the old Beethoven Maennerchor, a building that’s been around a long time and has one heck of party in October.

Claus Heide first came to the Beethoven Maennerchor when he was fresh off the boat in 1965.  He’s been a member of the singing organization for over 40 years and the club president since 1984.

“Everybody has a good time, and it’s a great place to hang out,” Claus said. So we asked him what the key is to a good Oktoberfest. His answer, “Food and beer. That’s all the ingredients you need.”

Having a long-storied history in the Lone-Star State helps as well.  You see there are Oktoberfest parties all over Texas but this one has been around since the 1860s when the Maennerchor was first established by musical director Simon Manager and former San Antonio Mayor Wilhelm Thielepape.

The names and faces of the men who have come to this gathering place over the years hang in the beer halls. Stories and memories of the time these men and their ancestors have spent here are shared during each Oktoberfest.

Since 1926, this building has had the burden of bringing smiles to beer drinking, bratwurst loving, braggadocios Texans; most of German decent, but many without.

“This is awesome because this is authentic, and it brings all the cultures together,” said Michael, an Oktoberfest regular. “To be able to experience the German culture within the confines of San Antonio, you don’t find that in a lot of cities.”

Now what’s great about the grand German get together is it doesn’t just happen in October, because this Oktoberfest takes place every month.

With so many thirsty friends on hand, I had the task of making sure the crowd was quenched. With celebratory ale in hand, we toasted the night away.

“A lot of people have it on their bucket list because it is a blast,” Claus shared. “It’s really fun.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – Chuy’s (Madden Haul of Fame) in Van Horn

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VAN HORN, Texas – As you make your way to El Paso along the wide-open roads of west Texas, you’ll come across only a few sanctuaries in this part of the state to stock up on supplies or get a snack.

Van Horn is one of those isolated islands along the way and there you’ll find a Mexican restaurant named Chuy’s and no, it’s not the one you might be thinking of.

Paul Uranga is now the caretaker of the cantina that started out as a hamburger stand when his parents, Jesus and Mary Lou, opened it back in 1959 out in the middle of nowhere.

“We’re 90 miles from the next civilization this way and about 120 miles to El Paso,” Paul said. “You know, it’s different. A lot of people ask us how do you do it, but I guess you get used to it.”

With less than 2,000 Texans living in Van Horn, Chuy’s is a popular stop not just for locals but also legends. You may be surprised to learn that Chuy’s is the old stomping grounds of Johnny Cash, Selena, Ray Price, Conway Twitty, Harrison Ford, and more.

All of these celebrity visits got started back in 1987 when football legend John Madden happened to be passing through on a Monday night.

“If you don’t have cable you’re not going to get reception, so he was passing down this way and he lost reception and he saw lights up ahead,” Paul said. “He told his driver – it was a Monday night – ‘I need to watch this game. See if there’s a place we can watch the game, and we had a sign up that said TV room. He said, ‘There’s a place that has a TV. Check it out.’ So the bus driver gets down first, looked at the place, and said, ‘You know seems like a decent place, nice place.’ So John Madden, that was the first time he came in. He has been stopping ever since at least three or four times a year.”

A fear of being confined in a plane forced Madden to take his famed Madden Cruiser to football stadiums across the country, when driving down Interstate 10, he’d always find time to veer off in Van Horn.

“He’s been here several times, and he was certainly a presence when he came,” said Larry, a Chuy’s regular.

Well if this Tex Mex makes Madden’s mouth water, I’m in. So, we sampled their famous family recipe, flat enchiladas.

I must report, they were a real game winner with a chili powder kick. As for their famous fajitas, they are a real crowd pleaser.

“It’s unique to Van Horn, and it’s just a unique experience that one needs to enjoy.”