Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Seismique in Houston

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Houston – As brick-and-mortar stores continue to struggle across the state, many of these monstrous buildings remain empty as online shopping has become the norm.  But on the west side of Houston, they’ve figured out a unique way to transform a tremendous amount of retail space into something we’ve never seen before called Seismique. “Seismic means groundbreaking, earth shattering, and as you can see, everything we do is with a twist. Seismique with a Q-E-U is seismic groundbreaking with a twist,” said Josh Corley.

Josh and Steve Kopelman partnered up to put together this one of a kind attraction and it’s a far cry from Josh’s Chemical Engineering degree he earned at Texas A&M.  “It wasn’t for me. It was a great learning experience. It was a lot of fun, met a lot of great people. It was very difficult, but it wasn’t for me, ultimately, no.” This seems a lot more fun. “It’s a lot more fun. And I get to see the people, some of the work that I’ve done, I get to be around them, and I get to see the smiles on people’s faces,” explained Josh.

When people walk in here, Josh hears the same thing over and over. “Where are we? What the heck is this place,” quoted Josh. “We started noticing that there was an entirely different genre of art that we see emerging. It’s interactive and immersive. Something that totally removes the velvet rope or the glass case from the Mona Lisa and invites you to be actually part of the art and influence the art,”said Josh. “We didn’t see there was any kind of institution, any kind of museum, any kind of anything else serving that and bringing that together. So we said, “Why not us?’,” explained Josh.

Over 50 craftspeople, artists and technologists worked on this 40,000 square foot space to create this display that feels like you’re in another dimension. “What you see here is almost out of the artist’s minds themselves with a little bit of creative back and forth with Steve and I, just to make sure that it can be realized in a proper way,” expressed Josh.

“We’re walking now into what’s called Brainwasher. Brainwasher, it’s an exhibit done by an artist named Joshua Jest. There are over 200 screens here being projected onto. Everywhere, left, right, up, down, and it’s coordinated with the music, so you can dance in here, there’s a beat to it,” said Josh.

But some exhibits require full faith that the technology will work in tune with the display.

“We’re going into Acid Rain. We’re actually walking in a room with rain pouring down everywhere. Yeah, it’s constantly raining everywhere around you, except for where you stand. If you ever wanted a Houston shower, but you didn’t want to actually get wet, this is the spot to be,” explained Josh.

Of course after such a trippy trip, you have to calm things down, and fortunately there’s a room for that too. “Now, we’re walking through what’s called Eden. Yeah, we’ve got Beatles playing. It’s a relaxing environment. And if you can’t tell, it’s inspired by the movie Avatar. We’ve got benches to sit on. One of the only places you can actually sit in all of Seismique, that’s not in the lobby, and you can just sit and reflect back on everything you’ve seen here, because it’s a wild space in and of itself,” said Josh.

So if you’re looking for one of the most unique art displays in the whole darn state, trust me you’ll be in a trance with a trip to Sismique  and it is off the scale on The Texas Bucket List. “There’s no other place like this, not only in Texas, but in the whole world. It’s one of a kind,” expressed Josh.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Old Boot Factory in Nocona

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Nocona – Nocona, Texas might be known as the Classic Car Capitol of Texas but back when folks were banging along in Model-T’s, boots were a big deal in this town thanks to a boot company called Nocona. “What we have here is the original American made Nocona Boots. And it’s a beautiful boot, been making the boots since 1925,” said Craig Carter.

Carter owns the old building in which Nocona Boots were made from 1948 to 1999. It was Mrs. Enid Justin of the famous Justin Boots family that started the Nocona Boot company and built this massive manufacturing plant all those years ago. “There’s some things you get involved in and just have a mind of their own. And they’re going somewhere. And this journey with the history of Nocona Boots, what Miss Enid poured into this building, her journey of building this factory in ’48. And there’s so many milestones that she broke through being a woman,” explained Craig.

Craig wanted to change that by making opportunities for the people of Nocona.  So in 2016 he bought the building and helped facilitate several new businesses there. The Old Boot Store belongs to Craig but you’ll also find Nocona Baseball gloves and Nocona Beer all under one roof. “I’ve got about 70,000 square feet. Strategically saving some for some other businesses that are coming,” stated Craig.

“Yeah, if you’d seen this building before, you wouldn’t believe it. But one thing I know about Craig is he has enough sight to see what something can be, even when it’s a dump,” said Dave Young. Young is the brew master at Nocona Beer and Craig’s brother-in-law. When you visit the Old Boot Factory, you’ll always find a cold Nocona waiting for you.

“We have Nocona Beer there. If you come through, it’s complementary and just want you to experience Nocona,” said Craig. “Man, you put on a good pair of boots. You feel like a million bucks. And if that doesn’t work, try a beer. Between the two you’ll get there. It’s really a great draw and putting Nocona back on the map with one Nocona Beer at a time,” said Craig.

Between all these businesses inside this massive building, jobs in Nocona are slowly coming back. While it’s not the hundreds of jobs that the old Nocona Boot Factory left behind but it is something in a community that could use it. “It’s becoming a much stronger synergy of businesses focused on giving back. And that really is, I’m trying to change Nocona and grow and create quality jobs and create quality,” explained Craig.

And it’s not just jobs that Craig is helping to create.  He’s also giving back by giving away food with his Hope 29:11 outreach program.  A food bank that operates out of the Old Nocona Boot Factory every other weekend.  “Hope 29:11 is based on Jeremiah 29:11, providing a future and hope. It’s not much more complicated than that. Trying to provide a future in this community,” expressed Craig. “If you saw how many people come in here every Saturday or every other Saturday to get food and it’s amazing,” said Dave. “It kind of re-synergizes you and helps you focus on what’s the point. It’s not about money. It’s just about making sure those resources are going where it’s needed,” said Craig.

So if you’re driving through North Texas and looking for a baseball glove, boots, or even just a cold beer stopping by the Old Boot Factory in Nocona is a necessary stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Zito’s Deli in San Antonio

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San Antonio – On the northside of San Antonio, on the shining lights of Broadway, is a sandwich bistro with a big following.  Zito’s Deli is not a dive by any means but it is a bit difficult to find but you won’t be disappointed.

“I love that it’s hidden over here by the airport in a kind of this little divey restaurant, in a kind of area that’s not that great, but it’s my secret little hideout,” said customer Allison Singleton.

Brad Zito is the second generation of sandwich makers at the business that began in 1974 with his father who hailed from Rhode Island. “There was one deli, an Italian deli here in San Antonio, and he wanted to open up another one,” said owner Brad Zito.

Brad’s father passed away in 1996 so Brad ran Zito’s with his mother till 2015 when he finally let her retire at 93. “Yeah, she would still probably be working, but we wanted her to at least enjoy the last few years of her life,” stated Brad.

As for Brad, he’s always been a part of the business and even managed to find a spouse in between sandwiches. “I mean, I always worked here my whole life, but after college, I started working here and met my wife at my Callaghan store, got married and three children later,” said Brad.

From Reubens to roast beef, Zito’s has got a zany number of subs but there’s one sandwich they take seriously.  The Serious Sandwich. “The Serious is our signature sandwich that my mother created. It’s like the cousin to the muffuletta. She wanted a signature sandwich and my father had all the ingredients, put all the ingredients here and then she took what we had and created the Serious,” explained Brad.

“If there’s a place that has a Serious sandwich, you better try that Serious sandwich,” said customer Mike Hockersmith. “Y’all are going to have one, right,” asked Allison. Seriously? Of course!  Brad took us to the back to get started.

“We sell approximately 100 whole Seriouses a day. A whole Serious is enough for two people. So we have to prepare the day before. The salami side will have provolone cheese, ham and salami. And then on the other side of the sandwich, we’ll have what we consider the cheddar side. And that’ll have a cheddar and another type of ham. And that goes on the flatbread,” explained Brad.

“We got the onions, olives, tomatoes, and then our signature spices. We have Italian blend spices that we blend here ourselves. Then our shredded lettuce. We want to have it, especially when they’re to go,” Said Brad.

The Serious sandwich is seriously huge. We’re going to pick it up and it’s almost like a cross between a quesadilla, a pizza and a sandwich, all wrapped up into one little package and the flavor of the Serious sandwich is sensational.

“This is right up there with greatness for me. This makes a day a good day,” said Allison.

The flatbread is a unique take on the Serious sandwich because then you get to save a little bit on the carbs, but you get all that meat. “We’ve been coming here for many, many years and really it’s the Serious sandwich that keeps me coming back,” said Mike.

When I grew up in Round Rock, we had a little sandwich place called Alvin Ords. It was my favorite hangout back in the ’80s and this sandwich tastes a lot like it. “I try not to tell anybody about this because sometimes it’s best to just keep your little secrets to yourself,” said Allison.

All those ingredients finely chopped really do come together to make an excellent flavor. “It’s got everything in it. You really don’t need anything else,” stated Mike.

Well, if you’re ever in San Antonio looking for a sandwich with a zing, come into Zito’s. It’s well with a stop on The Texas Bucket List.“It felt really fulfilling to continue on and to hear customers thank me for continuing on the tradition,” expressed Brad.

The Texas Bucket List – Stephen F. Austin Statue in Angleton

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Angleton – No matter what corner of the Lone Star State you find yourself in, you’ll always be right around the corner from some incredible Texas history. Brazoria County is no exception. It was here that Cabeza de Vaca landed in 1528 and three hundred years later, Stephen F. Austin was establishing a colony in these parts. But to hear more of this amazing story, just look for the sizable statue of one of the heroes of Texas.

“I do have people that come down here from Nacogdoches and they’re amazed when they see the statute, and they pull over and they have to get a picture, and they always tell me, ‘We’re coming back with all of our school gear, so we can take a picture. We didn’t know that we had a statute too.’,” joked James Glover, the historic site manager at the Stephen F. Austin-Munson Historical County Park.

When I first meet James, I wondered if he was a time traveler from the past. “My boss tells me that I was dug up from an 1835-time capsule,” joked James.

James is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the incredible history of Brazoria County and here it’s all about Austin and his colony. “Of course, we’ve got a giant statute of the Father of Texas out front, so we have to focus on him. I decided our focus on this site is pretty much what the original brainstormers for this site had thought of, was the era that influenced what Austin did here, and how far his influence actually carried,” explained James.

The statue of Stephen F. Austin was built by famous Texas artist David Adickes, who also constructed the massive Sam Houston statue you can find in Huntsville. But, how does he compare to the Sam Huston statue in Huntsville?  “According to the sculptor, four feet taller. I haven’t gone out and measured the two, but I’ll take Mr. Adickes’ word for it, since he built both of them,” stated James.

While his statue may be a bit bigger, in James’ eye’s, Stephen F. Austin had a much bigger role in making Texas what it is today. “I would say, although I am a bit biased, infinitely more important,” said James.

Austin was instrumental in settling Texas and that all started in 1821. “He came in, took an area that didn’t have anything, nothing here, and turned it into the most successful financial, as well as tranquil community, or area of Texas,” explained James. “All told, it is said that Austin settled about 6,000 individuals in Texas before he died,” stated James.

The history of Texas centers around Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, two men with massive statues that might have had a bit of a rift once Texas won its Independence. “Two guys who really were not fans of each other,” said James.

“That’s exaggerated,” said Texas historian and businessman J.P Bryan. Mr. Bryan is actually related to Stephen F. Austin and has an incredible collection of Austin’s paperwork to settle Texas at the Bryan Museum in Galveston.

“They were, for two men who were ambitious, and wanted to have as much control as possible, over events of the time, politically, they were certainly not enemies. They had periods of time where they were very compatible, shared sentiments about the same thing,” explained Bryan.

And that shared sentiment set the stage for the reason we call Stephen F. Austin the father of Texas. “Two days after Austin’s death, on the 27th of December, Sam Houston wrote a eulogy and had it published in a Telegraph and Texas Register at the town of Columbia, and in it he says, ‘The father of Texas has passed.’ That was the first time he was called, The Father of Texas,” explained James.

So head down to Brazoria County to see the Father of Texas overlooking the lands of the Lone Star State and toast to his Texas sized accomplishment of making Texas, well Texas. “It does represent the Father of Texas and the guy who set up the first successful, Anglo Colony in Mexican Texas at the time, and actually has some very important sites for what later became the Republic of Texas, and ultimately the State that we now enjoy, and they get to meet me,” expressed James.

The Texas Bucket List – Fishing Lake Amistad in Del Rio

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Del Rio – During our travels over the years on The Texas Bucket List I’ve always been enamored with Lake Amistad down in Del Rio. When we stayed at the Lodge at Sanders Point, the lake showed off its natural beauty. And when you head down the road to Langtry to visit Judge Roy Bean’s Jersey Lilly, you can’t help but stare out onto the shore as you drive by. So after seeing the lake shine over so many visits to the area, we finally decided to fish it.  On a cold January afternoon.

“Well, we get all three seasons in one day sometimes,” joked Raul Cordero.  Raul is a former roughneck who now owns Farwest Guide Service and he braved the brisk air to take us by boat around the lake I’ve always loved. “We have beautiful water, we have a lot of deep water, and we have a lot of good fishing,” said Raul.

Raul has been roaming around this lake his whole life and it all got started when his family moved to Del Rio when he was a boy. “I remember the move to Del Rio because it was the happiest day of my life. When my dad said we’re moving to Del Rio, I couldn’t wait to get here. I’d been fishing this lake years prior to it, because we always had family here,” explained Raul.

Now he has a family of his own. So we did what most Dad’s love to do. Get out on water, way far away from the worries of the world. While it wasn’t as warm as I was hoping, “We don’t have very many cold days, other than today when we chose to fish,” joked Raul. The sights were as surreal as I imagined. “It’s about half and half in the US, half in Mexico. It’s 64,000 acres, about 160 miles of shoreline when it’s full, and we’ve got pretty close to 200 foot deep in some areas. It’s something you have to come and experience. I mean, it’s a gorgeous lake,” said Raul.

Known for its bass fishing, that’s what most anglers are angling for when they come here. “Bass fishing is more of a challenge. They’re a lot tougher to catch,” stated Raul. As we found out, after watching Raul’s uncommon method of calling fish, sort of recreating the sound of a feeding frenzy.

We started jigging, and jigging, and jigging . “A big fish is only a cast away. That jig technique, it’ll wear you out, and then you chuck that big umbrella rig we were throwing for a while, that one will wear you out too,” joked Raul. Turns out, I might have been doing it wrong. “Like they say, it’s not the size of the worm, it’s the way you wiggle it, so that’s the secret to it,” said Raul.

Raul eventually reeled a few white bass in the boat and these beautiful fish are fun to see.  “It’s like anything else, being at the right place at the right time, timing it right,” stated Raul.

But what’s most surreal about this lake is most of the time, it’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It’s tranquil.  From the fish in the water, the waterfowl flying around, to the aoudad roaming the shores, Lake Amistad is a sportsman’s Shangri-la, a nice place for naturalist, and it’s right here in the Lone Star State…..and in Mexico. “This to me is the end of the world. This is as secluded as it gets. I hear from a lot of customers, ‘This lake’s been on my bucket list for many years.’,” said Raul.

So cast a line in the cool waters of Lake Amistad and enjoy a larger-than-life lake right here in the Lone Star State. “This is my passion. I love it. I love it,” expressed Raul.

The Texas Bucket List – Mayor Charlie in Whitehall

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Whitehall – In the small Texas town of Whitehall, there’s not a whole lot happening on most days.  You’ll always find folks at the feed store and the Whitehall Café is a popular meeting place but the Whitehall grocery store is where everyone comes to talk.  Now subject is steered around at the store including the hot topic of local politics and the job Mayor Charlie McMillan is doing.

“If you’re here for like an hour, you’ll meet everybody in Whitehall, including the Mayor,” said Whitehall local Don Schoenburg.

“He’s one of the few Mayors that we’ve had, who has run for two terms and been elected twice. And we anticipate supporting him for his third-year term next year,” said Whitehall fire chief Freeman Vickers.

You see it’s hard to say anything bad about the local Mayor considering the little man can barely walk.

“We think he is a tremendous representative of our community and a leader among 18 months old,” said Chad McMillan.

Chad and Nancy Jane McMillan are Charlie’s parents, and they see the Mayor in a whole other light. “Well, he just sleeps on the job and is on the bottle all day,” joked Nancy McMilan.

Mark Twain once said, “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”  Charlie couldn’t agree more. Now being a parent is already exhausting enough but being parents the Mayor is all sorts of extra work.  You’ve got music lessons, chess lessons, art lessons and of course meet and greets with community members and Texas TV shows.

Now Charlie wasn’t elected into office, he won the position at a charity auction for the town’s volunteer fire department. “It’s the best Mayor money can buy,” joked Freeman Vickers.

Freeman Vickers is Whitehall’s fire chief and he has no problem with having a baby as a boss. “Well, I’ve answered to younger supervisors in the past, so this is nothing different,” joked Freeman.

“Charlie is not a Republican, he’s not a Democrat. He loves everybody and committed to spreading good cheer and love and encouragement and we think he’s a wonderful example of what a politician could be,” explained Chad.

Now with being an elected official, we just had to know what his responsibilities were.  “Since Whitehall is an unincorporated community there are no legal responsibilities. Charlie has no power but he has great influence. He attends the monthly meetings and is recognized as the leader of the community. His main responsibility is to love people and he does it so effortlessly,” said Chad.

This little mayor also has to have some things he stands for. “Yeah, he has three main platform planks. Pro-life, pro-adoption, and pro-puppies,” said Chad.

Charlie’s parents are obviously very proud of their bundle of joy but just having him here is the greatest gift of all.   You see Chad and Nancy Jane adopted Charlie and they’re doing everything they can to provide him with a life full of love and a little bit of community service. “Charlie thinks that every kid ought to have a shot at life and that there’s lots of families that would love to adopt a baby. We have the privilege of bringing Charlie home from the hospital. After his birth mom handed us this little miracle and he had such an incredible opportunity to come live in a family that would love him and care for him. Live on a farm with lots of farm animals so he wants the world to know that every kid deserves a shot at life,” explained Chad.

“With a new life there’s also new hope and without new hope, Charlie wouldn’t be here. So we’re thankful for that,” said Freeman.

Charlie’s parents still communicate with his birth mom and give her updates on Charlie’s campaign but most importantly, they tell her thank you for having him. “What we continuously tell her is what a gift she’s given us. And we’re just so grateful to have the opportunity to raise a child together in that there are a ton of families just like us who would love to have the opportunity to pour their hearts into raising a little one and with Charlie’s platform, in a winsome way we can spread the word about what a beautiful gift adoption is and how important it is and how it’s changed our lives. And it’s changed his life,” expressed Nancy.

Being that Charlie’s made it mayor in such a short time, there’s no telling what his future holds as long as his parents keep him under control. “Keep him alive. That’s our number one goal,” joked Nancy.

So if you ever wind up in Whitehall be sure to stop by the ol’ grocery store and you never know, you might just meet the Mayor and that’s well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“We’re just a nice small community and it’s nice that we can pick a Mayor that we all get behind and appreciate,” said Don.

The Texas Bucket List Christmas Edition – Truman Chocolates in Bryan

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Bryan – On the bustling border of Bryan and College Station, you’ll find Truman Chocolates.  A unique stop for colorful chocolates from a local chocolatier.  “I figured I could sell enough chocolates to pay rent and that’s what I’ve been doing, paying rent and learning one mistake at a time for 14 years,” said owner Mitch Seigert.

Paying the rent hasn’t been too much of a problem for Mitch Truman Seigert thanks to his chocolates that look like a piece of art.  Mitch is a hometown kid who went off the Culinary Institute of America in New York.  “I wanted to do breads and desserts because I wanted to open up a restaurant,” stated Mitch.

During his time there, he was able to work on the Food Network and help create dishes for all the big time celebrity chefs, and we had to get all of the details. “Yeah. Emeril is just like… He’s just easy going, he’s personable. Bobby Flay is exactly like what you would think his personality would be. Rachel Ray’s funny. She was funny,” explained Mitch.

But the lifestyle of the rich and famous wasn’t for him, so he moved back home to Bryan to become the Willy Wonka of Aggieland.  “I never ever set out wanting to do chocolate or anything like this, but it was something that I could do in my hometown and I wanted to come back to Texas,” said Mitch. His savory sweets became a sweet success.

But the pandemic put a bit of sour note to the sweetness of that success and as the hot time known as the holiday season started to kick in, Mitch’s wife Jenny jumped on the idea of creating a few of the hottest trends in Christmas confectionery, hot cocoa bombs.  “I never wanted to do the cocoa bombs because it was always when we were crazy busy. So we started doing those and I just always figured the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. I’m not sleeping. I’m not going to add anything to it ever. I wouldn’t do a seasonal flavor in December ever because I didn’t couldn’t keep up. I didn’t care. But now, leave it to a pandemic to get you as far out of your comfort zone as you could possibly get. But it’s good,” explained Mitch.

Now if I was going to enjoy this explosion of festive flavor Mitch wasn’t going to gift it to me.  So I got to work like one of Santa’s elves. “Now get a little bit of color. Okay, now put some in the mold, can’t do it wrong. There you go. Do another one. Keep going. You got to do all six. See, I know you have an idea of what you want, that’s perfect,” Mitch directed as I made the hot cocoa bomb.

Once the colors created with cocoa butter are set, Mitch tempers the chocolate to get it to the right consistency to create the hollow balls for the bombs. “Now you’re going to have to build them. You’re halfway done. This isn’t barbecue,” joked Mitch.

The bombs are filled with a cocoa mix created here and marshmallows of course, and melted together with the help of a pot and blowtorch. After some seriously specific instructions on the precise method of placing things together, I made my first hot cocoa bomb for Christmas!

But now the fun part! Pouring some hot half and half on the creation to see it crack open and create a masterpiece. After stirring it up, it was time to toast to the holidays. “It’s like one of the things after you drink it you’re like, ‘That is good. You’re right. That is good. Then you get bombed on a bomb,” joked Mitch.

In a year where everybody could use a little more sweetness in their stocking, getting steaming hot cocoa bombs at Truman’s truly is a terrific stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Fly By Night Cattle Company in Cleburne Earns Bite of the Season

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Season 15 of The Texas Bucket List has been filled with many delicious stops, but only one eatery can take the title of Bite of the Season. Tortas, soup, seafood, burgers and steaks are all the foods that find themselves as finalists. After reflecting on the top 5 bites, it’s time to crown the winner of The Texas Bucket List Bite of the Season!

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

Bite #5 Taqueria Carmelita in Huntsville

Bite #5: Out in the middle of the woods in Huntsville, there is a taqueria full of excellent food and happiness. Taqueria Carmelita is the place for all Texans to go and split a torta!The taqueria serves up some delicious and authentic tacos and tortas with a side of owners Miguel’s smiles and wife, Leticia’s, joyous singing! 

Bite #4 Blue Quail Deli in Goliad

Bite #4: This deli down in Goliad has delicious sandwiches, but Texans travel from afar for the cream of jalapeño soup. Unlike any other soup in Texas, this legally bound soup has been pleasing Texans for that jalapeño fix no matter the weather! From subs and sandwiches to creamy yet secretive soups, this delicious deli is well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List!  

Bite #3 Dirty Al’s in South Padre Island

Bite #3: Located on the gulf coast, Dirty Al’s serves up some freshly caught seafood that is sure to delight. Owned by the one and only Dirty Al, Alfonso Salazar, he makes sure that every food is worth eating by, of course, eating it. From jumbo fried shrimp, oysters rockefeller, to blackened snapper fish, your plate is going to be a fresh array of delicious seafood that is well worth the stop!  

Bite #2 Gonzales Burger in Donna

Bite #2: Deeply hidden in the valley sits a burger joint that the locals surprisingly pass by, but it sure is popular with the out of town visitors. Known for their enormous burgers that are about the size of Texas, Gonzalez Burger only serves these glorious burgers that don’t disappoint from September to May, leaving time to enjoy a Texas summer vacation!  

Bite #1 Fly by Night Cattle Company in Cleburne

Bite #1: Located on a family ranch in Cleburne, the Fly By Night Cattle Company serves up a delicious burgundy tenderloin that has earned them the spot as the Texas Bucket List Bite of the Season! This restaurant is surrounded by the magical Texas night sky, and some friendly horses who make the atmosphere so lovable for Texans, making it well worth the stop!

The Texas Bucket List – Dirty Al’s on South Padre Island

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South Padre Island – South Padre is synonymous with sun and seafood.  So when you feel that warm breeze coming off the Gulf and get a hankering for huge portions of perfect seafood, Dirty Al’s will make you clean your plate.

“It doesn’t compare to anywhere else. Anywhere else,” said customer Jose Aguilar. Neither does the owner, he’s one of a kind. Meet the man, the myth, the legend… Alfonso Salazar also known as Dirty Al. 

How did the name Dirty come to you? “The right way or the wrong way? I’m not going to say it. I cannot say those things,” joked Al.

Al is known for a lot of things, one he always wears shorts.  The only time he didn’t, well, he heard about it. “Best part is the lady says, ‘This is the first time I see Al with pants on.’, You shouldn’t say that, girl,” Al said with big hearty laugh.

 

Al is in the business because of his three boys.  They’re the driving force behind his popular restaurant.

“I don’t like to cook.I like to eat,” said Al.

Growing up across the causeway in Port Isabel, Al grew up a fisherman and was even going out on his own at the tender age of 10.

“Whenever you’re a kid, you’ve got it made because you’ve got a job.  And then my dad says, ‘You want to go fishing? You want to have some money? Go shrimping.’ I said, ‘Okay. By myself?’” And my dad replied, “Yeah, you’re ready,”.

Eventually, Dirty Al bought an old bait shop and started selling tacos for one dollar.  That’s when his boys saw so much more potential and helped build a business known for fresh seafood.

“We’ve got the best eating shrimp. Tastes so good that people will come back,” said Dirty Al. All the shrimp is caught out in the Gulf.  “I’ve got friends of mine, they own about eight of them whole boats, big boats. By the time that they come in, the owner of the boat, he would call me, and they say, ‘Al, I’ve got a boat by tomorrow morning.’” explained Al.

Joe Rivas, the director of operations at Dirty Al’s got tasked with taking us to the kitchen, because once again, Al doesn’t like to cook.  First, we had to stop by the display case to get our meal. Now we didn’t just reel in one dish, Joe put together three of them starting with fried shrimp of course. It included some of the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen!

Then came the fresh gulf oysters. “You know what? Shucking oysters, it’s an art, because if you’re not careful, you’re going to slaughter the poor oyster,” explained Joe Rivas. The oysters get prepared Rockefeller style with bacon, spinach, Monterey cheese, and cheddar.

And finally, the fresh snapper.  It gets descaled and blackened with butter and spices.

With a feast at Dirty Al’s. We’ve got the fried Gulf shrimp, the red snapper blackened to perfection, and some Oysters Rockefeller. The shrimp was a very sweet meat, not overly fried and delicious. If you want good, fresh shrimp, then you know exactly where to go. The delicious, blackened snapper, not an overbearing fish, just a good tasting fish.  And finally, it was time to rock the Rockefellers, a big old fat, juicy oyster. That gooey cheese mixing in with that oyster, and that spinach, and that bacon, and the onions is just good.  Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime or come to Dirty Al’s and just have an incredible one meal.

“Well, I like that it’s fresh and it’s good. You know what you get every time,” said customer Esther Rubio.

Well, if you ever find yourself on South Padre, soaking up the South Texas sun, looking for some savory seafood, the fresh fish and fried shrimp at Dirty Al’s is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – The Local in Abilene

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Abilene – In a town known for steaks and barbeque, finding tacos that take it up a notch can be a frivolous task. But when it comes to Hispanic cuisine that takes things to a whole other level, The Local is well versed.

“The food is all authentic, Hispanic, west Texas style food. It’s all the flavors that you’re gonna find in everybody’s kitchen, in every Hispanic’s kitchen in town elevated,” said Gabe Stokes. Stokes is the general manager of The Local and Cody Enriquez is the head chef. We met them a few years back at the Abilene Country Club and when Gabe got hired to help create a unique place in downtown, he brought his right-hand man. “Cody is the best chef I’ve ever met so I had to bring him with me,” said Gabe.

They created this concept of taking typical tacos and turning the tortillas inside out to make something totally different. “The food we grew up eating, it’s great but how come we can’t change it?” asked Cody.

Cody wanted to show off three of his terrific tacos and the first starts off with some carefully cared for carne asada. “This carne asada is really meaningful to me because it took me three years to develop the recipe,” said Cody.

The beef is marinated for a minimum of 12 hours in an incredible smelling combination of cilantro, garlic, soy, lime juice, and cumin. But this isn’t your common cut of meat.  “Most traditional carne asada is made with skirt steak or flank steak. Well I kind of went up a little bit just coming from the fine dining cooking side so mine is made with New York Strip. So it’s a better cut of meat, it’s just like it’s more tender, it’s a better mouth feel,” Cody explains. When folks found out that Cody was using real steak, they had some questions. The steak is grilled on an open flame, and since it’s New York Strip, you can get it however you want. The steak gets wrapped up in a corn tortilla, with guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro and cotija cheese.

Next taco up is the Ruthie taco named for dear old mom.  “It’s so close to my heart and so close to my childhood that it’s like I needed to share with the world and like give them my version of it,” expresses Cody. Shredded chicken gets placed in a corn tortilla and is topped with corn, pico de gallo, cotija cheese and tajin.

Last but certainly not least is something called a wonton taco. “The wonton taco is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a taco made with a wonton shell that came from Cody’s mad scientist brain,” explained Cody.  Cody takes a fried wonton shell, seasons it, throws some shredded chicken, homemade avocado ranch, cilantro, cotija cheese and tajin. Chopsticks or forks optional. Now it’s time to try all three tacos!

For the carne asada taco, beefy would be an understatement. The Ruthie taco had wonderfully tender chicken, with delicious pico de gallo, topped with some sweetness from the corn. The wonton taco was just as expected, shockingly delicious with the crispy and flavorful wonton. “There’s a lot of flavors going on but it all rounds up going together and creates a great dish,” said one customer.

Well if you’re looking for a culinary take on tacos, Cody is your man right here at The Local.  “If you’re going to do tacos in Texas, you got to do tacos right and I feel like we do right,” said Gabe.