Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Cowboy Down

Everyone knows Big Tex.  He's the center piece (and frequent meeting place) at the State Fair of Texas and recently his yearly installation occurred in Fair Park in preparation for the imminent start of the Fair.  However, yesterday, a littler Big Tex had the opposite experience.

The neon Big Tex sign outside Centennial Liquor on I-35 in Dallas has been sold...to the State Fair of Texas.  And as of yesterday he is no longer beckoning thirsty shoppers to come in and buy some hooch.  Here are a few pics we got during the dismantling process:



It's currently in storage now while the Fair decides what to do with it.  The tentative plan is to unveil it at the 2016 State Fair.  We'll be following the story throughout Little Big Tex's journey.



Friday, September 18, 2015

Trump Charred


It's easy to forget that Donald Trump is currently running for president.  Just kidding, he's on TV every single day as people dissect the latest bomb that has dropped from his mouth.  But the first track on his "Why Did He Say That?" Greatest Hits album would be the comments he made about immigration early in his campaign.

Texas is at the forefront of the issue and the citizens of San Antonio had clear opinions on the issue.  No clearer were the opinions illustrated than at the window of Tienda la Garza.  On a recent trip to the River Walk we noticed this particular effigy on display:


This isn't the first or only place where Trump piƱatas were selling like gangbusters but it IS the one that we stumbled upon whilst looking for a good place for fajitas (or barbecue as a second choice).  And you can't deny the likeness...

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Review: East Texas Burger Company


The East Texas Burger Company has spent decades practicing the fine art of cooking great hamburgers.  It’s one of downtown Mineola’s oldest and most popular feedbags.  Expect crowds and a line if you go during meal times. 

While burgers are their business, they have a fairly extensive menu of standard American fare and southern favorites.


The decor is typical of a small town Mom & Pop burger shack with one exception.  Patrons are encouraged to doodle, scribble or proselytize on their napkins which end up thumb tacked along the walls.  This custom wallpaper includes jokes, cartoons, non sequiturs and even political commentary.


Orders are placed and paid for at a counter in the back and patrons can fill up their drinks and pick their table while they wait. Our wait was not very long at all and when our food arrived our feast began.  I went with that day's "Special" which was an East Texas version of brunch.


Most people, when they think of brunch, think of a little bit of breakfast combined with a little bit of lunch to create a new, light meal for late risers who enjoy leisurely grazing.  The “Sunrise Special” takes all of breakfast and all of lunch and combines them into an action packed wrestling match of a meal.

By adding bacon, eggs and hash browns to their signature burger they succeeded in creating a stomach expanding colossus that more than makes up for two meals.  The bacon is cooked well without being too greasy or too crispy.  The addition of fresh fruit may not seem to fit the theme but they work well as a palette cleanser between great big ol' bites.  All in all, both the patty and the egg could have benefited from a little less cooking but that may just be personal taste.

 
So with sufficient street cred in ambiance, history and especially food, the East Texas Burger Company should be your first choice for a meal in Mineola.  I still need to go back to try the pie.


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

I Double Dairy You


Hey check it out!  It's an all new episode of East Texas Explorer!  If you ever wanted to visit the Southwest Dairy Museum in Sulphur Springs, TX (yes, you have) then check out this episode of the podcast: