What are your fav restaurants and bars?

[IndieCowboy]

Sadly, over the decades, quality has nosedived everywhere, even Chilis which was once a shining star when it first opened on Greenville Ave near SMU with friendly hot girls and professional kitchen staff.

Once quality servers and cooks in restaurants have become riff raff and scumbags in many cases who don’t care and the food quality suffers.

It’s not like that everywhere just “manely” (beat the hell outta the lion cubs!!) - in big cities.

Small town independent bars and restaurants still have awesome kind servers cooks and bartenders in most cases.

Some of my recommendations:

Best hiker bar: The Mule Barn in Justin! Ice cold frozen schooners of beer and hottest and kindest down to Earth barmaids anywhere! But it’s been many years since I was last there. Live music and awesome food!!

BBQ: Hickory Stick Joshua location only. Great bbq and kind employees!

BBQ: 407 BBQ Argyle - forget about that unnamed central TX town of bbq fame. This place is the best there is and family owned!

Best local band: “Professor D!” Played a lot in a Euless dance club bar but it’s been a few years since I’ve been out and about due to age/physical issues.



What are some of your favs?!

 

[dupree89]

this is way back in the day.....

ponderosa.. loved it

ground round (often in malls)...awesome

olive garden....great

red lobster..loved it

dennys for breakfast was incredible

 

[Tabascocat]

I really miss:

The Branding Iron
Texas Tumbleweed
Old San Francisco Steakhouse
Steak & Ale
Grandy’s
Bennigan’s

 

[Reverend Conehead]

A lot of my favorite restaurants have gone out of business. It just goes to show you that having good food isn't enough. I'm sure there are about a zillion other aspects of the business. Here in Omaha, it's harder to find good Mexican food than it is in states like Texas and California. In Nebraska, you have to search around some to find good Mex or Tex-Mex. Julio's was a great Tex-Mex restaurant here that I used to go to all the time, but the one near me went out of business. I think there's another one in town, so I might check it out.
...
La Mesa is still here and is very good. I'm also a big fan of Chinese food. PF Chang's is really good, and I believe they have locations nationwide. There's another Mexican food restaurant named Bomb Taco, which is small, but their food is really good.

 

[IndieCowboy]

I really miss:

The Branding Iron
Texas Tumbleweed
Old San Francisco Steakhouse
Steak & Ale
Grandy’s
Bennigan’s

Man I really miss Steak & Ale too!!
Secret: Their Kensington Club marinade (which also the Papasitos fajita marinade) was:
Equal parts of canned pineapple juice and low salt soy sauce!!
For fajitas add honey and your fav spices.

 

[IndieCowboy]

A lot of my favorite restaurants have gone out of business. It just goes to show you that having good food isn't enough. I'm sure there are about a zillion other aspects of the business. Here in Omaha, it's harder to find good Mexican food than it is in states like Texas and California. In Nebraska, you have to search around some to find good Mex or Tex-Mex. Julio's was a great Tex-Mex restaurant here that I used to go to all the time, but the one near me went out of business. I think there's another one in town, so I might check it out.
...
La Mesa is still here and is very good. I'm also a big fan of Chinese food. PF Chang's is really good, and I believe they have locations nationwide. There's another Mexican food restaurant named Bomb Taco, which is small, but their food is really good.

Desperado’s on Greenville Ave was awesome. In college I played in a band there on weekend nights! The female singer was a vocal major and sounded EXACTLY like Linda Ronstadt so naturally we did lots of her covers with 3 part harmony! Man those were the days!!

 

[VaqueroTD]

I really miss:

The Branding Iron
Texas Tumbleweed
Old San Francisco Steakhouse
Steak & Ale
Grandy’s
Bennigan’s

Never got a chance to complete my Beer Around the World membership at Bennigan's. LOL. (Or was that TGIF?) Was on country #38 or something.

Is Grandy's gone? I loved going there for breakfast growing up in Dallas. Southern breakfast can't be beat!

 

[Tabascocat]

Never got a chance to complete my Beer Around the World membership at Bennigan's. LOL. (Or was that TGIF?) Was on country #38 or something.

Is Grandy's gone? I loved going there for breakfast growing up in Dallas. Southern breakfast can't be beat!

Grandy’s is all but gone. I think 20 locations remain with none near me wherever I am.

 

[Hardline]

Absolutely no chain restaurants.

Favorite is Cattlemen's Steakhouse in the Ft.Worth Stockyards.

Favorite bar is Billy Bob's in the Ft.Worth Stockyards.

 

[IndieCowboy]

Absolutely no chain restaurants.

Favorite is Cattlemen's Steakhouse in the Ft.Worth Stockyards.

Favorite bar is Billy Bob's in the Ft.Worth Stockyards.

Absolutely spot on! Cattleman’s totally awesome.
Good memories of singing at Billy Bob’s with the FW Songwriters Association in front an audience several times. We all did a turn for each weekly competition. Heaps of fun!
There was also the FW Opry just adjacent where we had the same format. Those were the days and awesome memories!

 

[VaqueroTD]

Best way to find good restaurants for me is use Trip Advisor app on nearby restaurants in whatever city I'm in. Ignore the chain restaurants (because sometimes they do get 4.5 star ratings) and go to the best one for the cuisine I'm craving.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I'll think of more later but the first that comes to mind is steak and ale, they had a couple locations here in Oklahoma City. They all closed up shop overnight, no notice to the employees. Anyway, great steak for the price and one of the best salad bars I've ever had to this day.

 

[Khartun]

I'll think of more later but the first that comes to mind is steak and ale, they had a couple locations here in Oklahoma City. They all closed up shop overnight, no notice to the employees. Anyway, great steak for the price and one of the best salad bars I've ever had to this day.

Yes, Steak and Ale and K-Bobs had great salad bars.

 

[Khartun]

I really miss Shakey's Pizza. Mojos!

 

[IndieCowboy]

I really miss Shakey's Pizza. Mojos!

Oh man!! Awesome pizza and employees, and my sis worked there in high school!! I was just a kid but those were special nights going out to Shakeys on Northwest Hwy!

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Shakey's as mentioned but it's closed. As good as their pizza and rojos were, their fried chicken was underrated.

Weinerschnitzel, just a chain chili dog shop but two chili cheese dogs and a chili cheese fry will cure cancer.

Schlotzsky's, just a chain but they do a pretty good muffuletta and I like their hot sauce.

Pancho's Mexican Buffett. I don't think they're around anymore...at least not in my town. You raised a little flag for more food and they had killer sopapillas & margaritas.

I name chains because nobody is going to recognize my local favorites.

La Kiva Restaurant and Bar Terlingua, TX. right outside of Big Bend National Park. I started frequenting La Kiva in the early 90's while camping, backpacking, and canoeing the Big Bend area. It's a prehistoric themed subterranean bar, originally built as a bomb shelter. There's quirky dive bars, and then there's La Kiva. They feature a Penisaurus Rex on the wall and their original owner was beaten to death with a rock in the parking lot. Yeah, it's that kind of bar.

Blains Pub San Angelo, TX. Another dive bar that get's descent bands from time to time. Their located next to an large hospital and in the wee hours you'll find it full of doctors and ER staff getting off their shift. Between them and the West Texas ranchers that frequent it, it's and eclectic crowd. Horrible parking, standing room only, and always fun.

 

[Tabascocat]

Shakey's as mentioned but it's closed. As good as their pizza and rojos were, their fried chicken was underrated.

Weinerschnitzel, just a chain chili dog shop but two chili cheese dogs and a chili cheese fry will cure cancer.

Schlotzsky's, just a chain but they do a pretty good muffuletta and I like their hot sauce.

Pancho's Mexican Buffett. I don't think they're around anymore...at least not in my town. You raised a little flag for more food and they had killer sopapillas & margaritas.

I name chains because nobody is going to recognize my local favorites.

La Kiva Restaurant and Bar Terlingua, TX. right outside of Big Bend National Park. I started frequenting La Kiva in the early 90's while camping, backpacking, and canoeing the Big Bend area. It's a prehistoric themed subterranean bar, originally built as a bomb shelter. There's quirky dive bars, and then there's La Kiva. They feature a Penisaurus Rex on the wall and their original owner was beaten to death with a rock in the parking lot. Yeah, it's that kind of bar.

Blains Pub San Angelo, TX. Another dive bar that get's descent bands from time to time. Their located next to an large hospital and in the wee hours you'll find it full of doctors and ER staff getting off their shift. Between them and the West Texas ranchers that frequent it, it's and eclectic crowd. Horrible parking, standing room only, and always fun.

Shakey’s are still around here in SoCal, love their pizza. There is a Panchos still in South Houston. I go there when back home if I need a colon cleansing

 

[IndieCowboy]

Shakey's as mentioned but it's closed. As good as their pizza and rojos were, their fried chicken was underrated.

Weinerschnitzel, just a chain chili dog shop but two chili cheese dogs and a chili cheese fry will cure cancer.

Schlotzsky's, just a chain but they do a pretty good muffuletta and I like their hot sauce.

Pancho's Mexican Buffett. I don't think they're around anymore...at least not in my town. You raised a little flag for more food and they had killer sopapillas & margaritas.

I name chains because nobody is going to recognize my local favorites.

La Kiva Restaurant and Bar Terlingua, TX. right outside of Big Bend National Park. I started frequenting La Kiva in the early 90's while camping, backpacking, and canoeing the Big Bend area. It's a prehistoric themed subterranean bar, originally built as a bomb shelter. There's quirky dive bars, and then there's La Kiva. They feature a Penisaurus Rex on the wall and their original owner was beaten to death with a rock in the parking lot. Yeah, it's that kind of bar.

Blains Pub San Angelo, TX. Another dive bar that get's descent bands from time to time. Their located next to a large hospital and in the wee hours you'll find it full of doctors and ER staff getting off their shift. Between them and the West Texas ranchers that frequent it, it's and eclectic crowd. Horrible parking, standing room only, and always fun.

Speaking of San Angelo, there’s a steak place that was awesome many years ago called The Western Sky who served KC Steaks coated in a garlic based rub/crust. No idea if it’s still good but it is still there!

The Devil’s River motel by the Sonora airstrip has a restaurant that serves “KC Steaks for two” which are stacked on a serving platter - enough for like 6 people - and also coated in a garlic crust.
My flight instructor and I flew down there on an IFR training flight just to eat those steaks.
I had first become acquainted with both these places whilst travelling with a band to gigs all scross Texas.

I did a MC trip to Big Bend via The Gage Hotel in Marathon (awesome place!!) and Terlingua but sadly missed La Kiva.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Speaking of San Angelo, there’s a steak place that was awesome many years ago called The Western Sky who served KC Steaks coated in a garlic based rub/crust. No idea if it’s still good but it is still there!

The Devil’s River motel by the Sonora airstrip has a restaurant that serves “KC Steaks for two” which are stacked on a serving platter - enough for like 6 people - and also coated in a garlic crust.
My flight instructor and I flew down there on an IFR training flight just to eat those steaks.
I had first become acquainted with both these places whilst travelling with a band to gigs all scross Texas.

I did a MC trip to Big Bend via The Gage Hotel in Marathon (awesome place!!) and Terlingua but sadly missed La Kiva.

San Angelo was a steak house hub at one time. Western Sky (It's still there), Zentner's and Zenter's Daughter (Both closed now) and Lowake (actually in Lowake, TX. but close) and it's still open but in a new building in Rowena, TX. The original Lowake was hands down the king and they had a small landing strip behind the restaurant in a cotton field. One of those places where presidents and actors flew in for a steak.

Devils River Motel is gone but Sutton County Steak House is still in Sonora and really good.

The Gage is still there and a really cool spot. It's become a little trendy over the last several years with an $84 ribeye, and $12 avocado toast , but still has a great ambience. I used to sneak in there after 4-5 days camping in the desert looking like a vagrant amongst all the yuppies and steel coffee early in the morning on my way back from Big Bend. Yes Ma'am, I'm a patron here and staying in room 69...then run for the truck with my cup of coffee.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

Shakey's as mentioned but it's closed. As good as their pizza and rojos were, their fried chicken was underrated.

Weinerschnitzel, just a chain chili dog shop but two chili cheese dogs and a chili cheese fry will cure cancer.

Schlotzsky's, just a chain but they do a pretty good muffuletta and I like their hot sauce.

Pancho's Mexican Buffett. I don't think they're around anymore...at least not in my town. You raised a little flag for more food and they had killer sopapillas & margaritas.

I name chains because nobody is going to recognize my local favorites.

La Kiva Restaurant and Bar Terlingua, TX. right outside of Big Bend National Park. I started frequenting La Kiva in the early 90's while camping, backpacking, and canoeing the Big Bend area. It's a prehistoric themed subterranean bar, originally built as a bomb shelter. There's quirky dive bars, and then there's La Kiva. They feature a Penisaurus Rex on the wall and their original owner was beaten to death with a rock in the parking lot. Yeah, it's that kind of bar.

Blains Pub San Angelo, TX. Another dive bar that get's descent bands from time to time. Their located next to an large hospital and in the wee hours you'll find it full of doctors and ER staff getting off their shift. Between them and the West Texas ranchers that frequent it, it's and eclectic crowd. Horrible parking, standing room only, and always fun.

There was a ponchos here in Oklahoma City for quite a while, pretty decent food but the last couple years they were in business it was pretty bad