Possible Houston Road Trip

[martyb]

If you end up driving south on TX Hwy 59 to Houston (through Nacogdoches, Lufkin etc.) I reccommend stopping in at the Angelina County Airport (south of Lufkin). They have the best (voted on) burgers in Angelina County. Just thoght I'd give 'em a plug!

Same offer as JakeBrake. If you pass through Shreveport/Bossier on a weekend, I'll meet ya for lunch. If it's a weekday, same thing but in Lufkin, TX. Lemmee know.

[tfudtuckerpucker]

If you go through Austin, looking for the best BBQ, this may be helpful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZx6kGs7pg

[eytonxav]

If you want to go to Austin, you could stop in West, TX and tour the blast site and grab a Kalache at the Czech stop:

[martyb]

Looks like somebody accidentally dropped a 500 pounder (I was an Air Force weapons troop) behind the Sonic!

[meierlde]

If going thru Austin, Lockhart is not to far and has 3 top rated BBQ joints. Kreuz, Smitties and Blacks. One needs to go to the web for reviews.

[WestLake]

Stay in Big D and take side trips to these "other" places.

[JOHNNIE36]

A little off topic but still involves Houston. Three years ago I drove with my son to Houston to pick up a Donzi boat he had purchased. As we approached the place where we were to meet the boat owner, we passed this huge facility which caught my eye. When we stopped and met the boat owner, I asked him "what is that huge complex over there?". He said it was the Johnson Space Center.

I mess around a lot with Google Earth and looked at it yesterday. You wouldn't believe it today. These large parking lots are void of cars. No actiivity. It's sad. Maybe forum members in the Houston area can post what, if anything, goes on there now.

[Bestwifeever]

We enjoyed anything Goode Co. in Houston when DD was in school there. Restaurants included Texas Bar-B-Q, Seafood, and Taqueria, and I see there is a Goode's Armadillo Palace too (not familiar with that one, but it looks like fun with music etc.). http://www.goodecompany.com/locations/

We also enjoyed Pappasito's Cantina for Tex-Mex food. And Chuy's.

This thread is making me hungry!

A drive through Rice University is worth the gas. Biased here, but it is a pretty school from an architectural standpoint.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever We also enjoyed Pappasito's Cantina for Tex-Mex food.

Actually Pappasito's is more central Mexico than Tex-Mex (note the 'Mexico City' description on some of their entrees). Good if that's what you like, but for a Tex-Mex purist it doesn't measure up.

As in most ethnic foods, the best is found in independent restaurants - quite often a hole-in-the-wall place you wouldn't set foot in if you didn't know something about the place...

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Actually Pappasito's is more central Mexico than Tex-Mex (note the 'Mexico City' description on some of their entrees). Good if that's what you like, but for a Tex-Mex purist it doesn't measure up. As in most ethnic foods, the best is found in independent restaurants - quite often a hole-in-the-wall place you wouldn't set foot in if you didn't know something about the place...

So true, but we were in full 100 percent tourist mode during our visits so found Goode, Pappas family places, etc. to be mighty fine for us so just passing it on. Never mind, in my best Emily Litella voice.

(DH loves the holes in the wall but we do have stories about some that no one really should have set foot in, not to mention the evil eye from the locals who are not interested in their special place being invaded by tourists like us.)

[MichaelB]

This thread is unsettling me - that is, making me anxious to get underway.

Pappasitos does look like a mix of Cantina and Central Mexico. Not a problem for me, I don't discriminate and enjoy both equally. Do agree hole in the wall dining can be the best ever. Feever, we should get together sometime to swap stories about hole-in-the-wall dining.

DW isn't fond of the BBQ tour. She doesn't eat much cow and prefers organic, so that's not a surprise. Haven't given up yet, I like the idea. First place we lived together after getting married was Austin so there's lots of opportunity to explore for this trip, should it happen. Still not sure about July, we have a major conflict which is stubbornly refusing all my efforts to resolve. If not, a no-wedding Texas roadtrip is now on my list of things to do over the next year. Maybe the Southwest. It's time to get up off my lazy a$$ and go visit a region I have been anxious to get to know for years, before I petrify or start growing roots.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Maybe the Southwest. It's time to get up off my lazy a$$ and go visit a region I have been anxious to get to know for years, before I petrify or start growing roots.

+1

Use it before you lose it.

I highly recommend the red rock canyon country of southern Utah. Monument Valley and the National Parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, etc.) are hard to beat when it comes to knock-your-socks-off scenic beauty - at least to this Piney Woods country boy.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyb I thought about mentioning Lambert's in Sikeston yesterday. I'd consider this a place to check out if for no other reason the sheer amount of food they dole out. To me it was pretty good, not the best but pretty good. I've stopped in there a time or two. The biggest problem with Lambert's is that depending on what time you get there, there could be a couple hundred people waiting to get inside and then you still have to stand in the long line to finally get a table. They're very popular. Still, if I were passing through Sikeston, I'd have to pull off the highway & take a look to see how busy they are, and if not too bad, and if I'm REALLY hungry, I'd go inside. It's unreal the amount of food they "force" you to eat in that place! The worst part is that even after you have your meal that you ordered, they keep coming by your table with all kinds of freebies of other food, like blackeyed peas, rolls, potatoes...etc. etc. I'd weigh 500 lbs if I lived near that place. The chicken is good and so is the meatloaf.

Reading this post brought back fond memories of when we lived in Sikeston.. Circa 1980, Lambert's cafe consisted of about eight tables in a quaint setting. The food was excellent and we ate there quite often. Even in that little joint, food was being flung on the table and rolls were flying thru the air.

Even tho small... it was noisy, fun and laughter filled the place.

[HFWR]

For a chain (albeit small), Pappasito's has good food, including the usual Tex-Mex dishes, as does Pappadeaux's (for seafood/cajun). Not bad for Greek immigrants...

Mostly in Texas, with a smattering of restaurants elsewhere.

Pappas.com - List of Locations

In DFW, La Hacienda Ranch is a small chain with great TexMex.

La Hacienda Ranch

Tons of others, large and small...

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meierlde If going thru Austin, Lockhart is not to far and has 3 top rated BBQ joints. Kreuz, Smitties and Blacks. One needs to go to the web for reviews.

Or head into Luling to City Market.

[steady saver]

It's hard not to be in Houston traffic but I do agree that if you could avoid the highways at rush hour (ha, which is something like 3:30 to 6:30 for the afternoon rush) then that would be nice. Otherwise, just plan not to worry about it. You're retired after all!

BBQ - I suggest Goode Company Barbeque. They have several locations - downtown and Kirby come to my mind. They also have a Good Company Seafood restaurant nearby off of Kirby.

Mexican food - where to start? There are a ton of great Mexican restaurants in Houston.
Escalante's is home grown (I know the owners - our kids were in preschool together a hundred years ago it seems) and has at least 3 locations. One off of 610 in an upscale area called Highland Village and another further down 610 in Meyerland Plaza.
It's a nicer Tex Mex restaurant that also serves great seafood dishes and and a great Greek salad (he has greek grandparents I believe).
Lupe Tortilla's is another good place. Lively.
I've always liked this real dive called Spanish Village on Almeda. The prices have gone up in recent years (but the decor has not). Expect great food and windows with burglar bars... this is Houston after all.

If you like museums then Houston has them - the Museum of Natural Science is my favorite. Not far away is the Museum of Fine Arts. Oh and the zoo and rose gardens are in Hermann Park, in the same area that the Natural Science Museum.

If you're into theater, Houston has great, great theater. Tons of smaller theaters. I like Main Street Theater the best - they have 2 locations and one is located in Rice Village which is a pedestrian shopping center near Rice University.

Great thrift shops too. I love them.

I avoid the Galleria shopping center but then again I'm not much of a shopper. I think the whole thing is a nightmare. Others love it.

So, tons of things to do. It just depends on your interests. I happen to love grocery stores, ha ha, so go figure. Central Market is near the Escalante's in Highland Village and it's a fun (if perhaps a little too Texas big). They even have entertainment on the patio on the weekends (I avoid it on the weekends...)

Houston is hot, yes, and the mosquitos are a problem in the summer so just be prepared. But I do hope you have a good time here. It's a great city.

[mickeyd]

Quote:

Houston is hot, yes, and the mosquitos are a problem in the summer so just be prepared.

A heavy coating of DEET will cure that.

[bld999]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo +1 Use it before you lose it. I highly recommend the red rock canyon country of southern Utah. Monument Valley and the National Parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, etc.) are hard to beat when it comes to knock-your-socks-off scenic beauty - at least to this Piney Woods country boy.

+2

Fall or early spring [dodge the heat] in those areas will stay in your mind for years. Get some Hillerman dime novels to go with.

[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bld999 +2 Fall or early spring [dodge the heat] in those areas will stay in your mind for years. Get some Hillerman dime novels to go with.

If you go to Zion include the Kolob Canyons section (off i-15 about 30 mi north of St George) Its quite pretty and very few people.

[HighRoller]

"Before I retired", I lived and worked in Houston for more than 50 years and watched it grow up from a good size town of maybe 600,000 in the early to mid-50s to the super-sized city of over 2m, per the 2010 census. According to the City of Houston website the "metro area of Houston" is almost 6m now. These days, I find the best thing I like about Houston is highway 45 North (beginning at about mile maker 100). At that point you are just getting past the "current" endless highway construction on 45 North and the traffic is starting to thin out (a little) and you finally realize you are out of town. While heading north on 45, I second the recommendation to stop at Woody's in Centerville (about half way between Houston and Dallas). Actually there are two Woody's in Centerville. One is on the east side of 45 and one is on the west side, just 1/2 mile apart. I'll admit, their sandwiches are good but it you are really hungry, try one of their "loaded" BBQ baked potatoes. (OMG)