Poor Richard's Cafe

My father-in-law recently had a birthday and my wife wanted to meet him for breakfast to celebrate.  We wanted to meet somewhere in Plano because it was halfway between our home in McKinney and their home in Garland.  After much discussion, my father-in-law chose Poor Richard's Cafe and we loaded up the family to meet him and my mother-in-law for a birthday breakfast.

When we arrived, my in-laws had already secured us a table.  Poor Richards was packed on this Saturday and had a short line waiting to be seated, but the restaurant is very large and I don't believe anyone had to wait longer than ten minutes to be seated.  I started with coffee while we visited the family.

The Big Tex Breakfast

The menu is quite extensive, but I finally decided on the Big Tex Breakfast.  The Big Tex is a chicken fried steak served with your choice of eggs, potatoes, and bread.  I got scrambled eggs and toast with my order.  When the chicken fried steak arrived, I was very impressed with the size.  I would estimate the size of the chicken fried steak to be twelve long and it literally took up the entire platter.  My scrambled eggs and potatoes had to be served on another platter.  The batter on the chicken fried steak was great, the gravy was creamy, and it was tender enough to cut with fork.  The potatoes were fantastic and reminded me of the ones my grandmas used to make.  The toast was buttery perfection as well.

Bacon, Eggs, Grits, and Gingerbread Pancakes

My wife ordered a breakfast platter than consisted of bacon, fried eggs, grits, and gingerbread pancakes.  She gave her meal the stamp of approval and refused to even share a bite of pancakes with me.  My oldest daughter enjoyed her gingerbread pancakes and my toddler ate all of her eggs and some of mine.

Poor Richard's is a really good family friendly restaurant that serves a quality breakfast at a reasonable price.  The service was spectacular on our visit and we never had to ask to have any coffee refilled.  The kitchen is fast too and we had our food within ten minutes of ordering.  My first visit to this restaurant was much better than I had anticipated and I really want to try out their lunch menu as well.

Poor Richard's Cafe
http://www.poorrichardscafe.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

La Barbecue

I absolutely love the food scene in Austin, Texas.  It seems that everywhere you turn, there is either a restaurant or food truck around.  The city has also become a hotbed for quality barbecue in the last few years and La Barbecue has been getting a lot of buzz lately.  Pitmaster, John Lewis, helped work the pits for Aaron Franklin at Franklin Barbecue prior to coming to work for Leann Mueller at La Barbecue.  With the pedigree of the pitmaster and the owner (sister of Wayne and John Mueller), I had La Barbecue set as my #1 dining destination while I was in Austin.

Last year, La Barbecue made the Texas Monthly list of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas and recently the Austin American Statesman rated it number one on their list of The Best Barbecue in Austin.  Another blog I follow, Fed Man Walking, also ranked La Barbecue as the best in Austin.  Considering the outstanding quality of barbecue in Austin,  this is high praise indeed.

View of the line of people  waiting to eat at La Barbecue

A friend and I arrived at La Barbecue fifteen minutes prior to it opening and found that more than fifty people had already formed a line to eat barbecue.  When La Barbecue finally opened at 11:00 a.m., the line began to move at a steady pace.  In recent years, I have waited in a lot of lines that now seem a requirement to eat great barbecue.  Smelling smoked meats and getting to see other people eat barbecue can be torture.  If I am ever sent to a dark cell to be tortured, my captors should forget waterboarding or extracting fingernails.  All they would need to do is just sit there and eat barbecue in front of me.  I would not be able to take it and give them all the information they needed in seconds.

Close up of the terrific bark and smoke ring on the brisket at La Barbecue

We finally arrived at the window, where I placed an order for brisket, turkey, pork ribs, and hot guts (La Barbecue's housemade beef sausage).  It was starting to get a little warm, so we found a nice spot on a picnic table in the shade.  I tried the brisket first and it was simply outstanding.  The brisket had some of the best bark I have ever tasted and every piece was like eating a little bit of smoked heaven.  Both the lean slices and the moist slices melted in your mouth and had great smoke rings. 

I don't always get turkey at barbecue restaurants, but I will try it occasionally.  The turkey was outstanding at La Barbecue and was extremely moist.  Turkey tends to dry out quickly on the smoker, so I am not sure how John Lewis keeps his turkey so moist while also getting the great smoke flavor I tasted in each bite. 

Clockwise from top left-Turkey, Brisket, Spare Ribs, and "Hot Guts", a.k.a. sausage

The ribs were commendable as well.  Although I didn't taste as much smoke on the ribs as I did in the brisket and turkey, the flavor was good and the meat easily pulled off the bone.  The hot guts sausage was the only menu item that I was somewhat disappointed with.  I generally like a little kick to my sausage, but I didn't care for the unusual flavor of this sausage.   Taste in sausage can be very subjective and others I have spoken to absolutely love this sausage.

Still a lengthy line as we were finishing up

My buddy and I both enjoyed our visit to La Barbecue.  Even after waiting in line for an hour, I felt that the barbecue was worth the wait.  The brisket was fantastic and the turkey was some of the best I have ever had.  I personally don't think La Barbecue is the best barbecue in Austin, but it is certainly in my top four Austin barbecue joints I have visited thus far.

La Barbecue
http://labarbecue.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Health Camp

Whenever I am passing through Waco around lunch or dinner, there are a couple of restaurants that I like to visit that are favorites of mine.  One is George's, and the other is Health Camp.  Health Camp is a classic restaurant that has been serving up burgers and shakes for close to seventy years.  The food is always solid and the shakes are great.

On a recent trip through Waco, I stopped and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Health Camp.  On this visit, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a peach milk shake.  My shake came out first, so I got to enjoy some dessert prior to my meal.  When the burger arrived, I immediately dug in.  The burger had great flavor and the fries were tasty too.  As great as the burger and fries were, the peach milkshake was even better.  It is hard to find restaurants that serve peach milkshakes, but Health Camp has close to thirty different milkshake flavors to choose from.  They also have great onion rings, although I didn't order them on this visit.

Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries

The meal was just the right size to fill me up, but not so filling that I felt the need to take a nap while driving to Austin.  Health Camp is just a short distance of Interstate 35, so it is easy to exit and grab a bite to eat here.  I was in and out in less than 20 minutes, which was good because I was wanting to get to Austin before the afternoon traffic got bad.  If you haven't been to Health Camp, stop by next time you are passing through Waco.

Peach Milkshake

Health Camp

http://www.health-camp-waco.com/index.html

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Barnlight Eatery

Barnlight Eatery recently opened in East Frisco.  I was pleased to see that the East Frisco/West McKinney area was getting a new restaurant, because the majority of the restaurants in this area are either fast food joints or chains.  At the moment there are only a handful of quality restaurants in this area, so I was anxious to sample the goods at Barnlight Eatery.

Dining area and bar

Since the restaurant opened in May, I have actually eaten there twice and I have been able to sample several items. Some items were very good and more impressive than others.  On one of our visits to Barlight Eatery, we ordreded the chips and queso.  The dish is also served with a very good roasted salsa, which I actually preferred over the queso.  The queso itself is pretty basic, but the mild salsa is very flavorful.  My wife liked the queso, but I prefer either pico de gallo, chopped peppers peppers, or some type of meat to be included in my queso to give it a little substance.

Chips, Queso, and Roasted Salsa

The chicken fried chicken sandwich is probably my favorite thing that I have tried off the menu.  A perfectly seasoned and fried chicken breast is served on a toasted artisan bun with chipotle cream, lettuce, onions, and lime vinaigrette.  The sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I have had in recent months.  I really was surprised that you could actually taste a hint of lime with each bite, but it didn't overpower the outstanding flavor of the chicken, the batter, or the chipotle cream.  When I had this sandwich, I substituted the chips for herb fries.  I am not a big fan of potato chips and felt that the very flavorful fries were a nice addition to the sandwich.

Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich with Herb Fries

On one visit, my wife ordered the artisan grilled cheese and tomato soup.  The sandwich has Swiss, Boursin, and Monterrey Jack cheese served together with bacon, seared green tomatoes, and frisee.  I didn't have any of the soup, but I did eat half her sandwich and was impressed with the overall flavor of all the ingredients.

Artisan Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

The other entree that I have ordered is the chorizo meat loaf.  The meatloaf itself had a good flavor, but it was a little dry in my opinion and didn't taste much like chorizo. With the brown gravy topping it, the dish actually reminded me more of Salisbury steak than meatloaf.  It was served with buttermilk mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn relish.  Of the three sides, I liked the potatoes the best.

Chorizo Meat Loaf

I have also sampled several of the desserts at Barnlight Eatery and I highly recommend the Key lime pie.  The pie is silky smooth with an outstanding crust and just the right amount of tartness.  We have also tried some cookies and cupcakes from their bakery area.  The chocolate chip cookies are large and I recommend you get them with a glass of milk.

Key Lime Pie

Barnlight Eatery is a much needed restaurant in this area.  The restaurant serves quality food, the staff is attentive, and the kitchen prepares meals quickly.  I really hope the restaurant builds enough of a customer base to stay in business, because there is not another restaurant like it in the immediate area.  Like any restaurant, some items are better than others and I highly recommend the fried chicken sandwich.  Barnlight Eatery has recently started serving lunch, so I will be going back soon to try their lunch menu.

Chocolate Cupcake (to go)

Barnlight Eatery
http://barnlighteatery.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Coal Vines

I was recently in Austin for a conference, so I had a whole list of restaurants that I wanted to try to visit while I was there.  A group of us tried to go to one of the restaurants on my list, but it was an hour wait to get a table and we decided just to go dine at an Italian restaurant that we had previously passed.  We had walked past a restaurant called Coal Vines that looked like a fun place to dine, so we decided to go eat there since it was close by and was not crowded.

Caesar Salad 

Cheese Sticks

The sign on the door said it was a pizza, pasta, and wine bistro, so we thought it would be a good place to dine because it offered some variety.  In addition to their regular menu, they also had some specials on this night that included Italian inspired seafood.  I started with a Caesar salad and we ordered some cheese sticks for the table.  The romaine lettuce on my salad was fresh and crispy,  but I was not particularly impressed with the flavor of the Caesar dressing.  The cheese sticks had what tasted like pesto mixed in with the cheese, which gave them a unique flavor that went well with the fried batter and marinara sauce.

Small Pizza with Prosciutto and Basil

For my main course, I ordered a small pizza with prosciutto and basil.  I was a little disappointed that the pizza did not have much prosciutto on it because I had anticipated it being covered in the tasty Italian dry-cured ham.  The pizza was much larger than I had expected, but I made a valiant effort to finish the whole pie.  Other members of my party got the chicken parmesan, the spicy Italian sandwich, and the cod piccata.  

Clockwise from top left-Chicken Parmesan, Spicy Italian Sandwich, and Cod Piccata.

Although we were all too full for dessert, none of us were particularly impressed with the food.  The service was good and the dining area was comfortable, but nobody in my party ate anything that was noteworthy.  I don't know if I would go out of my way to eat here again, but I would give it another shot if I was in the area and looking for a place where I didn't have to wait to be seated.  Coal Vines has a nice outdoor dining area next to the sidewalk, but I wouldn't recommend sitting there during the summer months because Austin can get pretty warm.

Coal Vines

http://www.coalvinesoftexas.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue

On a recent trip to Austin, I found some time to dine at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue.  Lamberts has been on my barbecue destination"wishlist" ever since Texas Monthly included it in it's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  In the new barbecue capital of Texas, Lamberts is quite a bit different from many of the other barbecue joints in Austin and is said to serve "fancy barbecue."  Lamberts was only a half mile from my hotel, so some work colleagues and I took a short stroll to see what the restaurant had to offer.

Trio of Barbecue Sauces

Our group arrived hungry and we started with a trio of appetizers that included Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Oysters, and Deviled Eggs.  The ribs were much smaller than I had anticipated but had excellent flavor that reminded me somewhat of buffalo wings.  They were basted in honey and sambal, which gave it both a nice kick and a sweet aftertaste.  I did not try the deviled eggs, but the oysters were fantastic.  I am not usually a fan of oysters, but these were exceptionally good.  The restaurant also gives each table a plate of jalapeno corn muffins and butter, which were quickly devoured by our group.

Clockwise from top left-Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Gulf Oysters, Deviled Eggs, and Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Our waitress told us that Lamberts was well known for their steaks, but I was here to eat barbecue.  I ordered the Black Angus Brisket with pickled escabeche.  Other members of my party also ordered the brisket and one person ordered the ribeye  The brisket plate included both lean and fatty slices.  I was impressed with the quality and flavor of the bark, but I found the brisket lacking in the smoke department.  The member of our group that ordered the ribeye said it had terrific flavor, but was cooked closer to medium rather than the rare steak he ordered.

Brisket with pickled escabeche

For sides, our table ordered the baked mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the fried okra with spicy remoulade.  All the sides were good, but the mac and cheese was outstanding.  The fried okra and remoulade was also worthy of praise.  The okra was long cut and had a fantastic batter.  

Baked Mac n Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

Even though I was unsure if I could take another bite, I went ahead and ordered the banana bourbon pudding for dessert.  The pudding was above average, but I was unable to finish it because the portion was larger than I expected.  Two other members of our group shared the coconut cream pie and they both gave it a thumbs up.

Banana Bourbon Pudding

We all enjoyed our visit to Lamberts and the service was outstanding.  I really wished they would have had a three meat plate available on the dinner menu, because I would have liked to have sampled some of the other smoked meats as well.  Although the brisket had decent flavor, I was much more impressed with the appetizers and sides at Lamberts.  If you are going to dine at Lamberts, I recommend that you make reservations because it tends to get packed quickly at dinner time.

Lamberts Downtown Babecue

http://www.lambertsaustin.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Stampede 66

Stampede 66 is a restaurant that I have been wanting to try for quite some time.  This Stephan Pyles restaurant has received favorable reviews from many critics and diners alike.  The menu has an intriguing blend of Tex Mex, Southern comfort food, and cowboy classics.  My wife and I were staying in downtown Dallas for a wedding this past weekend, so we decided to meet a buddy of mine at Stampede 66 and try out their food.

Dining area and bar at Stampede 66

When I first walked into Stampede 66, I was impressed with the traditional Texas decor that was enhanced by vibrant colors throughout the restaurant.  The ambiance was very lively and the restaurant had a high energy level among the crowd.  Our waiter informed us that there was no "wrong way" to order from the menu and advised us to try some of the various menu items for starters.  I ordered a beef brisket taco and a pork barbacoa taco.  My wife ordered the fried green tomatoes and my buddy ordered the tortilla soup with a side of the Mexican cornbread.

Pork Barbacoa and Beef Brisket Tacos 

Taco relish tray

My tacos were brought out with a relish tray that included two different types of hot sauce, diced onions, cheese, lime, and cilantro.  The pork barbacoa taco had great flavor, but certainly played second fiddle to the beef brisket taco.  After inhaling both tacos, I wished I would have ordered two more of the brisket tacos which were some of the best I have had recently.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My wife enjoyed her fried green tomatoes, which were served with fresh mozzarella sandwiched between the tomatoes.  She claimed that this dish was the best thing she ate at Stampede 66.  I tried one and they were certainly commendable.  Our friend said his tortilla soup was great and also gave a thumbs up on the Mexican cornbread.

Tortilla Soup

For my entree, I was torn between desire for the honey fried chicken and the chicken fried buffalo steak.  My wife helped me make my decision by saying that she was going to order the fried chicken and would give me a piece to try.  With her decision made, I ordered the chicken fried buffalo steak which was served with loaded mashed potatoes and pea salad.  

When my order came out I was surprised to see that it did not come with traditional white gravy.  Instead, it was served on top of a queso-like gravy.  I didn't really know what to expect with the flavor of the gravy, but it was delicious and enhanced the flavor of the dish.  The batter on the chicken fried buffalo steak was crunchy and the meat was tender.  The loaded mashed potatoes were good,  but the pea salad was rather bland.  In the end, pea salad is still pea salad.

Chicken Fried Buffalo Steak, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, and Pea Salad

My wife gave me a chicken breast and I absolutely loved the honey fried chicken.  The chicken is injected with honey and it gives it a very unique taste.  I adored the flavor of the fried chicken and was particularly impressed with the crispy batter.  I thought it was one of the best pieces of fried chicken I have ever had, but my wife didn't like it near as much as I did.  Our friend also ordered the chicken and he also liked it.  The fried chicken was also served with mashed potato tots and biscuits.  We all three agreed that the mashed potato tots were great, but we were unimpressed with the biscuits.

Honey Fried Chicken, Mashed Potato Tots, and Biscuit

For dessert, my wife and I shared the seasonal cobbler.  The cobbler on this visit was a white peach cobbler served in a cast iron skillet.  This dessert was disappointing and didn't live up to my expectations.  The consistency of the cobbler was somewhat runny and neither the peaches or the crust were very sweet.  The other member of our group ordered the butterscotch pudding and he said it was a much better dessert than our cobbler.

White Peach Cobbler

Butterscotch Pudding

Stampede 66 gets somewhat of a mixed review from me.  It had some hits and some misses.  When I go back, I will certainly order more of the brisket tacos for an appetizer and would eat the honey fried chicken any day of the week.  If I get the chicken fried buffalo steak again, I will ask them to substitute the pea salad for more of the mashed potatoes.   The service was great on our visit, but the noise level made it hard to carry on a conversation at times.  I enjoyed my experience at Stampede 66 and absolutely loved some of the food I sampled, but I don't feel comfortable rating it above a six due to some of the items being sub par.

Stampede 66
http://stampede66.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Black Walnut Cafe

Black Walnut Cafe is a small chain based in the Houston area that has opened it's first restaurant in the DFW area.  The location in Allen opened up a couple of weeks ago and there are currently plans for locations in Flower Mound and Coppell.  My family has been passing by the Allen location throughout the construction process, so we were pleased to see that they were finally open for business.  

Enjoying a nice day on the patio with my girls

A colleague said that she enjoyed Black Walnut Cafe so much that she ate their each of the first three days it was open.  I can think of very few places where I would like to dine three days in a row, so I had high hopes when entering the restaurant.  When we arrived, we were greeted by a hostess who handed us a menu and told us that we order at the counter.  

Doohickey's Crispy Southwestern Egg Rolls.

We quickly ordered our meals for us and the kids.  After a little deliberation, we started out with an order of the Doohickey's Crisp Southwestern Egg Rolls.  They were served cut in half on a bed of lettuce.  The egg rolls had roasted chicken, corn, black beans, cilantro, jalapeños, and bell peppers.  They were then topped with pico de gallo, lime juice, and sour cream.  My wife and I both thought this appetizer was terrific and had great flavor.  I really liked the crispiness of the egg roll and it was just spicy enough for me, but not too spicy for my wife.

Anderson's 'Bout Time Chicken Sandwich

For my entree, I ordered the Anderson's 'Bout Time sandwich.  The sandwich had a grilled chicken breast, Swiss cheese, sliced avocado, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and alfalfa sprouts.  The chicken itself was very flavorful and the veggies were fresh.  I was disappointed in the fries that were served with the sandwich, because they did not appear to be fresh cut and had too much seasoned salt for my taste.

Eggs Benedict and potatoes

My wife had the Eggs Benedict served with house potatoes.  She really liked the Eggs Benedict, but thought the potatoes were just okay.  My kids enjoyed their items that they ordered off the kid's menu.  

Hummingbird Cake

While we were ordering, we noticed that they had a dessert counter that looked appealing.  When we finished our meals, I went to take a second look at the dessert selections.  I ended up getting some gelato for my girls and a slice of Hummingbird Cake for my wife and I to split.  The cake had good flavor and you could definitely taste the pineapple and bananas, but it was a little dry.  There was also a small hint of cinnamon and the cream cheese icing was perfect.

Black Walnut Cafe gets a mixed review from me.  Some items were good and others were not.  The restaurant is kid friendly and it has a patio that is a perfect area to sit on a nice day.  We did not have to wait very long before our appetizer was ready and our meals were ready just a few minutes later.  This restaurant has a huge menu and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I am pleased that another restaurant has opened just a few minutes from my house and I look forward to dining again at Black Walnut Cafe.  

Black Walnut Cafe
http://blackwalnutcafe.com/locations/dallas-locations/allen/
Livin the Good Life Rating=2