2020 Fm 1960 Rd E
Houston, TX 77073

When I pass this sign I want to pull over to grab a bite. I love this place for several reasons.

Reason number one is the fried green tomatoes. OMG they are the bomb awesome! I go here just for these tomatoes which are given for free. They used to walk around with hotel pans full of them as well as stewed tomatoes, okra and other goodies which they no longer do for whatever reasons. Now you get a little thing full of fried green tomatoes and okra. I am still happy even though they changed. I will take whatever green tomatoes I can get! 

This photo shows another reason I get hungry passing this place. They have a man who walks around yelling fresh hot rolls and throws them at you sometimes from across the room. If you don’t catch it don’t worry, he will throw you another one. These rolls are really yeasty and just plain good!

The salads are cold, crisp and really good! Imagine a meal for around $10 that includes thrown rolls, fried green tomatoes and a terrific salad all before you get your main entrée! The question is will you have room for it all?

This dish is the chopped sirloin with gravy, onions and peppers. This night he also threw on some mushrooms for me. Also look at that loaded baked potato! Yes it was all really good. I just love comfort food.

They have specials all the time. This particular night they had a half rack of ribs with the sides for under 12! Not only is the food good and comforting but it is comforting to your wallet.

3204 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, TX 77550

 http://www.islandfamous.com/thespot/

This place is right on the seawall in Galveston. You can park on the seawall or in one of 2 parking lots on the side going around to the back of the building or the other lot across the street in back. It will keep you entertained for hours if you are trying different margaritas, people watching or eating a burger

They have wheelchair access and plenty of places to sit in or out of the buildings.

You go inside to order your food and then you go seat yourself wherever. They give you a paging device to let you know when to go get the food. Comparable to a Fuddruckers burger they also have a burger bar for you to get your toppings. This is how you get your burger with a side of waffle fries.

Here is the yummy onion rings I ordered this night which were especially good!

This is what my burger looked like after I went to the topping bar. This burger was really good! They could have cooked it less to make it more juicy but still it was good. There was no waiting which is a huge plus for me when I am hungry.

2120 Buckthorne Pl
Woodlands, TX 77380

My mouth starts watering every time I am near this sign. Why? Three foodies with some experience in the restaurant business got together and decided to do something fresh. Use high-quality ingredients that are cooked-to-order as fast food. They use a grill with mesquite wood coals just like it used to be done. They actually grind Angus chuck roast every day to make their hamburger patties! From what I understand Boar’s Head makes a hot dog exclusively for them as well, although I have not been able to get past Bill’s burger. I have eaten here many times and get Bills burger every time I order. This is THE burger I compare every burger to. I have been on a quest for the best burger for a while now and I want you to know that I really like this place!

This night I decided to not to go inside to order. It is really convenient to have a drive through! Here is my goodies after I unpacked them from the bag.

The strawberries and cream malted milkshake is the best I have had anywhere. It is not really sweet and very refreshing.

Bill’s burger is a 1/2 lb certified Angus chuck patty with sautéed onions, sliced cheddar, bacon, jalapeños, prime sauce and lettuce. They do have other burgers as well but this one is really good. Yes I am gushing over this burger. They also have steaks, chicken and ahi tuna. This place pays attention to detail with special sea salt on the sweet potato fries.

Here it is after I cut it in half to handle it easier. Doesn’t it look good!

This place pays special attention to detail on everything including the sides. This is the sweet potato fries seasoned with gourmet flaked sea sal

7830 Highway 71 S
Fort Smith, AR 72908

Not flashy at all, this is a regular diner from the old school days. Pete’s has actually served the Fort Smith area since 1933!  Just tried Re-petes last August when I was in town for an investigation. It was surprised at how quiet the place was for a diner that seemed to get good reviews.

The waitress was exceptional and got a big tip from me. The burger was really good as well as the chili cheese fries. I could have had a large bowl of just the chili. The desserts were begging for me to try them but I was busting out of my clothes from all the food. I am looking forward to another trip to Fort Smith to sample more food from this place!

1500 Towson Ave
Fort Smith, AR 72901

When I am in Fort Smith I love to stop by to get the comfort food offered at Ed Walker’s. This is THE proverbial diner. I love this place all the way down to the melamine plates. If you love watching diners drive ins and dives this is one of those types of places. The burgers are on point with the juices running down your arm. Salads are fresh and pleasantly larger than what you expect. I have eaten here on several occasions and never have I been disappointed with the quality of the food or the service. You may have to wait at peak times for a seat but it is not for long..

The decor is all funky diner in mostly red, white and black. It is a fun place to make memories. Several things are different here than at other restaurants. One thing different is on the menu and is the 5 pound burger. It is huge! It comes with all the fixings on the side. I have not personally eaten a 5 pound burger by myself yet but I have seen it done. You can order outside from your car and get a car hop to bring you a beer! How is that for service!

I have had the burgers which are really good. The chopped steak smothered in onions, bell peppers and gravy is just really good. The flavors blend really well together especially with one of their super duper side salads.

You may want to remember your trip in a special way by grabbing an ed walker cup before you leave. This has now become my daughters favorite cup in the house.

Just look at this smothered steak. It tasted as good as it looks here. I have also tried the famous french dip which is also yummy

Spring
103 Midway St
Spring,  TX 77373

When spending a day shopping in Old Town Spring I make this is one of my stops. The menu is only one page long which makes selecting what you want to eat easy. I usually order a burger and fires or onion rings depending on my mood. The fries are hand cut and sometimes limp but they are still fresh potatoes which makes up for that. The burgers are a good size with fresh toppings that slide around as you try to take a bite. If you order the Chicken Fried Chicken you need a big appetite because it is huge, taking up almost the entire plate. The beer bread is yeasty, dense and really good. It is a shame you only get one slice with a dinner entrée. If they brought everyone a loaf they most likely would be more busy. You can however, buy the beer bread mix on your way out the door.

I have never had to wait to be seated or to get service. The food always comes out fast and hot. Their menu is priced a little on the high side which may account for the lack of patrons after the town shops all close. There is little competition during the day for all the shoppers which may be one reason for the prices. The few places to eat make them have captive clients. People need to sit after hours of walking in and out of shops in all kinds of weather. I also think people consider Old Town Spring just for shopping instead of a destination place for food.

As someone who loves nostalgia I don’t just come here for the food. I love history and this building is loaded with it. Wunsche Brothers opened in 1902 as the first building in Spring as a saloon and hotel. It was the last to close during Harris County law of Prohibition. Uncle Charlie Wunsche who lived upstairs until his death in 1935 is said to still haunt the place.

The story of Charlie Wunsche is that he fell in love with a young woman who didn’t love him in return. If you talk to the staff they will all tell you tales of working there including after hours. One staff story is that someone came into the bathroom but there was nobody there. She told me she ran out and does not like to be there alone. Other interesting things I have been told is that the staff gets touched, you can see full bodied apparitions and Uncle Charlie plays around with them. Some believe there is a girl there as well although I cannot find any information to support this.
For more on the history of Old Town Spring read this article
http://www.hauntedchef.com/2011/09/11/old-town-spring/

24814 Stanolind Rd
Tomball, TX 77375

We decided to go for a drive to check out Mel’s and their famous burgers. I am really glad that we did too. We walked into a very down home country cafe. I bet many of the patrons even knew each other just because of how out in the middle of nowhere it was. Red checkered plastic table clothes with paper towel holders were just waiting for all the mess we were getting ready to make with our meal. I took a look around at what people were eating and noticed for the most part one of two different plates it seemed. Catfish was stacked high on several plates with a bowls of some kind of goodness. I also noticed cornbread and salads which seemed to go with the catfish. Other plates that people had in front of them were all burgers of different sizes.

The walls of the place had pictures of people eating the famous mega mel burger and they all looked really happy. This is what it says at Mel’s/ How to get your name on the wall/ You have 2 hours to eat the Mega Mel Burger and must follow the rules.

1. IF YOU LEAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR PLATE, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
2. IF ANYONE TAKES ANYTHING OFF YOUR PLATE, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
3. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO WALK AND TALK AFTER EATING THE MEGA MEL BURGER.
4. IF YOU GET SICK AT ANY TIME, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
5. YOU HAVE 2 HOURS TO EAT THE MEGA MEGA MEL BURGER.
6. WE WILL STOP YOU FROM EATING IF AT ANYTIME WE FEEL YOU ARE GOING TO GET SICK.
7. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO REMEMER THAT THE MEGA MEL BURGER IS A FUN EVENT AT MEL’S COUNTRY CAFE, SO PLEASE HAVE FUN WITH IT

Going through the menu the prices looked fantastic. I had no idea how big any of the burgers were other than the mega mel. Seeing pictures of people including children plastered on the wall with a mel burger made me feel I could at least try a double for 4.95. I also ordered the hand battered onion rings basket for 4.75. The waitress told me they had cobblers and chocolate pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. I wondered if maybe I should have ordered a smaller burger because the dessert sounded tempting. They do have a regular hamburger for 3.25! I was sitting there thinking about the cobbler from meers and wondering if mels cobbler could be better than that bowl of heaven?

The food came out and I was thinking I really should have got the smaller burger. The first thing I decided to pop in my mouth was an onion ring. Oh my were they good! Hand dipped in beer batter deep fried to perfection goodness. The burger was so thick I decided to cut it in half to facilitate getting it into my mouth. That is a really good burger! The meat is good and cooked to medium well unless you ask for it to be cooked differently. Even being cooked medium well the burger juices ran down my arm onto that red checkered table-cloth. Yes I actually finished it! The service was great which is refreshing for a change

Since this was a special memory making trip I decided to go for the dessert and got the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect ending to the meal. The cobbler was not too sweet with a hint of cinnamon. All the way home I had that yummy taste of cobbler lingering on my taste buds which made me very happy.

This is what the onion rings and fries looked like. They were good dipped in ranch dressing

 When we went to check out the girl wanted to make sure we loved everything. She even asked us what we had to eat and then said she can’t eat a double on her best day. She told us she has hard time getting down a regular burger. I really enjoyed people watching and the food here. I am looking forward to going back and trying some of their other menu items like chicken fried chicken.

Meers is really ….The Meers Store! This place is located on highway 115, 1 1/2 miles north of the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. To get there take I-44 to Hwy 49. Travel West 4 miles to Hwy 58. You will then turn to the North for about 5 miles to the turn-off to Meers just follow the signs. Now turn to the West for 4 miles and you will be there

There is more than burgers but wow are they ever good? Meersburgers are made with 97% lean grass-fed Longhorn beef from Longhorn they raise themselves.

On their menu it says:

Our famous burgers are cooked medium well done and are served with mustard, dill pickles, tomatoes, purple onions, and green leaf lettuce. We use American cheese because our burgers are American burgers. We have been fixing them this way since the beginning, for over 50 years and this is the way our cowboys like them. 99% of our customers like them this way so this is why we respectfully call this burger (and your hats off boys) the COWBOY BURGER.

Some folks like mayo on their burgers instead of mustard but call burgers with this a SISSY BURGER! Other folks like ketchup on their burgers instead of mustard. We call burgers with this a YANKEE BURGER! Cowboys believe ketchup belongs on fries, not beef.

A few folks out there want all three—mustard, mayo, and ketchup—on their burgers. The poor fools are simply confused.

We don’t care how you want your burger fixed. We will fix it any way you want it. We cook your burger to order. Try one with bacon, jalapeno or both. However, if you order something other then a cowboy burger, please be patient; our cooks rarely encounter sissies, Yankees or confused souls.

Please note that there is one thing we simply cannot bring ourselves to do; We cannot fix an open-faced burger. The secret to our success is the blending of flavors that occurs when steaming hot Longhorn beef is placed on fresh onions, pickles, tomatoes and leaf lettuce (and mustard!). You can’t get the flavors to blend well any other way. This is our secret recipe, the secret to our success!”

The place is just really great! I have gone in and sat right down to order and there have been times I have waited for 2 hours. People come from all over because the place has been written up numerous times. It was known as one of the top 10 burger joints in the USA and I can understand why.

I have had fried green tomatoes, fries and fried pickles which are all good

This place is not just for the burger. You must…. I mean must get the homemade peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream. OMG it is just good stuff. You will leave hurting from eating every bite too. You can work it off by going into the wildlife refuge to waddle around and take pictures of buffalo. Then top it off with a trip up Mt. Scott for sunset if it happens to be that time of day. Wow what an experience is all I can say. Memories are great!

It is a cash/check only place.

I have eaten here many times not only because it was on the way from work but it happens to be a good place to eat. For those outside of Texas it can be difficult to describe what an ice house is. This is a place where you go get a beer. It is comfy as in plastic outdoor chairs, outdoor decking, fans and everyone is in jeans. The middle of the tables have paper towel holders to catch all the juices that run down your arm. The food is quick but good. Last weekend I got a bacon burger and it was really good. If it doesn’t drip down your arms it is probably not going to be memorable. This one ran!  Drip, drip, drip….. yum!

Champions/FM 1960
4561 Fm 1960 Rd W
Houston, TX77069