restaurants with character

In 1996 my sister and I drove from Fort Worth to the northeast. The primary purpose was to attend our cousin's wedding in Wilmington DE, but there was much other sightseeing involved. At the start of the trip, I was a much pickier eater and would have probably relied on Burger King, but thankfully my sister changed that habit.

The most memorable restaurants on that trip were a wood-fired pizza place (which I now cannot find on a map) in Cincinnati OH, and two places in Toronto. One of these was just a microbrewery in a basement whose kitchen happened to be open late, and served the most interesting interpretation of quesadillas we have ever seen (both cheese and beans were white). The other was a small but nice Italian restaurant, where the waiter told us the Italian-named specials in English with a French-Canadian accent - imagine how that would sound...

Driving to the west coast in 1999, I found a couple of interesting restaurants. First was a chinese restaurant in Kingman AZ (not sure, but "Golden China" seems to be in the right location on that map) where the lunch special including tea was $4, and the radio was blasting Zeppelin, Ozzy, and B.Ö.C. Next on that trip was Chalet Basque, which cost five times as much for three times the amount of food on ten times the number of dishes. All I ordered was the roast beef dinner, and out came a basket for rolls, the entree plate, bowl and saucer for each vegetable, a saucer for the butter pats, glasses for water and tea, etc., etc., etc... filled the table for four I was seated at alone.

So now it has become my habit to find interesting places to eat. Of course the best barbecue is usually found in the smallest spots, like Ranchlanders' near Hammond TX and Big O's in Valera. Plus, most towns with populations over 1,500 on the back roads I travel have some little place for the locals to eat, like Staghorn Cafe in Cross Plains or George's in Post. Most are a gamble that usually pay off.

The inspiration for this post came Sunday evening, when I found Gunny's Place in Eastland TX. With only six tables in front, it's not even big enough to be on Google maps. But Gunny is one of those larger-than-life characters that I wasn't sure still existed. He's a cigar-chompin tough-as-nails Marine that wouldn't have been out of place in a John Wayne war movie. The menu says he invented a few sandwiches, and I had the Gunny Burger, which is something between a burger and a philly cheesesteak. Ground meat and/or sausage grilled with bell peppers and onions, covered in nacho cheese on a philly roll - might sound odd but it tasted great.

So if you're not in the habit, instead of relying on lowest-common-denominator fast food chains, give the local places a try.