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A Taste of Small Town Texas
Fact or fiction---who knows? Reportedly early in the last century a circus train stopped in Hutto, Texas. One of the circus hippos escaped and lumbered down to The Texan Cafe sits at the north end of Hutto's small historic district. The menu features six different salads, appetizers, steak, chicken, seafood, sandwiches and burgers. The trout was excellent as well as the Friday Night Blue Plate Special of meatloaf. Although the food is outstanding, the real culinary creations are the incredible variety of mouth watering desserts. They feature at least twenty different pies, cobblers, cakes and cheesecakes. The house specialty seems to be the sizzling hot apple pie with brandy sauce on a hot skillet topped with Blue Bell Ice Cream. Just to make certain we consumed enough calories during our meal, we also ordered the blackberry cobbler ala mode. Quite frankly, the atmosphere, service, food and desserts are so outstanding, it is worth the trip to Hutto from wherever you live to eat and turn around and drive back home. Debbie and Bud Wheeler have owned and operated The Texan Cafe for nine years. Their excellent web site includes the entire menu, catering, history and directions. Next we would like to feature a legendary Texas eatery located in Marble Falls, Texas about an hour northwest of Austin. A lot o The menu features home cooking and breakfast is served all day. Daily specials are served from 11:00a.m. until closing. Specials include chicken fried steak, chicken and dumplings, pot roast, meat loaf, fried catfish and others. Pies are also a specialty and they even have a pie "Happy Hour". Fancy is the polar opposite of this cafe, but great food and friendly service have made the Blue Bonnet Cafe a legend in its own time. Just eight miles west of Brenham, Texas lies the small town of Burton. Exit Highway 290 and drive around town for about 40 seconds and you will locate The Burton Cafe. Owned and operated by Steve (the mayor) and Cindy Miller, the Burton Cafe has been around for decades (much longer than the owners). They only serve breakfast and lunch but the food was delicious. I expected the hamburger steak to be basically a hamburger patty and nothing remarkable. The seasoning of the meat was superb and the mashed potatoes and squash casserole complimented the meat perfectly. We also tried the fried chicken which was amazing because it was our first experience with fried anything that did not drip with grease. Again, pies are one of their specialties. Tex-Mex restaurants abound in Texas. In fact, we eat Mexican food so frequently it has become routine and really nothing special. The Santa Rita Cantina in Austin, however, seems a step above your typical Tex-Mex diner. The fajitas (chicken, beef and shrim Our final selection is the Y Bar and Grill on Highway 71 west of Austin. The menu is a little more sophisticated and extensive than our previous restaurants but yet it remains quite casual. They offer lunch, brunch, dinner and to go menus. Because we live in Houston, our only opportunity to eat here has been for Sunday brunch. Often, we have difficulty finding something on a menu that sounds good. Virtually everything on their menu appeals to us and we have had three straight meals we really enjoyed. Particularly popular is the Sunday Champagne Brunch in which you eat while imbibing on an unlimited number of mimosas. Dining is available on their outdoor patio surrounded by large screen televisions showing several different sporting events. Their inclusive web site displays their menus, events, history, directions and the Y Not Social Club. Although cattle, cowboy hats and boots come to mind when most people think of Texas, these small town restaurants are sure to leave another impression. The friendly service, casual atmosphere and great food all combine to teach outsiders what southern cooking and Texan hospitality is all about.
If You Go The Texan Cafe & Debbie's Pies P.O. Box 514 207 East Street Hutto, Texas 78634 512-846-2885 Blue Bonnet Cafe 211 Highway 281 Marble Falls, Texas 78654 830-693-2344 The Burton Cafe 12513 Washington Street P.O. Box 231 Burton, Texas 77835 979-289-3849 Santa Rita Cantina At 26 Doors Shopping Center 1206 West 38th Street Austin, Texas 78705 512-419-7482
Y Bar and Grill John Laney, Managing Partner 7720 Highway 71 West Austin, Texas 78735 512-394-0220 direct 512-565-6313 cell
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Cottonwood Creek before being recaptured. Since that momentous occasion, the hippo has become the Hutto town symbol and school mascot. To memorialize such exalted status, several hippo statues populate the town (Longhorn hippo, Curves hippo as well as the giant Henrietta hippo in the two block long Historic District). The nifty nickname caught our attention but the Texan Cafe and the adjacent Debbie's Pies are the real reason to visit Hutto. It represents the first of five restaurants scattered around Texas we feel we can recommend.
f people must think it is good because the readers of Texas Highways Magazine voted The Blue Bonnet Cafe the best place to eat breakfast in Texas as well as one of the ten best overall restaurants in the state. Accolades like that and being in business for over 70 years attest to it's continued popularity. Not convinced yet? You might recognize the names of such patrons like President George W. Bush, Willie Nelson, Larry Gatlin, Lyle Lovett, legendary former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal, Roger Staubach as well as a score of other entertainers and politicians. 
p) were great, the chips and salsa way above average and the margaritas were not too strong and just tasted good. For some reason, lots of restaurants have difficulty making a decent margarita. Many are bland, some too weak or strong, some have a weird flavor but with these you might enjoy more than one (or six). Not that anyone in Austin would ever need it, but one of their specials is the Hangover Breakfast for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Their web site features the brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks menus as well as other specials.