RESTAURANTS

CANADA

Waterton, Alberta

Weiners of Waterton – We stopped for lunch here.  You order inside and eat outside.  There was a large kettle with a fire burning in it outside with some picnic tables.  The buns are homemade daily and the dogs are great.  I had a ¼ lb dog with cheese, special sweet tomato sauce, onions, pickle slices and shredded ginger carrots.  I also had a side of sweet potato fries.  They offer regular fries as well and a variety of sauces with the fries.  These are worth a stop.

COLORADO

Buena Vista
Jan's Restaurant - located at 304 US Hwy 24 N, Buena Vista, CO 81211.  We were looking for something simple and affordable and landed at Jan’s.  It’s a family-friendly, home cooking kind of place.  The waitress suggested that the burgers were great so that’s what we went with and we were not disappointed.  They were good sized and yummy.  We would definitely return.

MONTANA

Babb

Cattle Baron Supper Club - This is located in a blink and miss it town near east Glacier - 3990 US-89, Babb, MT 59411.  By looking at the outside you might think twice about stopping but you would be missing the best steak dinner you've ever had.  When inside it's kind of a log cabin setting.  The bar is on the main floor with large red cushioned bar stools that have seat backs.  To access the dining area you go up a large wrap around wooden staircase and the upstairs wraps around the lower level with a balcony all the way around it.  Each table is by a window and is a very nice intimate setting.  We ordered the T-bone and the steak was big enough to feed three.  We split the meal, which came with a potato, vegetable, bread and salad and ordered one extra side salad.  The steak was incredible and you could slice through it with a feather.  Some say it's pricey but for the size of the steak I would say it was a good buy.  

NEW MEXICO

Cimarron
The St. James Hotel - We were encouraged to check this piece of history out and get a bite to eat.  The hotel was frequented by many of the old gun slingers among others.  You can walk through the hotel and see many of the old rooms.  The saloon is fun as well.  There are even bullet holes in the ceiling.  They also have plenty of outside seating in the restaurant.  The food was great.  John's comment when his food arrived was "this is how chicken fry is supposed to be fixed".  Everything was made from scratch including their potato chips.  Loved this place.

Red River
Sundance Mexican - Located at 401 E High St, Red River, NM 87558.  This place came highly recommended and we weren’t disappointed but reservations are highly recommended.  I had a stuffed sopapilla and the flavor was amazing.  John ordered a large combination plate with a bit of everything to try and he was also not disappointed.  You must save room for their sopapillas for dessert – they are enormous, a bit different then what we were used to and very good.  If you like Mexican then you should try this place.

OKLAHOMA

Blanchard

Dakota’s Restaurant – Dakotas is located in Blanchard, OK.  It is a family run restaurant and fit into a building the size of a large fast food place.  They are open Tuesday – Saturday and pack them in.  What’s always amazed me was the parking lot could be full yet there were either no people or very few waiting in line for seating.  I’m not sure how they seat as many people as they do into that place.  It’s homey and the staff are great.  The steaks are hand cut and their sirloin is one of the best steaks I’ve had in a restaurant.  Many of the desserts are made from scratch by the owner’s wife.  Lots of good home cooking for a reasonable price.

Newcastle

KT’s Smokehouse – KT’s is located in the Blanchard/Newcastle area at Hwy 9 west and Hwy 76 south (Council Rd) on Hwy 76.  This place is out in the middle of nowhere but was right by the RV park we lived in for 5 years and was a quick, convenient place to get a bite to eat.  It’s open 7 days a week.  The food is good and reasonably priced.  They stay busy during meal times but we’ve never had to wait for a place to sit.

Trevinos Mexican – Trevinos is on Hwy 37 just west of Tri-city (Newcastle).  It is a small family-run business and is open Tuesday – Saturday.  Except for Saturday, they close from 3:00-5:00 pm.  This is my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant.  It’s nothing fancy but they have the best white queso and homemade chips.  You can usually find something a bit different on their menu and the owners are always willing to try to whip up something that’s not on the menu if you ask.  

Reagan

Sipokni West - This is located just outside of Reagan, Oklahoma off Hwy 7.  It's just west of the Tishomingo Fish Hatchery.  You will probably have to check out their website to find it but it's worth a day trip.  Out in a field the owner has constructed an entire old wild west town.  You can actually enter the buildings and he has outfitted them like museums.  The restaurant is in the Saloon although no alcohol is served.  The food is very affordable and very good.  I had their chicken fried steak and you could actually find the meat in it.  Their desserts are homemade and wonderful and $2.50.  Where else can you get a dessert for $2.50.  Oh and if you want ice cream with it, that's just $1 more!  This is a must see place.

Sulphur

Abuelitas - Abuelitas is located on the north side of Hwy 7 on the west side of Sulphur across from Walmart.  This is our favorite Mexican in the area.  It's a bit typical of small town living in that service can sometimes be slow but their food is always consistent.  You can also get beer and a few other adult beverages.

Smokin' Joes - This is by far my favorite BBQ.  It's about 3 miles south of Davis, OK on Hwy 77 near Turner Falls.  If you try this place out DO NOT buy a dinner each or you will be eating for days.  For instance, their 2-meat combo is enough to feed 2-4 depending on your appetite.  We go early on Friday or Saturday to get their smoked ribeye which is amazing.  It's extremely thick and can be cut with a feather and yes, we split it.

TEXAS

Fulton

Charlotte Plummers - This restaurant is a 2-story that looks like an old house and sits right on the bay in Fulton.  Upstairs there is inside and covered outdoor seating with a great view of the bay and fishing boats.  There is also a bar upstairs.  The only downside to upstairs seating is if you want to make use of the soup and salad bar, it is downstairs and walking up the stairs with those in your hand can be a bit of a challenge.  We had our anniversary dinner here and it was wonderful.  John had blackened redfish and I had crab and shrimp stuffed flounder.  Yum.  The seafood gumbo was yummy as well.  We ended the meal with a complimentary bread pudding that was outstanding as well.  We definitely will return.

Ingleside

The Butterchurn - This is a buffet style restaurant located just off Hwy 35 in Ingleside, TX.  We've only been to it on Sundays and it is packed but the wait time is generally very short.  They have a large selection of entrees and sides, a large salad bar as well as cobblers and other items for dessert.  All the food is quite good but their fried fish is outstanding.

The Fisherman’s Daughter – This is restaurant is located at 3714 FM 1069, Ingleside, TX which is just south of Aransas Pass.  A group of about 20 of us winter Texans descended on this restaurant for lunch and received a very warm greeting from the hostess and staff upon our arrival.  They knew we were coming and had our tables ready.  The staff introduced themselves before taking our orders and were extremely attentive.  John and I ordered a grilled and a fried fisherman’s platter that was quite good.  It was an assortment of fish with two sides.  One of the men with us ordered the chicken fried steak and he said is was excellent, aside from being huge.  I took half of my meal home for dinner as it was a large portion. The prices were good.  It was worth the 25-minute drive.

Rockport

So far we've not been wowed by any of the restaurants in the area.  Many of them have good food but none of them have really stood out so far.  We've been especially disappointed that we haven't found any really good, affordable fish.  My guess is the restaurants with the really good fish are out of our regular price range.  We aren't fans of oysters either but you can definitely find lots of places to get oysters in this area.

Aranda's Mexican Grill - 609 N. Hwy 35, Rockport, TX.  This is good Tex-Mex.  Of the three Mexican restaurants we've tried, so far I like this one the best.  The service was good and the restaurant was clean.

Jalisco's - 1701 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX.  This is a Mexican Restaurant and offers decent food.  They also have breakfast and a drive-thru window.  They serve large portions so you won't go out hungry.  Nothing fancy but good standard fare.

Los Comales - This is a Mexican restaurant in Rockport, TX.  It was okay but probably will go elsewhere for Mexican.  The service was good and the restaurant was clean.  I wasn't a fan of the chips and salsa.  The beef fajita meat was good, however.  It can also get fairly loud inside.   

Panjo’s Pizza – This restaurant is located at 2744 N. Hwy 35, Rockport, TX.  We had a hankering for some pizza one evening so decided to try something other than the chains and this was a great choice.  There is only one type of crust – thin – which was fine with us as that is our preferred crust.  We ordered a medium works and it was delicious.  You can get soda and beer by the pitcher.  They are located in a strip mall and have quite a bit of seating.  Good for large groups.  The pricing was reasonable.

Paradise Key Dockside Bar and Grill This is a fun place to check out.  It is located on the bay just south of Rockport with both inside and outside casual dining.  Boats can be seen coming and going right by the restaurant as there is a boat ramp there as well.  Bring your binoculars during daytime hours to watch the birds.  One lady eating there told us there were spoonbills nesting in the grasses in the bay.  We chose to have lunch here as dinner is a bit pricey unless you decide to split an entrée.  The food was quite good as was the service.  I had a half order of the Coco Shrimp that comes with marmalade sauce and they were wonderful.  The shrimp were very tender.  Their tropical coleslaw was very good as well.  It definitely had a bit of a tropical flavor to it. 

Route 35 Eats - This restaurant is located at 1905 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX.  It's a 50's style diner with very good food.  I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without a bun and it was served very nicely.  Besides lettuce and tomato, it had melted cheese and a squirt or pureed avocado and was delicious.  Great burgers as well and very affordable.

Stevie Lew’s BBQ Kitchen – This restaurant is located at 5340 TX-35, Rockport, TX.  It’s a small, out of the way place attached to an RV park with very good BBQ.  We stopped for lunch and I had the pulled pork sandwich and it was wonderful.  The coleslaw was also very good.  You order at the counter and they bring your food to you.  The prices were very affordable.  I’ve heard they have live blue grass music on Friday nights.  The place is small and parking is limited. 

The Groove - This restaurant is in a very small building that sits by itself around a bunch of strip malls.  I wouldn’t have thought about trying it out until I checked out the reviews.  We went there for my 65^th birthday so planned to spend a bit more than usual.  It is fine dining in a small and somewhat intimate setting although they do have live music some evenings.  We were created the moment we came through the door and the waiter was extremely but not overly attentive.  We started with a wood fired brie and raspberry appetizer that included pita bread, grapes, apples, brie and raspberry jam.  It was delicious.  I had a wood fired shrimp and pesto pizza that was quite good and John had a Cajun Copano shrimp over a mushroom risotto and finished it all.  For a special night, out this is a place to try.

The Shack's Smokehouse and Seafood - 3114 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX.  This is a small joint but the food is decent.  I had their frito chili pie recently and enjoyed it.  John tried their ribs and was also satisfied with them.  For a quick bite at affordable prices, this place will fill the bill.