In Search of Late-Night Bites |
It’s been a couple of decades, but when I think back to my undergraduate days at the University of Texas, some of my fondest memories are the late-night hangs at places like Magnolia Cafe in Austin. After an evening spent with friends at Emo’s or The Parish, there was no better way to come down from the high of a live show than some Mag Mud (queso with black beans and avocado) and migas. But 24/7 institutions like Magnolia are dwindling.
Blame it on higher labor costs, escalating food prices, and the pandemic—which drastically affected bar-hopping habits across the country—but those beacons of excess and bleary-eyed camaraderie are fading. Fortunately, places like Dot Coffee Shop in Houston offer an antidote to the barrage of fast-casual options that often tempt us off the highway. For nearly 60 years, the Pappas family diner on the Gulf Freeway has beckoned to nurses, refinery workers, hospitality veterans, and insomniacs with its scratch-made omelets and pancakes. Even more comforting than its iconic red-and-white neon sign and Googie architecture is the disparate clientele who frequent its booths. “It is the city,” says general manager Angie Martinez. “If you want to see the diversity of Houston, hang out in Dot’s for 24 hours.”
Meanwhile in Dallas, a cocktail lounge called Cosmo’s lures regulars with stiff drinks, retro arcade games, and a wall of VHS tapes that are screened on televisions above the bar. But what you might not expect at a place with a tabletop Ms. Pac-Man machine and mismatched 1980s furniture is phenomenal Southeast Asian food like rib-eye pho, khao soi, and pork belly banh mi sandwiches. Operating out of a kitchen the size of a ping-pong table, lead bartender Jackson Tran has created some of the most decorated Vietnamese dishes in the Dallas metroplex. So maybe the legacy of the late-night spot isn’t quite on tilt. You just have to scratch beneath the surface and socialize widely. —Chris Hughes, Features Editor
|
|
|
Gone are the simple days where the only meal available at the ballpark was a heaping pile of nachos, topped with radioactive yellow cheese. Today’s ballpark offerings run the gamut from banh mi hot dogs to specialty onion dishes. Writer Sean Cronen asks the question: Have we strayed too far from God’s light?
|
|
|
For nearly 60 years, the iconic white-and-red pylon sign has stood tall along Interstate 45. Unless it’s Christmas, or a natural disaster has forced it to temporarily shutter, Dot is always open.
|
|
|
Tucked inside Cosmo’s Lounge, a retro East Dallas bar colored with vintage light fixtures, mismatched furniture, and a wall of VHS tapes that are screened on televisions above the bar, is some of the best Vietnamese food you can find in Texas.
|
|
|
|
Mary Faulk Koock was the original proprietor of Austin's Green Pastures Restaurant, known today as Mattie's. She wrote The Texas Cookbook: From Barbecue to Banquet—an informal view of dining and entertaining the Texas way, published in 1965. This is an updated version of Koock’s recipe for “cheese filling,” which contains pimentos and hard-boiled eggs.
|
| |
Texas has gone gaga for the historic kolache, rediscovering the treats over the last decade. This includes the sausage-filled pastry known as “klobasniky” (still called “kolaches” by many) or the fruit-topped variety available alongside donuts and strudel in many bakeries around the state.
Whether you find your breaded treat along the Texas Kolache Trail or beneath the heat lamps at Buc-ee’s, here are a few stops around the state that merit a detour.
|
|
|
This New Braunfels stop serves a bratwurst kolache that’s worth exiting the highway to find.
|
Tucked away in San Marcos, this bakery divides its menu into “Texas Kolaches” (the ones with meat or savory veggies) and “Czech Kolaches,” those with fruit, cream, or cheeses.
|
The famous roadside stop in West has been baking kolaches since 1983 and still draws crowds of hungry drivers off Interstate 35.
|
|
|
My excuse for taking more than 30 years to get to El Paso is that I grew up in Houston, and the drive west was daunting. But I finally made it, and now I can say the shrimp taco and mezcal margarita at Taconeta is a combination worth the drive, no matter what your origin is. The mezcal margarita rotates seasonally, and the evening I went featured a carrot-pineapple concoction that felt nearly healthy. —Hannah Smothers, Audience Engagement Editor
|
On a recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley, I stopped by Junction Cafe in Pharr for a quick breakfast on the way to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. My plate of huevos divorciados hit the spot, and I was fueled (maybe overly so) for the short hike ahead. —Julia Jones, Senior Editor
|
|
|
You are receiving this message from Texas Highways because you requested it or because you have contacted Texas Highways and provided your email address. To ensure our messages always reach your inbox, please add us to your address book.
|
Texas Highways Magazine
6230 E. Stassney Lane
Austin, TX 78744
|
Published ten times annually by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Travel Information Division, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
P.O. Box 141009 | Austin, TX 78714-1009 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
| |
|
|
