Cork and Pig Tavern: A San Angelo Surprise
by Randy Lankford
The Cork and Pig came to be, although none of the partners knew it, while Nestor and Armenta were both climbing the corporate ladder at Hillstone's, Nestor on the management side and Armenta as an executive chef. When their paths crossed at the Gulfstream restaurant in Los Angeles, they joked that if they were still at Hillstone's when they turned thirty, they'd open a restaurant together.

Louie Mueller Barbecue: Hope for Hamburgers at Louie Mueller Barbeque Goes Up in Smoke
by Randy Lankford
Why can't the best barbeque joint in Texas also serve the best Texas hamburger? Rick Vanderpool gets Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas on the phone and asks.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch
by Randy Lankford
The famous Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo has been satisfying people's appetites in the Texas panhandle since 1960. Home of the 72-ounce steak dinner challenge, thousands of hungry diners have attempted founder Bob Lee's challenge to finish the entire meal (mammoth steak, baked potato, salad, shrimp cocktail and dinner roll) in under one hour. Several hundred have actually succeeded.

Pot Luck: The Boiling Pot Is a Rockport Hot Spot
by Randy Lankford
Dot LeBlanc is one of the few people surprised at the success of The Boiling Pot restaurant in Rockport. She never expected what she describes as "a little oyster shucking shed" to last 25 years. And she certainly never thought it would be so successful she'd end up opening a second location in Austin.

Ninfa's Restaurant: Back to Basics
by Randy Lankford
When Ninfa Lorenzo, better known as "Mama Ninfa," opened her tiny Mexican restaurant on Navigation Boulevard in Houston in 1973, she never dreamed it would grow to more than 70 locations and become one of Texas' best-known brands. She never intended it to be a "brand" at all. She was just trying to provide for her children

Hudson's on the Bend: Austin
by Randy Lankford
Bring Your Sense of Adventure When Dining at Hudson's On The Bend. If the menu seems overloaded with wild game, it's actually a function of its location, "Game On!" Owner Jeff Blank admits he couldn't get away with serving wild boar or venison loin in Miami or Manhattan. Owner Jeff Blank started serving his Hill Country cuisine when he opened the restaurant overlooking Lake Travis in 1984. After 25 years the operation has expanded to include not only one of Austin's best-loved restaurants, but a cooking school and a thriving online outlet for Blank's signature sauces and cookbooks.

Mi Tierra: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
There's a neon sign outside the Mi Tierra Restaurant in San Antonio's Market Square. It glows 24/7 in red defiance of the night. "We never close," it proclaims, proudly. That's not entirely true. The Cortez family has closed the 500-seat restaurant twice: for half a day on November 22, 1963 when John Kennedy was in town and another half day when patriarch Pete Cortez died. Other than those 24 hours, Mi Tierra has been in constant operation since 1951.

Henry's Puffy Tacos: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
There's no way of knowing how many tacos there are in San Antonio. But there's no question which one is the city's most beloved. It's Henry. The stumble-footed mascot of Henry's Puffy Taco Restaurant has been appearing at San Antonio minor league baseball games for 16 years now.

El Chaparral: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
In a city with more than 5,000 Mexican restaurants, it's hard for one to stand out. San Antonio has grown considerably in the 33 years since the Garcia family took over the restaurant and so has El Chaparral.

Bohanan's Prime Steaks & Seafood
by Randy Lankford
Mark Bohanan runs one of the state's top steakhouses, serving top grade beef that cannot be found anywhere else. Starting with humble cafeteria beginnings, Chef Bohanan has created one of the top five restaurants in San Antonio.

Azuca: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
Their menu is described at Nuevo Latino, a far cry from the traditional beans, rice and enchiladas. "There's no ethnic food on the menu," says chef Rene Fernandez, one of Azuca's co-owners. "Nuevo Latino means we cook in a Latin style. We use ingredients from Latin America combined and prepared in a unique style. We offer plates full of color and freshness. Lots of vibrations. Lots of exoticism."

Biga on the Banks
by Randy Lankford
"It's Italian slang for a bread starter. You'd keep a biga around the house and use a chunk of it to start your bread dough." That's as close as Bruce Auden comes to explaining the name of his restaurant, Biga On The Banks on San Antonio's Riverwalk.

Interview with A Master Chef
The European Master Chef Series at the Pyramid Room in Dallas
by Patricia Mitchell
from August, 1997
It's not all barbecue and chili in Texas, you know. We Texans are an eclectic bunch who will two-step a night away at Billy Bob's and sit down to elegant French cuisine the next. In search of the latter, I arrived at the Fairmont Hotel's Pyramid Room in downtown Dallas on a rainy afternoon recently.