Places to eat in Amarillo, Texas

[helen]

I am going on a business trip to Amarillo, Texas in June. I don't think there is time to sightsee in Amarillo but there will be time for getting at least a dinner, breakfast and lunch while in the city.

My initial thought was to go to national chains that are advertised on TV here in Hawaii but don't have an outlet here, like Olive Garden, Applebees and/or Sonic. By any chance are those chains have an outlet in Amarillo?

I read about the Big Texan Steak Ranch, where if you can eat a 4.5 pound steak in under a hour with sides it is free, otherwise you have pay $72. Not that I would try to do that but according to the dinner menu (http://www.bigtexan.com/restaurant.htm) a pound of prime rib goes for under $22 so that might be an option.

Anyone who spent time in Amarillo do you have any suggestions on other places in the area?

[waioli kai]

Have not been in the forum for a spell ....but what a disappointing place to come back to..., Amarillo Texas!! what a joke to play on this forum..??!!

Hardly a joke...more a virtually worthless default of substance.

[waioli kai]

And "places to eat" at that !? How does one say "Cancel My Subscription"?

[blueyecicle]

There were so many resteraunts you should be able to throw a coin and hit a great one. We ate at the Texas Roadhouse, they have them from Texas on it seems, very good food, Clean and freindly. I like them alot. but that is just from our 2 hour visit :D

[Vanguard]

I read about the Big Texan Steak Ranch, where if you can eat a 4.5 pound steak in under a hour with sides it is free, otherwise you have pay $72.

If it's anything like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFlX1CsvD-A), don't do it! :p

[SusieMisajon]

Awww...that's as bad as a mainland tourist coming to Hawaii and eating only at McDonald's! Jeeze! At least go for the local Texas version of the Haole Luau or McD's saimin, for Pete's sake!

Once you get there, ask at the hotel about where to go for a good local Texas style meal...or be brave and take a walk and look for one by yourself.

Go on! You can do it! No be shy!

NO CHAIN RESTAURANTS ALLOWED! When in Rome, eat as the Romans do.

[scrivener]

waioli, don't be a fricking jerk. the subject line of this post was clear. if its topic is not to your liking, don't read it. if you think there's a dearth of substantial reading material here, either start an interesting topic yourself, introduce the issue in a new thread, or just click something else in your bookmarks list. in any case, go piss in someone else's breakfast cereal.

[Leo Lakio]

Susie's right, Helen - go for something you can't get anywhere else.

While I've not been to Amarillo, I've been to many other Texas cities, and there is some amazing cuisine to be found. Killer barbecue, fantastic beef dishes, great seafood (well --- you get that at home, I suppose, but there are some gulf fishies that may be new to you) - and don't forget that Texas provides half of the style known as Tex-Mex; best fajitas I've ever had were in Texas.

As she said, ask at the hotel. The locals know best.

(And a side note to WK: Hey, we're just trying to help out a regular and major contributor here. We'd do the same for you. "Aloha" travels with the person - it's not chained to their locale.)

[helen]

Susie's right, Helen - go for something you can't get anywhere else.

The last time I traveled out of state was in 1992 and I don't think I will be traveling out of state anytime soon after this trip for a while, so if I stumble across a Sonic or a White Castle (do they have them in Texas?) while there that is worth at least a snack of a soda and a burger.

While I've not been to Amarillo, I've been to many other Texas cities, and there is some amazing cuisine to be found. Killer barbecue, fantastic beef dishes, great seafood (well --- you get that at home, I suppose, but there are some gulf fishies that may be new to you) - and don't forget that Texas provides half of the style known as Tex-Mex; best fajitas I've ever had were in Texas.


Yeah somehow after watching the Death Planet segment of Grindhouse one gets this feeling of trying out Texas style barbecue, which now that I remember one of the days during the stay there will be having a Texas style barbecue.

[WindwardOahuRN]

No belly-bomb White Castle restaurants in Texas, Helen.

How about asking the desk person at your hotel for recommendations? Going to a real Texas barbecue place sounds like a great idea. :D

[tutusue]

And "places to eat" at that !? How does one say "Cancel My Subscription"?
Easy...
"Just don't click on the hawaiithreads.com link". It's all within your control.
Bye...
[/OT]

[glossyp]

I may be one of the few people here who has actually spent time in Amarillo - don't ask - it just happened that way!

Absolutely go for beef brisket bbq served with onion rings, coleslaw, Texas toast and apricot preserves. Sonic is a worthy stop for the killer milkshakes made with real ice cream. Another must try is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. The best Mexican is in a neighborhood you probably don't want to venture to without a local to take you, but you can find good Tex-Mex easily. You can ask at the hotel, but an almost fool proof method to find great food is to drop in at the closest coffee shop and ask the servers. I've found that hotels often just throw out a set list of recommendations that aren't necessarily all that great.

[TATTRAT]

BBQ is the quintessential Texas fair, but if looking for something different, HERE (http://dinesite.com/city/city-9913/) is a link that is a great local restaurant resource site.

I was in Texas at a convention and every where we went(mom and pop type places)was awesome. And for Mexican cuisine, it was great. No where near as Americanized as the places further north in the Conus.

Have a great trip!

[WindwardOahuRN]

Easy...
"Just don't click on the hawaiithreads.com link". It's all within your control.
Bye...
[/OT]

Oh Sue---perhaps he was, yet again, "playing devil's advocate." :p

[helen]

Did you decide on a steak house?

No not yet. I am traveling with other people and I don't know the overall group's eating preferences. I do know that the event we are attending there is a Texas style barbecue in the schedule so that is taken care of.

[SusieMisajon]

Looking foreward to an update from Helen, to see how it went.

[helen]

Did have a dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch on our last night there. Also had dinner at the Olive Gardern. Did try Sonic, IHOP, A&W and Popeyes plus a couple of fast breakfast trips to McDonalds.

No shortage of fast food places and mostly centered around I-40. We stayed at the Holiday Inn of I-40 and Ross Street. Behind the Holiday Inn there was a Wienerschnitzel which sold hot dogs and burgers. And across the Ross Street had McDonalds with an IHOP behind of it. A fast food deli chain, A&W with Long John Silvers, a Popeye, a local conveince store and a Burger King down a way but still in walking distance.

[blueyecicle]

WOW! how did you like the Steak house?
I never had been to Sonic before our drive....I love their drinks. Coconut Dr. Pepper. My hubby is addicted now!

[Karen]

I haven't been to Amarillo in many years, but there is one place that is all over Texas, hopefully still and that is Luby's cafeteria. All made from scratch, fantastic cooking like grandma used to make. Their Jalapeno cornbread and their own carrot salad with their own homemade dressing is fantastic, but then all of their food is. I even have a Luby's cookbook, it's that good, and cafeteria style, very affordable. I'd google and see if Amarillo has one but am about to run out the door.

Glad you'll be treated to real Texas Bar-be-que, and if it's real they cooked it like 12hrs. or all night, something like that and the brisket, once sliced if you have any...will have a colored ring around the perimeter of each piece. None of it will be dripping in sauce nor will any sauce even be noticeable.

dang, gotta fly...enjoy Texas, the land of the truly free and common sense folks...in other words, should a person be targeted for a crime there, most likely you'll be FREE to defend yourself in whatever way you feel led to. Okay! I'm homesick, better fly.....

[helen]

WOW! how did you like the Steak house?
It was good. I had the 16 oz prime rib. The left attached photo is the outside of the Big Texan Steak Ranch. With the sign of the cowboy you can't miss seeing this place. The right photo is a display of the 72 ounce steak and the stuff you have to eat with it.

I never had been to Sonic before our drive....I love their drinks. Coconut Dr. Pepper. My hubby is addicted now!
What was strange with Sonic is that each parking stall had a box to contact the food prep place to place your order. I don't know if that was just that location or all of them.

[blueyecicle]

No every Sonic has drive up boxes or you can sit outside at tables, but no one inside. The waiters bring it out to you after you order through the box and pay. It is standard. They also have a drive through.

Kind of like an old 50's Hop!

But it's kind of gross in some places because of the flies. :(