Roadfoodjunkie eating Texas

Roadfood eating in Texas is a dream and would be a life time achievement to cover the state.
Ontario, Canada has some great eating places but travels to far away places like Texas puts one into a whole different lifestyle. They have maintained that step back into time; that is mostly lost in Ontario. The whole US economy is based on small business, while in Ontario it is damn near impossible to start a business, without reams of government bureaucracy. I love the old world charm of some quaint, even run down shack, of a Mom and Pop’s road side restaurant where good food is being cranked out to support their family, and not a corporations bottom profit line.

South Padre Island and the surrounding towns of Port Isabel, Brownsville, Harlingen, Donna or Progreso have some great roadfood diners and dives. The food is no better than some of the places we have searched out in Ontario but what makes them unique is the rustic atmosphere. Laid back and economically friendly prices same as the service.

My utmost favorite place to eat breakfast was in Port Isabel at a little family hole in the wall, simply called Fisherman’s Restaurant. It was a treat walking in the door and getting that smile and “Hi! How you all doing today”. Momma, made some of the best pies on the planet, our favorite was her coconut cream pie. A loaded breakfast omelet was a special every morning at $3.99. The only thing that changed was the ingredients inside the omelet, ham, cheese, onion, pepper, tomato could very well be sausage or chorizo another day.

The son Steve was a treat to watch serving,such a fun guy. He could carry at least 5 plates on one arm outstretched like an airplane and had more dance steps than Fred Astaire. I was always waiting for a glass or cup of coffee to spill as he balanced them on his wrist along with both arms full of plates. We never did make it there for lunch always still full from breakfast.
We had a free continental breakfast available at our hotel but enjoyed the compadr’e of Fisherman’s Restaurant so much we opted to eat most breakfast’s there.



Another place I really enjoyed was Pier 19 Restaurant. It was situated out over the water and on a nice day seating was available outside on the pier.
Here it was more atmosphere than food, although, I had an awesome hamburger that was a good as it gets. The burger ranked right up there with my favorite cheeseburger in our home town of Waterford, Ont., at Yen’s Restaurant.
The onion rings were monster cuts and not worth ordering again. For some reason the south has to screw up their batter with cornmeal, I guess, they like the crispy crunch and not so much the flavor of a batter. In most places I have eaten in Texas, a 20oz. draft beer is the price of a soda pop at home $2 bucks is there any wonder why I like Texas?
The wife seldom drinks, but she did enjoy a huge frozen Margarita for $2 also.

One day we travelled to Donna Tx and ate out at Fat Daddy’s.
I simply loved the place and the décor. Rustic was putting it mildly. We all had Chicken Fried Steak. My wife ate little, she was turned off by the over abundance of cream gravy and deep fried minced steak. I had mine with Texas toothpicks (slivers of Jalapeno peppers and onions battered & fried. I loved it. What’s a little grease running down your chin when a big glass of cold beer is available to wash it all down? Prices were right; two could dine for under $25 bucks including drinks.


My wife loves pasta and pizza so I had to break down and go to something a little more upscale. One of her favorites was Marcello’s Italian Restaurant located just over the bridge in Port Isabel. Table clothes and candles, how romantic?
The food was good and not pricey; families could eat out and still have a buck left over ice-cream. She had manicotti ($11.95) and I had a baked ziti ($11.95) with side salad, plus 2 coffees and no alcool. Total including tips $30 one of the more expensive meals.




We found a little pizza joint on the island just down the road from where we stayed, and Yep! that was the name of it – Da Pizza Joint. One of the best pizzas I have ever had. We ordered a fairly basic small pizza, pepperoni, mushroom, half pineapple for her half and green olives for my half. Crust was crispy on the bottom without being hard. They have never heard the word skimpy ingredients; pizza was loaded with toppings and cheese. Excellent, 3 slices each was just the perfect amount with out over stuffing ourselves. Of course, they had good draught beer for 2 bucks a 20oz to wash it all down, Sprite for the Missus our bill was under $17 with tip. Every night they had a piano player and the place filled up. We seem to have perfect timing; walk in as some one was leaving and never had to wait.


Another place I visited all by myself was Joe’s Oyster Bar (wife hates seafood) and I needed at least one feed of raw oysters.

Joe’s Oyster Bar was running a special I couldn’t pass up; A dozen oysters in the half shell for $3.99, a splash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon, a large draught beer and I was in seafood heaven for under 6 bucks. I don’t know where the time went, but commitments kept me from getting back for another feed.


A real popular spot on the island is a real success story of a guy that had a bait shop & a fishing boat. People convinced him he should serve food. The rest is history; he now owns 5 successful restaurants that are all packed on any given night. Out of the original restaurant he still sells fresh seafood retail, in fact you pass the seafood counter as you enter the restaurant.
The restaurant has the unlikely name of Dirty Al’s.

The food is good, the portions huge, prices reasonable and the beer is cold and cheap. Although, I prefer not to have beer from plastic cups, I give in to the ambiance of Dirty Al’s. A Mecca for diners and people watchers and it is anything but dirty. Al himself keeps a firm hand on business and is a friendly guy; he does not look anything like a very successful entrepreneur.

We ate at all his restaurants they all have a different theme and were all worthy of dining at.

Daddy’s, Seafood & Cajun Kitchen shared a chicken Po-Boy ($9.25) just alright. Margaritas were pricey at $5.25.



The Big Donkey, a Mexican Theme and the place for really good Margaritas.

We had a really good Nacho plate that we shared. We were there for the Happy Hour. Margaritas and draft beer. We had supper here one night, My friend Murray, and I had a blackened fish dish, the girls had Guacamole salad and Quesadilla. It was all thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to Murray, for a great choice of entrees.


Big Boys, had entertainment and dancing plus couple of pool tables.
Popular with old people line dancing and a fun place to sit and people watch if not into dancing.
The night we were there, the four of us all ordered ½ rack of ribs ($6.99). They were dry and overcooked but came served with a fully stuffed baked potato that was not only huge but excellent.




Al’s latest purchase is a restaurant on the mainland at Port Isabel. A beautiful setting right on the water called Pelican Junction. Very nice décor all with a railroad station and pelican theme. Huge windows to sit at and look out at life on the water. Birds, boats and traffic going over the two mile long bridge. I predicted the place will be a huge success. Carole and I visited to give it a luncheon try and to take in some scenery in a relaxing mode. She ordered a salad that was served in a huge taco shell that had been fried into the shape of a scalloped shell ($6.12). She loved it. I had Calamari ($5.61) and I loved them. Sprite for her and a couple of drafts for me and we had a bill of under 20 bucks.
We paid a second visit with our friends, Murray & Dianne for breakfast and had a really good breakfast of 2 eggs, bacon, beans & toast for $1.99. Carole had a ham biscuit for $1.99. They served her 2. Well! let me tell you that wasn’t a problem, I was there to help dispose of the second ham biscuit, which was very, very good.



I almost forgot one of my favorite places… Louis Backyard well known for their specials.


We went on a Thursday night for Ribs. A half a rack of meaty heavenly tender ribs at $6.99 a real bargain and included very good fries. Toss down a couple of beers and it was a must place to dine.

There were other places we ate at, after all, we were there for 17days and tried to hit as many places as possible. We did not have cooking facilities and besides, we were on vacation and that meant Carole also.She works hard enough at home planning meals.



Our worst meal was one night we decide to eat in after a day of running the roads. We bought a chicken from Wall-mart and a salad. When you’re not paying attention, (which seems to be more the norm in older years) you don’t always get what you want. What we wanted was a rotisserie chicken, what we got, was a dried out fried chicken. Could have gone a block further down the road and got some Church’s Fried Chicken. We gagged some down and threw out the rest.

Now that we are back home, I am paying the ultimate price, shedding some of the extra weight,I added. Oh well, 2 weeks of living high on the hog was worth it. Isn’t that what vacations are all about?

Roadfood-junkie Tours Restaurant, Diners, and Dives around Ontario's Small Towns

Small towns are some times swallowed up by a bigger town. The town of Aldershott is now incorporated into the much bigger city of Burlington, which is part of the city of Hamilton. Roadfood-junkie takes a step back in time to the sixties to a very real old fashion Hot Dog stand.

This place has been serving up Hot Dogs & Hamburgers since the early 1930's. It’s a roadfood-junkie dream of memories gone by.
A look at the place from the outside would turn most modern diners away and the inside is no better, but who in their right mind would want to take a chance and play with success…and modernize. No matter the appearance, this rugged old shack has patrons lining up to sample fast food, the way it should be; with out the glamour and the glitz. A gastronomical treat for anyone’s palate.
Picture Easterbrookes entrance


Lining the walls are paper plates with felt tipped menus. There are so many combinations of hotdogs and all priced slightly different that it is mind boggling to decide which to choose.


Patrons from times past have carved their initials, addresses and I love U’s into the counters, chairs, booths, walls and even the ceiling. There is a wall of fame from celebrity visitors and clippings from old news papers extolling the virtues of a Easterbrooke' hot dog.
Picture Easterbrooke’s wall


Service is fast and food is good. You order, and they give you a little tab off the receipt. The number on it is what they call out when the order is ready. Roadfood junkie always waits to get a booth, he likes to eat in style.

Picture Easterbrookes counter


Up until a couple of years ago, it was the only place you could still get a bottle of soda pop out of one of those old fashion water coolers. Now a person has to settle for those crummy cans. I miss selecting soft drinks out of the water cooler. They had far more old fashion varieties than just coke & Pepsi.
Picture Easterbrookes Hot Dog


Hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, and onion rings is the bulk of their menu. But you can order hotdogs in numerous configurations and by numerous names off the paper plate menus located along the ceiling.

All hot dogs are foot long dogs.
Choices range from Sauerkraut to Chili and everything in between and all named appropriately on the fancy paper plate menus. Anything fancier would spoil the décor.

The regular 12” dog is mustard, relish and onion priced at $2.35, the dog is plump and juicy, steamed no doubt; and the bun has a slight crust to it about as fresh as a bun can get. I have yet to try their hamburger, since my love affair for their hotdogs. Onion rings are dark golden but a have soft onion interior. They are very good, but orders are small. Save your money for another hot dog.

They claim to have real ice cream not that icy gloop and their milkshakes are still made the old fashion way. If for no other reason than to satisfy your curiosity take a drive and enjoy good eats at Easterbrooke’s. Remember, the Roadfood-junkie motto, goodfood, good service, good prices and good fun. And when I say rustic, I mean rustic

You can always work up an appetite with a walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens which is directly across the street on Plains Rd; then head on over to Easterbrooke's for a gourmet treat. It is worth a drive to smell the flowers and eat an Easterbrooke's Hot Dog. Enjoy the adventure and a trip back in time.

Roadfood Junkie Memoirs

Roadfood junkie a self proclaimed Connoisseur of unpretentious eateries around small towns of Ontario.
Perhaps, it is the childhood memories, the rustic atmosphere of diners, dives and good roadfood of bygone days. Food, like Mom use to make. The older generation grew up in a time when eating out was a special event. The younger generation has been weaned on fast food, the drive up micro-waved burgers and frozen French fries. Where is the fun in eating out and dribbling special sauce down your front? I’d rather be sitting in a booth conversing and joking with the wait staff, enjoy a bountiful plate of flavorful food and knowing I was getting value for my hard earned dollars.

They say you can't tell a book by its cover. Same goes for diners, dives and roadfood restaurants.

Eating out has its moments. When you walk through that door; it may, or may not bring back memories of days gone by. The decor does have something to do with the look and feel. A jukebox or a pinball machine may stir up memories of that Mom and Pop diner that you loved so much. The mood is hard to explain but many people, feel it, and the experience is memorable.
Booths offer more privacy, while an open table concept may be preferred by larger roadfood junkies. Counter stools may host the local gossip crowd, capable of solving world problems.

This roadfood junkie wouldn’t think of wandering into an unknown eatery and ordering a full course meal. Ambiance alone is inspiration enough to look at the menu over a cup of coffee. Sit back and watch the plates of food being delivered, watch for happy faces, take a few deep breathes does it exercise the senses and listen to the compadr’e. When I feel satisfied, I eat.Of course, we also base our decisions on recommendations.
We are not talking fine dining, this not where the average person eats. Remember, parsley is not food, it is a decoration for lack of food.

It is the ambiance and the anticipation that sets a Mom & Pop restaurant apart from a fast food, or drive through establishments. There is no mystery to searching out precooked micro-waved hamburgers and hot dogs.

We travel a lot to roadfood destinations; quite often with other foodie friends. We all have a common interest in good food, but likes and dislikes differ dramatically. When we all agree about a fun food time, we enjoyed our meal, and feel like we got value for money, I write and give praise where I feel praise is due, and sometimes, we agree, when the experience is not memorable. I write about that too.
I like to leave with a smile and that warm fuzzy feeling, that a good meal and good fun, was had by all. We’ll be back.

Food is a celebration of life and should be shared.

Breakfast for one

Some days a big breakfast gets you through the day but when is a breakfast too big?


Mario's Cafe in Warren Street, London, has a big breakfast for 10 pounds (about $16 Canadian). Eat it all in 20 minutes with no drink to wash it down and you get it free.



It's 10 eggs, 10 bacon strips, 10 sausage links, 10 pieces of toast, 5 black puddings (oh yum!!!!), tomatoes, beans and mushrooms. No Chips !!!

Do you think this could rate as too big?



The breakfast packs in 5,000 calories - nearly twice the recommended daily intake for an average man.. A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said: "Eating this amount in one sitting is not a good idea.". No Sh*t Sherlock!

Roadfoodjunkie Christmas Get Together

Our annual Christmas get together was held at David’s a beautiful restaurant situated on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie just east of Port Dover, Ontario.

It had been in the works for months, voted on by the wives and agreed to by the husbands. Roadfoodjunkies would try another stab at a fine dining restaurant after having a couple of other disappointments. We opted for something a little more special. We had eaten previously at David’s, for Mother’s Day, and had an exceptionally excellent Prime Rib dinner.

David’s is a wonderful place to go to in the day-time; to have a drink, and sit in the beautiful lounge. Choose a table by the window, taking in the millionaire’s view of the lake. Night time is nothing special, still great ambiance but it is too dark to see anything. We had an evening sitting by the window and a dark view. I would rather have been by a fireplace. The room was too cool for dining and not at all comfortable.
What was nice, eight of us had our own room and privacy. We could enjoy conversation.

The specials of the night were a mixed grill of pork tenderloin, veal and shrimp served with grilled vegetables. $34. Mahi-Mahi was the seafood special of the night. $38.
I chose the mixed grill special and my wife had beef tenderloin from the menu.

We shared an appetizer of Brochette bread. 1 glass of wine (for her), 2 bottles of Ricker’s Red (for me) and one serving of key lime pie, for a bill totaling $127.50 minus tip.

The beer was good; I find beer chef’s usually consistent.




Our friend Gerry had a surf and turf. Steak and 2 pcs of perch.
It came with Fritos, which is not the usual fine dining gourmet fare, especially frozen fries. But Hey! What do you want for $35 or $40 bucks?




Fine dining means; exorbitant prices, gourmet food, exceptional service and ambiance. It means special; a night to remember. It was a great night with friends so it will be remembered, in fact, we will reminisce about the night many times over but it will not all be positive.

The wine was a half glass of Pinot Grigio for $9.00. Talk about a rip!
2 beer reasonable at $9.50 (or so I tell the wife).
The appetizer was wafer thin rounds of French bread. It was very good but way over priced at $10.00. Strike 1.

The mixed grill was an abomination reserved for amateur cooks. Grilled vegetables, peppers, snow peas, mushrooms. and purple potatoes. Lost amongst the vegetables were a couple of medallions about the size of a silver dollar, of pork and veal, on the side maybe 3 shrimp. There were no flavor bursts, no special sauce, nothing that stood out as different or should I say special. Not much of a bargain at $34 for an average dinner. Strike 2.

Unfortunately, even my camera was shaking.




My wife enjoyed her beef tenderloin ($39) although, she couldn’t eat the mashed potatoes. She wasn’t alone, a couple others felt the same way. They tasted as if vinegar had been added plus some unknown seasoning. I tasted them and they were definitely different. The women found them uneatable.
A consensus among others in the group was one of a less than a satisfying meal. Not one happy camper. The steaks were small, or they were not tender, the fish was just alright, or the vegetables were cool.
The Caesar salads were terrible, very little dressing and wilted lettuce. Strike 3.

Deserts were fine. Key lime pie


or a pecan tart with a very small scoop of vanilla ice cream were more of a bargain at $8.50.


And there was a lemon square that was supposedly very tasty.


A small cup of coffee($2.50) topped off the meal. There were no complaints with the service, in fact, what we were really paying for was ambiance and service; the food was below average for fine dining and way over priced.

There was perhaps, two other tables being served. The restaurant was not busy. Not hard to fathom, why?

That’s it for me and fine dining.
I have vowed to never again venture out fine dining and putting on the Ritz with over inflated prices. Hell, I will fill my own water glass, grind my own pepper or buy a whole bottle of wine if that is what it takes to classify an eating out experience, as Fine Dining. Maybe even have some Fine Dining Poutine.

Don’t expect Roadfood at Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge

It is fine dining at its best. Forget about Roadfood for one night, this is a special occasion and special occasion’s demand special attention. The Roadfood junkie gathered with family at Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge in Brantford,On. to celebrate a 50th birthday. My! how time flies.

Along comes that special event; Eating out enjoying good food around the country at some wonderful family restaurants, diners and dives like we normally travel to just isn’t good enough. You need something special.....a memory.
In this case, it was dining at its finest.....Ged’s! which is located in a century home smack in the middle of a residential area that was once home of some of Brantford’s wealthiest.



The hostess makes your visit warm and inviting and service is tops. Food is superb. I would rate Ged’s as Brantford’s finest dining experience. Prices are also fine dining expectations. This is not a cheap diner but a special occasion, special event, share the love, kind of place. At least, until I win the lottery and then I plan on eating at Ged’s every day. You go to Ged’s, because you enjoy fine dining at its finest and because the quality of food is second to none, right along side the service.

I have heard comments from people who have traveled to various countries and they say Ged’s tops the list. Well I don’t have to travel the world, I know where to go and even though I am use to roadfood diner prices, I can enjoy the extra pampering.

We started the night with cocktails. My cocktail of choice, just happened to be my favorite......a draft beer. There are some things in culture I am not prepared to change. I am a purist. Others, opted for wine and mixed drink cocktails.

My appetizer was Wasabi-peanut crusted Ahi tuna (served rare) with a warm salad of shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli and citrus chili soy (wasabi and soy served on the side) $16. I now know for a fact that Wasabi is not for me, but the tuna was so good I ate it all before remembering to take a picture.

On this night I opted for something lighter than beef and chose a “Shrimp Scampi”: linguini, jumbo shrimp, organic olive oil, white wine, lemon and oven cured tomatoes with fresh spinach and grated Reggiano. $29


It was an excellent choice. When the other dishes came out I was doing some oohing! and aahing! but still happy with my choice. By design, I am a red meat eater, my wife is a switcher, from beef to chicken. She chose chicken.
A pomegranate glazed chicken breast with roasted fingerling potatoes, cabernet poached pears and grilled seasonal vegetables. $27

More often than not my wife won’t manage a full meal, so I get clean-up detail. I can tell you from first hand knowledge the chicken is very good.



Another mouth watering selection was the Char broiled “Delft Blue” 14oz veal chop with organic honey braised cippolini onions, whipped potatoes and grainy mustard demi-glace. $40.



Seems funny, how kids mature as they age. My daughter would never eat seafood in her younger years and now always orders seafood when dining out. She chose a lightly crusted Basa fish fillet that she deemed as excellent.



The Birthday Boy is definitely a traditionalist and chose the strip loin of Beef w/fries(By special request) and a draft beer.



You got to love a guy with good taste.Happy Birthday Wayne.



Cheese cake complete with sparkler topped off Birthday Boy’s meal.
I was a little slow with the camera and had to ask him to put the fork down, so I could get a quick shot of a Raspberry Cheese cake.



Everyone enjoyed their meal and I got a big surprise when we went to pay our bill. My kids had picked up the tab. Dining out in high style doesn’t get any better than this, especially when it is spent with a loving family.

Ged’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge is located at 97 Brant Ave. in Brantford, On.

Keg Restaurant

Well eating out in upscale restaurants is getting to be a habit. Friends of ours are leaving to head south for the winter and we owed them a night out of dining without the dancing. They had taken us out for hotdogs, which I enjoyed immensely. My kind of comfort food, I am a cheap date.

We arrived at the Keg Steakhouse and told that it would be a 20 to 30 min wait for the dining room but tables were available in the lounge. We chose not to wait and hustled off to the lounge. One thing you can always depend on at the Keg is excellent friendly service.

The menu's are huge and lots of great mouth watering selections. My munchies endorphins were kicking in, but we had come for the Prime Rib and I fought the urge to break the bank with ordering one of every item on the menu.Never go dining hungry.

A contingent of noisy Revellers kept our conversation at low levels of internal screaming and head shaking. We wanted to eat and get out into the world of sanity. Water for all, with a slice of lemon, was enough to rush our dinner along. We would stop for coffee and desert someplace quiet were we could talk without the scream.

Prime Rib meal came and it was lovely to say the least. The Keg has excellent food. Creamy garlic mashed potatoes were to die for, along with another of my favorites grilled vegetables. Colorful strips of peppers and green beans. The cut of meat was thinner than most prime rib of beef I have had there in the past(about 1/2")but deliciously cooked to perfection. There were no complaints, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Dinner for 4 was just under $140 and that included the tip.

In hindsight,a Mom and Pop operation Brown's Country Restaurant would have saved a big bill. The atmosphere would have been normal chatting level. But what is a bill when your impressing friends?